The Rustic Spirits Podcast

The world feels like it's spinning faster than ever — wars, fuel shortages, food security fears, and a media landscape that seems designed to confuse, divide, and overwhelm you. In this episode, we cut through the chaos and get real about why it's so hard to know who to trust anymore, how social media and mainstream news can pull you in completely opposite directions, and why that feeling of information overload isn't an accident. More importantly, we share the mental frameworks and practical habits we use to stay grounded, think critically, and form our own opinions, so you can too. If you've ever felt manipulated, exhausted, or just completely lost in the noise, this one's for you.Link to: https://nzoilwatch.com/#/---------------------Podcast Sponsor: BluettiLooking for a backup power solution for Chaotic Times?Get extra 6% off BLUETTI Elite Range:Use code【RSH6%】http://bit.ly/rustic_elite_bundle orhttp://bit.ly/rustic_elite400

It's been nearly 3 weeks since the energy minister Chris Bowen reassured Australians telling us we have plenty of fuel to run the country. But surprise surprise, they fudged the numbers. And the ones who will feel it, will be everyday Aussies when the farmers can't produce the food, the truckies can't move the food, and the price at the bowser means.. who can even afford to go pick it up?—Check out our Patreon and join the Rustic Spirits Community:https://patreon.com/c/rusticspiritsco—Get extra 6% off BLUETTI Elite Range:Use code【RSH6%】http://bit.ly/rustic_elite400 —Articles Referenced: 10–18 Days Until Australia Runs Dryhttps://substack.com/home/post/p-190912396 30 Days of Fuel Doesn't Mean What You Think It Meanshttps://substack.com/home/post/p-191092581Contradictions Between Albanese’s Press Announcement and The Concerned Observer’s Recent Articles https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qnvtwlp1kty38c7bldp3t/Albo_Lies.pdfhttps://www.youtube.com/@UC_96GBRGuojIDAn3FaOyNvA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK43LnrlJ58

Following along from our conversation last week, we talk about how war in the Middle East can have such a huge impact on us here in Australia. Why are fuel supplies disrupted, what does it mean for us right now and for the months ahead... and why should we even care? We need to pay attention because that's how we can be prepared.CONNECT WITH US Rustic Spirits Email List:https://bit.ly/rustic_spirits_email_list Check out our Patreon and join the Rustic Spirits Community:  / rusticspiritsco  

Fuel prices have already started going up. So what can everyday Australians do to prepare for the flow-on effects of crude oil prices rising as the events in Iran look set to become full scale war, which may last much longer than we were first led to believe. CONNECT WITH US Rustic Spirits Email List:https://bit.ly/rustic_spirits_email_list Check out our Patreon and join the Rustic Spirits Community:https://patreon.com/c/rusticspiritsco

Following on from our deep dive last week into beef feed additives, we take a look at the meat processing industry and how the small-scale farmer is being intentionally squeezed out of business.SHOW NOTES & RESEARCH:Karl Stefanovic on ‘The Good Old Days’:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRixVTIOz1U&t=4371sHow Much Power does AI Use?2 minutes in a microwave (1000w)equals roughly:8 AI images generated, or50 ChatGPT queriesCompare that to 200 Google searchesRules about Home-kill(Home butcher services for hire are not subject to accreditation according to:)https://www.safefood.qld.gov.au/home-kill-legislation-in-queensland/Dr Tammi Jonas (not Sonia or Fiona, not even close, Regan!) On the Abattoir Access Crisishttps://afsa.org.au/media-release-small-scale-farmers-call-out-amics-denial-of-abattoir-access-crisis/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Central Victorian abattoir Hardwicks stops small-scale processing(After being bought out by Chinese owned Kilcoy Global Foods)https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-12-02/kilcoy-global-foods-hardwicks-abattoir-stop-small-scale-process/104664962Happy Pig, a small free-range pork business, shut out of Local Abattoirhttps://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/rural/2024/11/09/meat-processing-threat-farmers?utm_source=chatgpt.com

