Chews Wisely

Latest Episodes:

After the Commodity Crash: How One Walnut Farmer is Reinventing the Industry with Kaben Kramer Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

The year after the Kramer’s went all in on walnut farming, the commodity market collapsed. And then it collapsed further. Today Kaben Kramer shares how walnuts are grown, why he doesn’t like to term ‘regenerative’ anymore, how the watershed works on his farm, the reason no one can afford to start a walnut farm today, and how he and his wife Jenn are forging a new path within an industry that is seemingly collapsing in real time around them. Kaben also shares how they’re conserving precious water in California, and the number one way consumers can improve our food system today.

Find Tenderlyrooted Sprouted Walnuts:

Website & shop

Instagram

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

IG: @chewswiselypodcast

Twitter: @chewswiselypod

Patreon: Chews Wisely

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

Chews Wisely is brought to you by G5 Insurance. For your farm, ranch, and small business insurance needs, check out g5agency.com! And let them know we sent you.

The Nine Circles of Environmental Activist Hell Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

A jokey social media post gets deconstructed in today’s solo episode, a deep dive into the ideological pipeline so many of us who care about food and the environment tend to go down. If you’ve ever heard someone say “we just need to eat less meat,” or “Have you heard about Will Harris?” this episode is for you.

The original post

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

IG: @chewswiselypodcast

Patreon: Chews Wisely

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

Chews Wisely is brought to you by G5 Insurance. For your farm, ranch, and small business insurance needs, check out g5agency.com! And let them know we sent you.

The Wonder of Wool, The Scourge of Synthetics with Erin Martin Dorf Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

Wool may be the most eco-friendly textile there is, and Erin Martin Dorf is here to tell us why. Erin is wool royalty, or as she calls herself, a wool industry nepo-baby. She lives and breathes all things wool and sheep, and we mythbust shearing, lanolin, the wool supply chain, and discuss how fleece goes from sheep to sweater. We also cover the serious threats to the wool industry, and why it’s in danger of collapse. This episode might convince you to stop sleeping on wool. Or rather - to start sleeping under it.

Mentioned in this episode:

Anodyne Wool

Right Choice Shearing on Instagram

Pendleton

Duckworth

Lan-o-lips

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

IG: @chewswiselypodcast

Twitter: @chewswiselypod

Patreon: Chews Wisely

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

Chews Wisely is brought to you by Little Creek Lamb & Beef. Get regeneratively raised, pasture raised meats shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we’re offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.

[Patreon Preview] Can We Trust Dietitians? (On the Influencer Nutritionist Scandal) Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

On September 13th, the Washington Post published an article titled: “The food industry pays ‘influencer’ dietitians to shape your eating habits.” This comes on the heels of their 2022 article “Group shaping nutrition policy earned millions from junk food makers.” Can we trust registered dietitians who partner with Big Food on sponsored posts? More importantly, can they trust their overseeing trade organization, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics?

This episode is a Patreon preview. To listen fully, become a member below.

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

IG: @chewswiselypodcast

Patreon: Chews Wisely

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

Source:

Statistica: Per capita consumption of soft drinks in the United States, 2010-2018

Washington Post: The food industry pays ‘influencer’ dietitians to shape your eating habits

The Guardian: Group shaping US nutrition receives millions from big food industry

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics corporate donors 2011-2017

Six Guys In Trench Coats (The Industrialized Food Supply Chain) with Kendall Ballantine, Part 2 Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

Tales from the trenches of a food supply double agent. Kendall Ballantine wasn’t always a farmer. 10 years ago she was the Director of Operations for a multinational food supply chain corporation. On today’s episode (part 2) she shares why our “too big to fail” food system is tremendously fragile, and the hidden food waste in our current supply chain. She also talks about why she almost quit farming - to the point of announcing the closure of her business - and why she ultimately came back to it.

