Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

Turning a goat dairy farm into a goat sanctuary isn’t something that happens every day. But that’s exactly what just happened in Bloomington, Indiana, and Nicole Schonemann is here to share the whole beautiful story. ABOUT OUR GUEST Nicole Schonemann is one of the four original founders of the Goat Conspiracy, a former goat dairy farm in Bloomington, Indiana, that is now a goat sanctuary. She began this journey with a very naive understanding of dairy, and, as a result, she learned that dairy, even when done as well as possible, leaves sustainability and animal welfare gaps that are impossible to close.  She and her partner thus began their own journey towards veganism, away from dairy farming, and helped to start the Goat Conspiracy Sanctuary.  In the fall of 2023, they started Planted Bloomington (a plant-based food truck and catering biz) and are now immersed in their current project of converting the former creamery into a vegan commercial kitchen. RESOURCES ‘The Sting’ Oscar Winner David S. Ward to Direct Biopic on Plant-Based Nutrition Pioneer Dr. T. Colin Campbell (EXCLUSIVE) Inside the Bungled Bird Flu Response, Where Profits Collide With Public Health Watermelon Seed Milk Is The Latest Dairy-Free Innovation SECRET RECORDINGS SHOW UGLY CONDITIONS AHEAD OF DENVER’S SLAUGHTERHOUSE BAN REFERENDUM The Goat Conspiracy website The Goat Conspiracy on Instagram The Goat Conspiracy on Facebook Planted Bloomington website Planted Bloomington on Instagram Planted Bloomington on Facebook INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ The Veganic Summit is a free online event from November 8th to 10th, 2024. You’ll learn how plant foods can be grown using techniques that are both vegan and organic, without any chemical fertilizers or any animal byproducts like manure or bonemeal. If you’d like to start your own veganic garden or learn about sustainable plant-based farming, sign up for the Veganic Summit today at https://veganicsummit.com/ _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

More vegan options for everybody? Yes, please!!! Britty Mann of Planted Society joins us to tell us about their Plant Based for the Planet Initiative, which encourages local restaurants to put delicious plant-based options on the menu. ABOUT OUR GUEST Britty Mann is the Founder & Executive Director of Planted Society, a nonprofit whose mission is making plant-based eating more accessible to ensure a better future for the planet and all living beings. Planted Society manages the Plant Based for the Planet initiative, which works closely with climate offices, small businesses, and local governments to help cities reduce their environmental impact. Britty believes that we all have the capacity to help improve the food system, starting with fostering change in our own small networks and local communities, and affirming our instinctive connection with animals. RESOURCES Therisina on X (formerly Twitter) Dr Crystal Heath on X (formerly Twitter) Online course: The science behind alternative proteins ‘Shocking’: Bird-Flu Infected Cattle Dumped at California Roadside Physicians Committee Survey Finds Most Americans Favor Ending Animal Research Tim Spector, Chris Packham, And Health Experts Urge NHS To Go Plant-Based Italian Meat Giant Gruppo Tonazzo Stops Selling Meat Planted Society website Planted Society on Instagram Planted Society on Facebook INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ The Veganic Summit is a free online event from November 8th to 10th, 2024. You’ll learn how plant foods can be grown using techniques that are both vegan and organic, without any chemical fertilizers or any animal byproducts like manure or bonemeal. If you’d like to start your own veganic garden or learn about sustainable plant-based farming, sign up for the Veganic Summit today at https://veganicsummit.com/ _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Interested in keeping chicken poop out of your garden? If we want to overhaul the food system, we are going to have to start from the ground up, literally. This week, Meg Kelly of the Veganic Summit joins us to share her tips and tricks for converting your garden, or your farm, to a veganic wonderland. ABOUT OUR GUEST An avid gardener, Meg Kelly has been growing food veganically for 15 years in backyards, on balconies, and in the countryside and is an outspoken advocate for veganic growing. In 2008, she co-founded the Veganic Agriculture Network to promote organic food production that uses fully plant-based fertilizers without any animal byproducts. She also teaches the Learn Veganic online gardening course to empower people to grow their own fruits and vegetables at home using sustainable vegan techniques. Meg is organizing the upcoming Veganic Summit, a free 3-day online event about veganic gardening and farming happening from November 8th-10th, 2024. RESOURCES Animal Rights Are Women’s Rights: Why British Suffragettes Went Vegetarian First Human Cases of Bird Flu in California Confirmed Are plant burgers better than beef? Here’s how to decide. Veganic Summit website Learn Veganic gardening course Free veganic gardening guide Learn Veganic on Facebook Learn Veganic Instagram Veganic Agriculture Network Scarlet Spark website Scarlet Spark’s Skill Sparks landing page Scarlet Spark’s free leadership skills workshops Scarlet Spark’s leadership tools INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ The Veganic Summit is a free online event from November 8th to 10th, 2024. You’ll learn how plant foods can be grown using techniques that are both vegan and organic, without any chemical fertilizers or any animal byproducts like manure or bonemeal. If you’d like to start your own veganic garden or learn about sustainable plant-based farming, sign up for the Veganic Summit today at https://veganicsummit.com/ _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

