Agrarian Futures

What happens when you leave behind a career in food journalism to take over a family farm in Iowa? For Beth Hoffman, it meant putting theory into practice - and learning firsthand just how difficult it is to make small and mid-sized farming work in today's economy. In her book Bet the Farm [https://bookshop.org/p/books/bet-the-farm-the-dollars-and-sense-of-growing-food-in-america-beth-hoffman/91116e97c0557857?ean=9781642831597&next=t&next=t] and in her daily life raising grass-finished cattle and organic crops, Beth confronts the financial and cultural realities most farmers face: land that's too expensive for beginners, markets that reward consolidation over stewardship, and infrastructure built for scale instead of community. Yet her story is also one of possibility -o f finding ways to align values with viability and imagining what a more just and sustainable food system could look like. In this episode, we dive into: * Beth's journey from food journalist to first-generation farmer in Iowa * The hidden costs of farming and why most operations run on razor-thin margins * The double bind of land access, generational transfer, and skyrocketing prices * Why infrastructure like slaughterhouses and markets is as important as the land itself * The trade-offs between environmental ideals and financial realities on the ground * How gender and cultural narratives shape who is seen as a "real farmer" * What a truly sustainable and just farming system would require More about Beth [https://www.farmbetiowa.com/]: Beth Hoffman began her food writing career focused on culture, producing a food series on KUER in Salt Lake City and receiving a grant to document the stories of immigrant women as they cooked in their homes (which became a radio series that aired on Weekend America). Now, twenty-five years into writing and producing work on food and agriculture, Beth has freelanced for radio and print publications (NPR, The World, The Guardian, Forbes and many more) and was an Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco in Media Studies. But perhaps most importantly, she and her husband John moved from the big city to rural Iowa to take over his family's 530-acre farm. She wrote a book called Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America, using their experiences to illustrate how the American food system works. The couple raises grass-fed and finished beef, pastured goats and some vegetables and offer cooking and writing classes on the farm. Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller, who also wrote our theme song. This episode was edited by Drew O'Doherty.

Years before regenerative ag and grass-fed beef hit the spotlight, Will Harris was figuring it out on his own land. At White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, Will spent the last few decades unwinding everything industrial agriculture taught him: the chemicals, the confinement, the commodity mindset. In its place, he's built a vertically integrated, closed-loop system that honors the land, the animals, the people who work it, and the rural town that depends on it. White Oak Pastures is now one of the shining lights of what the future of agriculture can look like. If you're thinking about what it takes to make regenerative ag not just real but resilient, you'll have something to learn from Will Harris. In this episode, we get into: * The real costs of industrial efficiency and what it takes to opt out. * Why Will restructured every aspect of his farm—from soil health to slaughter. * How White Oak Pastures uses animal impact to build biology, not extract from it. * The economics of rebuilding a rural economy around regenerative principles. * Will's take on corporate greenwashing, fake meat, and the soul of agriculture. * And the core belief that drives it all: regeneration is about relationships, not inputs. More about Will and White Oak Pastures [https://whiteoakpastures.com/]: Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia's School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will graduated in 1976 and returned to Bluffton, where he and his father continued to raise cattle using pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics. They also fed their herd a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy. In the mid-1990s, Will became disenchanted with the excesses of these industrialized methods. They had created a monoculture for their cattle, and, as Will says, "nature abhors a monoculture." In 1995, Will made the audacious decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before. Since Will has successfully implemented these changes, he has been recognized all over the world as a leader in humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability. Will is the immediate past President of the Board of Directors of Georgia Organics. He is the Beef Director of the American Grassfed Association and was selected 2011 Business Person of the year for Georgia by the Small Business Administration. Will lives in his family home on the property with his wife Yvonne. He is the proud father of three daughters, Jessi, Jenni, and Jodi. His favorite place in the world to be is out in pastures, where he likes to have a big coffee at sunrise and a 750ml glass of wine at sunset. Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller, who also wrote our theme song. This episode was edited by Drew O'Doherty.

Are fewer, bigger farms putting our entire food system at risk? That's the warning at the heart of Land Rich, Cash Poor [https://www.brian-reisinger.com/], the latest book by Brian Reisinger. In it, he explores the forces—technological, political, and economic—that have hollowed out rural America and made it harder than ever to keep a family farm alive. Drawing from his own multigenerational farming roots in Wisconsin, Brian traces how policy choices and market consolidation have left farmers squeezed—sometimes literally sitting on millions of dollars of land they can't afford to keep. In this episode, we dive into: * Why the U.S. has lost over 70% of its farms in the past century—and what that's done to rural communities. * The role of technology and policy in fueling unnecessary consolidation. * How farm crises, past and present, continue to push out small and mid-sized producers. * The rise of land as an investment asset—and what that means for food producers. * The growing divide between those who own the land and those who work it. * Why America's tradition of small landowners is worth fighting for. * What scale-neutral technology and smarter R&D could do to level the playing field. * How we create real economic opportunity for a new generation of small farms. More about Brian [https://www.brian-reisinger.com/]: Brian Reisinger is an award-winning writer and rural policy expert who grew up on a family farm in Sauk County, Wisconsin. Reisinger worked with his father from the time he could walk, before entering the worlds of business journalism and public policy, then going on to work as a columnist and consultant. He lives to tell the hidden stories of rural America and has been published by USA Today, Newsweek, Yahoo News, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, PBS/Wisconsin Public Radio's "Wisconsin Life," The Daily Yonder, RealClearPolitics, The Hill, and elsewhere. He's given a TEDx talk on risks to our food supply, and appeared on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal," CNN, public radio, farm radio, and other outlets across the political spectrum. Reisinger's writing has won awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, first place in the Seven Hills Literary Contest, a Solas Award, and more. He lives with his wife and daughter, and helps lead Midwestern-based Platform Communications, splitting time between northern California and the family farm in Wisconsin. Land Rich, Cash Poor is his first book. Find him on X: @BrianJReisinger Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller, who also wrote our theme song. This episode was edited by Drew O'Doherty.

