Let Them Eat Grass
Health & Wellness Podcasts
"Let Them Eat Grass" follows one former suburbanite (me) turned farmer as I make sense in real-time of the interconnected world of farming, food, and the environment. Here, your insatiable curiosity can feast upon good food. Here, a good story only germinates in deep topsoil. Here, you'll get some questions answered you've always had and learn about others you never knew existed. I started this podcast on a shoestring budget in the basement of my 1950s farmhouse during my early days of farming from March 2019 through March 2020. The older episodes sound like a time capsule of pre-Covid urgency that rings still true today. I restarted this podcast three years later, in March of 2023. There is still so much I have left to say. And, we're losing 2000 acres of farmland a day to development or abandonment. The average age of farmers is only going up. And, the effects of climate change are only going to get stronger. If you're like me, you love this planet. You want to preserve it for future generations. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and we must be the change we wish to see in the world. Listen to the old episodes, but stick around for the new ones. PS--If you're a farmer, and you need some help marketing your good food to the world, message me via my website: https://www.seofarmmarketing.com
Location:
United States
Genres:
Health & Wellness Podcasts
Description:
"Let Them Eat Grass" follows one former suburbanite (me) turned farmer as I make sense in real-time of the interconnected world of farming, food, and the environment. Here, your insatiable curiosity can feast upon good food. Here, a good story only germinates in deep topsoil. Here, you'll get some questions answered you've always had and learn about others you never knew existed. I started this podcast on a shoestring budget in the basement of my 1950s farmhouse during my early days of farming from March 2019 through March 2020. The older episodes sound like a time capsule of pre-Covid urgency that rings still true today. I restarted this podcast three years later, in March of 2023. There is still so much I have left to say. And, we're losing 2000 acres of farmland a day to development or abandonment. The average age of farmers is only going up. And, the effects of climate change are only going to get stronger. If you're like me, you love this planet. You want to preserve it for future generations. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and we must be the change we wish to see in the world. Listen to the old episodes, but stick around for the new ones. PS--If you're a farmer, and you need some help marketing your good food to the world, message me via my website: https://www.seofarmmarketing.com
Twitter:
@MissouriAustin
Language:
English
Contact:
6366341937
Episodes
Episode 41: Two Missouri Counties & the Antipodes
6/23/2023
The Invisible Things What lies beneath the soil is generally invisible unless we stick our hands into it. It doesn’t take much sifting of American soil before you run into one invisible thing: Race. Unsurprisingly, I learned about race from a very distant, middle-class, white perspective. Growing up in the upwardly-mobile suburbs of St. Louis, the son of a pharmacist and a lawyer, I had many privileges only now I can fully appreciate. There was always food in the fridge. Always a parent at home when I was home. And so, so many more. None of the buildings in my hometown were even old enough to have witnessed the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. There are no visible reminders of acrimonious race relations. But, as I've come to see, the reminders of the past are all around us.
Duration:00:18:58
Episode 40: Herbivore? Carnivore? Locavore? Find Good, Local Food in these 4 Free Directories
6/2/2023
It’s easy to get lost in the interwebs looking for good food. You have enough to worry about between your job, bills to pay, going Beast Mode during CrossFit, soccer practice for the kids, and date nights with your spouse. Finding a directory of quality food so you can nourish your family AND support the local economy shouldn’t be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. What else are you going to do? Ask a farmer who their competitors are so you can browse their products? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
Duration:00:18:13
Episode 39: 7 Farmers You Should Know
5/23/2023
Regenerative Agriculture is farming with nature rather than against it. Farmers who work regeneratively treat nature like a dance partner rather than a sparring partner. It’s mimicking on a small, human-directed scale what nature does on a large, wild scale. Regenerative farmers focus on building healthy ecosystems by replenishing the humus which has been lost by centuries of extractive and shortsighted farming methods. They focus on: Organic matter, hydrology, mineral cycling, ground cover, and plant spacing NOT Yield, weeds, disease, pests, artificial inputs, and chemicals These are seven regenerative farmers who you should know about (or even buy food from).
Duration:00:28:32
Episode 38: Why Support Local Farms?
4/6/2023
Duration:00:08:41
Episode 37: The Return of the Lunatic
3/24/2023
Duration:00:00:58
Episode 36: I'm Back
3/23/2023
Duration:00:00:58
Episode 35: Farewell
3/13/2020
...and many, many thanks!
Duration:00:04:42
Episode 34: August 13, 2016
3/13/2020
The true story of how I met my wife, Kelli Williams, on top of a mountain in Colorado. Narrated by Austin and Kelli Williams, Calvin Blaylock, Bradford Barnett, and Ashton Anderson. For your listening pleasure.
Duration:01:31:10
Episode 33: Spillin' the Tea
2/20/2020
I became a youth pastor, started a new podcast, interviewed friends for a surprise episode on the story of how I met Kelli, and am considering phasing out this podcast. Listen for the full story!
