Episode 2345 – This Friday’s episode is a special 1 on 2 when Vinnie Tortorich has Natalie Kovarik and Tara Vander Nussen on and they discuss debunking the myths of beef ag (agriculture), the environment, and more.
DEBUNKING THE MYTHS OF BEEF AG
- Vinnie welcomes Natalie and Tara whose families both run a cattle ranch and dairy farm, respectively. (3:00)
- Each explains their experience growing up in the family-owned farming business, as well as their additional education outside of it.
- Farming is not for wimps; there is continuous hard work involved.
- Tara explains what is involved in nutrition for dairy cattle, and how well they are tended to—a comfortable cow means more milk. (15:30)
- Their cows get milked twice a day for 8 minutes each time.
- Health checks happen on a frequent, regular basis.
- They explain what certain packaging claims mean, and how some are marketing tactics. (20:00)
- Natalie explains cattle ranching and the difference between “segmented” (having multiple owners for each phase), versus “vertically integrated” (one owner through all phases). (22:00)
- There is a massive misunderstanding of cattle’s contribution to any sort of greenhouse gasses and the nonsensical “science” behind it. (28:00)
- Ruminants are necessary for the environmental fortification of pastures.
- They discuss the lies various groups put out on social media and how younger generations are specifically targeted. (40:00)
- People, especially youth, are particularly susceptible because they are on social media all day and get blitzed by loads of misinformation.
- Vinnie emphasizes that this kind of politicization of things is not new; however, the difficulty is in the amount of screen time everyone puts in now. (47:00)
- Kids are growing up not experiencing real life, but having it all fed to them through a tiny screen. (51:00)
- It also adds to the anxiety of people in society and how life is handled (or not handled).
- Pop culture plays a big role in the “meat is bad” messaging as well.
MORE TRUTHS
- There are plenty of positive things about cattle & dairy farming as well. (53:30)
- They provide basic nutrition for billions of people across the world.
- Ruminants grazing reduces “fuel” for wildfires.
- Ruminants are way more than just cattle; they are necessary for the environment!
- Natalie and Tara explain the differences in labeling of organic, grass-fed, and finished, and how each applies to beef and dairy products. (55:50)
- If you have very specific preferences for what you prefer (such as fed non-GMO grains), they recommend going to a smaller local farmer.
- They discuss carbon footprint percentages and how the combination of agriculture and forestry actually reduces percentages. (1:05:00)
- It’s so important to debunk these myths because they will affect the nutrition of billions of people.
- They discuss the misconception that things like vegan leathers are better; those products are plastics, which means they are petroleum based. (1:08:00)
- You can find Natalie Kovarik and Tara Vander Nussen on their podcast Discover Ag at www.thehandsthatfeedus.com
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