Erin Fairbanks kicks off the 2015 season of The Farm Report talking about the recent overturning of the Californian ban on foie gras. Welcoming Rick Bishop of Hudson Valley Foie Gras to the show to discuss the ongoing animal welfare issues surrounding the process. Foie gras is the fattened liver of a waterfowl (either duck or goose, but in Hudson Valley Foie Gras case, only duck) produced by a special feeding process. It results in a product that is at once velvety and meaty, and has been around for centuries. Rick shares how Hudson Valley Foie Gras sets itself a part from other foie gras producers and their efforts to treat their ducks with exceptional care and respect. Erin and Rick go on to dissect the unique physiology of ducks and how it facilitates the hand feeding procedure that Hudson Valley Foie Gras uses. After the break, Erin brings Ariane Daguin of DArtagnan, a well-known seller and manufacturer of pâtés, sausages, smoked and cured charcuterie, all-natural and organic poultry, game, free-range meat, foie gras, wild mushrooms and truffles, on the show to give her thoughts on the developments in the foie gras world. She goes on to say that foie grois is an important part of elevated food and should be respected as such. Tune in for more! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. Its a normal and reversible process for a duck to store fat on its liver. [11:50] --Rick Bishop on The Farm Report Foie gras is one of the important things in gastronomy, and gastronomy is one of the pleasures in life. We call it being a foodie but we need this to create stimulation... without it, you lose a color of the palate. [31:45] At the end of the day we need to focus on raising animals the right way. [34:35] --Ariane Daguin on The Farm Report