Episode 39: An Oyster Is Not Just an Oyster: Beth Walton & Oyster South

In this episode of OYSTER-ology, host Kevin Cox welcomes Beth Walton, Executive Director of Oyster South to dive into the mission and operations of Oyster South, which unites farmers, chefs, scientists, students, and the public in support of the oyster industry. Beth talks about her personal journey from growing up in southeastern Massachusetts to leading the organization. They discuss the unique community-building efforts, including the industry's annual symposium and the Landlocked fundraiser event, and highlight the importance of storytelling and technology in the oyster farming sector. Walton also touches on the challenges faced by southern oyster farmers and the importance of collaboration and education in overcoming them.

Together, Kevin and Beth explore how Oyster South convenes researchers, farmers, regulators, chefs, extension agents, and community members to build a resilient oyster future rooted in collaboration rather than competition. It’s a conversation about oysters as ecosystems, oysters as culture, and oysters as a platform for shared progress.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Beth Walton

00:30 What is Oyster South?

02:56 Beth Walton's Journey with Oysters

05:30 The Birth of Oyster South

07:33 Growth and Impact of Oyster South

08:40 Connecting the Oyster Community

21:53 Challenges and Innovations in Oyster Farming

33:49 Future of Oyster South and Advice for New Farmers

36:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Links:

• Oyster South website: https://www.oystersouth.org
• Oyster South on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oystersouth1427
• Shellbound video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCufl37pMDw&t=1s
• Kimball House, Decatur GA: https://www.kimball-house.com/
• Sea Grant: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/

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Transcript

Beth Walton, Oyster South

(not yet proofed by Chet Jipty)

Beth: Food people are just like, we're crazy. You know, whether you're a farmer, a chef, I mean, it's something that no matter, where you are in the country or how old you are everybody has an oyster story. whether it's good or bad. Hopefully it's a good one, you know?

Kevin: Welcome to OYSTER-ology, a podcast about oysters, aquaculture, and everything from spat to shuck. I'm your host and the food walker, Kevin Cox.

There's a moment usually somewhere between the first slurp and the swallow when you realize that an oyster is carrying more than just brine and delicious meat. It carries labor, it carries regulation, it carries weather, water quality permits, patients and people who wake up thinking about tides before their first cup of coffee.

That's the moment that my conversation with Beth Walton lives in. Beth is the executive Director of Oyster South, an organization working quietly but powerfully across the American South to connect oyster farmers, scientists, policy makers, educators, and communities around a shared. Coastal future of aquaculture.

In our conversation, Beth and I talk about how oyster growers are often misunderstood and why convening people not just growing shellfish may be the most important work happening in the oyster world today. She explains how the mission of Oyster South is to help bring the three pillars of aquaculture.

That is the scientific community, the hospitality community, and the farmers themselves together to make the oyster world bigger, better, and more sustainable. Our lively discussion reveals how oysters connect science, policy, culture and place in ways most of us never see.

It may seem like we're talking about oysters, but really we're talking about everything oysters touch and everything that touches them

Because as Beth reveals, an oyster is not just an oyster. It's a test of how well those in the southern oyster world take care of each other and the places they depend on. So expand your tunnel vision from just what you do, and get into a collaborative mood to hear about the connection between science, policy and place.

Why oyster farmers are misunderstood, the importance of storytelling, tasting the place, good water, robust resources and jobs for everybody. With executive director, marine biologist, shellfish farmer, collaborator, organizer, and very possibly the ultimate people person in the oyster world, Beth Walton. Okay.

Kevin: Beth Walton, it is so fabulous to have you as my guest. I've wanted you as a guest on this show since I began the show. I've heard so much about you and so much about Oyster South, the organization that you're the Executive Director of so welcome to OYSTER-ology.

Beth: Oh, Kevin. Hey, thanks. Yeah, I mean, likewise, I've heard so much about your podcast and this is just fabulous. So thank you.

Kevin: describe what Oyster South is.

