Cathy hosted Mark Bittman of the NY Times column "The Minimalist". Mark discusses his writing methods, how industrial food contributes to global warming, and why his column keeps him honest.

Thinking of coming to the No Farms No Food rally on March 13th, 2013? Learn to lobby with environmental lobbyist and consultant, Jeff Jones! HRN's Leah Eden and Erin Fairbanks call up Jeff to discuss lobbying strategies. Who should rally participants expect to meet, and how should one engage a senator or representative? Listen in to hear Jeff talk about the importance of participating in direct democratic actions, and why a diversity of voices need to be heard at Albany. If you're headed to the state capital on March 13th, check out this segment, and know what to expect when you arrive at the rally! Thanks to our sponsor, Hearst Ranch.

Tune in to part one of our podcast series for an overview of the rally and part two to learn about AFT's top three priorities for the rally.

"This is one way to be directly engaged in democracy, and there are a lot of people coming through Albany this time of year- especially because they're making decisions about the state budget." [4:15]

"If you can establish a human connection, you go a long way toward opening the channel of communication." [20:45]

-- Jeff Jones on No Farms, No Food Rally

This week on Straight, No Chaser, Katy is joined by the new Editor-in-Chief of the Food and Environment Reporting Network. Sam discusses how food writing and blogging has changed over the years and what it takes to create an interesting online publication in today's digital landscape. Hear his thoughts on waste management, industrial agriculture and the issues facing the dairy industry. This episode was sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons.

"The most important thing about food, agriculture and environmental health is the fact that they are connected."

"Farmers are in-tune to climate, more than anybody else."

--Sam Fromartz on Straight, No Chaser