The Regenaissance Podcast

The Regenaissance
  • 4.7 (13)
  • Earth Sciences

Hosted by @Regenaisanceman with the mission of reconnecting us back to where our food is grown & exposing everything that is wrong with our broken food system. We are more disconnected from our food than we ever have been. I sit down with ranchers and farmers to give them a voice and hear their stories, helping paint a picture of what it really looks like to support humanity with food. I also will be talking to others involved in the agriculture space as there is a lot that goes into it all. My hope is that from hearing this podcast you will begin to question what you eat and where from.

  1. 4d ago

    Mark Ellison: Pasture Poultry, Farm Economics, and Regenerative Stewardship #124

    I chat with Mark Ellison of Grandad Farms in Emmett, Idaho, about how a health-driven search for better food eventually led him to start raising his own chickens, pigs and laying hens. Mark started with a borrowed patch of ground and a few hundred meat chickens. Today, Grandad Farms is raising animals on pasture, developing corn-and-soy-free feed, working toward organic certification and trying to build a farm to guide people to know exactly how their food was raised.  We get into the economics behind his roughly $35 chickens and why comparing that directly with a $5 Costco rotisserie chicken misses a lot of what goes into each system. Mark explains his argument around subsidized corn and soy, labor costs and why he is willing to raise a slower-growing, more expensive bird. We also talk about why he moved away from Cornish Cross chickens toward Freedom Rangers, what organic certification does and doesn’t tell you about how an animal was raised, the surprising reality of pasture-raised pigs, and what he has seen happen to his land after repeatedly moving poultry across it.  Towards the end, the conversation gets into broader topics around raising children in a family business, Mark’s Christian understanding of stewardship, and why producing food for his neighbors is tied closely to how he thinks about faith and responsibility.  Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Mark Ellison, Grandad Farms00:17 – Why Mark started farming04:18 – Processing chickens and animal stewardship06:29 – Corn-free, soy-free chicken feed10:35 – Why a pasture chicken costs $3518:47 – Labor and immigration in agriculture25:01 – Stewardship and regenerative farming27:00 – How chickens improve pasture29:08 – Cornish Cross vs. Freedom Rangers32:26 – What organic certification actually means36:15 – Pasture pigs and factory pork44:42 – Growing Grandad Farms45:35 – Raising a family on the farm48:00 – Farming, faith and Christianity53:08 – Why customers seek out their food Links Website X

    Mark Ellison: Pasture Poultry, Farm Economics, and Regenerative Stewardship #124

  2. Sep 2

    Jesse Zimmerman: Butcher Shops, USDA Rules, and Meat Traceability #123

    I chat with Jesse Zimmerman, owner of Renick Valley Meats in Renick, West Virginia, to get into the butchering side of our food system - something I hadn't covered that deeply on the show yet. They have a fascinating story: Jesse and his wife bought a struggling custom butcher shop four years ago and have since transitioned it into a state-inspected facility. We get into the real differences between custom-exempt and inspected processing, the regulations that sound reasonable on paper but make no sense on the kill floor (the single-shot rule, a mandated 90-degree turn in holding pens), and why that complexity isn't accidental - it's a barrier that favors the big four packers over small shops like his. We also cover the current imported-beef controversy, country-of-origin labeling, what actually happens to the 40% of an animal that isn't meat, and the specific questions you should ask any butcher shop before you trust them with your meat. We debate whether policy alone can fix this system, and the importance of direct relationships built on trust in solving the matter. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Jesse Zimmerman, Renick Valley Meats04:45 – Custom-exempt vs. inspected processing07:53 – The single-shot rule and inhumane-handling write-ups15:23 – The real reason for the 90-degree pen turn19:15 – Big four packer control and regulatory barriers to entry22:20 – The 300,000-metric-ton imported beef controversy26:46 – Country-of-origin labeling and how easy it is to skirt38:58 – What happens to the ~40% "waste" of an animal49:37 – Questions to ask before trusting a butcher shop1:00:21 – Grass-fed/grass-finished nuance and imported "grass-fed" beef Links WebsiteInstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebook

    Jesse Zimmerman: Butcher Shops, USDA Rules, and Meat Traceability #123

  3. Aug 26

    Former USDA Insider's Plan to Fix Conservation From Outside The Government @ Jason Hanson | Ep #122

