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Hi I'm Rob Stewart.

Coming up, we'll take you
across the U.S. and

head overseas to see how
American farmers and ranchers

make a critical connection
to consumers...

And reach out to communities
at home and abroad.

We'll take you to Africa where a
New Mexico rancher shares

his expertise in raising better
crops to stave off hunger.

Some city folks in Boston
take to the farm fields

of New England - delivering
food to the region's needy.

Our Sharon Vaknin shows you
how to "dress up" the simple

sweet potato and make it
into a main dish meal.

And urban residents in one
California community support

local growers with an expanding
"Farm to Fork" movement.

It's all coming up on
America's Heartland.

♪You can see it in the eyes
Of every woman and man♪

♪In America's Heartland
living close to the land♪

♪There's a love for the country
And a pride in the brand♪

♪In America's Heartland♪

♪Living close
Close to the land♪

♪♪

Whether it's a natural
disaster or

a call to help in any number of
emergencies,

America's farmers and
ranchers have long stepped up

to provide food and other
aid to communities in need.

Tough economic times have
accelerated those needs and

all across the country
partnership programs have

sprung up between rural
communities and urban

residents to help deal with
food shortages.

We've shared a number of
these stories with you

on America's Heartland.

"Farmers Feed Florida" is a
good example.

Local farmers, like Hank
Scott, welcome volunteers

who show up to sweep through
their fields -

collecting produce that might
otherwise go to waste.

You hate to see a crop that
you've worked so hard

to grow go to waste.

I mean you're growing it to
feed people;

you want it to feed people.

If you can get the stuff
that's not marketable in the

right hands where it can
help people that are in

need-- that's the greatest
thing in the world,

the greatest feeling in the
world.

Trucked back to the
Second Harvest

food distribution center, Boy
Scouts and others will package

the produce making it possible
for food closets and Florida

hunger centers to share
fresh food with those in need.

But hunger is a real concern
not just in the United States,

but in many places
around the world.

And there as here at home
you'll often find America's

farmers and ranchers
providing assistance.

♪♪

Scott Stovall has been
working this cattle ranch

for more than two decades.

We're in windy Central
New Mexico.

The nearest towns are Anton
Chico, Las Vegas and Santa Rosa.

When I was young, I wanted a
career that was outdoors.

I wanted to stay with
the southwest

and I wanted something
that was active.

And during that period of
time I met a lot of ranchers

and just completely liked
the lifestyle of these

ranchers and I think I
was in my early 20's

and from then on
my goal was set.

His ranch is home to large
herds of cattle roaming on

thousands of acres of
open grassland- a ranch he

established with lots of
hard work and sweat.

Scott Stovall has learned a
lot on this land.

So much, he was ready to share
his knowledge with others.

When I got to a point where
I felt like I had everything

paid off here at the ranch,
I wanted to give back and

agriculture's been good to
me and I also wanted to

give back to it,
so I volunteered locally

for some organizations here and
someone approached me

about the Farmer-to-Farmer
program.

This is the Farmer-to-Farmer
program- in action- in Africa...

where Scott shared his firsthand
knowledge of agriculture with

farmers who could benefit from
his information and experience.

It's a program funded by the

United States Agency for
International Development...

U.S.A.I.D and implemented
through CNFA, an international

development organization based
in Washington, D.C.

The program provides life-saving
knowledge and expertise

delivered by volunteer
American Farmers sharing

their skills with farmers and
agricultural businesses

in developing countries.

Scott's contributions
have taken him

to a number of spots
around the globe.

I've been in Eastern Europe,
Ukraine, let's see, Azerbaijan,

Georgia, and in Africa, Kenya,
Mozambique, Malawi,

Angola, Uganda, Mali, a lot of
countries in Africa.

This farming and green house
operation in Kenya,

is a host organization
being helped by the

Farmer-to-Farmer program-
one of many in Africa.

Ngila Kimotho directs Kenya
Dryland Seeds limited.

His group has benefited
from their

interaction with farmers
like Scott.

The work being done in the
farmer to farmer program

exposes those in regions
around the world

to agricultural information that
can help farmers

become self-reliant, improve
food security

and generate income.

It can also provide needed
expertise

in other areas-important to
farming success.

It's not just planting
techniques that are shared...

everything from production - to
harvest - is handled here.

These kernels of corn can
save the lives

of people struggling for
their very next meal.

