The Produce Industry Podcast w/ Patrick Kelly

Why does the Emperor of Japan — head of state of one of the most technologically advanced nations on Earth — wade into a rice paddy every year to plant seedlings by hand, and harvest them in autumn by torchlight? How did a grain that arrived from the Korean peninsula three thousand years ago become not just the foundation of Japanese civilisation, but the source of imperial legitimacy, the unit of feudal taxation, and the subject of the world's first commodity futures market? And what does it mean that turtle shell divination was used in 2019 to select the rice fields for a new Emperor's enthronement ceremony?
Join John as he tells the story of Japan and rice — the sun goddess, the koku economy, and the three-thousand-year thread connecting the first Yayoi farmers to the Imperial Palace paddy in Tokyo...
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In Sponsorship with J&K Fresh.
The customs broker who is your fruit and veggies’ personal bodyguard. Learn more here!
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Why did a restless boy from a rural Swedish parsonage end up giving a name to every living thing on Earth — and how did he build a system so durable that it still runs as the operating system of modern biology, long after the theology behind it was overturned? How did the invention of the index card, a near-fatal journey through Lapland, and three years in the Dutch botanical gardens produce twelve thousand species names and a framework that has since scaled to potentially a trillion? And what do we do with the fact that the same man who placed humans in the animal kingdom also used his taxonomic authority to give scientific credibility to racial hierarchy?
Join John and a special co-host as they tell the story of Sweden and Carl Linnaeus — the apostles he sent around the world, the specimens that ended up in Piccadilly, and the system that names everything...
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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
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Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.
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Why did the civilisation that invented writing, cities, and law destroy the very soil that made it possible — and why are sixty to seventy percent of those same fields still poisoned by salt today? How did two scholars at the University of Chicago, reading cuneiform grain records from 2400 BC, discover that the fall of Sumer was not caused by war or plague but by a slow, invisible chemical process that no amount of ingenuity could stop? And what does it mean that the Sumerians could see it happening, recorded it meticulously on clay tablets, and kept irrigating anyway?
John tells the story of Iraq and the land between the rivers — the white crust on the fields of Uruk, the dying date palms of Basra, and the most quietly devastating title in the history of academic writing...
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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
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Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.
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Join Patrick Kelly and co-host Ross "The Produce Boss" Nelson, as they celebrate America's 250th anniversary with a festive discussion on Fourth of July produce trends, from melon and grape supply updates to the rise of global flavors fueled by the World Cup.
Discover how supply chain challenges, soaring fuel costs, and grilling essentials impact your summer produce choices and learn tips for retailers and consumers to make the most of this vibrant season.
#celebration #freshproduce #agriculture

This week on Fresh from the Field Fridays, Dan "The Produce Man" Avakian takes you through some of the best fresh produce in season. This week's lineup includes Mini Midnight watermelons, legendary Suncrest peaches, sweet and flavorful Peach Pie donut peaches, Sun Gold tomatoes, Italian sweet Marconi peppers, plus a quick produce tidbit on Chipperbec potatoes. Whether you're shopping at your local grocery store or farmers market, you'll get tips on what to look for, how to pick the best produce, and why these seasonal favorites deserve a spot on your table. It's all right here on Fresh from the Field Fridays, brought to you by The Produce Industry Network, powered by AgLife Media. Be sure to visit AgLifeMedia.com today.