Diet Doctor Podcast #93:
The original environmentalists
Whether someone is raising cattle or kale, the choices ranchers and farmers make every day affect the health of the food they produce and the health of the environment. There’s a standard narrative that tells us raising cattle is bad for the environment while growing crops is good. This view is simplistic and often incorrect.
In this episode, we hear from two ranchers and a farmer committed to doing things better — better for their animals, their crops, and ultimately, the health of people and the environment.
Daniel Sinton is a fifth generation rancher raising cattle for organic beef, and Kevin Muno is a first generation rancher using regenerative practices to raise cattle and revitalize a barren landscape. Their insight helps us understand both the challenges and the hope of their approach.
Adam McCurdy is a farmer and engaged citizen with over 20 years of agricultural experience. He helps us understand the pitfalls and benefits of prioritizing the health of the land over short-term productivity gains.
And underneath it all, what can we as consumers do to help promote the regenerative movement? We’ll hear advice from all three of our guests.
About the video
Virtual podcast recorded in February 2022, published in March 2022.
Host: Dr. Bret Scher
Producer: Hari Dewang
Table of contents
00:00 Introduction
01:39 Daniel Sinton
08:52 Conflicting views from organizations vs environmentalists
19:19 The challenges of a sustainable practice
30:17 About the government intervention
37:11 Kevin Muno
45:51 How to think about the two conflicting messages
54:40 How conventional ranching deal with capitals
1:01:55 About mitigating fires
1:09:08 Adam McCurdy
1:16:51 About annuals, perennials, and ag forests
1:27:19 Understanding chickens as end-customers
1:32:44 Main take home messages from Adam
1:36:12 Conclusions
Whether someone is raising cattle or kale, the choices ranchers and farmers make every day affect the health of the food they produce and the health of the environment. There’s a standard narrative that tells us raising cattle is bad for the environment while growing crops is good. This view is simplistic and often incorrect.
In this episode, we hear from two ranchers and a farmer committed to doing things better — better for their animals, their crops, and ultimately, the health of people and the environment.
Daniel Sinton is a fifth generation rancher raising cattle for organic beef, and Kevin Muno is a first generation rancher using regenerative practices to raise cattle and revitalize a barren landscape. Their insight helps us understand both the challenges and the hope of their approach.
Adam McCurdy is a farmer and engaged citizen with over 20 years of agricultural experience. He helps us understand the pitfalls and benefits of prioritizing the health of the land over short-term productivity gains.
And underneath it all, what can we as consumers do to help promote the regenerative movement? We’ll hear advice from all three of our guests.
About the video
Virtual podcast recorded in February 2022, published in March 2022.
Host: Dr. Bret Scher
Producer: Hari Dewang
