Sustainable Dish Podcast

​"No cow, no grass, no birds," says Marshall Johnson, Vice President of the National Audubon Society.

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. 

 

Not only do the Morris’ have more time to work the ranch and their management intensive grazing plan, but they’ve also created an opportunity for consumers to learn about other local food providers in the region. The F2M now carries a variety of products on top of Oxbow’s beef. An unexpected benefit from building the little store is the opportunity to offer shoppers a view of the ranch. If they come shopping on the right day, they might even see the Oxbow cattle herd grazing nearby.

 

Bart and Wendy are committed to raising their livestock in a responsible, conservation-minded manner. To improve their pastures, they recently added a herd of goats to address weeds on the ranch that the cattle simply don’t prefer to eat. Multi-species grazing, which includes mixing sheep, cattle, and/or goats, can offer a range of benefits when it comes to pasture improvement, soil fertility, and animal health. 

 

But offering grass-finished beef in Western Montana’s rangeland that brings harsh winters and short growing seasons is not without its challenges. Bart and Wendy share how they help their livestock cope with the winters, which are usually more stressful for humans than animals. The region also comes with some fairly serious predators like wolves. Bart gained a firsthand appreciation for the wilderness in which he now ranches when he worked for the Wyoming game and Fish and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks agencies.

Enjoy the show and 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.

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 Oxbow Cattle Company, that question was already on their minds.

We discuss their backgrounds, advice to beginning farmers, connecting to their customers, & more! Be sure to keep up with Bart & Wendy on Instagram where they share daily scenes from ranchlife, usually on horseback.

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.

 

Located in Bluffton, Georgia, White Oak Pastures offers an apprenticeship and internship program for people interested in farming. Known for its commitment to well-managed livestock, WOP raises grass-fed beef, goat, and lamb as well as rabbits, hogs, pastured poultry, and eggs. The farm also features an organic vegetable garden, tannery, carpentry, composting, tallow making, and more.

 

At the conclusion of his internship, Edlin stayed on at WOP to help the brand with its e-commerce platform, which has seen a major increase in demand due to the pandemic. Many farmers enjoy the business of raising livestock or cultivating gardens. Sometimes the financial and marketing aspects of running a successful farm business can be a struggle or the last thing a farmer wants to spend time doing. Edlin explains how his time working for startups in the tech industry has enabled him to offer farmers a unique perspective on taking their businesses to the next level.

 

Also in the show, we discuss some of the biggest barriers to entry for aspiring farmers. Edlin shares his experiences entering agriculture to date as a Korean-American and some of the ongoing discourse around racial inequality in agriculture and the food system. 

After listening to the show, follow Edlin and his farm journey on Instagram @Edlinbetsthefarm and his website https://www.edlinbetsthefarm.com/

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. 

 

In this episode, we discuss the racist narratives developing around traditional foods, how more people are returning to the foods of their heritage, and why culinary justice is an important part of transforming our broken food system.

 

Pilar wrote a blog post to accompany this interview that details her work with traditional foods. Be sure to give it a read here: In defense of traditional foods.

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.

In this episode of Sustainable Dish, we chat with Jon Venus, 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.

 

Be sure to send him some love on social and enjoy the show!

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. 

 

One of the first major hurdles that an operation has to tackle is figuring out whether the farm can produce enough forage to finish animals on grass alone. This often leads producers to adopt management intensive grazing, also called holistic planned grazing, multi paddock grazing, or rotational grazing. By limiting cattle’s access to pasture, producers can encourage cattle to eat forages that they would not have otherwise consumed. This increases overall grazing efficiency and makes better use of the pastures. It also facilitates better psature diversity by preventing cattle from selecting only the forages they like most.

 

This grazing system also enables pastures to have adequate rest so that they can regrow and continue to provide forage to livestock throughout the year. The goal of many grass-finishing operations is to adopt a grazing plan that leads to grazing on as many days of the year as possible. Depending on where a producer is located, it may be necessary to feed hay during the winter months. But with careful grazing management, many producers stockpile forage to graze well into winter.

 

Brandon also shares with us how his family has evaluated the type of cattle that they raise in their new grass-finishing program. Not all breeds of cattle have been selected to finish on grass alone. Even within the same breed, some animals seem to thrive more readily on a grass-based diet while others may not gain the same amount of weight or finish as quickly.

 

Finding access to a processor that services independent farms who don’t sell to a major packer has also been a challenge that Brandon has had to navigate. This is one of the biggest bottlenecks for meat producers who sell directly to consumers, restaurants, and other alternative channels. The pandemic has made access to processing even more challenging as processors deal with labor shortages and a major uptick in demand from beef producers. With grocery store shelves empty, many consumers are turning to local farmers to meet their grocery needs. Although this increase in demand for local food is wonderful, it’s only as good as farmers’ ability to process enough animals to provide an adequate supply. The Howleys are exploring a number of possible solutions to their processing bottlenecks including constructing a processing facility on the premises.

 

Finally, we chat about some of the social aspects of converting to a grass-finishing operation and the funny looks from neighbors that often comes with it. This hasn’t deterred Brandon from reaching out to the local community to promote local food and more awareness about how well managed cattle offer countless benefits. As part of his effort to convert the family operation to a grass-finishing program, Howley is working with the Dallas Independent School District in a program that helps students learn about raising cattle. The carcasses are then provided to the local culinary school to facilitate butchery education.

 

Enjoy the show!