President Obama just signed into law a $1.15 billion settlement with thousands of black farmers who were discriminated against by the United States Department of Agriculture. So we began the show with an update from John Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association, who spoke with us in February.
Speaking of legislation, the Senate and House had passed versions of the (seemingly now doomed) FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. But would the bill grant adequate exemptions to Oregon's many small farmers? We discussed the matter with Susan Boyd of Oregon Rural Action in La Grande and Albany farmer Scott Frost, who runs Nature's Fountain.
Finally, we rebroadcast Eugene Bradley's engaging interview with New York Times food science expert Harold McGee. McGee's latest book is Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Food and Recipes.
Be sure to tune in every third Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m. to your community radio station, KBOO 90.7 FM in Portland/100.7 FM in Corvallis/91.9 FM in Hood River. We'll warm you up with a special soup-themed show on January 19.
- KBOO