JR Burdick of Nourishing Family Farm recounts how his family lost everything during the 1980s farm crisis - and how that collapse became the blueprint for rebuilding local, regenerative food. From co-op control and industrial dependence to raw milk, soil stewardship, and food freedom, JR traces how America’s broken system can be fixed one farm at a time.
Key Topics
Why Listen
Timestamps (Spotify / Apple / Transistor Format hh:mm:ss)
August Hortsmann is a first-generation Missouri cattleman and founder of Hortsmann Cattle Company, a regenerative ranch built on his family’s land near St. Louis.
What began as a childhood passion grew into a full-time operation which, over the past eight years, has integrated adaptive grazing, direct-to-consumer beef sales, and long-term soil-focused practices. His education was established through years of study, observation, and trial. August spent countless seasons working ranch jobs integrating regenerative practices, allowing him studying grazing systems and testing various methods.
Augusts story shares undertones of the uncertain, long road taken for each farmer to reach their dream of working full-time. For August, as you'll hear, he made it happen, but for 84% of farmers in America, they work other jobs. August shares his shift from conventional, university-trained agriculture to regenerative practice, the economic realities of running a small meat business, and his philosophy on scale, sustainability, and soil health.
Key Topics
Why You Should Listen
- What the path to full-time farming really looks like
- How farmers survive years before breaking even
- Building a regenerative cattle business from nothing
- Lessons from eight years of adaptive grazing
- The hard economics of small-scale beef
Connect with August
Timestamps
00:00:00 – Childhood roots and first memories on the family farm
00:03:00 – Starting Hortsmann Cattle Co in college
00:06:00 – University teachings vs. real-world economics
00:10:00 – Working off-farm while building a cattle business
00:13:00 – Discovering regenerative agriculture through Soil & Water
00:19:00 – Adding multi-species and the “death by diversity” lesson
00:29:00 – Burnout and the decision to simplify operations
00:31:00 – Quitting full-time work and going all-in on the farm
00:36:00 – Adaptive grazing and learning from nature’s rhythms
00:43:00 – Shifting from farmers’ markets to online direct sales
00:53:00 – Educating consumers on bulk buying and real costs
00:57:00 – Why small meat businesses struggle with margins
01:03:00 – Processing, scale, and the bottlenecks of small producers
01:09:00 – Is regenerative agriculture scalable?
01:13:00 – Advice for aspiring ranchers
01:17:00 – Social media, misinformation, and consumer trust
01:20:00 – Building a ranch that can sustain future generations
Will Harris is a sixth-generation cattleman and owner of White Oak Pastures, a 158-year-old family farm in Bluffton, Georgia. Since 1866, the Harris family has practiced land-based farming rooted in regeneration, humane animal husbandry, and zero-waste production.
In this episode, Will reflects on the farm’s evolution from industrial cattle operations to a living ecosystem. He discusses soil, community, balance, symbiosis in an ecosstem, rural farming communities, stewardship, organic matter, his family history, and more.
Key Topics
Why You Should Listen
Connect With White Oak Pastures
Timestamps
00:00:00 — White Oak Pastures and 158 years of family farming
00:05:00 — Industrial agriculture and losing balance
00:08:00 — The cost of control: chemicals and confinement
00:11:00 — Soil carbon, fertility, and organic matter
00:16:00 — Working within nature’s limits
00:25:00 — Rejecting tech fixes and restoring balance
00:34:00 — Internships, purpose, and community revival
00:42:00 — Bluffton’s renewal through local production
00:50:00 — Land, debt, and long-term stewardship
00:55:00 — Generational transfer and humility
01:08:00 — Observation, faith, and living with nature
Ryan sits down with Joel Hollingsworth of Smoke River Ranch in Oklahoma, who lays out a clear, unflinching diagnosis of America’s decline.
He then takes you through the solution, step by step, exactly whats required. In short, the miracle ahead has only one path, and that is a restored and vitalized rural America.
Key Topics:
Why You Should Listen:
- Learn how rural collapse happened.
- See how financialization hollowed America.
- Understand why soil and economy are linked.
- Discover how regeneration rebuilds communities.
- Hear a practical plan for renewal.
