The Regenaissance Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Why Has America Stopped Growing Garlic? @ Cottage Pastures | #119 Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

Matthew runs Cottage Pastures on 26 acres in Switzerland County, Indiana, raising pigs, chickens, cattle, and sheep alongside garlic and herbs - everything sold under the name is raised on the farm itself. He and his wife bought the property in 2022 and built it up from a homesteading project into a full working farm.

Our conversation centers on garlic: despite ideal growing conditions across the Midwest, most garlic sold in the U.S. is imported, and a soil-borne fungal disease can make land unable to grow garlic for 20 to 40 years once it takes hold. This is a risk Cottage Pastures is now soil-testing to get ahead of. We talk through how the farm accidentally ended up growing 20-plus garlic varieties, why the economics of commodity crops crowd out specialty ones like garlic, and what it costs to raise and ship chicken nationwide as a direct-to-consumer farm.

Matthew also gets into why pre-orders rather than outside financing keep the farm's cash flow working, how he decides what to raise or cut as the operation grows, and what it looks like to raise kids alongside farm work without compelling them to help.

Key topics:
- Why most U.S. garlic and herbs are imported despite favorable growing conditions
- A soil-borne fungal disease that can end garlic production on a piece of land for decades
- How Cottage Pastures accidentally became a 20-plus variety garlic farm
- The real cost of raising and processing chicken for direct-to-consumer sale
- Grass-fed and grass-finished labeling: domestic vs. imported
- Deciding what to raise, expand, or cut as the farm scales
- Raising kids on the farm without compelling their help
- Plans for a 2027 regional farm-share model in Cincinnati/Louisville

Timestamps
0:00 – Intro + catch-up, farm rebrand to Cottage Pastures
2:30 – Why the family moved to Switzerland County, Indiana
15:00 – Daily schedule: full-time job plus farm work
19:00 – Garlic harvest race against incoming rain
27:00 – Cost of shipping meat nationwide
31:00 – Why most U.S. herbs and garlic are imported
44:00 – How the farm ended up with 20-plus garlic varieties
48:00 – Fungal disease risk and soil testing plans
58:00 – Real cost of raising and processing chicken
1:07:00 – Grass-fed and grass-finished: domestic vs. imported
1:12:00 – Deciding what to raise, expand, or cut
1:16:00 – Plans for a 2027 regional farm-share program
1:19:00 – Raising kids on the farm
1:26:00 – Closing thoughts on local food and staying hopeful

Links:
https://cottagepastures.com/about/
https://www.instagram.com/cottagepastures/
https://www.facebook.com/CottagePastures/?ref=PROFILE_EDIT_xav_ig_profile_page_web#
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-6-interview-with-carissa-a-year-in-review/id1700604702?i=1000628016269

The Regenaissance Podcast explores the people, farms, and ideas rebuilding our food system from the ground up.

My Herd Shares Got State Subpoenaed: Why This Threatens Local Food - Joel Hollingsworth | #118 Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

Joel Hollinsworth runs Smoke River Ranch in Oklahoma, where he's built a herd-share community of about 40 families co-owning cattle together - a model that's taken his herd from 15 animals to 425 in four years. But, this could all be taken away, as he's fighting two subpoenas from the Oklahoma Department of Securities on claims his shares are unregistered financial securities. In this episode, Joel breaks down exactly how that herd-share structure works economically, and then walks through the legal fight he's currently in.

He gets into why that claim doesn't hold up, who's helping him fight it (including USDA's Brooke Rollins' office and the American First Policy Institute), how they're fighting it, and what's at stake for other ranchers running similar models. Ultimately, this challenge threatens not only Joel's ranch, but the broader idea that people should be able to support and participate in local food systems without facing unnecessary regulatory burdens or government overreach.

We also talk through the broader pattern of regulatory overreach in agriculture, and close with Joel's advice for young people looking to get into ranching - namely, don't try to do it alone.

Key topics

How the herd-share model works (co-ownership, calf splits, time horizons)
The Oklahoma securities subpoenas and the case against them
Legal support and path forward (Rollins' office, state legislation)
Advice for young ranchers on doing this in community

Timestamps

0:00 – Intro + catch-up
2:00 – Herd-share model origins
5:00 – Scaling to 425 head + genetics program
13:00 – First subpoena
17:30 – Second subpoena, securities claim explained
21:30 – Why it's not a security
26:00 – Comparisons to other ag regulatory fights
31:00 – Legal support and path forward
47:30 – Herd-share financials + time horizons
58:30 – Advice for young ranchers + close

Connect with Joel

Support Joel's Gofundme
Smoke River Ranch Website
Herdshares
Apply for Herdshares
X
Last episode

Meet Francine, The Farm Mom Building an App To Challenge Big Food - Francine | #117 Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Francine is a farmer, mom of four, and co-founder of the Mulberry Tree App - a farm-to-fork platform that lets consumers buy ingredients directly from local farms, with no listing fees, no middleman, and no data selling. She and her husband built it from scratch, self-funded, while navigating mold illness, alpha-gal syndrome in their family, and a bunch of scammers! They launched the app in January 2025.