And as a result it's opened my
eyes on many different levels...

they facilitate the
whole project.

All you do is volunteer
your time.

But the lessons don't end on
the land.

Scott Stovall says that what
he experienced in Africa

has changed his life, too.

Knowing that he's helped
plant seeds of change -

for generations to come -
has given him

a new passion and purpose.

It's something that truly
changed my life.

It's opened my eyes
professionally,

culturally and personally
knowing that there's different

ways in agriculture other that
the way I know.

There's other cultures different
than the culture

I'm used to and personally, the
will of the human spirit.

I can feel some of the
same challenges

they're dealing with
that I deal with.

Once again I already have a
whole other set of challenges

but still it's agriculture
growing from the

ground and raising the
livestock for food.

Their goal is the
same as mine,

to support their families
and also to help their

communities and help feed
the people of the world.

♪♪

Farming and ranching have
deep roots in New Mexico.

Early inhabitants were
growing corn,

squash and beans more than
two thousand years ago.

New Mexico is one of
the top three

pecan producing states
in the nation.

And here's a spicy fact, New
Mexico State University

leads the nation in chile
pepper research.

The food connection between
farming communities and

urban areas has grown much
stronger in recent years.

The dramatic growth of farmers
markets is just one example.

In addition, many supermarkets
offer produce...

even meats... provided by
farms and ranches in their area.

On a bigger scale, a number
of communities have begun...

what they call...
Farm to Table programs.

Sacramento, California has
declared itself America's

"Farm to Fork" Capital -
giving urban residents the

chance to learn more about just
where their food is coming from.

♪♪

When it comes to American
agriculture,

California is King!

And if it's California Grown-
it's being picked,

plated and praised at this
Sacramento celebration.

What are you seeing and what
are you hearing from

the farmers that
actually grow this?

They're very excited to let
people know about their

produce and to let them know
that they are here

and they're not going anywhere.

I think that's really
important right now.

Why?

It's creating more jobs, and
great food and produce.

Sacramento is the capital
of the nation's

most productive
agricultural state.

With some 70% of the
surrounding region providing

agricultural, forestland or
open space, there's plenty of

room for a wide variety of
farm products.

Add to that... scores of
boutique farms and more than

50 regional farmers markets
and you have a close

connection between producers
and consumers.

Well we're harvesting right now,

this is the best time
in the vineyard.

Celebrating that ag
connection, residents and

city officials have staged a
number of events...

including this one...
turning Sacramento's iconic

Tower Bridge into a
one-of-a-kind "Farm to Fork"
dinner.

Back to that dining in a
moment.

But first... it has to come
from the fields.

Fred did you grow these?

Yes sir.

These are pink lady variety,
yeah.

When did you pick them?

These were picked yesterday.

Yesterday? My goodness...
That's fresh.

Yes.

Yolo County Peach and Apple
Farmer Fred Manas is sharing the

fruits of his labor with
thousands of people, among them,

the Mayor of West Sacramento,
Christopher Cabaldon.

We're right in one of the
coolest places,

all the eating, sautéing,
enjoying,

and drinking but we're right
in maybe the richest

agricultural valley - maybe in
the whole world,

along with some of the most
creative people.

Thousands of people filled
the Tower Bridge and

Sacramento's Capital Mall
for one of the

region's culinary celebrations.

Everyone who worked was
excited because the people

who were asking,
"Where did this come from?

How does it grow? When is the
season? Is this local?"

All these questions that we
never expected to get that

now have become part of our
general conversation.

I feel like I won the
lottery being here tonight.

There was just so many seats
available for this Tower Bridge

dinner and it sold out within
six hours of being announced.

So it's clearly hit a spot
that people wanted to come

and take advantage of this
exciting opportunity.

I gotta say the
more variety,

the types of foods that you
just can't find anywhere else.

But Sacramento and
California is just like the

epicenter of agriculture.

So I get excited when I get
to try new things.

Connecting consumers to
their food and having them

"try" those new things has
prompted similar

"Farm to Fork" events across
the country.

Events that raise the profile
of farmers and ranchers

and events that celebrate the
regional products

that make our agricultural
communities special.

What we're doing is
celebrating what Sacramento is,

what Sacramento's bounty is, and
what Sacramento has to offer.

Not just our community
because we already know who

we are and what we are, but
to tell everybody else that

we are the Farm to Fork
capital of America.

