A panel discussion covering the latest developments of three areas of change and news stemming out of the Rancho Recall/Closure.

1 - Updating listeners on the current developments in the Rancho recall/closure and the fight to save the custom beef from destruction and the latest developments in the USDA investigation.

2 -The current drought and the impacts and implications for Grassfed producers and the protocols in place to keep them certified as grassfed during a drought.

3 - The sale of Rancho to Marin Sun Farms and the major changes announced by Marin Sun Farms to their feeding protocol and their business model.

Guests were - Gary Cox (Lead Attorney for the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund), Doniga Markegarde (Owner of Markegarde Family Grassfed Farm), Nicolette Hahn Niman (BN Ranch partner, environmental attorney and author of The Righteous Porkchop), Christopher Peak (Marin Media Institute Research Fellow at the Point Reyes Light) and comments provided prior to the show by Marilyn Noble of the American Grassfed Association.

*Actual discussion starts at 2:30 into the download -  38:40 is when Doniga Markegarde joins the panel.

Robin Carpenter interviewed Nicolette Hahn Niman of BN Ranch and Gary Cox of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund about the impacts of the recall and closure of Rancho Feeding Corp in Petaluma to BN Ranch and our community. Gary Cox who is an attorney with FCLDF explained the legal implications of the recall as well as how some of the USDA FSIS procedures work in these situations.

Paul Shapiro of the Humane Society of the United States who worked for passage of Prop2 and AB1437 which provides room for laying hens to be able to stand, spread their wings and turn around talks about the impacts of the Farm Bill and the removal of the King Amendment.

Nicolette Hahn Niman who is the author of Righteous Porkchop and a speaker on humane livestock treatment joined the conversation with her insights and history in this arena

Show starts at 3:29 mark

Chris Peak, the Marin Media Institute Research Fellow at the Point Reyes Light, updating the listeners on the latest Drake's Bay Oyster Company court ruling and developments in the Rancho Feed story.

Evan Wiig, one of the founders of the Farmers Guild, discusses their growth, vision and how the young farmers in our region are using social networking and technology to help each other and address of lot of the challenges they face getting into farming. 

A variety of topics including Michael Twitty's Afroculinaria blog, The Farm Bill and the King Amendment's impacts on California's Prop 2 and AB1437, Peter Prows updating us on legal developments in the Drakes Bay Oyster Company case and the Supreme Court. 

*Show starts at the 8:20 mark

* Peter Prows, attorney for Drakes Bay Oyster Company, joins in at the 34:00 mark