    Who's Jason?Jason Hansen spent 14 years with the NRCS watching conservation rules bend for bigger, better-connected operators, and running cost-share programs structurally set up to fail the farmers they were meant to help. In 2018, he left USDA and founded Yield Unlimited. What is Yield Unlimited?Yield Unlimited is Jason Hansen's nonprofit that pays farmers directly, long-term, to run five core conservation practices - crop rotation, no-till/strip-till, cover crops, nutrient management, and (for a higher payout) prescribed grazing. The model:- Farmers apply for a land rental contract (30-second application, Jason's goal) - Up to $2,000/acre over 10-30 years, 50% paid upfront - Funded by donations, not federal money - pitch is $5/person/month covers the country - Treasury notes lock in and grow the later payouts (years 10 and 20) Why it matters: USDA cost-share caps at 5 years, right when farmers hit the yield dip during transition.Yield Unlimited's long-term contracts are built to carry them through this period. __________________________________________________________________________ Key Topics 14 years inside the NRCS, wetlands to DC headquartersUneven enforcement of drainage rules for connected operatorsWhy USDA's 5-year contracts fail farmers mid-transitionThe 2018 moment that led to founding Yield UnlimitedThe model: up to $2,000/acre, 10-30 year contractsFunding it outside the federal systemTimestamps  00:00 — Intro02:15 — Jason's background08:40 — Certifying wetlands in ND15:20 — Drainage enforcement issues24:00 — Utah, then district conservationist31:10 — The moment with his daughter36:30 — Why the RCPP grant failed44:15 — Hawaii, then DC headquarters50:00 — Leaving USDA, founding Yield Unlimited55:30 — How the model works1:01:00 — Funding conservation nationwide1:07:00 — Where to follow alongConnect with Jason WebsiteXLinkedin

    Former USDA Insider's Plan to Fix Conservation From Outside The Government @ Jason Hanson | Ep #122

  4. Aug 19

    What 30 Years of Farm Policy Did to Rural America @ JR Burdick | Ep #121

    In this episode we cover why beef and dairy prices are climbing for reasons that go far beyond inflation, and what three decades of farm policy have cost rural America.  JR Burdick runs Nourishing Family Farm in north-central Missouri, milking dairy cows and raising hogs, and has sold direct-to-consumer since 2023 after leaving conventional commodity markets and USDA subsidy programs in 2022. This is his third appearance on the show. Key topics  Why beef and dairy prices reflect a 30-year supply crisis, not inflationHow the 1994 Freedom to Farm Act shifted risk from government to farmersHow Smithfield-style integrators used farmer equity to consolidate the hog industryThe 2009 Dairy Depression and 2015 Holcomb fire's lasting effect on cattle herd confidenceWhy cheap fuel, money, and labor are gone — and what that means for small farmsDirect-to-consumer dairy: correcting consumer misconceptions and building trustJR's shift to organic farming and leaving USDA subsidy programs Timestamps0:00 – Intro, reconnecting with JR 2:00 – Affordability crisis: inflation vs. supply 5:00 – 1994 Freedom to Farm Act and the shift to income-based policy 9:00 – Hog contracts and the Smithfield equity play 16:00 – Ethanol/biodiesel bankruptcies and the 2009 Dairy Depression 23:00 – BSE scare and the 2015 Holcomb fire's lasting impact on cattle herds 28:00 – Cheap fuel, cheap money, cheap labor — and why that era's over 33:00 – Selling direct to consumer: listening over convincing 37:00 – Consumer misconceptions: winter grass, family milk cows 45:00 – The dairy farm decline stat and JR's bullish case for small, local farms 58:00 – The lettuce recall, greenwashing, and knowing your farmer 62:00 – Leaving USDA payments, faith, and the calf-birth story that keeps it all grounded Connect with JR Burdick / Nourishing FarmsFacebookXWebsite JR's Previous Episosdes#66#93

    What 30 Years of Farm Policy Did to Rural America @ JR Burdick | Ep #121

  5. Jul 29

    $1.28 Billion Verdict Against Big Meat - Then a Judge Overturned It @ Mike Callicrate | #120