What does it mean to you to
have such access to agriculture

and the people that provide it
right in your own back yard.

Well it means a lot, because
you can really pay attention

to what you're eating.

And that's a huge deal in
today's world.

You can only label so much.

Knowing the actual farmer,
going to the farm,

seeing the produce, seeing
the pig, whatever it is,

allows you to eat a lot
healthier, and safer.

So it's great in that respect,
but it also give you just a

better sense of connection to
what it is that you're eating.

Where it comes from.

And for the farmer -
it is huge!

That's who we are, that's
what we do great,

that's what we're known
around the world for,

and let's celebrate it!

♪♪

Many "eat local" efforts
started with state and

federal programs that
encouraged school districts

to buy from local farms
and ranches.

From just a handful of
programs in the late 90's,

farm to school efforts now
touch more than

ten thousand schools in
all 50 states.

♪♪

Let's make a little
Farm to Table

connection of our own
right now.

Our Sharon Vaknin is in the
kitchen this week with a

recipe that dresses up the
simple sweet potato and

folds it into a very hearty
main dish that might fit the

bill for your next
dinner party.

♪♪

Today we're making sweet
potato and beef stew

with a little surprise.

I'll show you that later.

The first thing we need to do is
prepare our sweet potatoes.

So the skin of a sweet
potato is edible but for

this dish, since we're going
to be stewing it,

the skin will come off
during the cooking process.

Now when you're shopping for
sweet potatoes there are

two things you want to look for.

First, you want to make sure
there isn't a lot of

bruising or breakage on the
flesh but most importantly,

you need to check to see if
the flesh is firm.

Normally it will be softer
towards the end of the root.

♪♪

That's how you know you have
a fresh sweet potato.

So for our stew, I want to
cube these sweet potatoes.

So we'll slice them
length-wise and then...

Just cut them like that.

And then we'll just
cube them.

Perfect size for our soup.

Our sweet potatoes are done,
and now it's time

to prep the rest of our
vegetables.

I've got one red pepper
and for these,

we don't want to cut
them too small.

Just nice squares like that.

So the next thing we're going to
put in here is a carrot.

Then of course, an onion.

Garlic.

I like a lot of garlic
in my stews.

Now the next main ingredient
for our dish is our beef,

after all, it's a sweet
potato and beef stew.

So here I have about a pound
and a half of stew meat.

So what I want to do here is to
just trim off some of the fat.

Keep this healthy.

And cut it into smaller
pieces just like that.

Our beef is in nice
bite-size pieces

and the last thing we
need to do to them

is to sprinkle them with
a little flour.

So not only will this help
the browning process,

but it will also thicken
up our stew.

Then just give it a
nice toss.

Perfect.

Our ingredients are ready
and now it's time to

brown the beef and get
our stew going.

Now the first thing we need
to do is brown our beef.

It gives it a nice color and it
locks in all those yummy juices.

So we'll add a little bit of
olive oil to our pan

and throw in our beef.

We're just looking for a
nice dark brown, golden color.

And when it reaches that
point,

that beef will just lift up
off of the pan.

Alright our beef looks
ready.

We don't have to worry about
them being cooked all the

way through at this point,
we just want to get a nice

color on them and these guys
look good.

Now in the same pan, without
cleaning anything up, we'll add

a little bit more olive oil and
get our onions going.

Now that our onions have
softened,

we'll add our carrots and
the garlic.

And now it's time to add our
spices.

So here I've got turmeric,
cumin, paprika, a little bit of

cayenne pepper for a kick and
a little bit of cinnamon.

Sprinkle it right on top.

Now I did say that this stew
has a little surprise.

We're adding beer and the
beer will help us de-glaze

the pan but it will also add
a nice flavor so here I've

got a Belgian Ale, I've got
Stella Artois.

It's not too strong, we're
not making beer stew.

We just wanted to add a nice
little kick.

Now back in goes our beef
juices and all,

we don't want to miss out on
any of that.

Plus four cups of beef
stock.

Finally of course, we've got
our red bell peppers

and the star, our sweet potato.

Now a few more flavorings and
we'll be ready to let this stew.

I've got fresh thyme and
two bay leaves.

Now I'm putting them in
whole but we'll take them out

before we serve this dish.

And I almost forgot,
Worcestershire sauce.

This will add a nice amount
of sweetness and tang.

And season it with a
little pepper.

