Chews Wisely

We take a closer look at the principles and nuances of the lens of regenerative agriculture, the similarities and differences with certified organic foods, and why the most sustainable options often aren't the most efficient. Caroline has some stories to tell.

Follow along on Instagram:

@chewswiselypodcast

@bigskycaroline

You can reach us at [email protected]

Chews Wisely is sponsored by Little Creek. Get regeneratively raised lamb & beef shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we’re offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.

​​https://littlecreekmontana.shop/discount/WISELY

Organic Agriculture & Yield

Global Food Supply

Perdue / Pasture Bird Acquisition

Fertilizer Use Over Time

Warning: this episode requires an open mind and an earnest desire to learn about our food system. Today, Caroline asks: what is factory farming, how did it come about, and is it really so bad? We’re taking a sincere look at the good things about our current food system, because we can’t change a food system we don’t understand. We start with history, get into the Green Revolution, and end the episode myth-busting the biggest claims against factory farming. And in the next episode, we’re going to tear it all down.

Follow along on Instagram:

@chewswiselypodcast

You can reach us at [email protected]

Chews Wisely is sponsored by Little Creek. Get regeneratively raised lamb & beef shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we’re offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.

Sources:

Aurora Blue Farm website, Aurora Blue Farm Instagram

USDA - Family Farms

USDA - 20th Century Transformation of U.S. Agriculture & Farm Policy

USDA - Agriculture Productivity

USDA - Food Prices & Spending

Johns Hopkins - Food System Primer

EPA - Circular Economy

How Plant Waste Feeds Animals

Green Revolution

Freakonomics - Two Totally Opposite Ways to Save the Planet

Dairy Productivity Over Time

Beef Productivity Over Time

Soil Lifespans

No-Till On the Rise

Global Emissions by Sector

Our modern food system is highly productive, highly efficient, and tremendously fragile. Today we explore the flip side of the Green Revolution and talk about environmental costs including synthetic fertilizer, antibiotics, chemical and "superweeds." A brief foray into manure management, and then a deep dive into our "oligarchic, corporate food regime." And finally, Caroline leaves the stats and analysis behind to speak from a place of values regarding animal confinement.

Follow along on Instagram:

@chewswiselypodcast

You can reach us at [email protected]

Chews Wisely is sponsored by Little Creek. Get regeneratively raised lamb & beef shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we’re offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.

Sources:

Aurora Blue Farm website, Aurora Blue Farm Instagram

https://ourworldindata.org/fertilizers

https://ourworldindata.org/reducing-fertilizer-use

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25785

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/no-silver-bullet-solution-norman-borlaug-and-green-revolution/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/magazine/superweeds-monsanto.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33592098/

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSphere.00433-19

https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=42740

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-sector-income-finances/farm-business-income/

https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/88057/eib-189.pdf?v=43172

https://phys.org/news/2022-06-food-giants-reap-enormous-profits.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/28/usda-to-pay-farmers-who-euthanized-animals-amid-meat-plant-shutdowns-501271

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU05/20220119/114345/HHRG-117-JU05-20220119-SD006.pdf

https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/SeedsReport.pdf

On the flip side of a newspaper article from 1958, Bethany Cantwell of Aurora Blue Farm saw something that caught her eye. It was an article titled ‘This Farm is a Factory.’ That article kicked off an in depth conversation between Bethany and Caroline, which we share with you as a bonus episode this week. A clip from this conversation was featured in episode seven, 'The Case For Factory Farming.'

Aurora Blue Farm website, Aurora Blue Farm Instagram

Follow along on Instagram:

@chewswiselypodcast

You can reach us at [email protected]

Chews Wisely is sponsored by Little Creek. Get regeneratively raised lamb & beef shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we’re offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.

We’ve all heard that beef is a water hog, often enough that it’s considered common knowledge. Caroline goes to the source - a UNESCO study - to see what we can unpack about that claim. Holes are poked, rants are ranted, and nuance is added.

Follow along on Instagram:

@chewswiselypodcast

@bigskycaroline

You can reach us at [email protected]

Chews Wisely is sponsored by Little Creek. Get regeneratively raised lamb & beef shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we’re offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.

​​https://littlecreekmontana.shop/discount/WISELY

Beef & water footprint:

https://www.watercalculator.org/news/articles/beef-king-big-water-footprints/

https://www.watercalculator.org/water-footprint-of-food-guide/

https://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/product-water-footprint/water-footprint-crop-and-animal-products/

https://www.waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report-48-WaterFootprint-AnimalProducts-Vol1.pdf

Irrigation in the US:

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/irrigation-water-use/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%202017%20Census,20%20percent%20of%20harvested%20cropland.