Beth: Yeah. that's a great question, people think that we are just about farmers sometimes, but we really bring together the farmers, the chefs, the scientists, the students. We're like an all inclusive support system no matter how you interact with oysters, if you are in the industry or if you're a member of the general public who just likes to go hang out and have oysters and bubbles with their friends. So we really like to provide information, connecting people on a professional but personal level as well. As far as us, like structurally. We do have our traditional board of directors, but then we also engage heavily with what we call our marine advisory board in each state. And so that is composed of our SEA grant, marine extension people who are just invaluable resources. And their job is to basically always say, get the science on the street, get the science to the people. So to be that bridge between science and like, Hey, farmer, what problem are you having and connecting the right people. So, because we are so spread out across such a big region, we rely heavily on those folks and they're just awesome.

Kevin: that's really interesting Oyster South isn't just a gathering place for farmers and consumers and people in the food industry. Mm-hmm. It's also a gathering place for science and scientists and organizations, agencies, like SEA grants around. Mm-hmm. The country and that sort of thing. So you're really kind of pulling in science, innovation, food, farming, and all of

Beth: hospitality. Right. All of it. Yep.

It's like hospitality, industry and science. It's like the three pillars, the scientific community, the hospitality community, and the industry itself. Sowithout one of those, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing. And I, and it's, it's fun, but I mean, it's interesting to me because we can do things creatively and in a different way, because we engage with all these different segments celebrating the oyster and the people that are a part of that.

Kevin: And would you describe that as kind of the mission statement of Oyster South, or is there something more

Beth: defined? Yes. that's part of it. we celebrate, of course,

the food value, the economic, the environmental, and the cultural benefits that sustainable oyster farming provide to people and into the community. So we really try to touch on all of those points with folks, whether you're on the industry side or the public side.

Kevin: So I wanna know a little bit about you.

 what was your first exposure to oysters and how did that lead to where you are today running this organization?

Beth: I grew up along the coast, southeastern Massachusetts in New Bedford, so always kind of spent time, on the boat with my grandparents on the water, that sort of thing. Being Azoreian and Portuguese, like that's just kind of like baked in, you know, genetically. So I mean, being on the water and understanding working waterfronts and people making a living from the sea, that's kind of always been part of my upbringing.

when I think about it, Uh, I really didn't have raw oysters until I was probably in my early twenties, But before that, you know, I was really involved with the hatchery side of things, so that's how I get into the professional side with the shellfish world.

 I mean, I was one of those people that had in their yearbook, like, going to be a marine biologist, like that kind of thing. So went to school for that. Um, but then once I graduated I realized that I really, enjoyed the science part of course, but it was the people part of it that really I enjoyed, you know, quite a bit too.

So working in the shellfish hatchery, my first job, was growing bay scallops in southeastern Massachusetts and then I got in touch with some folks on Martha's Vineyard at the Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group. Worked there for a few years and then from there, worked at all different hatcheries around New England.

 and along the way, met my husband, bill. while I was on Martha's Vineyard at the hatchery there. So it just is part of the bigger story for me.

Kevin: Right. And it sounds like, uh, you and Bill, created a formidable team together to kind of address this oyster world.

Beth: Well, it was really funny, Kevin, because I was working at the hatchery, which, you know, for people who aren't familiar with shellfish hatcheries, I mean we're, what happens there is the shellfish, are spawned and you're, you're caretaking, you're taking care of babies essentially.

And then at the time, he was a graduate student and I was told, Hey, there's somebody working with an invasive species of crab. It was the green crab, which he needed to set up experiments. So, all this hard work you put in, the crabs are just gonna eat these things. And I was like, wait, what?

So that's, that's how we ended up meeting was, measuring green crabs and so forth.it was sort of meant to be. It's a great part of the story. Um, and since then, I mean, gosh, that was back in mid, mid to late nineties.

 so moving through all these different iterations of shellfish and oyster worlds, we've been fortunate. To, you know, a job requirement really is like to live along the coast for what we both do.

 and so it's been great to connect all the people and the places and the through line has been shellfish and being good stewards of the shellfish resource no matter where we've been.

Kevin: So how did all of that lead to you ultimately creating Oyster South as an organization? It's a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, correct?