We are joined this week by Tom Harris to discuss his new book, Your Neighbour Kills Puppies: Inside the Animal Liberation Movement, which tells the story of the legendary SHAC (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty) campaign, which not only forever changed how the animal rights movement was viewed by the powers that be but also ended up with Tom, along with many others on both sides of the Atlantic, serving years in prison. ABOUT OUR GUEST Described as ‘a firebrand’ by the Daily Mail and ‘highly successful’ by Hampshire Police, Tom Harris (author of Your Neighbour Kills Puppies) has twenty years of experience in the animal liberation movement. He has launched and coordinated numerous pressure campaigns, successfully closing puppy farms, shuttering chicken units, and ending military diving experiments on goats. He was a prominent organizer of the infamous SHAC campaign, for which he was set up by the state and spent several years in prison. RESOURCES VICTORY! Rat Birth Control Trial Passes Unanimously in New York City Council BioCraft’s cultivated mouse meat reaches price parity with premium pet food Our Taste for Flesh Has Exhausted the Earth Is Meat Eating a Religion? What is the role of motivated ignorance in what we believe? Microplastics in the human body: the hidden threat SHAC Justice website Your Neighbor Kills Puppies from Pluto Press INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ The Veganic Summit is a free online event from November 8th to 10th, 2024. You’ll learn how plant foods can be grown using techniques that are both vegan and organic, without any chemical fertilizers or any animal byproducts like manure or bonemeal. If you’d like to start your own veganic garden or learn about sustainable plant-based farming, sign up for the Veganic Summit today at https://veganicsummit.com/ _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

California’s ban on the sale of puppies in pet stores solved the puppy mill issue for the state, right? Not so fast! LA Times’ investigative reporters Melody Gutierrez and Alene Tchekmedyian join us this week to discuss all they uncovered in their deep dive into the dark underbelly of the puppy trade in California. Also, Midge Raymond and John Yunker of Eco-Lit books tell us about their latest mystery-thriller, Devil’s Island. ABOUT OUR GUESTS Melody Gutierrez and Alene Tchekmedyian are investigative reporters at the Los Angeles Times. They recently co-authored an investigation into California’s brutal underground market for puppies. Inside California’s brutal underground market for puppies: Neglected dogs, deceived owners, big profits Did your dog come from the puppy pipeline? California’s underground puppy trade ‘raises serious alarms’ and demands for state action RESOURCES Our Taste for Flesh Has Exhausted the Earth Pro-Animal Awards website EcoLit Books website Midge Raymond & John Yunker’s website Devil’s Island on bookshop.org photo © 2024 Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Sanctuaries play a vital role in connecting people to the victims of animal agriculture. This week, we are joined by Sarah Salluzo & Jonina Turzi, co-founders of Lancaster Farm Sanctuary, to discuss the sanctuary, its residents, and the challenges that come along with running a refuge. ABOUT OUR GUESTS Sarah Salluzzo co-founded Lancaster Farm Sanctuary (LFS) in 2017. She holds an MSW and MA in media studies and previously worked in substance abuse rehabilitation. She now works full-time at LFS as the Executive Director and is the board president. Jonina co-founded Lancaster Farm Sanctuary in 2017 to advance the well-being of humans and animals. She previously founded a yoga studio and led yoga classes and teacher trainings. She holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy and owns a private PT practice in Lancaster City. RESOURCES Macrophysiological System’s post on X (formerly Twitter) Confessions of a Former Carnivore Lancaster Farm Sanctuary website Lancaster Farm Sanctuary on Patreon Lancaster Farm Sanctuary on Instagram Lancaster Farm Sanctuary on Facebook Scarlet Spark website Scarlet Spark’s Skill Sparks landing page Scarlet Spark’s free leadership skills workshops Scarlet Spark’s leadership tools INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Without slaughterhouses, animal agriculture is over. So let’s do it! This week, we are joined by Shannon Blair and Malaina Watts, who both worked tirelessly to block the creation of two new slaughterhouses in Florida and helped put an end to an illegal slaughter operation as well. ABOUT OUR GUESTS Shannon Blair’s journey toward animal liberation began at age nine after she saw footage of animals suffering for food and became an activist on the spot. After years as a vegetarian, she went vegan on the same day as her son, VeganEvan, and since 2017, Shannon and her family have been on a mission to advocate, educate, and activate, traveling across the country to support animal rights. She is a Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator, President of Solutionary Species, co-founder of Animal Activism Mentorship, a co-organizer for Plant Based Treaty Florida, and the Plant Based Community Coordinator for Solid Rock Community School.  Malaina Watts has been dedicated to creating a more compassionate and sustainable world since 2016. A committed vegan, Malaina has also journeyed across the country, immersing herself in activism that bridges the gap between grassroots movements and large-scale institutional change, including pressure campaigns, protests, food giveaways, council meetings, workshops, livestreams, marches, vigils, disruptions, educational events, and more. As a Mentor with Animal Activism Mentorship, Malaina has nurtured the next generation of activists,  and she is also the U.S. Liaison and Campaigner with the Plant Based Treaty, advocating for policies prioritizing sustainability, animal rights, and environmental stewardship. RESOURCES Ellie CG on X (formerly Twitter) Effects of increasing the availability of vegetarian options on main meal choices, meal offer satisfaction and liking: a pre-post analysis in a French university cafeteria No Evidence Haitian Immigrants Are Eating Ducks, Geese or Pets in Springfield, Ohio Plant Based Treaty Florida on Facebook Plant Based Treaty Florida on Instagram Solutionary Species on Facebook Solutionary Species on Instagram Watts Vegan Living on Instagram Malaina Watts on Facebook Shannon Blair on Instagram Shannon Blair on Facebook INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Aidan Kankyoku, co-founder of Pax Fauna and Pro-Animal Future, joins the conversation to discuss innovative strategies in farmed animal advocacy. He reveals a groundbreaking citizens’ initiative in Denver, allowing locals to vote on animal welfare issues. The discussion touches on the complex relationship between climate change and animal rights, highlighting how these issues intersect and the need for unified activism. Aidan also shares insights on grassroots organizing, political dynamics, and the challenges of effective fundraising in the movement.

