“Good Roots” highlights Urbana Farmstead in Arkansas PBS segment
After changing her schedule before boarding the Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, which crashed in a Pennsylvania field after being hijacked, Margie Raimondo received a second chance in life. She shares how she’s using that opportunity to empower the next generation on the art of homesteading in a new “Good Roots” segment premiering tonight, Aug. 12, during “Arkansas Week” at 7:30 p.m. on Arkansas PBS and livestreaming at myarpbs.org/watch.
Traditionally, homesteading – a lifestyle of self-sufficiency – was a skill passed down by family from generation to generation. Recently, it’s seen a resurgence, and Raimondo is quick to point out that economically, people need to grow their food.
After years of learning to cook with renowned chefs, working on farms across the Mediterranean, and seeing high-yield, small space growing methods firsthand, Raimondo created Urbana Farmstead, tucked 13 minutes from downtown Little Rock.
There, Raimondo teaches canning and cooking classes to inform people where their food comes from and how to use it in various ways. She instructs people to not only feed their bodies, but also to feed their souls.
“Good Roots,” produced in partnership with Arkansas Farm Bureau, seeks to shine a light on Arkansas’s rich rural culture and communities. Segments focus on the real stories of rural life, while addressing relevant topics like agriculture, health care, the economy, technology, policy and more.
The segment airs the second Friday of each month during “Arkansas Week.” Additional information is available at myarpbs.org/GoodRoots.
Segments and bonus footage of “Good Roots” are also featured on all Arkansas PBS digital platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, the Engage Arkansas PBS app and the PBS Video app. A blog series accompanies the segments at myarkansaspbs.org.
Major funding for “Good Roots” is provided by Arkansas Farm Bureau.
Arkansas Farm Bureau is a nonprofit, private advocacy organization with almost 190,000 families throughout the state working to improve farm and rural life. Farm Bureau is an independent, voluntary organization of farm and ranch families united for the purpose of analyzing their problems and formulating action to achieve educational improvement, economic opportunity, social advancement and promote the national well-being.
Arkansas PBS, Arkansas’s only statewide public media network, empowers learners of all ages by educating, informing, entertaining and inspiring communities. Arkansas PBS serves as a daily and essential resource for Arkansans by creating, sharing, celebrating and driving conversation around Arkansas stories and classic, trusted PBS programs through multiple digital platforms, including livestreaming at myarpbs.org/watch, ondemand services and YouTube TV, and the distinct channels Arkansas PBS, Arkansas PBS Create, Arkansas PBS KIDS, Arkansas PBS WORLD and Arkansas PBS AIRS on SAP.