Beth: Yep. We're a charitable organization. Yep. Our story. Of incorporation or how we came to be like any great story, it started in a bar, but in our case it's an oyster bar. And in fact, I wasn't even part of the initial, inception of this, credit for Oyster South really goes truly to Brian Rackley, who is a partner at Kimble House and it's an oyster farmer himself at Shiny Dimes. This great oyster Bar Program in Decatur, Georgia. And when Bill and I moved from New England down to Alabama, um, Brian had heard that there were some farmers like, what is this?

there's people farming oysters in the Gulf, and there's some training program going on at Auburn University. like what is up? And he and Bill got to talking and Brian invited Bill and his class of students up to Kimball house and told him, Hey, you know, have them bring some of their oysters and was gracious enough to offer, feedback like what restaurants look for, size, shape, you know, that sort of thing, branding.

So from there they were like, well, geez, this is really interesting. You know, we've got the scientific community, we've got the industry side, the academic side, Like what can we do? How can we get the word out about this? And so it was like, well. bill, you're a professor at Auburn.

 why don't you get a classroom somewhere on campus and let's throw a meeting and see if anybody shows up. So we're all volunteering and thought, if 12 people show up, 20 people, we have no idea how many people are gonna show up. You know, 50 people would be a smashing success.

So we had a hundred people show up, Kevin. So we were just like, wait, what? because we realized the public, they already knew about oysters, like from people coming to Kimball house and people excited about eating.

 people were very excited. Were like, all right, let's do this. So that was 10 years ago. Yep. 10th year of being incorporated and then actually a couple years, even before, we were official that we were all volunteering and not just the three of us.

there were a bunch of people involved, So it's been a wild ride.

Kevin: And how would you say the organization has grown since those early days to what you are 10 years later?

Beth: it's really crazy. like I said, we weren't sure if people are interested or not, so, okay.

we went from like. Our industry symposium, which brought about, like I said, a hundred people. Then the next year was like a hundred fifty, two hundred, two fifty, three hundred. Like we're up to somewhere between three and 400 that come every year. And we alternate because you could be a member from anywhere,but the majority of people are from the Chesapeake area, south to Florida, and then west to Texas.

So we alternate between the Atlantic and the Gulf Coast, just so you know, we try to touch each state that we interact with and have a host a meeting there. And then of course, our other big event is our annual fundraiser, Landlocked, which I'm sure we'll talk about later.

 but again, you know, we're always evolving and trying to have more programs or initiatives that people can participate in and learn more about what we do. especially the public facing stuff, because people are your best ambassadors. They're out there spreading the word

So it's really been interesting to see how the messaging has traveled over the years.

Kevin: that's what I wanted to ask, because you're right. it's about getting the word out how does Oyster South kind of connect farmers, chefs, scientists, educators, oyster eaters,

I know you have the symposium of course, and Landlocked, which I do want to talk about

Beth: Of course.

Kevin: Yeah. but as a general rule, how does oyster South bring people together.

Beth: So, we really are about community. I mean, we feel like our strength is in our people. And so we provide the platform for people to have these interactions by hosting events so that way people can have that informal conversation or like, oh, hey, geez, I've never met you chef.

You're the one that has the oysters on my menu. Like, Hey, why don't you come out to the farm kind of thing and bring your crew? Or, Hey, you know, farmer, why don't you come be a guest shucker at my place? Or, we do live auctions at Landlocked, and people are like, oh yes, I'm gonna win a trip out to a farm and have a chef cook for me. That sort of thing. the other way that we do it is, industry. Like,one industry thing, it's called peer to peer, and that's a travel program that we provide as a service to our members. So it's up to a thousand dollars chefs or farmers can apply. And that helps defray the cost of travel. So they go to a conference or to another farm, learn techniques from another farmer in another place, and then come back and implement that in their own business. we also, the last couple of years have been efforting a very focused storytelling initiative where people will come back to us and say, Hey, we have this idea in print or media or digital, like whatever podcast, you know, what do you think of this? And so in partnership last year with A Local Palette and a company called Black Elk, we produced like three beautiful episodes featuring some of our members and our farmers, in a documentary called Shell Bound. So we're doing screenings of that around the country and just, creative partnerships like that where people will often come to us like, Hey, we're doing A happy hour, where we do a dollar pour, with a,a beer that we use some oyster shells from farmer so and so over here. So really kind of out of the box thinking like that to connect what we do with what happens and how the oyster gets to your dinner plate, but then sort of the greater value, of why that oyster is important to the environment in general.

Kevin: Yeah, so the whole storytelling thing I think is very interesting and it, this may be, I figured you would, yeah. what is the importance of storytelling in this oyster world? Why does it really matter? I mean, you could just advertise and hold events and get people to, come to bars, but what is it about the storytelling that really matters here? Okay.

