Sustainable Dish Podcast

In this episode of the podcast, we talk with David LeZaks, a senior fellow at the Croatan Institute, about his work in regenerative agriculture finance. Croatan Institute is an independent, nonprofit research institute whose mission is to harness the power of investment for social good and ecological resilience by working at the critical nexus where sustainability, finance, and economic development intersect.

Fortunately, some investors are taking a more altruistic approach to how they invest their cash. Sometimes referred to as impact investment, more and more investors are only investing money where the project matches a specific set of goals or values like environmental rehabilitation or local food.

A new regenerative ag-dedicated venture capital investment firm called Soilworks recently launched and acquired grazing management software service PastureMap as its first investment, for example. 

David talks about some of his recent work identifying barriers for small and medium-scale livestock producers due to Covid-19 in an effort to identify key pain points where investment is needed. He was also involved in producing the Soil Wealth report, which surveyed the landscape to identify existing investment vehicles for regenerative agriculture and opportunities to expand them.

This episode is brought to you by Blue Nest Beef. There's a lot of choices for "better" beef out there and the folks at Blue Nest Beef are grassfed pioneers who've perfected all the steps it takes to make better beef even better. Not only is their beef delicious, but it comes exclusively from American ranchers who have been certified by the National Audubon Society as ranchers who are regenerating our land and bird habitats. If you're looking for better beef, visit their website here and use the discount code "2BUYBLUENEST" for 15% off your first order!

Thanks, and enjoy the show!

In today's episode of the Sustainable Dish Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Adegbola Adesogan, a Professor of Ruminant Nutrition at the University of Florida, to talk about his research and the many roles that livestock play in a nutritious, ethical, and sustainable food system.

Dr. Adesogan's work in developing communities focuses on improving livestock production and educating the public of the importance of animal products in a nutritious diet.

His work shows that improving the nutrition of one person helps mend the fabric of society and that is greatly influenced by the inclusion and productivity of livestock.

When we improve livestock, folks can afford more meat, milk, and eggs in their diet.

With more meat, milk, and eggs in their diet, they improve the nutrition of their children.

When the diets of children are improved, the children's growth, development, and disease-resistance improves.

When these children are healthy, they perform better in school, which can have huge implications on their future, their families, and extended families.

It's quite amazing and we dive into it all.

My guest on this episode is Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, who is an Indian Public Health doctor, writer, researcher, and advocate of the right to health and the right to food, particularly in the marginalized communities in India. In this episode, we talk about:

• Causes of malnutrition in India, including the political and cultural denial of nutritious animal foods to members of their communities.
• How 80% of India actually eats animal foods and it’s a dangerous myth that it is a vegetarian country.
• How the EAT-Lancet group and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are propagating (and profiting from) this myth at the expense of the country.
• Role of dominant social classes and how they influence cultural foods, traditional eating, and food policies.
• The protein restrictions in school children's diets and how it affects them as they grow.
• How most of India's beef is raised by small pastoralists on small parcels of land.
• How eating beef has resulted in lynching and murder and likely skewed nutrition survey results.
• And her current research and how we can support better science.

We reference her Right to Food Campaign, and discuss these articles:

Despite Nutrition Benefits, Most BJP States Keep Eggs out of Mid-Day Meals
Akshaya Patra imposing vegetarian food mono culture on children
Taboos around serving eggs in mid-day meals need to go
India is Not a 'Vegetarian Country' Like the EAT-Lancet Report Would Have Us Believe
The Meaning of India's 'Beef Lynchings'

Sylvia can be found at:

Blog – https://drsylviakarpagam.wordpress.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/sakie339

This episode is brought to you by Blue Nest Beef. There's a lot of choices for "better" beef out there and the folks at Blue Nest Beef are grassfed pioneers who've perfected all the steps it takes to make better beef even better. Not only is their beef delicious, but it comes exclusively from American ranchers who have been certified by the National Audubon Society as ranchers who are regenerating our land and bird habitats. If you're looking for better beef, visit their website here and use the discount code "2BUYBLUENEST" for 15% off your first order!

Thanks, and enjoy the show!

​"No cow, no grass, no birds," says Marshall Johnson, Vice President of the National Audubon Society and Executive Director of Audubon Dakota and Audubon Conservation Ranching.

In this episode, we discuss Marshall's calling to birds and the prairies, the great influence of our indigenous populations on our past, present, and future grasslands, how birds are a strong indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and how we, as conservationists, along with well-managed cattle can call on our nation's history to restore our soils.

With the ongoing pandemic, small and midsize farmers have been looking for new and creative ways to get their products into consumers' hands. For Bart and Wendy Morris of Missoula-based Oxbow Cattle Company, that question was already on their minds many years ago.

The duo constructed a store on their ranch property called the F2M, or farm to market store, that operates entirely based on the honor system. The Morris’ restock the freezers and let shoppers peruse, pick, and pay all on their own. The system may make some farmers weary for potential theft, but so far the F2M has been nothing but a benefit.

We discuss their backgrounds, advice to farmers getting started, what they wish more farmers knew, and more! Be sure to keep up with Bart & Wendy on Instagram where they share daily scenes from ranchlife, usually on horseback. And if you’re ever near Missoula make sure to put the F2M on your agenda.

It’s not uncommon these days to hear about someone ditching city life to try their hand at farming. For Edlin Choi, leaving the city behind was a no brainer. After working for a variety of startups in both San Francisco and New York, Edlin found himself presented with an ideal opportunity to see his farm dreams come to life. Telling your family and friends that you are leaving your tech job and life in the city to start your journey to becoming a farmer can be daunting however. Edlin shares with us how he went about breaking the news and how he dealt with a bit of skepticism from his family regarding his choice.

Pilar Egüez Guevara, PhD is director and founder of Comidas que Curan, an independent education initiative to promote the value of traditional foods through research and film. Her documentary Raspando coco (Scraping coconuts) received several awards and was presented at film festivals in the United States, Europe and Japan. You can find her on instagram.com/raspando_coco and facebook.com/comidasquecuran.com.ec. 

Jon Venus is a physique athlete based in Norway. Over the past 5 years, he's become a prominent vegan influencer on YouTube, Instagram, and his own coaching community, yet recently has made the decision to incorporate animal products into his diet in an ethical, sustainable way. In this episode, we discuss his experience transitioning away from veganism, the reactions from his family and his community, and his intentions to eat more locally and sustainably.

In this episode of Sustainable Dish, we chat with Brandon Howley of Happy Hollow Beef, a multi-generation ranch in East Texas outside of Dallas. The founder of Happy Hollow is Chuck Howley, an NFL star who is heralded by many as one of the greatest linebackers in Dallas Cowboys history. After serving in the military, Brandon returned to the family ranch.

One of Brandon’s first goals for the family ranch was to explore grass-finished beef and direct marketing to local consumers. Although transitioning to grass-finished beef may seem like a matter of simply changing what the cattle eat, it can be a far more complex process.

In the latest episode of the podcast, Lauren interviews shepherdess, Jacqueline Smith, of Central Grazing Company. They discuss raising sheep, creating a 100% traceable leather supply chain, and how we, as consumers, can learn that farmers not only regenerate ecosystems, but can also provide food, clothing, and community.