Resources mentioned:
Book: The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Book: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
Connect with Joel:
00:00:00 – America’s decline and lost vitality
00:04:30 – Joel’s story and Smoke River Ranch
00:11:00 – Finance replacing real production
00:20:10 – Centralization and moral decay
00:29:40 – What regeneration means
00:38:25 – Soil as civilization’s base
00:46:50 – Rebuilding local economies
00:56:30 – Tech and virtual fencing
01:05:00 – The real economics of farming
01:16:15 – Decentralization and freedom
01:28:10 – Work, dignity, and meaning
01:38:40 – Food, health, and strength
01:52:20 – Cultural cost of disconnection
02:09:00 – Rural vitalism in action
02:27:15 – Rebuilding soil, rebuilding America
When chronic illness left Cindy bedridden in her twenties, she began questioning everything she’d been taught about health - and later, about farming. What started as a search for healing led her and her husband to rebuild their land in Burneyville, Oklahoma, where TLC Ranch now stands: a regenerative bison ranch and certified organic pecan orchard rooted in living systems rather than chemicals. Through decades of trial, floods, and faith, Cindy discovered that the same principles that restore the body also restore the soil. This episode traces how her recovery became the land’s recovery - and what it really means to live and farm in alignment with nature.
Key Topics
- Healing through food and faith
- From chemical sprays to organic farming
- Bison behavior and herd management
- The challenges of organic certification
- Health, medicine, and trusting intuition
Timestamps
00:00:00 – Growing up outdoors and learning self-reliance
00:04:00 – Linking diet and chronic illness in the 1980s
00:08:00 – Healing through food and natural living
00:12:00 – From chemical farming to organic awareness
00:19:00 – Buying land and starting the ranch
00:27:00 – Discovering bison and learning their behavior
00:31:00 – Pecans as nutrient-dense local food
00:44:00 – Challenges of organic certification
00:53:00 – Replacing chemicals with biological inputs
00:58:00 – Managing herd health and natural balance
01:05:00 – Lessons from floods and renewal on the land
Caden and Patrick are first-generation farmers in North Carolina who started Cable Family Farm while still in high school. Together, they’ve built a small-scale regenerative farm focused on pasture-raised poultry and no-till market gardening, proving that young people can make a living from the land through hard work, curiosity, and faith.
Cable Family Farm practices regenerative farming focused on soil health, animal welfare, and local connection through small-scale, community-based food production.
Key Topics
Timestamps
00:00:00 – Discovering small-scale farming
00:02:45 – Launching Cable Family Farm in high school
00:06:00 – Rekindling friendship and building together
00:09:00 – Visiting Polyface Farm for inspiration
00:10:30 – Selling produce and entering markets
00:14:00 – Lessons from larger conventional farms
00:17:00 – Partnership, long hours, and learning curves
00:21:00 – Sacrifice and fulfillment on the land
00:25:00 – Bringing younger generations into farming
00:35:00 – Faith and stewardship of the land
00:40:00 – Balancing college with farm life
00:42:00 – Reflections on growth and purpose
Connect
This episode is a little different: instead of a sit-down podcast, I join Justin Rhodes for a live tour around his North Carolina farm.
When you think of homesteaders, Justin Rhodes is the first person you think of. With over a million followers on YouTube and multiple successful books, Justin and his family have paved the way for new homesteaders through documenting their journey. A fourth-generation steward of his family’s land in North Carolina, Justin and his wife Rebecca raise their five children on it.
What we cover:
Timestamps:
00:01:30 — The breeds of cows on the farm and how milk is shared
00:03:00 — Family land history and what the farm cost in the 1930s
00:05:00 — Rotational grazing explained and why clover survives
00:09:00 — Homesteading vs farming: growing food for yourself or for sale
00:13:00 — Why most new homesteaders burn out and how to prepare
00:17:30 — Finding a deeper reason beyond money to keep farming
00:19:00 — Involving children in farm life and family teamwork
00:21:00 — The multi-generational connection to land and legacy
00:23:00 — Raw milk, safety, and family traditions
00:25:00 — Industrial milk history, swill dairies, and why pasteurization began
Josh and Jessica Guptill run Rehoboth Farm in Suffolk, Virginia, where they raise pastured chicken, pork, lamb, beef, eggs, and turkeys. Neither came from a farming family - Josh left the Coast Guard and Jessica is a doula - but together they built their farm from backyard beginnings, guided by faith and a belief in producing “healing food.” Their path is unique: from DIY chicken pluckers and bartering for land to scaling up during COVID, they’ve made transparency and education central to their work. Today they not only provide nutrient-dense food but also host workshops and farm visits, giving their community a firsthand connection to how food is grown.
