Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good
Episode 16: Pantaleon Florez Talks Incubator Farming, Food Systems Equity & Researching Corn
Through his Maseualkualli Farms in Lawrence, Kansas, Pantaleon Florez has big ideas for farming and food systems equity. Starting out at Common Ground Incubator Farm just before the COVID-19 pandemic began required Panta to be creative in his marketing outlets, shifting away from farmers markets and toward value-added items, restaurant sales and mutual aid food support. Learn about his research in growing corn using traditional Mexica indigenous methods from the 1500s (spoiler alert: it yielded higher than current no-till methods), what it’s like to farm as part of an incubator farm, and the difference between farming in California and farming in Kansas. Panta also lets us in on his innovative $1 million food security and farming plan that could change the way $5.9 million worth of food is produced, processed and distributed around his city. He calls it The People’s Century Farm, and you’re going to want to hear about it!