So we'll let this stew for
about 45 minutes to an hour

until that beef has softened,
the color of the stew

has deepened, and the liquid has
reduced so I'm not going to

put a lid on it, I want some of
that liquid to come down.

Our stew simmered for about
an hour and that liquid reduced

The beef is soft and tender
and so are those sweet potatoes.

So the way I'm serving
it here is

over a few spoonfuls
of couscous.

You can also use pasta or
pearl couscous, just soak up

all that flavor and to finish it
off, some cilantro.

How good does that look.

And now of course there is only
one more thing left to do,

give it a try.

Mmm, that's amazing.

You've got the sweetness of
our star ingredient,

the savory of the beef, and
of course all of those

spices that we put in there
in the very beginning.

This is going to be a hit.

♪♪

One hundred fifty years ago
a good portion of America's

population grew their
own food.

Even with community gardens,
that's become more difficult

these days and hunger
programs often have trouble

providing fresh produce to
those they serve.

Well, just like the Florida
program we showed you earlier,

a dedicated group
in Boston is working hard to

meet the food needs of those
in their community.

♪♪

These orange and yellow
peppers are premium

they're just so beautiful.

I know what a pepper is, but
as far as some of the more

interesting vegetables go I
didn't know that much

until I started doing this.

Still a good pepper if they use
it fairly quick.

Usually pretty good
quality stuff.

Some of it doesn't have to
be perfect.

He said just come down
the row,

pick the orange peppers but
don't get the ones that

look like they're past
their prime.

So we're looking for
perfect peppers.

♪♪

Thank you for coming today.

Farmers contact us and then
we have to react and we may

have less than 24 hours,
we may have 48 hours.

In between that time there's
weather to consider,

other conditions and so it's
getting the volunteers,

its having the mass of
volunteers I could draw from

to get the numbers I need on
very short notice.

Maybe they want to plow in two
days or maybe the product is

gonna have bolted and just not
be good in that amount of time.

So I ask the volunteers to
pick what they would like.

We don't want to take to
pantries marginal product.

We're picking items that you
would see at the

at the farmers market,
it's just surplus is what it is.

We're going to be out here
today for probably about

three hours and we're going
to get five different items.

Estimates are 40 to 50
percent of what is

produced in the U.S. actually
goes to waste.

If that's the level of what
the waste is,

we're not going to be able
to keep going like that.

We've got to recover some
of that on the end

before it goes into the
waste streams.

So that's what we're doing.

Perfectly good product going
to the people who need it.

For me, personally I think it's
important just to get outside.

I spend so much time inside
at school and doing homework

and stuff and it's great
just to be out here.

Food is certainly essential
so I think it's a combination

of being outside, being on a
farm, doing something I really

enjoy and making a difference
for someone else.

♪♪

Food for Free is a non-profit
that was started in 1981

and our mission is to rescue
fresh fruit and produce

and other foods that would
otherwise go to waste and

get it directly into the
emergency food system.

We estimate that we feed between
20 to 25 thousand people a month

In the emergency food system
people don't have access to

fresh produce and fruit and
with The Gleaners and with us,

it may be more people
but we're able to ensure that

the food that they're getting is
good and healthy food.

The Gleaners are a partner
with Food for Free.

Part of what Food for Free
is trying to do is ensure that

70 plus percent of the food that
we deliver is fresh produce.

The Gleaners not only get us
fresh produce but it's

directly from farms here in
Massachusetts.

So it's supporting the farmers
and its supplementing the

most fresh produce we can
possibly get our hands on.

When we go to pick up food
or collect from The Gleaners

or collect from supermarkets
or farmers, they're grateful.

They're thanking us for
taking this food off their

hands and ensuring its not
going to waste.

Then we go to recipient
food donors,

they're incredibly grateful
for the food that we're bringing

in so everyone in this system
is sort of helping

each other out and appreciative
of what's happening.

♪♪

Before we go, let me remind
you that there's a lot to

enjoy on our America's
Heartland website.

Not only video from all of
our programs,

but educational information
on agriculture and links

to farm programs across
the country.

You'll find us at
AmericasHeartland.org

And if you hang around some
of your favorite

social media sites, you can
connect with us there too.

Thanks for being with us.

We'll see you next time on
America's Heartland.

You can purchase a DVD or
Blu Ray copy of this program.

Here's the cost:

To order, just visit us
online or call:

♪♪

♪You can see it in the eyes
of every woman and man♪