The Regenaissance Podcast

I speak again with Ashley Armstrong about farming, food freedom and rebuilding our food system.We cover farm burnout, food labels, chicken feed and Michigan’s food freedom bill. Ashley shares how pasture and animal care shape food quality, and how Nourish Food Club connects farmers with families.Thanks for listening.What we cover:• Farm burnout and better systems• Food labels and online misinformation• Pasture-raised chickens and their feed• Michigan’s food freedom bill and raw milk• Pasture, food quality and animal care• Farmer cooperation and direct salesTimestamps:00:00 – Ashley returns06:26 – Farm burnout and better systems23:43 – Food labels and greenwashing26:28 – Farming myths and chicken feed41:16 – Michigan’s food freedom bill55:51 – Reconnecting with food and farmers01:00:04 – Pasture, phytonutrients and flavour01:05:19 – Farmer cooperation and animal care01:10:10 – Making farm-fresh food convenient01:15:22 – Customer stories and food experiencesLinks & resources mentioned:Nourish Food Club — https://nourishfoodclub.com/Angel Acres Egg Club — https://nourishfoodclub.com/pages/angel-acres-eggsStrong Sistas — https://www.armstrongsisters.com/Gunthorp Farms — https://gunthorpfarms.com/Red Acre Center — https://www.redacrecenter.org/Dr. Stephan van Vliet’s nutrient-density research — https://stephanvanvliet.com/nutrient-testing/

I speak with Courtney Feigl of Green Pastures Cattle Co. about her family’s Texas Longhorn farm in Wisconsin, a proposed 765 kV transmission line raising questions for local landowners, and the community work she has helped build through Ranch and Root.Courtney shares how she and her husband started their Longhorn herd in 2019 and how she moved from healthcare into farming, running a local farmers’ co-op and podcasting. We also talk about local food, direct-to-community beef, and why sharing farmers’ stories can help people understand agriculture.The conversation returns to landowner outreach around the proposed line, Courtney’s reasons for choosing Texas Longhorns, building Ranch and Root during a period of beef surplus, marketing with an authentic voice, raising children around farming, and finding ways for people with different views to listen to one another.Thanks for listening.What we cover:• The proposed 765 kV line and local organizing• Raising Texas Longhorns in Wisconsin• Leaving healthcare for farm life• Building the Ranch and Root co-op• Authentic marketing and farmer stories• Raising children on the farmTimestamps:00:03 – The proposed power line08:41 – Community organizing11:21 – Green Pastures beginnings17:02 – From healthcare to farming19:48 – Telling farmers’ stories22:33 – Why Texas Longhorns?25:57 – Ranch and Root co-op28:38 – Marketing and starting small32:12 – Authenticity online35:30 – Family farm lifeLinks & resources mentioned:Green Pastures Cattle Co. — https://www.greenpasturescattleco.com/Courtney on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/greenpasturescattle/No 765 Line — https://no765line.org/Ranch and Root Farmers’ Co-op — https://www.facebook.com/p/Ranch-and-Root-Sauk-61560544507312/Ag’s Most Okayest Farm Girls — https://open.spotify.com/show/6gK7PVhq2WX7vl2GA073SH

I speak with Kelsey Beck Fernandez about moving from restaurant and wine work into homesteading in Southern California, and how raising a family on one acre changed his view of self-sufficiency.We talk about why communal sufficiency lasts longer than going it alone, building a local network, scaling back before burnout, whole-animal butchery, preserving food, and bringing family and community together around shared meals and work.Kelsey Beck Fernandez is a husband, father, homesteader, and founder of Tenfold Tallow in Southern California. On his one-acre family homestead, Kelsey and his family raise pigs, chickens, rabbits, and ducks while pursuing a more resilient way of life centered on traditional food, whole-animal use, soil regeneration, and learning to produce more of what their family consumes.Tenfold Tallow grew naturally out of that lifestyle. What began as rendering animal fats from the animals they raised eventually became a skincare company built around simple, traditional ingredients, including regenerative suet tallow, pastured pork lard, and raw beeswax. The original products were created for Kelsey’s wife and their babies, and the brand continues to reflect his belief that agriculture, food, family, and personal care don’t have to exist as separate systems.Through his homestead, Tenfold, and his online content, Kelsey documents the process of rediscovering practical skills, using the whole animal, working toward closed-loop systems, and creating a family economy more connected to the land.Thanks for listening.What we cover:- From restaurant work and wine to homesteading- Food, family and the search for a more resilient local food supply- A one-acre family homestead with pigs, chickens, ducks and rabbits- Self-sufficiency versus communal sufficiency- Balancing farm work, a full-time job and family life- Whole-animal use, food preservation and consumer expectations- Ducks, shared meals and community tiesTimestamps:00:16 – From wine to homesteading03:08 – Food and family during the pandemic05:32 – First pigs and a one-acre homestead06:44 – From self-sufficiency to communal sufficiency22:57 – Burnout, family and scaling back24:19 – Whole-animal use and preserving food39:22 – Why food is expected to taste the same49:02 – Consumers and the food system53:46 – Cooking and sharing what you raise59:12 – Adding ducks to the homestead1:02:13 – Focus, limits and farm plans1:12:18 – Faith, family and homesteadingLinks & resources mentioned:Kelsey Beck Fernandez on Instagram Tenfold Tallow