Beth: I mean, I think it's different for everybody, I'm sure, in your experience as a podcaster, depending on the topic. I mean, food people are just like, we're crazy,

 in a good way, whether you're a farmer, a chef, I mean, it's something that no matter, where you are in the country or how old you are or whatever, everybody has an oyster story. whether it's good or bad, um,

Hopefully it's a good one, you know? I think it's because with a farm raised oysters each variety of oyster is from a very specific place with very specific people who grow that oyster, And so everybody has a story of that place.

And we always like to say, you can taste the place. you know? So that kind of opens up the bigger conversation about, well tell me about the taste of the oyster. tell me about the farmer that grew the oyster, and why did you grow it that way? And maybe somebody has a connection to that place or the people that grow them, it's like, Hey, now I know something. And so having people understand what goes into growing these, it's so super important. And I think a lot of people don't understand how much time and effort it takes, and it really gives them a new appreciation for that after they learn about it.

Kevin: Yeah, I have found that as well.

the oyster that's in front of you, wherever you're eating, it always seems to taste better when you know the story. When you know where it came from or you're pointing out the window and saying, Hey, they came from those beds right over there. You know, or something like that.

Beth: Exactly right.

 And I think with, especially 'cause it's the Southern Atlantic and the Gulf Coast, I think sometimes people don't realize it's the same species, and actually it's just like growing plants, you know, there's a lot of analogies to growing plants and oysters.

 even the terms, like seed and so forth, that you can really get into the nuances of why they, look different or might taste different. And that kind of ties in the science and then west coast oysters, why are those different? And oh, it's a different species. So it's like you start from

 one little oyster on your plate, and then you can take it into multiple different directions. But then also be cognizant of who your audience is. you know, some people just want to enjoy the oyster and be done with it. Like, they don't wanna know all this stuff,

But I find that even if they don't wanna know the science, they're always interested in the people part of it. And that's, I just love that, it's like, hey, let's talk about why you're helping this local business, even though you didn't even realize you were doing that. So it's really important to make that connection.

 You know, so many people reach out over the years in different things. But the most recent thing that I mentioned with the storytelling, I mean, here's a great publication, some super talented storytelling people, filmmakers. Then the farmers themselves. So, featuring not just the growers but the science people, kind of connects in a very visceral way, like when you can see it, on film.

Like, oh wait, that's how these things connect.

we had, a farmer, I'm gonna paraphrase, but he sent a text that, he was so grateful.

 he was like, you know what, y'all really gave me a purpose. I was kind of a mess for a while, but then the oyster found me and you all helped me make the connection as to how I fit into all of this, like having this community. And that was like, man, that's like a great metric of success. Like thanks for sharing that. And I feel like that's the beauty of our community. it's not competitive. People are really cooperative. like, hey man, how can I help you? You know, like the oldest farm's I'm doing air quotes here are like 10 ish years, which really is not that, long to be in business, compared to like the west coast or the east coast. So it's, that kind of mentoring like, Hey, why don't you come visit, kind of thing. So anyhow, that was really something and just very nice of him to share. And it's like, That's awesome. Glad we could help.

Kevin: Let's talk a little bit about southern oysters because Oh, sure. I've had conversations with different farmers,

About gulf oysters, And that is, they get a bit, I think of a bad rap. Mm-hmm. Because of the warm waters and pollution and all of this kind of thing. but, tell me your perception of southern and warmer water oyster industry, and is that changing and how's that changing?

Beth: Yeah, Iit's definitely changing for sure. I mean, nowadays. We have so many farmers that are on menus and you look at them side by side, it's like, boy, these are beautiful oysters 10, 15 years ago, you wouldn't have probably seen that kind of product. So it's fantastic to see that. and we talk about the public, like, they're ambassadors for the industry because if you go and you have a great experience, you're going to tell your friends like, Hey, you gotta try these things. Like these are southern oysters. check it out. But I think once people understand like any oyster, anybody eats anywhere, number one, it's highly regulated waters. You know, you can't just be growing oysters anywhere. They have to be approved and open to grow shellfish.

