In this episode, we chat about Mark's beginnings in farming and his experience as a dairyman, teaching children and preserving their innocence, and how smartphones are demonic.

Timestamps/Topics for Episode 97:

0:00 Intro to farmer Mark Wertin

8:27 Why did Mark start to grow food

11:10 Building in virtue as a dairyman

15:57 Livestock genetics & family units matter

30:33 Domesticated vs. wild animals

35:34 Saying yes to God

41:53 We need a sufficiency of bodily goods

48:52 Sheltering your kids/preserving innocence

54:15 Smartphones are demonic

59:00 Vice is not necessary for developing virtue

1:04:36 "Normal" vs. common children

1:07:23 The medium is the message

Links for Episode 97:

• De Regno (On Kingship) by Thomas Aquinas. https://a.co/d/avI7RAG
• John Milton's Areopagitica https://goodreads.com/book/show/421280.Areopagitica

Meatsmith classes and resources:

• Hands-On Harvest Classes - Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We're currently offering a 3-day pork class (Sept 12th-14th), a 3-day lamb class (Oct 3rd-5th), a 2-day goose class (Nov 15th-16th), and a 2-day beef class (Dec 6th-7th). Spots are limited to just eight students per class, so as to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/

• Meatsmith Membership - We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join today and partner with us in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 signup fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no signup fee, saving you $50.38. https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/membership/