This episode we discuss:
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Josh & Jessica’s backstory and first encounters with farming
00:07:00 Early challenges raising and butchering chickens
00:13:00 Deciding to leave the Coast Guard and pursue farming
00:19:00 Finding and moving onto their current Virginia farm
00:25:00 Scaling up chickens, pigs, and lamb during COVID
00:33:00 Why their farmers’ market works—and why others fail
00:40:00 Marketing, transparency, and building customer trust
00:48:00 The meaning behind the name “Rehoboth Farm”
00:53:00 Questions consumers should ask at farmers’ markets
01:00:00 Hosting on-farm classes and why visits matter
In this episode, Jordan and I discuss the importance of economics, marketing, and storytelling in agriculture.
Jordan Green is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served multiple deployments before completing a five-year tour of duty in 2009 and transitioning into full-time farming with his wife, Laura.
Together, Jordan and Laura founded J&L Green Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where they raise pasture-based pork and poultry and 100% grass-fed beef on 500 acres, marketing their food directly to consumers.
Key Topics
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Why cheap food threatens the survival of American farms
00:03:00 Inside poultry houses: dust, ammonia, and farmer servitude
00:08:00 Contracts, mortgages, and the trap of industrial poultry farming
00:17:00 Apprenticeship at Polyface and scaling pasture-based livestock
00:24:00 The reality of death and livestock farming behind the scenes
00:29:00 Joining the Marines and balancing military life with farm dreams
00:36:00 Starting J&L Green Farm with land, capital, and a Polyface contract
00:40:00 Surviving the 2008 housing crash while building a farm business
00:42:00 Why marketing is the hardest but most crucial part of farming
00:49:00 The clash between fast tech and slow ecology in food production
00:55:00 Building customer relationships, not flash sales
01:00:00 Why most farms aren’t welcoming to the public and how J&L differs
Connect with Jordan, J&L Farm:
The USDA has farmers by the balls. We all know it. Bryson felt it, and quickly chose to fight it. He found legit workarounds and today educates us on how other farmers can help stabilise and control their own futures.
Bryson Lipscomb of Triple Oak farms - a military veteran turned first-generation farmer, who traded his 9-5 job to become a farmer and build his own life with his wife and then newborn son.
Bryson bring a refreshing & unique perspective on American farming, unfiltered for sure and very grounded. He shares the struggles and blessings of starting from scratch, the pretty messed realities of USDA processing (spoiler - it's way worse than you think), navigating regulations and the search for alternatives (such as the private membership association - PMA) that keep food sovereignty in the hands of the people.
This one certainly echoes faith, food, freedom in America, now and in the future. Enjoy.
Triple Oaks Farm is a family-run regenerative farm in Virginia, raising pastured pigs and other livestock with a focus on food sovereignty, stewardship, and community.
Key Topics
Timestamps
00:01:00 COVID meat shortages spark the leap into farming
00:04:00 First pigs, early mistakes, and discovering regenerative farming
00:09:00 Pig escapes and fencing failures — hard lessons in stewardship
00:18:00 From alcoholism to faith — how farming changed everything
00:31:00 Why small farms can’t compete with Smithfield
00:34:00 The hidden costs of USDA butchering
00:43:00 Dominion, faith, and the moral conflict of unjust laws
01:00:00 Mishandling, fraud, and corruption inside USDA plants
01:08:00 Final breaking point — walking away from USDA processors
01:13:00 Discovering the PMA model as a legal path forward
01:20:00 Building a farm rooted in faith, sovereignty, and community
01:30:00 Why resilience, stewardship, and sovereignty matter for everyone
01:40:00 Closing reflections on food freedom and the future of Triple Oaks
Connect With Triple Oaks
Farm tour #8.
Isabelle and Garrett Heydt, of Rucker Farm in Virginia share their journey from vastly different childhoods to building a thriving regenerative farm and raising three young children. They discuss how they started with just a handful of chickens, grew into pigs and cattle, built community through barter events and markets, and navigated the challenges of balancing family life with the demands of farming. Their story highlights both the struggles and rewards of choosing a life close to the land.
Rucker Farm is a regenerative family farm in Virginia raising pastured beef, pork, and poultry with full transparency and care for the land. They rotate animals daily, avoid confinement, and even invite the public to their on-farm harvests to reconnect people with real food.