That's number one. And there's very strict time, temperature, harvest rules that are in place. But I know sometimes these perceptions persist over time. And so I think that the best thing that we have done is to really give visibility and help promote these southern farm raised oysters so that way people can have those experiences and have the taste and visually see side by side and more, more importantly, you know, taste it. So it's like, oh geez, wow, this is fantastic. I had no idea. but also for us as an organization helping to promote that, through social media or through the storytelling initiatives or having our chefs feature these farms on their menus. It's like, well wait a minute. Hey chef over here. what oysters do you like? it's kind of flipping it on its head, you know, and I'm gonna go back to Kimball house and Brian, he had the foresight to help shift that paradigm

On the wholesaler side, like you can help me get what I would like for my restaurant and not the other way around. So it

It's more like, Hey, We've heard these really great things about these oysters. Can you help us get them? And that's really helped open up the doors to working with other wholesalers and strengthening that relationship between the wholesaler, the restaurant, and the farmer.

Kevin: other than the nuances of merroir, do you think that there are a lot of differences in southern oysters from either oysters in the Northeast or the Pacific Northwest? Because either of the warm water or something, I mean, you have different regions in the south of the Gulf.

You have Florida, you have the East coast.

Beth: you mentioned the concept of memoir, you know, which again, I don't know who actually coined that.

 But it definitely encompasses that whole idea of like the terroir, the sum total of all the things that give a food item its character, in this case, oysters I mean, definitely there's differences between southern oysters, the Northeast, the northwest.

Just by nature, Like the water temperature's gonna be a little bit warmer, throughout the year. The type of algae that the shellfish eat is going to be different. The way the farmer handles them is going to be different. And I will say with the warmer water, I mean, in the winter when everybody else is under ice and so forth

it's you know,once the water temperatures drop down, other people aren't able to harvest, But southern oysters are able to still be on menus for people, and they do grow faster.

I mean, just by nature, warmer water, you're going to grow faster. And so Yeah. More

Kevin: food, that

Beth: sort of thing. exactly. Yep. You got it.

Kevin: Yeah, so the oyster industry in the Southern regions, it's, I perceive it as sort of a split industry where you have the older, more traditional style of oyster farming, which is dredging and tonging and on bottom kind of growth.

Beth: Mm-hmm.

Kevin: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And then you have a kind of a newer, more contemporary style, which is off bottom. Does Oyster South try and represent both of those segments of farming, or do you tend to focus your attention more in one over another?

Beth: So we focus more on the off bottom where people use gear, you know, whether it's floating in the water column or just, structurally, up off of the sediment of the bottom of the beds, right? So I always tell people look, you know, we are all about supporting the industry in general. Wild fisheries, farming. At the end of the day, those two segments want the same thing, right? Good water quality, good resource, robust resource and jobs for people. So I feel like people can agree on that now. I mean, I know there's

 sometimes disagreements, with whether one is trying to exclude the other or hurt the other, or, you know, just not a positive dynamic. in my opinion, that's not the case. I like to focus on what unites us and what we have in common, and that recognizing it is a different product.

It's a different process, it's a different price point, it's a different experience. That's not to say that one is, quote unquote better than the other. It's just recognizing that it's different. like some days, you just want your. Boxed wine, right? And some days you want your super duper fancy, expensive sparkling champagne, whatever, you know, both are good.

It just depends on your mood. do you want an oyster roast or do you wanna do like oysters on the half and caviar at the raw bar? You know? So we really try to emphasize that, that it's a different process, a different price, different experience. But at the end of the day, everybody wants those three things.

Kevin, good water, robust resource and jobs for everybody.

And it's the having those, these conversations like we're having, I mean, without picking on any particular region, but just in general, there's this concept of, it's called nimby, which is not in my backyard.

And sometimes people, who own, the upland, homes who have either been there for a while or perhaps it's their second home, you know, geez, I don't wanna look at this stuff. And they may not know, like when they have their party at their house that the oysters that they are eating were grown either at, whatever farm they're looking at or something similar. So it's really the farmer and the homeowner having those conversations. You're trying to have those conversations and oftentimes it turns into a positive thing. Like they will be, their fiercest advocate of like looking out with their binoculars.

 okay, is everything okay out here? I mean, sometimes that can turn into a very productive and positive relationship. And it's recognizing that what do we have in common? let's talk about it.

