Sustainable Dish Podcast

Today’s episode is a replay of a special discussion between me, Diana, and Drew Ramsey, MD, hosted by The Well, a new approach to individualized health care that combines the benefits of Western medicine and the wisdom of Eastern healing.

 

In this discussion, we talk about the production of the film, Sacred Cow, and how we can be a compassionate, eco-friendly omnivore.

 

Drew is a psychiatrist, author, speaker, and farmer, who founded the Brain Food Clinic in New York City. His understanding of nutrition through the lens of mental health helps add to this amazing conversation in ways that we haven’t covered too much in the past.

 

Learn more about The Well here and Drew Ramsey, MD, here.

 

Enjoy the show!

 

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!

 

This episode was also generously sponsored by my favorite electrolyte drink mix, LMNT. I personally drink 2 per day and recommend to my clients, athletes, or anyone following a low-carb diet or undergoing a stressful period to pay attention to their electrolytes. LMNT is the perfect combination of sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

Today's episode is a replay of a special discussion between me, Diana, and Drew Ramsey, MD, hosted by The Well, a new approach to individualized health care that combines the benefits of Western medicine and the wisdom of Eastern healing.

In this discussion, we talk about the production of Sacred Cow and how we can be a compassionate, eco-friendly omnivore.

Drew is a psychiatrist, author, and farmer, who founded the Brain Food Clinic in NYC.

We often hear from farmers and ranchers after they’ve realized their dream operation, but rarely do we hear from them in those first steps, in the infancy of making their dream a reality.

 

In today’s episode of the Sustainable Dish Podcast, I chat with Rachael and James Stewart about their journey from fitness trainers to farmers in Douglas, Arizona.

 

What began as a means to invest at the onset of the pandemic, blossomed into a plan to develop Southwest Black Ranchers, a food distributor that ships directly to families and restaurants, with two goals: feed 1,000 people every month and increase Black representation in agriculture.

 

We discuss how their dream began, their backgrounds in fitness, why real meat is healthier and more accessible than fake meat, their learning experiences thus far, and their plans for the future. We also talk about how many farmers that we see or hear about don’t often share the hard work, money, and sacrifice that has helped many farmers get started and how we can create more realistic conversations about the grit and dedication to taking a farming dream to reality.

 

Rachael tells of her experience raising animals with 4-H as a teen and how she’s applying the resourcefulness of the farmers she’s learning from in Food for Mzansi.

 

James “Stu” shares his experience as a professional bodybuilder and his plans to host fitness retreats on their farm, his complete immersion into farm life, and how their kids and family is adapting to rural life.

 

They’re currently raising funds on GoFundMe to support their mission to support nature and increase health and diversity in farming through Southwest Black Farmers. Check out their campaign here and follow them on their website, Instagram, or Facebook.

 

This conversation is inspiring for anyone on the fence about starting their own food operation and/or working to increase representation in agriculture. Be sure to give it a listen!

 

This episode was generously sponsored by my favorite electrolyte drink mix, LMNT. I personally drink 2 per day and recommend to my clients, athletes, or anyone following a low-carb diet or undergoing a stressful period to pay attention to their electrolytes. LMNT is the perfect combination of sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

In today's episode of the Sustainable Dish Podcast, I chat with Rachael and James Stewart about their journey from fitness trainers to farmers in Douglas, Arizona.

What began as a means to invest at the onset of the pandemic, blossomed into a plan to develop Southwest Black Ranchers, a food distributor that ships directly to families and restaurants, with two goals: feed 1,000 people every month and increase Black representation in agriculture.

There is a lot of talk about restoring ecosystems through agriculture to address a long list of issues like climate change, the loss of wildlife habitat, water quality, and historically low farm incomes. But what does that effort really look like? Unless you earn a degree in ecosystem sciences, most of us are only equipped with basic high school biology, giving us a limited understanding of some of these concepts.

 

Fortunately, a number of researchers and academics are not only hard at work to understand how we can improve our relationship with nature through farming, they’re making their work accessible to the general public as well.

 

In this week’s show, we hear from Steve Apfelbaum, the senior ecologist at Applied Ecological Services (AES), an ecological sciences and restoration firm in the US. His work focuses on ecosystem restoration and land management, putting back into the land what was taken from the land like healthy soil as well as plant and animal communities. AES also runs one of the largest native plant nurseries on the planet with the main location in Wisconsin called Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries.