Duration:00:10:38
Episode 32: Two More Weeks!
2/6/2020
...just listen!
Duration:00:00:43
Episode 31: Dark Sky
1/22/2020
Now, imagine that actually happened. Because it did. We've by and large lost the expectation to be able to see the night sky. It has become the exception rather than the rule. The night sky has been disappearing rapidly from the public consciousness, and it loss is extremely detrimental to more species than just ours. Birds need it to navigate and baby sea turtles need it to help them get from the beach to the ocean, as just a couple examples. Join me as I argue for responsible stewardship of one of our most valuable resources.
Duration:00:14:20
Episode 30: Salvation in the Soil
1/15/2020
Rashid Nuri started with a degree in political science from Harvard and ended up as an urban farmer in Atlanta. He's traveled across the post-colonial world to 36 different countries as he sought to aid in nation-building. He wanted a practical skill to help these fledgling nations get off their feet, and he could think of none better than farming. He's on a God-directed mission to bring natural food to communities so they can thrive. Listen to his story.
Duration:00:34:04
Episode 29: Happy New Years 2020!
1/1/2020
Seriously, just listen.
Duration:00:02:11
Budgeting for Pasture-Raised Food
12/18/2019
During the 2018 Christmas season, the average American family spent over $1000 on holiday-related expenses. Ironically, the average family surveyed a few month's prior believed they'd only spend around $700. That's a $300 gap between expectations and reality. One solution is a zero-based budget, and one way to budget is with an app called Every Dollar. I've been using this app for more than two years, and it's definitely the best budgeting app I've ever used. After all, pasture-raised food is expensive. Our farm's ground beef is twice as expensive as Walmarts, but for good reason! Listen more to find out.
Duration:00:45:57
Episode 28: Off the Record: The Farming Game
12/4/2019
As a farmer, I've come to see just how complicated the world of farming is. Debt, severe weather events, and decades of convention have all helped turn the colloquial relationship with the farmer down the street to the world of globalized, commodity-based farming. Stay with me as I try to parse it out for you.
Duration:00:59:46
Episode 27: Come Health or High Water (with Mariah Boatright)
11/20/2019
Diets can be overwhelming and confusing. It seems like a new one pops up every minute, and ones we thought were new are just rebranded ones from ten years ago. What do we believe? Especially what do we believe when we have people preaching extremes, and they both seem healthy? Can we be both fully vegan and fully carnivore? (Don't think too hard about it) In this episode I explore a possible middle ground for diet. The easiest answer to the question of whether or not I should eat meat is that... we're omnivores. Some meats and some veggies is probably good for everyone. But God created us so magnificently that we're able to survive on the extremes. For this episode I interviewed Mariah Boatright, who was told she probably wouldn't be able to have children due to ovarian cysts. After trying birth control, she switched to a whole foods/pasture-raised meat diet and she now has two beautiful boys! Listen to the rest of it!
Duration:00:29:26
Farm-to-Fork Restaurants (with Ben Parks)
11/6/2019
Farm-to-Fork is a loosely affiliated restaurant movement that champions close relationships with local farmers instead of nationwide distributors. Wherever you live, there are likely restaurants nearby that practice this philosophy. Farm-to-Fork is part of a groundswell of popular support away from processed food and towards wholesome eating. I interviewed Ben Parks, the chef/owner of a farm to fork restaurant in Columbia, MO. He talks about the movement, the struggles, and the future of good food.
Duration:00:30:06
Episode 26: Redux: Interview
10/24/2019
Recently I got interview on the podcast "Faith and Family Fellowship" by Pastor Chris Buscher. I go deeper into the theological underpinnings of why I do what I do than normally happens on my episodes. I hope all who listen can be strengthened and encouraged. Whether or not you're a brother or sister in Christ, I think you'll find it interesting.
Duration:00:37:25
Backyard Animals (with Janet Garman)
10/24/2019
Across the US, farm animals have been creeping into formerly suburban spaces. There has been an incredible interest in keeping backyard poultry for the many ecological benefits they offer. Trash disposal plus fresh eggs every morning? Sign us up! Chickens do everything from helping control tick populations to recycle biomass. It's a win-win situation. Goats and sheep aren't as common, but they are equally valuable. In fire prone countries like Portugal and states like California, tribes of goats are used to build fire breaks ahead of encroaching wildfires. They eat through all the flammable material, which deprives a fire of any fuel source. Sheep are great to own if you don't want to mow your lawn any more. They'll eat through perennial grass without breaking a sweat. For this episode, I interviewed Janet Garman. She's been keeping backyard animals for many years now, and has a wealth of experience to boot. Check out the Backyard Poultry Magazine if you want to know more about this (she is affiliated with them!)
Duration:00:37:47
Episode 23: Double Episode Featuring Coming Soon
10/23/2019
Seriously, just listen for a minute.
Duration:00:01:30