You know? And That's what I feel like we do best is like providing that space and those types of interactions to happen in conversations to build community and partnerships and understanding of one another.

Kevin: Does Oyster South do anything as a representative, body for the oyster industry in the South overall, like lobbying or political representation or anything like that?

Right.

Beth: We do not do that. we do have, the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, which a lot of our folks are members of as well. But there's also, the GSFA, Gulf Shellfish Farmers Association. Terry Boyd is the executive director of that.

He's also a grower, in Mississippi with Magnolia Key Oyster, and they try to have that representation up in Washington to do that sort of lobbying thing. but we ourselves do not have somebody going to Washington.

 but many of our members do go, on their own to represent and speak up.

Kevin: I always hear oyster farmers talking about how in their particular state the permitting process is a pain in the ass. Yes. I was just gonna say yes. So what are the big challenges overall in terms of what oyster farmers are confronting legislatively, or, legally?

Beth: it depends on the state, first of all. it's so nuanced depending on the state. there's just no standard, Application and process from Virginia or Maryland, Florida to Texas.

There's not like one piece of paper every single person fills out, right? it would be much easier if it was that way. and that's partially because, it depends on, what water is approved for growing? that's gonna be very different in Texas versus North Carolina, for instance.

So there's that level of it. And then Are you doing on bottom, off bottom? how many acres do you wanna do? what kind of gear are you gonna use? So there's a lot of variables depending on the locality of the particular farm.

So it is definitely a hurdle. I would say that's probably one of the biggest ones. capital, of course. is always another, obviously you have to have a good, a good product or you don't even have a business.

But definitely get a business plan together and start small. Start a small farm if you're interested, start a small farm. Then you can scale from there. And also, you know, must like being outdoors, not just in the summer months when it looks like, oh, this is so easy. It is extremely hard work to be a farmer. So, you know, these, these are just a few of the things, there's a lot that goes into it for sure.

Kevin: and one of the things that I think has a big impact is technology.

 there's so much emerging technology that's applicable to oyster farming and related things. What kind of involvement does Oyster South have with emerging technologies?

Beth: there's all kinds of things coming online.

 like the RFID technology for maintaining inventory is important. And some graduate students are doing very applied research projects on these types of things with some of the farms, which is great. Like we love to see that kind of thing. here's somebody who has a real world problem. What are some solutions? we do have several members who have like total farm management types of things

 people who have these source of systems and so they're very beneficial for the farmers.

Kevin: I would think that with the, rapid advent of AI, there's a lot of opportunity to

Beth: apply.

Oh, okay. We started with AI technologies. Oh my gosh. people are looking at it and it'll be interesting to see how it shapes up. the farmers that we work with, I mean,they're not super huge farms. And so I feel like the human element is always going to be so important for the scale of farms that we typically work with. I suppose once you get to a certain point, it does make sense to use some of these technologies. you know, work smarter, not harder. I totally am a fan of that, as far as like fully, automated farming type of things. there's people looking into it, but I don't know if anybody right now that is in Oyster South who's doing, you know, like.

Okay, I'm just gonna get on my laptop and never go kind of thing. Maybe eventually somebody maybe will get there at some point, but as of right now, I can't recall anybody at that scale.

Kevin: At the end of the day, somebody's gotta pick these oysters up and, handle them and clean them and shuck them and that sort of thing. So it can't all be done by a computer.

Beth: No, but for sure, like for site selection, absolutely.

I would say whatever tools people find, help them come to a database decision quicker and most efficiently. Absolutely. I mean, I'm the person who's gonna pick up the phone and call my extension agent, but that's me, you know?

Kevin: Which is the perfect segue into, telling me about both the symposium that you have every year and also about Landlocked.

Beth: Oh, okay. Yeah. Perfect. So the symposium, I'll start with that because that's top of mind. we have our Houston symposium coming up January 29th to the 31st so we're excited for that. So with that meeting, that means we've actually been in, because we were doing this 10 years, all of the southern states that we have represented, we still Virginia to go.

But you know, I we've touched all of 'em. So what we do at that meeting is we bring together, we rely on our, um, marine extension and SEA grant agents to help us develop the program. Bill Walton is the program chair and it is, that traditional PowerPoint presentation, some posters, we have a trade show component where the gear suppliers show their gear, some of the technologies we talked about, um, that kind of hands-on type of stuff for people to see and interact with.