We talk through how the app works, why convenience is the real barrier between consumers and local farms, and what it actually takes to build something like this without outside funding or corporate backing. Enjoy :)

What we talk about:

- How the Mulberry Tree App works - farm-to-fork recipes, local farmer discovery, 24/7 farmers market
- Why they don't charge farmers listing or marketing fees
- Facebook censorship of farm products during COVID and why it pushed them to build their own platform
- The grassroots marketing approach: vendor events, merchandise, one-on-one outreach
- Alpha-gal syndrome - what it is, how misinformation is hurting people, and why the app has 300+ alpha-gal-safe recipes
- Mold illness, raising four kids on a farm, and the tribulations behind building the business
- The case for food sovereignty and why 77 farms closing per day is a national problem

Timestamps:

0:00 — Intro
1:10 — What is the Mulberry Tree App?
6:45 — How it handles the convenience problem for consumers
12:00 — The origin story - a dream, a husband, and no coding experience
18:30 — Facebook censorship and why decentralization matters
26:00 — Grassroots marketing: vendor events, shirts, 400 downloads in two weeks
32:00 — Consumer patterns and what makes the app experience different
39:00 — The town square, courses, live animal listings, and cottage industry sellers
47:00 — Growing up on farms, moving to Arkansas, raising kids outside the system
54:00 — Mold illness, alpha-gal, and the year their son was on steroids
1:04:00 — Why most businesses fail and why they didn't
1:09:00 — Final thoughts: know your farmer, know your food

How to Support Francine:

Download the app via their website
Connect with her via X

Polyunsaturated Fats, Metabolic Health, and Fixing The American Food System - Ash Armstrong | #116 Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Ashley Armstrong is a first-generation regenerative farmer and co-founder of Strong Sistas, a health platform born out of her own autoimmune diagnosis. She built Angel Acres Farm in Southwest Michigan from the ground up, producing corn- and soy-free eggs, and went on to found Nourish Food Club - a cooperative network of small regenerative farms supplying clean, transparently raised food directly to families.

What We Cover

How Ashley went from graduate school to building a regenerative farm from scratch
Why conventional chicken and pork now have a fatty acid profile closer to seed oils than real meat
The 100-year shift in dietary fats and what it's doing to human metabolism
How Nourish Food Club is reviving the farm cooperative model to support small farmers
The bureaucratic bullying small farms face daily - and why the system is designed against them

Timestamps

00:00 – Ashley's health crisis and path to farming

06:30 – Building Angel Acres from scratch

13:00 – Lessons from 12 years of competitive golf

18:45 – How Nourish Food Club works

26:00 – Why cheap and quality food can't coexist

33:30 – The 100-year shift away from saturated fat

42:00 – How corn and soy changed pork and chicken

49:30 – Phytonutrients in pasture-raised meat

56:00 – Why grocery labels are meaningless

01:03:00 – The problem with indoor farming

01:09:30 – Bureaucratic bullying and the jerky incident

01:17:00 – Why small farm costs are structurally higher

01:28:00 – Where consumers can start

Links

Website
Instagram
YouTube

Regenaissance YouTube Channel

About The Podcast: The Regenaissance Podcast explores the people, farms, and ideas rebuilding our food system from the ground up.

How Maple Syrup Is Truly Made (Inside a 107-Year-Old Vermont Farm) - Baird Maple Farm Highlights May 28, 2026

Show notes

Baird Maple Syrup Farm in Vermont has been producing maple syrup for over a century. I visit with farm managers and sugar makers, Jacob and Jenna Baird. Jenna is the fifth generation of her family to work this land.

What We Cover

How maple syrup is made (and why most people have it wrong).
The modern sugar bush (100+ miles of tubing, vacuum systems, and leak-chasing).
Reading labels (how to spot fake or blended "maple" products at the grocery store).
The full production season why it's a 6-week sprint, what starts it, and what ends it).
Farm succession and conservation (how the Baird family is transitioning a 107-year-old farm to the next generation).

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome to Baird Farm: 107 years of maple and dairy history

02:00 — Why it's so hard to keep a farm across generations

08:00 — Sap vs. syrup: what you're actually pulling from the tree

09:00 — How to read a maple syrup label (and spot the fakes)

11:00 — How vacuum tubing works and why it doubles production

17:00 — How tapping actually works: drilling, spouts, and tree health

21:00 — The production season: a 6-week window from February to April

34:00 — Farm succession: leasing to own and navigating family transitions

43:00 — Reverse osmosis and the sugar house: how sap becomes syrup

47:00 — Sugar maple vs. red maple: how to tell them apart in the bush

Connect with Jason & Baird Farm:

Website
Instagram

Follow our Youtube Channel

Why I Feel Called To Manage Animals Responsibly | Bryson Lipscomb May 20, 2026

Show notes

Farmer Stories pulls the best conversations from The Regenaissance archive - real voices from American farmers on the systems, economics, and communities shaping food and land in the US.