On this episode of the Rustic Spirits Podcast we discuss the Climate Agenda - is man-made climate change both real and disastrous? What is the individual obligation when it comes to protecting the plant, and how do we reconcile it with mining, manufacturing and other industries who seem to not give a crap about the tonnes of waste and pollution they're creating. Let alone our neighbouring countries who share the same atmosphere as us!SHOW NOTES AND RESEARCHLuddites (textile machinery protestors) and William Lee (mechanical knitting)The anecdote about Queen Elizabeth I refusing a patent for William Lee’s mechanical knitting frame (1589) is widely cited in later historical accounts. The quotation attributed to Elizabeth, expressing concern that the invention would “bring to hand-knitters ruin,” comes from secondary sources written centuries later and is generally treated by historians as apocryphal or loosely paraphrased rather than a verbatim record. The refusal itself is historically attested, but the precise wording and motivations remain debated.Similarly, the Luddites were not broadly opposed to technology, but to specific uses of mechanized production that undermined skilled labor, wages, and community stability. Modern scholarship emphasizes that Luddite actions were targeted, political, and economic in nature rather than expressions of generalized fear of progress.The term “Luddite” derives from Ned Ludd, a likely mythical English figure said to have destroyed a textile machine in the late 18th century. The name was adopted by organized textile workers opposing specific forms of mechanization between 1811–1816.Suggested sources for further reading: • Adrian Randall, Before the Luddites (Cambridge University Press) • Kevin Binfield (ed.), Writings of the Luddites (Johns Hopkins University Press) • Maxine Berg, The Age of Manufactures • E.P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working ClassChat GPT Latest Version Developed (in part) by A.I“GPT-5.3-Codex is our first model that was instrumental in creating itself.” — referring to the fact that early versions of the model were used to help debug its own training pipeline, manage deployment, and diagnose test results and evaluationshttps://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-5-3-codex/?utm_source=chatgpt.comUS Deployments to the Middle EastThe United States has deployed approximately 40,000 to 50,000 troops to the Middle East as of early 2026, an increase from around 34,000 before 2023, amid escalating tensions with Iran. This represents one of the largest non-combat military buildups in the region in recent history, surpassing pre-2023 levels and comparable to deployments during the June 2025 strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.https://www.rferl.org/a/us-military-deployment-gulf-iran-strikes/33675133.htmlBovaer Bovaer is a feed additive made by DSM-Firmenich, containing 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP). It’s designed to cut methane emissions from cattle by 30–45% by blocking a key enzyme in the rumen during digestion. Regulators (FDA, EFSA, APVMA, FSA) have approved it as “safe, with no detectable residues in milk or meat”. Concerns include handler safety warnings (irritant, potential fertility risk), high-dose lab effects on reproduction, and questions about long-term rumen microbiome impacts or subtle health effects in real-world use.https://undark.org/2026/01/05/denmark-cows-bovaer/

In this week's episode on the Rustic Spirits Podcast, Regan and Kirsty are talking Solar Power - does it really give you control and greater freedom (as well as saving some dollars in the long run)? Or have the government been sneaking in rules, regulations and technology that makes that brand new solar and battery system you just put on your house.. essentially half theirs. At least that's how it might feel if you don't read the fine print.

Regan & Kirsty discuss a homesteader's perspective on being prepared, given the uncertain times we're living in.Get extra 5% off sidewide through our BLUETTI partnership. Use code【RSH5%】https://bit.ly/rustic_spirits_bluettiUse code【RSH10%】 to get an extra 10% off on Apex 300 series.Stay Connected - Rustic Spirits Email List:https://bit.ly/rustic_spirits_email_list Check out our Patreon and join the Rustic Community:https://patreon.com/c/rusticspiritscoSHOW NOTES: Channels/Videos MentionedCanadian Prepper - https://www.youtube.com/@CanadianPrepperElon Musk at WEF 2026 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgifEgm1-e0An anaesthetist and an anesthesiologist are the same type of medical specialist, just different country terms. In Australia, the UK, and New Zealand, an anaesthetist is a fully trained doctor who gives anaesthesia, manages airways, controls pain, and handles emergencies during surgery. In the United States, this doctor is called an anesthesiologist. The confusion comes from the US also using “nurse anesthetist” for an advanced nurse role, which is not a medical doctor.

It’s fair to say we’re living in some of the most unsettling times this nation has ever experienced and so it should come as no surprise that new speech laws being proposed by the current government are equally as unsettling. In this episode, Regan & Kirsty talk through the new hate speech laws and gun reforms being proposed by the Albanese government and how they might affect everyday ordinary Australians who simply dare to exercise a little free thinking. Resources mentioned in this episode:2 Worlds Collide PodcastAustralians vs the Agenda: Anthony Khallouf Breaks Down the Extremism Billhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pD9_A4CSQ0Punters PoliticsWhat Happens IF I Get Sued? "Free Speech" In Australiahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAOtx5Ki_D0Topher Project Ep 305Senator Malcolm Roberts in an extended, honest interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Egq7tS8JwQYouTube Transcription Tool: https://tactiq.io/tools/youtube-transcript

In this episode of the Rustic Spirits Podcast, our kids have joined us for the first time to talk about their experiences of moving from city life to country living, what it's like to grow up on a farm, homeschooling and a little bit of everything in between.There's a lot of backstory in this episode, and some context about how we navigated this journey. Our hope is that you will gain insights from our children's experience (and our own) that will help you in your own homesteading journey, especially making decisions for your own kids.Watch our previous episode on homeschooling: https://youtu.be/PajqX11wrb4