 I always joke about when we have our scientific meeting, you know, it's not like, oh, a meeting with some breaks. I'm like, listen, we have a, we have a lot of social stuff and you're gonna learn some stuff in between, because it's like, that's our focus is to have, of course knowledge, absolutely.

But it's likewe're not trying to just jam in a bunch of stuff, you know? It's making it meaningful and meeting people that you typically wouldn't come across in fostering those relationships.

And I hear that also this year we're going to be having a very special podcasting component, which I will not talk more about. It's sort of a secret. So people will maybe more

Kevin: to follow on that.

Beth: Yes. More to come on that. But that's really like where we kind of talk shop is what I like to say, you know?

 really it's focused on the industry side of it, as well as our storytellers of course to help carry that message. So it's sort of that internal kind of regrouping we do annually

like graduate students doing projects for farmers or, chefs, working with farmers, that type of thing. that's usually like anywhere from January to March. So it's before hatchery season really is crazy before the growing season gets going because nobody's gonna have time, in the summer months.

But then also trying to find that sweet spot where it fits into everybody's conference schedule time. So the symposium is just really one of those industry focused events that we do and we look forward to it. And because we do have some super fun social events too. We always do our, director's reception, and we have a closing party called the Shuck and Tell where we feature our farmers shucking their stuff. So

We try to have a good time, learn, like I said, learn some stuff, have some great food, and drink and have fun. Um, the other big event

 Landlocked. happens every year in Decatur, Georgia. And the reason it's there every year is because that's where Kimble House is located, where Brian and his team are.

and it's just grown exponentially over the years. I mean, it's been wild to see how big it's gotten. the tickets sell out in like the first five minutes. we crash Eventbrite every year.

It's amazing. so that features, 30 to 35 farmers who shuck up and serve on the half their oysters, but then we also have people who are grilling, serving them up all kinds of ways. Like we have this amazing slate of James Beard nominated, really awesome chefs, super talented, like the farmers, super talented, very nice humans who create amazing dishes for people.

We have the barbecue folks too. We have the desserts, we have the craft cocktails. Miles Macquarie, who's the beverage director at Kimball House, brings in some of the best people from around the country too. So it's like a family reunion, you know? Everybody gets together, kind of hangs out. We always have one specific mission, as to what we're raising funds for. It's varied over the years, but it, it's just,talk about a great way to connect people in a non-traditional way, and you see these partnerships happen

 it's a lot of fun and a great way to get the message out, uh, big Green Egg is a huge sponsor for us, and we raffle off big green eggs in a rock paper scissors competition. We've added a live auction component where people can go visit different farms around the country, have a chef tasting at that particular location. it's just, we keep adding things each year,

So it's, grown to hundreds and hundreds of people

Kevin: I was heartbroken that I was unable to make it this year, but I heard it was quite a bash. any idea how many, people you actually had come to that?

Beth: it's probably like, 800 ish. it's quite a few people. luckily we are at, legacy Park,

It's a beautiful outdoor spot. So the city's been great to work with. all the companies, the vendors, repeat people over the years. They understand the dynamic and we are just so fortunate, that people are willing to step up and just really work with us in a positive way and having some onsite things that are a little bit different.

 like we converted one of the chapels onsite, to a tasting area for some of our public members, to have a little bit more of a VIP experience, so always try to have fun, creative things like that every year.

And,at the end of the day, Kevin, it's about making that connection with people and we have many different ways in which people carry that message forward.

It's fantastic.

Kevin: It makes me think of like the annual Aspen Food Festival that people literally come from all around the world to attend.

Mm-hmm. It's true of the same kind of offerings that you just described in the oyster world. and I see Landlocked as that kind of thing that can draw people from everywhere.