    Ep 120: Mike Callicrate Mike Callicrate runs Ranch Foods Direct and Callicrate Beef out of Colorado Springs and St. Francis, Kansas. He built a fully vertically integrated operation involving raising cattle, slaughtering on-site, cutting, and selling direct to consumers. Our conversation follows his life story from his childhood on a small Colorado farm, a rodeo scholarship that led him into an animal science degree, and years running large-scale feedlots before he became one of ten ranchers who sued major meatpacker IBP in 1996 over market manipulation, a case that ended in a $1.28 billion jury verdict the judge later overturned. We get into why that loss pushed him to stop selling livestock and start selling meat instead, how Ranch Foods Direct's on-site slaughter facility, composting system, and bone char/biochar production work together, and the economics that separate a small direct-to-consumer operation from an industrial one.  Key topics - From rodeo and animal science to building and later rejecting industrial feedlots- The 1996 lawsuit against IBP, the overturned $1.28 billion verdict, and the Packers and Stockyards Act- How producers' share of the consumer dollar collapsed since 1970- Fraud, political influence, and market consolidationWhat "pink slime" and lean finely textured beef actually are- The grass-fed/grass-finished labelling problem - Declining Ogallala Aquifer levels and what it means for ranching's future- Building local maker-owned marketplaces as an alternative to scaling up Timestamps:0:00 – Intro + backstory: rodeo, animal science degree, early feedlots6:00 – Building industrial feedlots, growing concerned with market concentration12:00 – Decision to sue IBP, being blackballed by buyers18:00 – The lawsuit's path to trial and the $1.28B verdict30:00 – The judge's reversal + Packers and Stockyards Act explained36:00 – Shifting from selling livestock to selling meat direct44:00 – Building the on-site slaughter facility and circular waste model52:00 – The "story of the steer" and producers' lost share of the consumer dollar1:02:00 – Scaling down vs. scaling up: why direct/local beats commodity1:10:00 – COVID, empty shelves, and the case for local food resilience1:18:00 – Batista brothers, JBS, and meatpacking consolidation1:28:00 – What pink slime is and how it's made1:38:00 – Grass-fed/grass-finished labeling and imported beef1:46:00 – Ogallala Aquifer decline and water scarcity1:52:00 – Vision for maker-owned marketplaces and local food hubs Find out more: https://www.mikecallicrate.com/ The Regenaissance Podcast explores the people, farms, and ideas rebuilding our food system from the ground up.

    $1.28 Billion Verdict Against Big Meat - Then a Judge Overturned It @ Mike Callicrate | #120

  6. Jul 22

    Why Has America Stopped Growing Garlic? @ Cottage Pastures | #119

    Matthew runs Cottage Pastures on 26 acres in Switzerland County, Indiana, raising pigs, chickens, cattle, and sheep alongside garlic and herbs - everything sold under the name is raised on the farm itself. He and his wife bought the property in 2022 and built it up from a homesteading project into a full working farm.  Our conversation centers on garlic: despite ideal growing conditions across the Midwest, most garlic sold in the U.S. is imported, and a soil-borne fungal disease can make land unable to grow garlic for 20 to 40 years once it takes hold. This is a risk Cottage Pastures is now soil-testing to get ahead of. We talk through how the farm accidentally ended up growing 20-plus garlic varieties, why the economics of commodity crops crowd out specialty ones like garlic, and what it costs to raise and ship chicken nationwide as a direct-to-consumer farm.  Matthew also gets into why pre-orders rather than outside financing keep the farm's cash flow working, how he decides what to raise or cut as the operation grows, and what it looks like to raise kids alongside farm work without compelling them to help. Key topics:- Why most U.S. garlic and herbs are imported despite favorable growing conditions- A soil-borne fungal disease that can end garlic production on a piece of land for decades- How Cottage Pastures accidentally became a 20-plus variety garlic farm- The real cost of raising and processing chicken for direct-to-consumer sale- Grass-fed and grass-finished labeling: domestic vs. imported- Deciding what to raise, expand, or cut as the farm scales- Raising kids on the farm without compelling their help- Plans for a 2027 regional farm-share model in Cincinnati/Louisville Timestamps0:00 – Intro + catch-up, farm rebrand to Cottage Pastures 2:30 – Why the family moved to Switzerland County, Indiana 15:00 – Daily schedule: full-time job plus farm work 19:00 – Garlic harvest race against incoming rain 27:00 – Cost of shipping meat nationwide 31:00 – Why most U.S. herbs and garlic are imported 44:00 – How the farm ended up with 20-plus garlic varieties 48:00 – Fungal disease risk and soil testing plans 58:00 – Real cost of raising and processing chicken 1:07:00 – Grass-fed and grass-finished: domestic vs. imported 1:12:00 – Deciding what to raise, expand, or cut 1:16:00 – Plans for a 2027 regional farm-share program 1:19:00 – Raising kids on the farm 1:26:00 – Closing thoughts on local food and staying hopeful Links:https://cottagepastures.com/about/https://www.instagram.com/cottagepastures/https://www.facebook.com/CottagePastures/?ref=PROFILE_EDIT_xav_ig_profile_page_web#https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-6-interview-with-carissa-a-year-in-review/id1700604702?i=1000628016269 The Regenaissance Podcast explores the people, farms, and ideas rebuilding our food system from the ground up.

