{"podcast":{"title":"Farm To Table Talk","slug":"farm-to-table-talk-217480","podcast_index_feed_id":217480,"rss_url":"https://farmtotabletalk.com/feed/podcast/","website_url":"https://farmtotabletalk.com/","image_url":"https://farmtotabletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Farm-to-Table-Talk-Podcast-1.jpeg","author":"Rodger Wasson","episode_count":300,"summary":"Is it best that our food is Local and Organic or Big and Conventional? Our view is “Both, and..” We don’t come to the table with a bias, except that good farming like good food comes in all shapes and sizes. Farm to Table Talk explores issues and the growing interest in the story of how and where the food on our tables is produced, processed and marketed. The host, Rodger Wasson is a food and agriculture veteran. Although he was the first of his family to leave the grain and livestock farm after five generations farming in America, he’s continually worked for and with farmers though-out America and around the world. From directly managing commodity boards and councils to presently building the strategic consultancy, Idea Farming Inc., the Farm to Table Talk podcast has been created to satisfy the curiosity of today’s engaged consumers.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-18T02:18:28.268904+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/farm-to-table-talk-217480"},"episode":{"title":"USDA Invests in Rural Infrastructure- Chris Roach","slug":"usda-invests-in-rural-infrastructure-chris-roach","published_at":"2026-02-13T11:33:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/farm-to-table-talk-217480/usda-invests-in-rural-infrastructure-chris-roach","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/farm-to-table-talk-217480","url":"https://farmtotabletalk.com/usda-invests-in-rural-infrastructure-chris-roach/","audio_url":"https://media.blubrry.com/farm_to_table_talk/content.blubrry.com/farm_to_table_talk/BetterButchery1.mp3","summary":"At a time when America’s meat industry faces increasing consolidation, fragile supply chains, and the closure of rural processing facilities, Better For Butchery’s acquisition of the Princeton Kentucky plant represents a rare, forward-looking investment in independent meat infrastructure. Backed by USDA Rural Development financing, the facility will serve as a scalable, high -integrity co-packing and processing hub designed to help farmers, ranchers, and emerging meat brands reach market without sacrificing quality, transparency, or control. USDA Rural Development played ia critical role n enabling the acquisition. The facility was financed through an MPILP loan backed by the USDA aimed at strengthening rural economies, expanding domestic meat processing capacity, and supporting independent producers seeking alternatives to large-scale industrial packers. the facility now serves as Better For Butchery’s centralized processing, packaging, cold storage, and fulfillment hub. Purpose-built to support third-party brands, the operation enables consistent quality, reliable scheduling, and national distribution for farmers and food businesses that have historically struggled to access scalable processing. Better For Butchery’s acquisition marks a turning point for the company—from turnaround operator to platform-scale processor—and formally launches its co-packing and third-party processing services for emerging and established food brands committed to ethical sourcing and operational transparency. Chris Roach, CEO of Better Butchery joins Farm To Table TAlk to share what’s possible when public investment and private execution align. “With USDA Rural Development’s support, we’re rebuilding meat infrastructure in a way that works for farmers, workers, and brands alike—right her…","meta_description":"At a time when America’s meat industry faces increasing consolidation, fragile supply chains, and the closure of rural processing facilities, Better For B…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2784,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/farm-to-table-talk-217480/episodes/usda-invests-in-rural-infrastructure-chris-roach/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/farm-to-table-talk-217480/usda-invests-in-rural-infrastructure-chris-roach.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}