Sustainable Dish Podcast

In this episode, we chat with Brandon Howley of Happy Hollow Beef, a multi-generation ranch in East Texas. 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 to explore grass-finished beef and direct marketing to local consumers.

There’s an undeniable buzz around regenerative food production but for Jacqueline Smith, founder of Central Grazing Company, that buzz should extend to other facets of our consumer lives, too. Based in Kansas’ Flint Hills, the operation offers Animal Welfare Approved lamb and 100% traceable leather goods. Smith raises a mixed-breed flock of sheep and sources meat and fiber from shepherds who also raise AWA flocks.

 

Although the primary focus of the discussion around how livestock can be a part of regenerating ecosystems, sheep also have an important role to play. They produce fiber as well as meat, readily graze weeds and other vegetation that cattle don’t like, and are a great option for beginning farmers who may lack the handling facilities or acreage needed to keep cattle. 

 

Sadly, only half of Americans have tried lamb, according to the American Lamb Board. The amount of lamb eaten per person this year is about 0.6lbs, compared to 55lbs of beef. The decline in consumer interest since the 1950s was caused by a variety of factors, one of which was bad experiences American GIs had with eating tough meat from very old sheep during World War II. 

 

And while the wool industry used to thrive in the US, it has seen a steady decline in recent years as synthetic fibers have taken over the market. Wool synthetics can be manufactured cheaply and quickly out of plastic-based ingredients. The rise of synthetic wool production has lead to a sharp decline in the number of sheep that New Zealand produces. A number of outlets are fighting to raise awareness about the importance of choosing clothing made from natural fabrics including leather. 

 

In the latest episode of Sustainable Dish, we chat with Smith about how she got started in sheep and the hoops she had to jump through to build a supply chain for the company’s regenerative leather goods.

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.

When life gives a farmer a pandemic, he makes cheese and donates it.

 

This pandemic has highlighted many weaknesses in our global food system, including food shortages and the need for more resilient, local food systems. For one artisanal cheese maker in the North East, however, these problems created a perfect opportunity to demonstrate how local food can solve pandemic-related food supply problems.

 

In today’s podcast, we speak with Pete Messmer, Head Cheesemaker at Lively Run Dairy in Interlaken, NY, about how Coronavirus has affected his business. The farm processes milk from roughly 600 goats from around the area into a variety of artisanal cheeses that it supplies to local restaurants as well as producing cow’s milk cheese.

 

Messmer walks through the history of the dairy and then talks with us about how the business has expanded to supplying local restaurants through wholesale accounts. Once the pandemic hit, though, the wholesale business dried up as restaurants closed their dining rooms and consumers quarantined.

 

For a small farm, the loss of so many wholesale accounts can be devastating. Many farms have found themselves trying to pivot to direct-to-consumer sales in recent months, but this requires a lot of inputs, like starting an online ordering system, retooling certain processes to fill orders that are much smaller than wholesale orders, and more. It also means that product that would normally be moving to restaurants is now just sitting on the shelves without anyone to purchase or consume it.

 

At the same time, production on the farm has not slowed down. Crops that were planted well before the virus took hold of the world and animals who will continue to produce meat and milk are unaware of what’s happening in the food system. Tragically, some livestock producers are being asked to euthanize their livestock processing facilities and close their doors following outbreaks of the virus.

 

Messmer realized a perfect opportunity amid all the hardship to help local food banks and keep the dairy running in the meantime. During mid-April, Lively Run launched a Go Fund Me campaign to raise $20,000 to cover the cost of purchasing surplus milk from local dairies (who were beginning to resort to dumping) to turn it into cheese to donate to local food banks. The campaign met its goal within only three days. As of May 4, Lively Run has raised over $44,000 from over 700 donors on their page. With these funds, the dairy anticipates donating roughly 7,000 pounds of cheese.

 

To help entertain and educate, Lively Run has also been hosting a Virtual Cheese Hour led by Messmer via Facebook Live.

 

Local farms are filling gaps in the supply chain during the pandemic

 

Farmers across the United States are rising to the occasion and trying to keep consumers’ pantries full. In New Mexico, a farm-to-food-bank program has popped up to try and connect farms to consumers who are willing to buy their products. The program purchases fresh vegetables from a cooperative of small-scale, sustainable farms throughout New Mexico and delivers their food to Roadrunner food bank, the largest food bank in New Mexico. The program is also providing farms other essentials, like personal protective equipment.