I speak with Jade Koyle of Grand Teton Ancient Grains about ancient wheat, regenerative farming, the economics of growing food, and why so many people are trying to understand what has changed about modern bread.Jade is a sixth-generation farmer who runs Grand Teton Ancient Grains in eastern Idaho, where his family grows, mills and sells ancient grains including einkorn, spelt, emmer and khorasan, alongside other grains grown through regenerative organic practices.We get into what makes a grain “ancient,” how the modern seed and commodity system evolved, and why Jade has invested in cleaning, storing and preserving his own seed. We also talk about farm subsidies, insurance, land prices, leasing farmland and why finding a viable business model matters more than simply owning acreage. From there, Jade explains how Grand Teton approaches crop rotations, companion crops, soil fertility and profitability, along with the reality of weather, pests, diesel costs and losing crops.Towards the end, we get into modern bread and wheat more directly: glyphosate, grain storage, milling, the removal of bran and germ, fortification, preservatives and why Jade prefers whole-grain, fresh-milled bread.What we cover:Ancient grains, einkorn, spelt, emmer and khorasanSeed saving, subsidies and how modern grain farming became centralizedLand prices, leasing farmland and the economics of starting a farmRegenerative grain farming, crop rotations, soil health and profitabilityModern bread, milling, additives, glyphosate and whole-grain flourTimestamps:Links:Grand Teton Ancient Grains — WebsiteAbout the farm — About Grand Teton Ancient GrainsShop grains and flour — ShopYouTube — Grand Teton Ancient Grains YouTubeFarm story — How Grand Teton Ancient Grains BeganJade's X - X handle Resources mentioned:Grand Teton Ancient Grains — farm, grains and shop ancientgrains.comGrand Teton Ancient Grains — grain guide — einkorn, emmer, spelt, khorasan and other grains Ancient Grains GuideUSDA FSA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Loans — the type of farm ownership financing Jade mentions for newer farmers Beginning Farmers and Ranchers LoansUSDA FSA Farm Ownership Loans — land purchase, development and down-payment programs Farm Ownership LoansUSDA Whole-Farm Revenue Protection — the farm-wide revenue insurance Jade discusses as an alternative when individual ancient-grain crops are harder to insure Whole-Farm Revenue Protection

Chaz Self, a first-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer and co-owner of Grassway Organics, discusses his raw milk legal battle with state regulators. He explores the collapse and consolidation of small dairies, grazing and regenerative agriculture, Farm Bureau politics, and polarization around food. The conversation also turns to AI, wireless cattle collars, farm data, automation, and farming as a spiritual responsibility.

I chat with Mark Ellison of Grandad Farms in Emmett, Idaho, about how a health-driven search for better food eventually led him to start raising his own chickens, pigs and laying hens.Mark started with a borrowed patch of ground and a few hundred meat chickens. Today, Grandad Farms is raising animals on pasture, developing corn-and-soy-free feed, working toward organic certification and trying to build a farm to guide people to know exactly how their food was raised.  We get into the economics behind his roughly $35 chickens and why comparing that directly with a $5 Costco rotisserie chicken misses a lot of what goes into each system. Mark explains his argument around subsidized corn and soy, labor costs and why he is willing to raise a slower-growing, more expensive bird. We also talk about why he moved away from Cornish Cross chickens toward Freedom Rangers, what organic certification does and doesn’t tell you about how an animal was raised, the surprising reality of pasture-raised pigs, and what he has seen happen to his land after repeatedly moving poultry across it.  Towards the end, the conversation gets into broader topics around raising children in a family business, Mark’s Christian understanding of stewardship, and why producing food for his neighbors is tied closely to how he thinks about faith and responsibility.  Timestamps00:00 – Intro: Mark Ellison, Grandad Farms00:17 – Why Mark started farming04:18 – Processing chickens and animal stewardship06:29 – Corn-free, soy-free chicken feed10:35 – Why a pasture chicken costs $3518:47 – Labor and immigration in agriculture25:01 – Stewardship and regenerative farming27:00 – How chickens improve pasture29:08 – Cornish Cross vs. Freedom Rangers32:26 – What organic certification actually means36:15 – Pasture pigs and factory pork44:42 – Growing Grandad Farms45:35 – Raising a family on the farm48:00 – Farming, faith and Christianity53:08 – Why customers seek out their foodLinksWebsite X