Beth: it truly does. People travel from all over the place.

 and one other thing I, I wanted to mention too, I have to say our shuckers are amazing ambassadors because just thinking about this, right, in addition to the servers, some people just go sit right at the raw bar. Who is the first person they're going to talk to? is the shucker. Yeah. And We have done front of the house server training. the past couple of years, with some external grant funding and focusing on, servers, but also shuckers. And so the idea was if you have a better informed server or shucker that can answer questions effectively, the customer feels more comfortable ordering more oysters. And that helps everybody,

Yeah. Right. how does Oyster South get its funding to hold these events and support the farmers and the industry overall the way you do?

 we have membership, we have our merchandise that we sell. But for our server training, those types of things are usually, federal, external grant funds to do things like that. Mm-hmm. then for our events specifically, I mean, we rely heavily on partnerships and sponsorships, and we are always, always looking for sponsors, corporate partners, we have had some very gracious donors over the years,

And it doesn't even have to be food related, Kevin. we've worked with like oyster adjacent, and that is not my original phrase, but, people who are in the, you know, publishing world or people who are in like the beer world or just all those kind of crossover things. but the reality is it does cost money to put on a high quality event.

we have so many people and parts of the community that we work with. I don't wanna neglect anybody, but y'all know who you are, so just thank you for all that you do, and we just couldn't do it without you. We are just so grateful. So thank you for being part of this, crazy fanatical awesome community of oyster lovers.

Kevin: It is a crazy community, and it's a very broad based, fractured community. And the whole beauty of Oyster South and organizations like that is that they're pulling it all together to create a gathering place for people with these common interests.

So what do you think, oyster South is gonna look like in, 10 years? In 2036?

Beth: Boy, that's a good question. I know another 10 years. I would like to see even more people join up.

I mean, as more farms come online. you know, it's the changing of the guard. I mean, there'll be this next generation of people coming up. Um, there's certainly an emphasis on workforce development, for oyster farming.

I mean, it's great to have farms, but you also need qualified people, incompetent people who know how to work on them. that's where working with our Sea Grant and extension people, really comes into play.

But I mean, we're hoping that, we continue to grow, and have more branching out as an organization I mean, we have a very small staff. and tons of volunteers, which we could not do it without their help, but, you know, eventually we would love to have more dedicated people on staff as well.

Kevin: So. what advice would you give to, that new guard that you mentioned, the new oyster farmers who are just starting now, or in the near future?

Beth: start small,

Kevin: yeah.

Beth: Definitely start small and ask questions, always be curious and also don't be afraid to ask for help, that's the thing. I feel like with the technology, there's so much that's available online and I'm just gonna put a shameless plug for our YouTube channel. we do put up like every single talk from our symposium, but we also have other farmer produce videos or extension people. Like, there's a lot there so people can go check that out. but definitely, talk to people who have done it before. there's no need to kind of reinvent the wheel, is what I like to say.

 and absolutely call and engage with their sea grant or marine extension agent, that is like even before you look at our YouTube, you know, step one, find out who that person is because all the things we've talked about before, Kevin, you know, like what's involved or what's the biggest impediment it's going to depend on their particular state and specific area for, wherever a new person is thinking of looking.

 and get out there, go visit some farms, apply for our peer-to-peer funds and we can, help get somebody to go check out a farm and see what they think.

So yeah, always ask questions and ask for help. For sure. Yeah.

Kevin: Beth, I could talk to you all day long.

This has been such a great conversation and I, I really wanna thank you for all of your time.

oyster South is an incredible organization and, I'm so glad that you're spearheading the whole operation because you're incredible too. And thank you again for being my guest.

Beth: Thank you, Kevin. You're so welcome. I could talk about oysters all day, and thanks to you and all the storytellers for sharing what we do to everybody.

 Well, that brings us to the end of this episode of Oyster. Huge thanks to Beth Walton of Oyster South for helping us see oysters not as an end point, but as a starting point for conversations about water work policy and the futures of coastal communities. It's a reminder that oysters don't thrive because of any single person or program.

They flourish, because people choose to collaborate, to listen, and to build systems that can support complexity without breaking. That kind of work rarely makes headlines, but it shapes our shorelines. So the next time you're standing over a tray of oysters, pause for a half a second longer. You're not just eating shellfish, you're engaging with a living system that reflects how we care for the places that feed us.

Thanks so much for listening to Oyster Allergy. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate and share it. It'll help others see how amazing oysters from the South really are. Also, please leave a comment on what you thought about this episode. I listen to everyone and would love your thoughts. And the next time you see a southern farmed oyster on a menu, think about where they came from.

And remember what Beth said,

Beth: you can taste the place.

Kevin: please be sure to join me again next time as we pry open the shell of another interesting oyster topic.