Key Topics
Timestamps
00:02:00 – Isabelle’s upbringing on Rucker Farm and her family’s farming background
00:07:00 – Garrett’s childhood in Baltimore and path into outdoor guiding
00:12:00 – Meeting in West Virginia, homesteading, and renovating their first house
00:20:00 – Moving back to Rucker Farm in 2020 during the pandemic
00:23:00 – Why they started with chickens and how it scaled into pigs and cattle
00:25:00 – Hosting barter tables and building community around food and farming
00:33:00 – Partnerships, land access, and support from American Farmland Trust
00:37:00 – Advice for new farmers on building relationships and opportunities
00:39:00 – Isabelle’s approach to marketing, storytelling, and authenticity
00:45:00 – The realities and challenges of farmers’ markets
00:55:00 – Educating consumers on cooking grass-finished beef
01:01:00 – Raising children on the farm and connecting them to nature
Connect with Rucker Farm
Farm tour #7.
Today we interview farmer Tony Eash, from Triple E farms.
Triple E Farms is a family-run raw dairy and livestock farm in West Virginia, operated by brothers Tony and Phil. Farming since childhood, they grew up raising animals on pasture and chose a regenerative path after the sudden loss of their father. Today they produce 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised, non-GMO beef, pork, poultry, and raw dairy, combining traditional practices with appropriate modern technology to provide pure, nutrient-dense food for their family and community.
Key topics
Timestamps
00:00:00 Challenging perceptions of farmers and profitability
00:01:00 From Amish roots to dairy farming in Virginia
00:03:00 Turning away from commercial chicken houses
00:04:00 Starting with broilers and expanding to pigs, beef, and dairy
00:08:00 Growing up on a small hobby farm and making hay
00:12:00 Losing his father and coping through work
00:14:00 Mennonite community support after tragedy
00:18:00 Building a raw milk customer base
00:20:00 Raw milk laws in West Virginia
00:26:00 Questions to ask when buying milk or visiting farms
00:28:00 Testing, cleanliness, and raw vs. pasteurized costs
00:32:00 Balancing full-time jobs with farm demands
Connect with Triple E
Farm tour #6.
On today’s episode, I speak with Ben and Hannah Yoder of Savage Mountain Farm. Drawing on their Amish–Mennonite heritage and a commitment to natural farming, they share how they’ve built a livelihood that prioritizes culture, family, and the small farm way of life.
Ben and Hannah Yoder run Savage Mountain Farm, a 150-acre diversified, full-diet CSA on the Pennsylvania–Maryland line, rooted in Amish–Mennonite heritage and natural methods, raising produce, mushrooms, and pastured livestock while blending regenerative farming with homeschooling, community engagement, and a family-centered lifestyle.
Key Topics:
Timestamps:
00:01:00 Ben’s discovery of his Amish–Mennonite farming roots
00:09:00 Early farming experiences, WWOOFing, and meeting Hannah
00:11:00 Starting their farm on rented land and the move to their current site
00:14:00 Designing a full-diet, full-choice CSA for a rural market
00:22:00 Preserving small farm culture over the capitalist mindset
00:26:00 Why they keep unprofitable crops for cultural and family reasons
00:27:00 Children’s role in daily farm life
00:35:00 Hannah’s path from urban gardening to sustainable agriculture
00:49:00 Homeschooling philosophy and keeping kids engaged with life and work
01:00:00 How farming builds autonomy, resilience, and life skills
Connect with Savage Mountain:
Farm tour #5 baby.
This one was really cool. Julie has great energy and speaks to some of most important issues surrounding regenerative farming. Enjoy!
Julie Friend is a first-generation farmer who left city life in Chicago to return to her family’s land in western Maryland and build a regenerative livestock operation from the ground up. Her journey began with a personal health shift and quickly evolved into a deep commitment to ecological farming and ethical animal care.
Wildom Farm raises grass-fed beef and lamb, forest-raised pork, pastured poultry, and produces small-batch lard-based skincare. Focused on land regeneration, nutrient-dense food, and whole-animal use, the farm serves its local community through direct sales, farm dinners, and hands-on education.
Key Topics:
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Why “normal” meat is expensive—and what feedlots distort
00:06:30 Discovering regenerative agriculture through Whole30
00:08:30 Leaving Chicago and returning to steward family land
00:17:00 First animal slaughter and why it never gets easier
00:21:00 Whole-animal use: skincare, hides, and broth
00:27:00 The slow economics of beef and forecasting challenges
00:35:00 How to talk to your local farmer and ask good questions
00:43:00 The cost of organic feed vs. conventional operations
00:52:00 Why lard is uniquely suited for skincare
01:04:00 Advice for women in agriculture or looking to join
01:08:00 The emotional toll of farming
Connect with Julie
Website
Lard
Regenerative Meat
Instagram
Follow the tour on YouTube
Farm tour #4. Hoo Rah!