In today’s podcast, we speak with Pete Messmer, Head Cheesemaker at Lively Run Dairy in Interlaken, NY, about how Coronavirus has affected his business. The farm processes milk from roughly 600 goats from around the area into a variety of artisanal cheeses that it supplies to local restaurants as well as producing cow’s milk cheese.

The regenerative agriculture movement advocates for new ways to raise crops and livestock but what about the supply chain? In this episode of Sustainable Dish, we chat with Sam Garwin, a regenerative food business consultant whose role in the food system reaches far beyond consulting. 

 

Once a vegetarian, Garwin’s personal journey back to meat-eating began with a trip to South America and butchering a turkey. From there, her quest to make better meat a reality led her to work as a whole animal butcher in Connecticut. She eventually became CEO of the company, Fleisher’s Craft Butchery, which gave her the opportunity to obtain a new perspective on the conventional meat industry. The business skillsets she developed like managing inventory and tackling tough logistics for perishable items along with her continued passion for connecting consumers with better meat inspired the next step in her career: helping regenerative businesses make the most of their missions.

 

As Garwin explains during the show, passionate entrepreneurs who launch regenerative food businesses may lack the business acumen to get the venture off the ground. Branding can also be a struggle as the term regenerative remains largely undefined and subject to interpretation by a variety of brands. Just like the labeling term natural, regenerative is free territory for food companies.

 

And, although many farmers may be keen to adopt regenerative practices like good grazing management, existing markets may not provide enough payment or recognition. The cost of adopting a managed grazing system – which includes fencing, water systems, and more – may not be covered by the price the farmer receives through conventional channels like the local sale barn or a broker.

 

Some efforts are already being made to carve out new markets and ways to pay farmers for using these practices. In Montana, for example, the Western Sustainability Exchange is helping farmers who implement managed grazing get paid through a carbon credit marketplace. The group is using the Verified Carbon Standard to measure the amount of carbon that is sequestered as a result of using good grazing management.

 

Today, a growing number of food companies are expressing interest in the regenerative ag movement. Chipotle is aiming to create a new supply chain for meat raised according to high-welfare standards, for example. It recently announced a new program that offers three-year contracts to farmers to reduce the risk of adopting new practices on the farm. It hopes to source over 500,000 pounds of pork for its slow-braised carnitas through the program over the next four years. As an added perk, the program targets young farmers, who tend to be disadvantaged when it comes to having working capital, the ability to secure financing, and access to land.

 

Last year, Danone, Kellogg, Nestle, and a dozen other companies announced the One Planet Business for Biodiversity coalition to advance regenerative agriculture, rebuild biodiversity, and eliminate deforestation. 

 

As Garwin and I discuss during the show, however, whether these efforts are merely marketing to attract consumers’’ attention or good faith efforts to create a new food system remains to be seen. 

 

Take a listen to learn more about Garwin’s personal journey as a meat eater and butcher, working with big food companies, and a little daydreaming about what our ideal regenerative food system would look like.

The regenerative agriculture movement advocates for new ways to raise crops and livestock but what about the supply chain? In this episode of Sustainable Dish, we chat with Sam Garwin, a regenerative food business consultant whose role in the food system reaches far beyond consulting.

Regenerative ranching is a balance between agriculture and nature, using mindful restoration methods and making space for the wild.

In the latest podcast, Lauren speaks with Doniga Markegard, a wildlife tracker, regenerative rancher at Markegard Family Grassfed and author of Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the Wild and Wolf Girl: Finding Myself in the Wild.

They discuss how to retain, protect, and restore the wild spaces around them while nurturing the “wildness” that’s innate within each of us and the habitats we influence.

This episode contains many nuggets of wisdom and insight. Give it a listen and let me know what resonated with you most.

In this podcast, Lauren speaks with Doniga Markegard, a wildlife tracker, regenerative rancher at Markegard Family Grassfed and author of Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the Wild and Wolf Girl: Finding Myself in the Wild.

They discuss how to retain, protect, and restore the wild spaces around them while nurturing the "wildness" that's innate within each of us and the habitats we influence.

In this episode, we talk to Jamie Ager of Hickory Nut Gap Farms outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

 

Jamie and his team at Hickory Nut Gap have created many of their own supply chain systems to keep their farm running, growing, and accessible to their community. We dive into how regenerative agriculture goes beyond regenerating soil and our climate, and regenerates consumers’ connection to their food, educates them to the costs of food production, the challenges farmers face and how they can be a part of the process for supporting better meat.

 

If you’re a farmer looking to diversify your profits and connect with your customers or if you’re a customer interested in the inner-workings of a regenerative farm, this episode is for you!

 

Learn more about Hickory Nut Gap here and be sure to comment on your key takeaways!