I chat with Jesse Zimmerman, owner of Renick Valley Meats in Renick, West Virginia, to get into the butchering side of our food system - something I hadn't covered that deeply on the show yet. They have a fascinating story: Jesse and his wife bought a struggling custom butcher shop four years ago and have since transitioned it into a state-inspected facility. We get into the real differences between custom-exempt and inspected processing, the regulations that sound reasonable on paper but make no sense on the kill floor (the single-shot rule, a mandated 90-degree turn in holding pens), and why that complexity isn't accidental - it's a barrier that favors the big four packers over small shops like his. We also cover the current imported-beef controversy, country-of-origin labeling, what actually happens to the 40% of an animal that isn't meat, and the specific questions you should ask any butcher shop before you trust them with your meat. We debate whether policy alone can fix this system, and the importance of direct relationships built on trust in solving the matter. Timestamps00:00 – Intro: Jesse Zimmerman, Renick Valley Meats04:45 – Custom-exempt vs. inspected processing07:53 – The single-shot rule and inhumane-handling write-ups15:23 – The real reason for the 90-degree pen turn19:15 – Big four packer control and regulatory barriers to entry22:20 – The 300,000-metric-ton imported beef controversy26:46 – Country-of-origin labeling and how easy it is to skirt38:58 – What happens to the ~40% "waste" of an animal49:37 – Questions to ask before trusting a butcher shop1:00:21 – Grass-fed/grass-finished nuance and imported "grass-fed" beefLinksWebsiteInstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebook

Who's Jason?Jason Hansen spent 14 years with the NRCS watching conservation rules bend for bigger, better-connected operators, and running cost-share programs structurally set up to fail the farmers they were meant to help. In 2018, he left USDA and founded Yield Unlimited. What is Yield Unlimited?Yield Unlimited is Jason Hansen's nonprofit that pays farmers directly, long-term, to run five core conservation practices - crop rotation, no-till/strip-till, cover crops, nutrient management, and (for a higher payout) prescribed grazing.The model:- Farmers apply for a land rental contract (30-second application, Jason's goal)- Up to $2,000/acre over 10-30 years, 50% paid upfront- Funded by donations, not federal money - pitch is $5/person/month covers the country- Treasury notes lock in and grow the later payouts (years 10 and 20)Why it matters: USDA cost-share caps at 5 years, right when farmers hit the yield dip during transition.Yield Unlimited's long-term contracts are built to carry them through this period. __________________________________________________________________________Key Topics14 years inside the NRCS, wetlands to DC headquartersUneven enforcement of drainage rules for connected operatorsWhy USDA's 5-year contracts fail farmers mid-transitionThe 2018 moment that led to founding Yield UnlimitedThe model: up to $2,000/acre, 10-30 year contractsFunding it outside the federal systemTimestamps 00:00 — Intro02:15 — Jason's background08:40 — Certifying wetlands in ND15:20 — Drainage enforcement issues24:00 — Utah, then district conservationist31:10 — The moment with his daughter36:30 — Why the RCPP grant failed44:15 — Hawaii, then DC headquarters50:00 — Leaving USDA, founding Yield Unlimited55:30 — How the model works1:01:00 — Funding conservation nationwide1:07:00 — Where to follow alongConnect with JasonWebsiteXLinkedin

In this episode we cover why beef and dairy prices are climbing for reasons that go far beyond inflation, and what three decades of farm policy have cost rural America. JR Burdick runs Nourishing Family Farm in north-central Missouri, milking dairy cows and raising hogs, and has sold direct-to-consumer since 2023 after leaving conventional commodity markets and USDA subsidy programs in 2022. This is his third appearance on the show.Key topics Why beef and dairy prices reflect a 30-year supply crisis, not inflationHow the 1994 Freedom to Farm Act shifted risk from government to farmersHow Smithfield-style integrators used farmer equity to consolidate the hog industryThe 2009 Dairy Depression and 2015 Holcomb fire's lasting effect on cattle herd confidenceWhy cheap fuel, money, and labor are gone — and what that means for small farmsDirect-to-consumer dairy: correcting consumer misconceptions and building trustJR's shift to organic farming and leaving USDA subsidy programsTimestamps0:00 – Intro, reconnecting with JR2:00 – Affordability crisis: inflation vs. supply5:00 – 1994 Freedom to Farm Act and the shift to income-based policy9:00 – Hog contracts and the Smithfield equity play16:00 – Ethanol/biodiesel bankruptcies and the 2009 Dairy Depression23:00 – BSE scare and the 2015 Holcomb fire's lasting impact on cattle herds28:00 – Cheap fuel, cheap money, cheap labor — and why that era's over33:00 – Selling direct to consumer: listening over convincing37:00 – Consumer misconceptions: winter grass, family milk cows45:00 – The dairy farm decline stat and JR's bullish case for small, local farms58:00 – The lettuce recall, greenwashing, and knowing your farmer62:00 – Leaving USDA payments, faith, and the calf-birth story that keeps it all groundedConnect with JR Burdick / Nourishing FarmsFacebookXWebsite JR's Previous Episosdes#66#93

Mike Callicrate, rancher and founder of Ranch Foods Direct, fought major meatpackers and built a farm-to-consumer meat business. He discusses the $1.28 billion jury verdict that was later overturned, why he shifted from selling cattle to selling meat, and how on-site slaughter, compost, bone char, and local marketplaces aim to reclaim value for producers.