We are back this week with another Hen Report to bring you up to date on what’s happening in the world of animal rights, as well as what’s going on in the lives of our own two hens. RESOURCES Animal Law Podcast Ep 111 A Whole New Chrissy: Love, laughs and fresh starts on Bondi Beach London Zoo removes Banksy work for ‘safekeeping’ The livestock lobby is waging war on ‘lab-grown meat’. This is why we can’t let them win Our Hen House ep 669: After Meat w/ Karthik Sekar Opinion | U.S. can learn from indigenous tribes in setting nutrition policy FBI Records Reveal Ironic Accusations Against Animal Activists: A recent investigation finds the FBI considering ‘weapons of mass destruction statutes’ against activists. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

We all love lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), but is seeing them in captivity really the way people should get to know them? Liz Tyson of Born Free USA joins us to discuss the organization’s goal of #KeepingWildlifeInTheWild, the legislative and policy work they are pursuing, and all about the monkeys of Texas!! ABOUT OUR GUEST Dr. Liz Tyson is Born Free USA’s Director of Animal Welfare and Advocacy. She helped to establish the very first locally run sterilization program for street dogs in the Middle East; worked with indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon to end the hunting of wild primates; ran a U.K. charity campaigning to end the exploitation of animals in circuses and zoos; and helped design a new rehabilitation complex for rescued monkeys at Ensessa Kotteh, Born Free’s sanctuary in Ethiopia. In 2018, she earned her doctorate in animal welfare law, and in 2023, she completed a master’s in Social Justice and Community Organizing. Now, she heads up Born Free USA’s Primate Sanctuary and leads the organization’s advocacy work. RESOURCES AVMA Passes Resolution Deeming Depopulation ‘Ethical,’ Only One Delegate Abstains Pioneering Cattle Methane Vaccine Project Launched with $9.4M Grant from Bezos Earth Fund North American Veganic Certification Standard Grants and Opportunities Slaughter-free meat hits the grocery shelf California’s Factory Farms Are Perilously Close to Your Produce, New Report Finds Born Free USA website Born Free USA on X (formerly Twitter) Born Free USA on Facebook Born Free USA on Instagram Born Free USA on TikTok Born Free USA on Youtube Born Free USA on LinkedIn Scarlet Spark website Scarlet Spark’s Skill Sparks landing page Scarlet Spark’s free leadership skills workshops Scarlet Spark’s leadership tools INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X (formerly Twitter). The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.