 

Apfelbaum’s work can best be understood through his book, Nature’s Second Chance: Restoring the Ecology of Stone Prairie Farm. The writing chronicles his three-decade journey to restore his eighty-acre farm in Wisconsin to a biologically diverse ecosystem of prairie, wetland, spring brook, and forest. It chronicles his family’s personal journey as well as the skepticism that they faced from the traditional agricultural community when they embarked on their journey.

 

Lately, he has been trying to answer big questions around how livestock can play a part in ecosystem restoration. AES is also part of the Arizona State University Soil Carbon Nation team, which is looking at how well-managed grazing can improve soil health, water quality, and carbon sequestration. 

 

The team has been testing different grazing systems to see whether intensive grazing management can be a tool for change. So far, the research is promising and AES has gone public with a few findings. They are in the process of publishing their work, but Apfelbaum gives us a sneak peek as to what the team has discovered about the power of good grazing management.

 

Getting more farmers and ranchers to change their grazing practices seems promising, but adopting a new grazing system isn’t easy and can require a lot of financial and labor input. One often discussed solution to incentivizing the adoption of different grazing practices is carbon credit markets. This reinvigorated concept would pay farmers based on the amount of carbon that they are able to sequester through different agricultural practices. The credits would then be purchased by polluters through a market system.

Apfelbaum shares his view of carbon credit markets and some of the looming questions about its efficacy and reliability. Many experts question whether we understand enough about long-term carbon sequestration and raise concern about a lack of consistency in how burgeoning ag carbon credit markets are measuring carbon.

 

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 pio...

There is a lot of talk about restoring ecosystems through agriculture to address a long list of issues like climate change, the loss of wildlife habitat, water quality, and historically low farm incomes. But what does that effort really look like? Unless you earn a degree in ecosystem sciences, most of us are only equipped with basic high school biology, giving us a limited understanding of some of these concepts.

Farming is hard, but for folks who have a burning desire to farm, Nicole Scott, livestock manager at the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, says, “Go for it!”

 

In today’s episode of the Sustainable Dish Podcast, my co-host, Lauren Stine, chats with Nicole about her journey from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., to her education at Cornell University to her many farming experiences that led her to become Glynwood’s livestock manager.

 

They discuss the ever-changing tasks of being a farmer, why aspiring farmers should rethink starting their farm with goats, and how we (as allies and members of the BIPOC community) can diversify our food system and work to overcome racial injustice in life and in agriculture.

 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone thinking about starting to farm, farmers or food producers who can relate to the therapeutic experience of letting out an energized yell in the middle of an empty pasture, or anyone thinking of adding goats to their livestock operation.

 

This episode was generously sponsored by my favorite electrolyte drink mix, LMNT. I personally drink 2 per day and recommend to my clients, athletes, or anyone following a low-carb diet or undergoing a stressful period to pay attention to their electrolytes. LMNT is the perfect combination of sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

In today's episode, Lauren chats with Nicole about her journey from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., to her education at Cornell University to her many farming experiences that led her to become Glynwood's livestock manager.

They discuss the ever-changing tasks of being a farmer, why aspiring farmers should rethink beginning with goats, and how we (as allies and members of the BIPOC community) can diversify our food system and work to overcome racial injustice in life and in agriculture.

Have you thought about starting a farm?

 

If so, this episode with Annemarie Sullivan of Sullifarm & Kitchen is for you.

 

Annemarie is a 23-year-old regenerative farmer in Northeast Texas.

 

What bloomed out of a deep love for nutrition and food, she started farming in 2016 with a few Nigerian Dwarf Goats, opened Sullifarm & Kitchen in 2018, and is now regenerating over 50 acres of land.

 

My co-host, Lauren Stine, and Annemarie discuss the ins and outs of bootstrapping a small farm, sustaining a profitable, yet regenerative operation, and the many challenges she and other beginner farmers experience in the early years.

 

From financing to species selection to farming as a young female, Lauren and Annemarie cover many important topics for any aspiring farmer.

 

Be sure to check out Annemarie and Sullifarm & Kitchen @sullifarmandkitchen and give this episode a listen.

 

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!

Have you thought about starting a farm?

If so, this episode with Annemarie Sullivan of @sullifarmandkitchen is for you.

Annemarie is a 23-year-old regenerative farmer in Northeast Texas.

What bloomed out of a deep love for nutrition and food, she started farming in 2016 with a few Nigerian Dwarf Goats, opened Sullifarm & Kitchen in 2018, and is now regenerating over 50 acres of land.