It's no secret our world is in upheaval right now—climate disasters, political unrest, economic uncertainty. But in the midst of it all, there are also stories of resilience, adaptation, and new ways forward. That's a theme Anthony James, host of The Regen Narration Podcast [https://www.regennarration.com/], has explored deeply. From an extended road trip across the U.S., interviewing community leaders navigating climate adaptation, to studying how people respond to upheaval, Anthony has seen firsthand how crisis can be a catalyst for transformation. In this episode, we dive into: * Why witnessing and pitching in during disaster—rather than looking away—is essential to change. * Lessons from his travels across the U.S., meeting communities in the midst of transformation. * A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit, and how joy and transcendence can emerge from catastrophe. * Real-world examples of people coming together across political and cultural divides to build something new. * What modern society can learn from Indigenous worldviews that see nature as kin and resilience as a collective effort. * Do we focus on building centralized movements, or do we nurture local seeds of change and trust in their transformative power? * And much more… More about Anthony and The Regen Narration Podcast [https://www.slowmoneynyc.org/]: The RegenNarration podcast features the stories of a generation that is changing the story, enabling the regeneration of life on this planet. It's independent media, ad-free, freely available and entirely listener-supported. Created and hosted by Anthony James, a fifth generation Australian man living on ancient lands among the oldest continuous cultures on earth. He is a Prime Ministerial award-winner for service to the international community, sought after MC, widely published writer, facilitator and educator, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia, and Warm Data Lab Host Certified by the International Bateson Institute. Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller, who also wrote our theme song. This episode was edited by Drew O'Doherty.

On this show, we've talked a lot about how traditional banking and financial systems make it tough for new farmers or those without direct land ownership to get a fair shot. But those challenges run even deeper for agricultural producers in Indian Country. Enter Skya Ducheneaux, who's tackling these barriers head-on as the leader of Akiptan [https://www.akiptan.org/]—the first Native CDFI dedicated to serving agricultural producers all across Indian Country. Skya brings fresh eyes to lending, challenging old-school banking practices that just don't work for farmers without big land holdings or a long financial track record. Instead, Akiptan focuses on sweat equity, work ethic, hands-on support, and long-term solutions - and yield tremendous outcomes as a result. In this episode, Skya shares: * Her journey from growing up on a cattle ranch to leading a groundbreaking financial institution. * Why extractive capital leads to extractive practices—and how patient, thoughtful capital can support regenerative agriculture. * The unique ways Akiptan removes barriers and empowers Native ag producers. * Remarkable success stories from the communities Akiptan serves. * Why Native CDFIs have an opportunity to step up investment in agriculture. * And how outside investors can better align with the long-term needs of Native farmers. * And much more… More about Skya and Akiptan [https://www.akiptan.org/]: Skya Ducheneaux is the Executive Director of Akiptan and is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She spent her first 18 years of life on a cattle ranch on the CRST Reservation in South Dakota. She then pursued a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Business Administration while working at a county FSA office and buffalo meat processing plant. After returning home to work for the Intertribal Agriculture Council, she was tasked with creating the first Native CDFI dedicated to serving Native Agriculture producers all across Indian Country. Akiptan began lending in January of 2019 and has grown rapidly over the years. In addition to Akiptan, Skya has served on many advisory committees and is currently the Board Chair of the Mountain Plains CDC. In her role as Executive Director, she is a part of several CDFI coalitions, advocates locally and federally and presents at conferences to share the mission of Akiptan. Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller, who also wrote our theme song. This episode was edited by Drew O'Doherty.

It's easy to feel powerless in the face of climate change, but where can we find models for living in harmony with the planet—before it's too late? Alexis Zeigler and the community at Living Energy Farm are doing just that: building a self-sustaining, non-extractive way of life and sharing their knowledge with others. Alexis brings a unique blend of practical, technical expertise and a deep philosophical vision for restoring our spiritual connection to nature—and to one another. These themes are at the heart of this show. If you're seeking grounded hope and a climate-resilient model for living, we think you'll find this conversation inspiring. In this episode, we cover: * Living Energy Farm's mission to live without reliance on fossil fuels or grid electricity and how that works in practice. * The limitations of climate change mitigation strategies that rely on just converting consumer products into something more sustainable. * The sacrifices they make to live self-sufficiently, and how its less than what you might think. * The core tenets necessary to live this way. * The benefits of living intentionally and in community vs a life focused on private property. * And much more... More about Alexis and Living Energy Farm [https://livingenergyfarm.org/]: Alexis Zeigler is an author, activist, designer and builder of renewable energy systems. He was raised on small, diversified farm in Georgia. He is the primary designer of Living Energy Farm, a community of 10 people that grows most of its food and provides all of its own domestic energy. Alexis has a passion for growing food on trees, and is particularly devoted to persimmons. His books include Integrated Activism, which discusses the links between ecological change and politics, as well as Empowering Communities, which describes how to build food and energy independent communities. Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller, who also wrote our theme song. This episode was edited by Keith J. Nelson, Alexandre Miller, and Drew O'Doherty.