REV On Air: The Power and Peril of the Seed with Dan Barber of Blue Hill Farm

Today’s guest is the incredible Dan Barber, who is the Chef of Blue Hill, a restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, located within the nonprofit farm and education center, Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. His opinions on food and agricultural policy have appeared in the New York Times, along with many other publications. Barber has received multiple James Beard awards including Best Chef: New York City (2006) and the country’s Outstanding Chef (2009). In 2009 he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.

Drawing on the wisdom and experience of chefs, farmers and seed breeders around the world, Barber proposes a new definition for ethical and delicious eating. Barber charts a bright path forward for eaters and chefs alike, daring everyone to imagine a future for our national cuisine that is as sustainable as it is delicious.

Barber also applies his passion to work outside his establishments’ walls. With vegetable breeder Michael Mazourek, he co-founded the seed company Row 7 to breed other foods for flavor and nutrition, and to make their seeds—which include marvels such as citrusy Patchwork Peppers and nutty Upstate Abundance Potatoes—available to the public. He also hosts educational programs, such as WastED, a pop-up that took place inside Manhattan’s Blue Hill in 2015 and served delicious dishes made from ingredients most of us would never consider using up. He has also done a lot of recognition for compost which we love.

“Dan and I discussed the fact that just FOUR companies globally now own more than 60% of the world’s seed crops…meaning the vast majority of our food sources are controlled by less than a handful of corporations. And these companies are agribusinesses like Bayer, who engineer these seeds to be genetically modified and only able to grow when a certain pesticide (that Bayer happens to make) can be sprayed liberally upon them from the moment they are put in the soil. Meaning our food contains chemicals from it’s inception in many cases. As disease soars throughout so many populations, I can’t help but think about the connection here to the amount of pesticides, toxic fertilizer and the literal roots of our food being hit with chemicals before it even grows. Not to mention what it means to have businesses hold the rights to something as fundamental as the seeds that grow our food.” – Cora Hilts

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