The Regenaissance Podcast

The Regenaissance
  • 4.4 (14)
  • 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. 17m ago

    Kelsey Beck Fernandez: Homesteading, Family, and Communal Sufficiency #127

    I speak with Kelsey Beck Fernandez about moving from restaurant and wine work into homesteading in Southern California, and how raising a family on one acre changed his view of self-sufficiency. We talk about why communal sufficiency lasts longer than going it alone, building a local network, scaling back before burnout, whole-animal butchery, preserving food, and bringing family and community together around shared meals and work. Kelsey Beck Fernandez is a husband, father, homesteader, and founder of Tenfold Tallow in Southern California. On his one-acre family homestead, Kelsey and his family raise pigs, chickens, rabbits, and ducks while pursuing a more resilient way of life centered on traditional food, whole-animal use, soil regeneration, and learning to produce more of what their family consumes. Tenfold Tallow grew naturally out of that lifestyle. What began as rendering animal fats from the animals they raised eventually became a skincare company built around simple, traditional ingredients, including regenerative suet tallow, pastured pork lard, and raw beeswax. The original products were created for Kelsey’s wife and their babies, and the brand continues to reflect his belief that agriculture, food, family, and personal care don’t have to exist as separate systems. Through his homestead, Tenfold, and his online content, Kelsey documents the process of rediscovering practical skills, using the whole animal, working toward closed-loop systems, and creating a family economy more connected to the land. Thanks for listening. What we cover:- From restaurant work and wine to homesteading- Food, family and the search for a more resilient local food supply- A one-acre family homestead with pigs, chickens, ducks and rabbits- Self-sufficiency versus communal sufficiency- Balancing farm work, a full-time job and family life- Whole-animal use, food preservation and consumer expectations- Ducks, shared meals and community ties Timestamps:00:16 – From wine to homesteading03:08 – Food and family during the pandemic05:32 – First pigs and a one-acre homestead06:44 – From self-sufficiency to communal sufficiency22:57 – Burnout, family and scaling back24:19 – Whole-animal use and preserving food39:22 – Why food is expected to taste the same49:02 – Consumers and the food system53:46 – Cooking and sharing what you raise59:12 – Adding ducks to the homestead1:02:13 – Focus, limits and farm plans1:12:18 – Faith, family and homesteading Links & resources mentioned:Kelsey Beck Fernandez on Instagram Tenfold Tallow

    Kelsey Beck Fernandez: Homesteading, Family, and Communal Sufficiency #127

  2. Sep 23

    Jade Koyle: Wheat, Farm Subsidies, and Regenerative Grain Farming #126

    I speak with Jade Koyle of Grand Teton Ancient Grains about ancient wheat, regenerative farming, the economics of growing food, and why so many people are trying to understand what has changed about modern bread. Jade is a sixth-generation farmer who runs Grand Teton Ancient Grains in eastern Idaho, where his family grows, mills and sells ancient grains including einkorn, spelt, emmer and khorasan, alongside other grains grown through regenerative organic practices. We get into what makes a grain “ancient,” how the modern seed and commodity system evolved, and why Jade has invested in cleaning, storing and preserving his own seed. We also talk about farm subsidies, insurance, land prices, leasing farmland and why finding a viable business model matters more than simply owning acreage. From there, Jade explains how Grand Teton approaches crop rotations, companion crops, soil fertility and profitability, along with the reality of weather, pests, diesel costs and losing crops. Towards the end, we get into modern bread and wheat more directly: glyphosate, grain storage, milling, the removal of bran and germ, fortification, preservatives and why Jade prefers whole-grain, fresh-milled bread. What we cover: Ancient grains, einkorn, spelt, emmer and khorasanSeed saving, subsidies and how modern grain farming became centralizedLand prices, leasing farmland and the economics of starting a farmRegenerative grain farming, crop rotations, soil health and profitabilityModern bread, milling, additives, glyphosate and whole-grain flourTimestamps: Links: Grand Teton Ancient Grains — WebsiteAbout the farm — About Grand Teton Ancient GrainsShop grains and flour — ShopYouTube — Grand Teton Ancient Grains YouTubeFarm story — How Grand Teton Ancient Grains BeganJade's X - X handle Resources mentioned: Grand Teton Ancient Grains — farm, grains and shop ancientgrains.comGrand Teton Ancient Grains — grain guide — einkorn, emmer, spelt, khorasan and other grains Ancient Grains GuideUSDA FSA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Loans — the type of farm ownership financing Jade mentions for newer farmers Beginning Farmers and Ranchers LoansUSDA FSA Farm Ownership Loans — land purchase, development and down-payment programs Farm Ownership LoansUSDA Whole-Farm Revenue Protection — the farm-wide revenue insurance Jade discusses as an alternative when individual ancient-grain crops are harder to insure Whole-Farm Revenue Protection

    Jade Koyle: Wheat, Farm Subsidies, and Regenerative Grain Farming #126

  3. Sep 16

    Chaz Self: The Raw Milk War in Wisconsin #125

    I chat with Chaz Self of Grassway Organics about his fight to keep selling raw milk in Wisconsin, the decline of small dairy farms, and what the future of farming might look like amid consolidation, regulation and new technology. Chaz is a first-generation dairy farmer who runs Grassway Organics with his wife in East Troy, Wisconsin, managing roughly 640 acres and milking around 50 cows in a grass-based, seasonal dairy system. A lot has changed since Chaz was last on the show. Grassway is now in an ongoing dispute with Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection over how the farm sells raw milk, with Chaz preparing for a legal fight that he believes could become extremely expensive. We get into how his ownership model works, why he believes the farm has operated legally, and why he has decided to keep pushing rather than step away.  We also look at what has happened to Wisconsin dairy more broadly: fewer farms producing more milk, increasing consolidation, overproduction, subsidies and whether relatively simple changes like putting more young cattle back onto pasture could begin moving the system in another direction. We talk about Farm Bureau, social media and the growing political divide around food, before getting into the future of agricultural technology.  Thanks for listening.  What we cover: Grassway Organics’ raw milk fight with WisconsinThe decline and consolidation of Wisconsin dairySubsidies, grazing and possible paths forwardFarm Bureau, social media and polarization around foodAI, farm technology and what farming is actually forTimestamps: 00:00 – Catching up with Chaz Self02:01 – The raw milk fight in Wisconsin10:07 – The cost of fighting regulation19:48 – Lobbying for raw milk26:28 – What happened to Wisconsin dairy?29:23 – Could grazing help fix dairy?34:31 – Does Farm Bureau represent farmers?37:28 – Social media, politics and agriculture44:52 – Rebuilding community around farms53:41 – AI and technology on the farm57:58 – Agricultural data and automation1:01:29 – What is farming actually for? Links & resources mentioned: WebsiteInstagram FacebookRaw Milk Institute (RAWMI) — rawmilkinstitute.org Mark McAfee / RAWMI team — RAWMI team page Vernon Hershberger raw milk case — Wisconsin Court of Appeals case Green Lake Association / John Strauser — Green Lake Association team Joel Salatin / Polyface Farm — Polyface Farm Wisconsin DATCP — Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation — Wisconsin Farm Bureau Wisconsin Farm Bureau policy page — Farm Bureau agricultural policy

    Chaz Self: The Raw Milk War in Wisconsin #125

  4. Sep 9

    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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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4.4
out of 5
14 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
    149
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Regenaissance
  • Show Website
    The Regenaissance Podcast

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