    Why Has America Stopped Growing Garlic? @ Cottage Pastures | #119

  7. Jul 21

    My Herd Shares Got State Subpoenaed: Why This Threatens Local Food - Joel Hollingsworth | #118

    Joel Hollinsworth runs Smoke River Ranch in Oklahoma, where he's built a herd-share community of about 40 families co-owning cattle together - a model that's taken his herd from 15 animals to 425 in four years. But, this could all be taken away, as he's fighting two subpoenas from the Oklahoma Department of Securities on claims his shares are unregistered financial securities. In this episode, Joel breaks down exactly how that herd-share structure works economically, and then walks through the legal fight he's currently in. He gets into why that claim doesn't hold up, who's helping him fight it (including USDA's Brooke Rollins' office and the American First Policy Institute), how they're fighting it, and what's at stake for other ranchers running similar models. Ultimately, this challenge threatens not only Joel's ranch, but the broader idea that people should be able to support and participate in local food systems without facing unnecessary regulatory burdens or government overreach. We also talk through the broader pattern of regulatory overreach in agriculture, and close with Joel's advice for young people looking to get into ranching - namely, don't try to do it alone. Key topics How the herd-share model works (co-ownership, calf splits, time horizons)The Oklahoma securities subpoenas and the case against themLegal support and path forward (Rollins' office, state legislation)Advice for young ranchers on doing this in communityTimestamps 0:00 – Intro + catch-up2:00 – Herd-share model origins5:00 – Scaling to 425 head + genetics program13:00 – First subpoena17:30 – Second subpoena, securities claim explained21:30 – Why it's not a security26:00 – Comparisons to other ag regulatory fights31:00 – Legal support and path forward47:30 – Herd-share financials + time horizons58:30 – Advice for young ranchers + close Connect with Joel Support Joel's GofundmeSmoke River Ranch WebsiteHerdsharesApply for HerdsharesXLast episode

    My Herd Shares Got State Subpoenaed: Why This Threatens Local Food - Joel Hollingsworth | #118

  8. Jun 24

    Meet Francine, The Farm Mom Building an App To Challenge Big Food - Francine | #117

    Francine is a farmer, mom of four, and co-founder of the Mulberry Tree App - a farm-to-fork platform that lets consumers buy ingredients directly from local farms, with no listing fees, no middleman, and no data selling. She and her husband built it from scratch, self-funded, while navigating mold illness, alpha-gal syndrome in their family, and a bunch of scammers! They launched the app in January 2025. We talk through how the app works, why convenience is the real barrier between consumers and local farms, and what it actually takes to build something like this without outside funding or corporate backing. Enjoy :) What we talk about: - How the Mulberry Tree App works - farm-to-fork recipes, local farmer discovery, 24/7 farmers market- Why they don't charge farmers listing or marketing fees- Facebook censorship of farm products during COVID and why it pushed them to build their own platform- The grassroots marketing approach: vendor events, merchandise, one-on-one outreach- Alpha-gal syndrome - what it is, how misinformation is hurting people, and why the app has 300+ alpha-gal-safe recipes- Mold illness, raising four kids on a farm, and the tribulations behind building the business- The case for food sovereignty and why 77 farms closing per day is a national problem Timestamps: 0:00 — Intro1:10 — What is the Mulberry Tree App?6:45 — How it handles the convenience problem for consumers12:00 — The origin story - a dream, a husband, and no coding experience18:30 — Facebook censorship and why decentralization matters26:00 — Grassroots marketing: vendor events, shirts, 400 downloads in two weeks32:00 — Consumer patterns and what makes the app experience different39:00 — The town square, courses, live animal listings, and cottage industry sellers47:00 — Growing up on farms, moving to Arkansas, raising kids outside the system54:00 — Mold illness, alpha-gal, and the year their son was on steroids1:04:00 — Why most businesses fail and why they didn't1:09:00 — Final thoughts: know your farmer, know your food How to Support Francine: Download the app via their website Connect with her via X

    Meet Francine, The Farm Mom Building an App To Challenge Big Food - Francine | #117
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Hosted by @Regenaisanceman with the mission of reconnecting us back to where our food is grown & exposing everything that is wrong with our broken food system. We are more disconnected from our food than we ever have been. I sit down with ranchers and farmers to give them a voice and hear their stories, helping paint a picture of what it really looks like to support humanity with food. I also will be talking to others involved in the agriculture space as there is a lot that goes into it all. My hope is that from hearing this podcast you will begin to question what you eat and where from.

Information

  • Creator
    The Regenaissance
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    146
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Regenaissance
  • Show Website
    The Regenaissance Podcast

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