Follow Kendall Ballantine

Instagram - Central Park Farms

Instagram - Marketing for Farmers

Central Park Farms

Marketing for Farmers

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

IG: @chewswiselypodcast

Twitter: @chewswiselypod

Patreon: Chews Wisely

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

Six Guys In Trench Coats (The Industrialized Food Supply Chain) with Kendall Ballantine, Part 1 Sep 19, 2023

Show notes

Tales from the trenches of a food supply double agent. Kendall Ballantine wasn’t always a farmer. 10 years ago she was the Director of Operations for a multinational food supply chain corporation. On today’s episode (part 1) she shares how food actually travels from farm to table in our modern day industrialized food system, and how consolidated our food system really is. After today’s episode you’ll never look at grocery store brands the same way.

Follow Kendall Ballantine

Instagram - Central Park Farms

Instagram - Marketing for Farmers

Central Park Farms

Marketing for Farmers

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

IG: @chewswiselypodcast

Twitter: @chewswiselypod

Patreon: Chews Wisely

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com
Chews Wisely is brought to you by Little Creek Lamb & Beef. Get regeneratively raised, pasture raised meats shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we’re offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.

How To Save A Family Farm with Avery Claire Wrigglesworth Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

Avery Claire Wrigglesworth is a former ballerina and an administrator in international finance who gave it all up to come home and try to save the family farm. And it hasn’t been all roses. Several years in, they realized a traditional cow-calf model couldn’t pencil out for them. Out of necessity, Avery Claire and her husband Marc transitioned to a thriving modern direct-to-consumer business, Lily Hill Cattle, in Georgia. But the struggles didn’t end there. On this episode we hear about Avery Claire’s origins, the growth of Lily Hill Cattle, and the trials they face to stay on the land.

Follow Avery Claire

Instagram

Tiktok

Lily Hill Cattle

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

IG: @chewswiselypodcast

Twitter: @chewswiselypod

Patreon: Chews Wisely

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

The Farmers Are Not Alright Sep 05, 2023

Show notes

A poll of 300 farmers brings illuminating - and concerning - results.

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

Instagram

Patreon

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

Sources:

2017 Census of Agriculture: New and Beginning Farmers

USDA Economic Research Service: Food Dollar Application

USDA Economic Research Service: The Number of US Farms Continues Slow Decline

CDC: Suicide Rates By Major Occupational Group

Depression, Anxiety & Stress Among Young Farmers and Ranchers: A Pilot Study

Does Beef Waste Water? (Re-release) Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

*This is a re-release of Episode 2, Does Beef Waste Water?*

We’ve all heard that beef is a water hog, often enough that it’s considered common knowledge. Caroline goes to the source - a UNESCO study - to see what we can unpack about that claim. Holes are poked, rants are ranted, and nuance is added.

Follow along on Instagram:

@chewswiselypodcast

@bigskycaroline

You can reach us at chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

Chews Wisely is sponsored by Little Creek. Get regeneratively raised lamb & beef shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we’re offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.

https://littlecreekmontana.shop/discount/WISELY

Beef & water footprint:

https://www.watercalculator.org/news/articles/beef-king-big-water-footprints/

https://www.watercalculator.org/water-footprint-of-food-guide/

https://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/product-water-footprint/water-footprint-crop-and-animal-products/

https://www.waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report-48-WaterFootprint-AnimalProducts-Vol1.pdf

Irrigation in the US:

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/irrigation-water-use/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%202017%20Census,20%20percent%20of%20harvested%20cropland.

Let's Talk About Pest(icides), Baby Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

Caroline tells you all kinds of things you don’t want to hear about pesticides, including herbicides like Glypohsate and Paraquat. How widely are synthetic chemicals used on crops? How much of them is on our food? Is there a difference between conventional and organic? And, ultimately, does the scientific data convince Caroline to change her mind?

Stay in touch with Chews Wisely:

Instagram

Patreon

Email: chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com

Sources:

Reviews on Environmental Health: Pesticide Use & Exposure, Extensive Worldwide

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

The Cato Institute: “Bring Back DDT”

PennState: “A Short History of Pets Management”

AG Daily: “Behind the Data, Trends in Pesticide Use in the US”

FAO: Pesticides Use, Pesticides Trade, and Pesticides Indicators

Forbes: “The Truth About Pesticide Residues on Foods”