We enjoyed this one - Michael is a 1st gen farmer and quite literally started his operation boots on the ground. We get into it...
Follow the tour on YouTube
Michael Greco is the founder of Little O Ranch & Livestock, based in Saugerties, New York. A first-generation livestock producer, he leads a regenerative, holistic sheep operation in Hudson Valley. We unpack his philosophy, practices, and why he believes small-scale, community-connected farming is the future.
Key Topics:
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Michael’s background and how he got into farming
00:07:10 Starting Little O Ranch and farming in Saugerties
00:14:22 Why he raises sheep and how he manages them holistically
00:22:40 Grazing strategy and avoiding grain, antibiotics, and chemicals
00:30:18 What regenerative means to him on a practical level
00:36:47 The business model: lamb shares, community dinners, selling direct
00:44:35 The emotional and philosophical side of land stewardship
00:50:10 Lessons from farming alone and the importance of observation
00:57:23 Long-term vision and thoughts on food systems
01:04:00 Final reflections on connection, trust, and land care
Connect with Michael:
Website
Instagram
Follow the tour on YouTube
Farm tour #3. Wow. This episode is a must, must listen. An incredible perspective on farming, legacy, and what it takes to keep a farm in today's day and age. Enjoy, and share with a friend if this impacted you as well.
Follow the tour on YouTube
Brad Wiley is a fifth-generation farmer at Otter Creek Farm in Pittstown, New York. He grew up working alongside his grandparents, parents, and sister, and today he stewards the land with a focus on diversification, sustainability, and family continuity. Brad is also a passionate local historian, with deep knowledge of his family’s roots and the surrounding region.
Otter Creek Farm is a 440-acre multigenerational farm in Pittstown, NY, with 200 tillable acres, 100 pasture acres, and 140 woodland acres. A former dairy farm (1937–2018), it now raises pastured poultry, pigs, grass-fed cattle, and turkeys, and hosts a 20-acre chestnut orchard run by Breadtree Farms.
Key Topics:
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Brad’s roots: five generations on Otter Creek
00:06:15 The end of dairy and what came after
00:11:45 Transitioning to diversified livestock and pasture
00:17:30 Navigating family dynamics and succession
00:31:40 Balancing conviction with economic reality
00:37:00 What stewardship means in practice
00:47:30 What drives him to keep farming
00:54:20 The daily grind: routine, rhythm, and responsibility
01:01:10 Supporting the next generation without control
01:10:40 Climate, weather, and shifting environmental patterns
01:18:30 What “regeneration” means—and doesn’t mean—to Brad
01:50:40 Final thoughts: continuity, hope, and what endures
Connect with Brad:
Website
Follow the tour on YouTube
Elizabeth Collins is a first-generation farmer co-running Otter Creek Farm with Brad Wiley. Originally from Cincinnati, she moved from Lexington, KY, and now leads the farm’s livestock, regenerative operations, and Graceful Acres Farmstay.
Otter Creek Farm is a 440-acre multigenerational farm in Pittstown, NY, with 200 tillable acres, 100 pasture acres, and 140 woodland acres. A former dairy farm (1937–2018), it now raises pastured poultry, pigs, grass-fed cattle, and turkeys, and hosts a 20-acre chestnut orchard run by Breadtree Farms.
Alrighty, ranch 3!
Today we speak to Elizabeth Collins. Elizabeth has an amazing story of how she battled the odds to become a farmer at age 40. We discuss:
Timestamps
00:00:00 Why Elizabeth rejects USDA slaughter and does on-farm kills
00:00:30 Her awakening to food, fat, and the broken health narrative
00:11:15 Selling a business and moving north: the midlife pivot
00:15:30 Lessons from a failed co-op and how the system is broken
00:19:40 The visceral moment she knew she needed to farm
00:26:15 Interning at 40 and what the 22-year-olds taught her
00:40:30 Grants as a lifeline for regenerative farms—and why they're vanishing
00:45:00 Legal barriers and values behind her small-scale slaughter model
00:50:40 Temple Grandin and the redesign of humane slaughter
01:09:00 'Cowspiracy' and why it's irrelevant to regenerative farming
01:20:30 Why she can’t legally sell her own meat in her farm store
01:26:15 What regenerative ranching truly means to Elizabeth
Connect with Elizabeth!
