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Unconfined — Science
Unconfined

US consumers enjoy access to a veritable cornucopia of meat. We consume an annual average of more than 220 pounds of chicken, pork, and beef per person—one of the highest rates of carnivory in history. What makes it possible is a factory-like model of meat production that took root in Midwestern stockyards in the late 19th century and boomed after World War II. For decades, the transnational meatpacking giants that dominate US production have been exporting this model to countries across the globe. But it’s not all about just widely available burgers, tacos, and nuggets. What are the model’s downsides—the impacts on communities, workers, ecosystems, and public health? And are there better ways to farm animals? In Unconfined Podcast, veteran meat industry observers and CLF staffers Tom Philpott and Christine Grillo dig into those questions, interviewing the researchers, community organizers, journalists, and farmers documenting or experiencing the ills of our dominant mode of meat agriculture—and those who are exploring alternatives.

Copyright: © 2023

Latest Episodes:

This Is Your Farm on Forever Chemicals Nov 11, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, author Mariah Blake and former organic farmer Adam Nordell tell the dark tale of how the highly toxic, long-lived class of chemicals called PFAS made their way from government labs to corporate factories to a farm near you—and the happier story of how ordinary people are organizing to minimize the harm from this mess.

The Dish on MAHA and Food Oct 07, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich and Theodore Ross of the Food and Environment Reporting Network, co-hosts of Forked podcast, tease out the contradictions and paradoxes of food policy in the age of Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Soil Microbes Matter Sep 23, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, Leo Horrigan tells us about his new book and all the ways we could use microbes to regenerate healthy soil, sink carbon, and grow more nutritious crops.

Landing Young People Aug 26, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, Michelle Hughes despairs over federal funding freezes for land- access programs and rebounds with an optimistic vision for the long-term future in which young farmers regenerate not only soil, but the industry as a whole.

Land's End Jul 15, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, author Michael Grunwald and host Tom Philpott grapple with the future of food in a warming world.

Black to the Land Jun 24, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, author Brea Baker teases out the 20th century's great dispossession of Black farmers, and reports on a budding revival of African-American agrarianism.

The Land Owns Us May 27, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, James Skeet waxes philosophical on European-style, settler-oriented, colonialism-informed agriculture and re-imagines an agricultural practice that relies instead on indigenous regenerative intelligence.

Monopoly Money: On the Iowa Hog Barons Behind Your Bacon Apr 29, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, author Austin Frerick discusses the barons who dominate US food production, including an Iowa farm couple who spun enormous, manure-spewing hog operations into a vast fortune.

Confused by Nutrition Research? Blame Big Food Mar 25, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, Marion Nestle reveals the food industry's recipe for cooking up academic nutrition research that serves its interests—not yours.

Is Animal Agriculture Contributing to Bird Flu Spread? Feb 20, 2025

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In this episode of Unconfined, two leading experts, Meghan Davis and Erin Sorrell, take us from farming communities to policy circles to explain how bird flu spreads, who is at risk, and what we can do to slow this outbreak.

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