Triple Oaks Farm is a family-run regenerative farm in Virginia, raising pastured pigs and other livestock with a focus on food sovereignty, stewardship, and community.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Biblical dominion and why he left USDA butchers
06:00 – PSE meat explained: what stress does to pork quality
09:00 – Electro stunning abuse and burn wounds on the meat
16:00 – USDA butcher threatens to ice him out as a customer
19:00 – The final straw: filthy shop, wrong pig returned, going full PMA

Connect With Bryson:

Website
Instagram

Follow the tour on YouTube

Why Farmers Need To Be Profitable, 3am Burnout, & Why Amish-Mennonite Community Still Works | Tony Eash May 13, 2026

Show notes

Tony Eashruns Triple E Farms in West Virginia with his brother Phil - a raw dairy and pasture-raised operation built from bare land, rooted in regenerative principles and faith in community.

Farmer Stories pulls the best conversations from The Regenaissance archive - real voices from American farmers on the systems, economics, and communities shaping food and land in the US.

Timestamps:

0:00 — Why farmers not making money is everyone's problem

1:00 — What on-farm milk testing actually costs

2:00 — Building a farm from scratch while working full-time

5:00 — Quitting time: 10:30pm. Wake up: 3:30am

6:30 — Why they walked away from pigs and chickens

8:00 — How the Amish moving in changed everything

Connect with Triple E

Website
Instagram
Watch full episode

Follow the tour on YouTube

A Danish Energy Giant (Ørsted) Is Coming After My Ranch - Casey Murph | #115 May 07, 2026

Show notes

Ørsted, a Danish renewable energy giant, is trying to lease 4,000 acres of Casey's state grazing land in Arizona to build an industrial solar array - land that he depends on for winter range, without which the ranch isn't viable.

Casey believes productive grazing land shouldn't be touched when there's no shortage of barren desert, parking lots, and brownfields that could take solar instead - and the companies could do it if they wanted to, they just won't because it's cheaper and easier to go after open range.

Casey Murph is a fifth-generation cattle rancher in northeastern Arizona. This episode covers that fight, and what's at stake for generational ranching in America.

5 Key Topics:

How Ørsted is attempting to take Casey's winter range for industrial solar
Why solar should go on parking lots and brownfields, not productive grazing land
Ørsted's existing Arizona install powers a Meta data centre, not homes
The collapse of independent beef operations and what it's done to supply and price
Casey's strategy: state land pressure, political allies, and buying time

Timestamps:

00:00 - Casey intro
02:00 - The Ørsted solar threat
05:00 - Foreign-owned conglomerates
09:00 - Urban disconnection from food
11:00 - Where solar should go instead
18:00 - Political strategy and allies
19:00 - Ørsted's Pinal County install: homes promised, Meta data centre delivered
28:00 - Beef supply consolidation
31:00 - Feedlots and grass-finishing
36:00 - Approval timeline and how to help

Connect with Casey:
X

Instilling The Right Values In Kids - Intergenerational Culture, Self-Sovereignty, Curiosity | Ben & Hannah Yoder Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Hannah Yoder run Savage Mountain Farm, a 150-acre diversified, full-diet CSA on the Pennsylvania–Maryland line, rooted in Amish–Mennonite heritage and natural methods, raising produce, mushrooms, and pastured livestock while blending regenerative farming with homeschooling, community engagement, and a family-centered lifestyle.

Farmer Stories pulls the best conversations from The Regenaissance archive - real voices from American farmers on the systems, economics, and communities shaping food and land in the US.

Timestamps

00:00:00 Why they homeschool
00:01:30 School as fear, not learning
00:03:00 Preserving curiosity over teaching content
00:05:30 Disconnection from food as root cause
00:06:30 Age segregation & lost intergenerational culture
00:08:00 No screens - kids who can entertain themselves
00:10:00 Modeling self-sovereignty on the farm
00:11:30 Owning your day - the case for farming

Connect with Savage Mountain:

Website
Instagram

Follow the tour on YouTube

Exposing How Big Brands Fake "Pasture Raised" Eggs - Patrick Samuels @Sunnyside | #114 Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

Patrick Samuels is the founder of Sunnyside Egg Co., a Kentucky-based regenerative egg operation built on mobile coops and Amish/Mennonite farming partnerships. A former US Army Special Forces officer with no agricultural background, Patrick stumbled into farming through pandemic-era homesteading, worked inside one of the largest pasture-raised egg brands, and launched Sunnyside in December 2024 to scale what he calls the only truly regenerative egg operation in the country.

5 Key Topics