Website
Come Stay At Otter Creek...
Instagram
Follow the tour on YouTube
Ranch tour #3.
Onto the 2nd ranch of our U.S Ranch and Farm Tour, where we are on a on a 6-month tour across America, we're visiting regenerative farms to podcast with ranchers, tour their land, document their work, and shake the hand that feeds us. Today's episode is with Maple Syrup rancher, Jacob Powsner. Jacob is great value. He absolutely loves maple syrup, which just makes the conversation that much better. He's living his dream. Alas, we do a total expose on everything Maple Syrup - super fascinating stuff.
Enjoy!
Jacob Baird is part of the fourth generation running Baird Farm, a 560-acre maple syrup operation in Vermont. In this episode, Jacob and Ryan dive into the full story behind maple syrup—how it’s made, what separates the real from the fake, and why so many food labels today are built on confusion. From the misuse of terms like “natural” and “regenerative,” to the nutritional power of real syrup and the policies shaping food transparency, this is a candid conversation about what honest food really takes.
Key topics:
- How real maple syrup is made—from forest to sugarhouse
- The difference between real and fake maple products
- Why “natural,” “organic,” and “regenerative” labels often mislead
- The nutritional and environmental case for real maple syrup
- Small farms vs big food: marketing, policy, and system capture
Timestamps:
00:00:00 “When you eat good food, you connect to the land”
00:03:30 The 100-year family history of Baird Farm and the shift from dairy to maple
00:06:00 How 15,000 trees are tapped and managed across the Vermont woods
00:09:00 What makes real maple syrup: process, purity, and organic practices
00:12:30 The truth about fake syrup, flavoring loopholes, and deceptive labels
00:16:00 The “natural flavors” problem and how big food co-opts language
00:19:00 Why regenerative is at risk of being greenwashed
00:22:00 Health benefits of real maple syrup: minerals, glycemic load, and antioxidants
00:25:00 Why maple syrup protects land from development and deforestation
00:28:00 How big players are consolidating the maple industry and what’s at stake
00:31:00 Jacob’s vision for small, intentional growth and honest food systems
Connect with Jason & Baird Farm:
Website
Instagram
Follow the tour on YouTube
We thought it would be silly whilst on Gunthorp Farms to not interview Greg's son, Evan, who is not only carrying the torch when it comes to regenerative farming for the next generation, he's driving the fire truck, saving the babies from balconies, and putting out the fires that conventional meat processing (meat arsonists) create every day.
Evan's incredibly smart and I learnt a tonne in this hour. If you want to hear from one of the bright young ranchers thinking clearly on how to sustain & grow a regenerative farming culture in America, and the good bad and the ugly that comes with that mission, I couldn't recommend this pod enough.
Evan Gunthorp is the son of Greg Gunthorp and part of the next generation stewarding the legacy of Gunthorp Farms—an independent, pasture-based livestock operation in Indiana. In this episode, Evan shares his firsthand experience growing up immersed in regenerative agriculture, from raising thousands of chickens as a child to managing their USDA-inspected processing plant and pioneering solar grazing operations. This is a candid look at what it takes to sustain a farm across generations, the realities of small-scale meat production, and the cultural forces shaping our food future.
We cover:
- Growing up on a regenerative farm: chickens, responsibility, and early exposure to death and food
- Running a USDA processing plant and the emotional, ethical, and logistical complexities of meat production
- The labor crisis in farming and processing: challenges, insights, and systemic reflections
- Solar grazing as an ecological and economic solution for land-locked farmers
- What keeps Evan going despite the industrialization of agriculture and cultural disconnection from food
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Growing up Gunthorp: childhood on a working farm
00:04:30 Killing animals young: what that teaches about food and respect
00:10:00 Early responsibility: raising 3,000 chickens at age 7
00:14:30 Running a USDA processing plant as a teenager
00:20:00 Why most Americans shouldn’t be allowed to eat meat
00:25:30 Labor, dignity & depression inside meat processing
00:32:00 The promise and pitfalls of solar grazing
00:39:30 Can pasture-raised pigs scale across the U.S.?
00:45:00 Pork, parasites & why store-bought meat makes people sick
00:50:00 What keeps Evan going in a system stacked against him