Episode 7: The Long Game: Glyphosate and Practice Change with Dr. Charles Benbrook

About this episode

Dr. Charles Benbrook discusses the impact of glyphosate on agriculture and food policy, advocating for sustainable practices.

In this episode, Dr. Charles Benbrook, agricultural economist and former policy advisor, traces how corporate influence shaped pesticide regulation and food policy—and what it will take to change course. Drawing from decades inside U.S. agriculture and public health, he explains how glyphosate became embedded in our food system and offers a grounded, hopeful vision for rebuilding it: breaking up factory farms, restoring healthy rotations, and putting animals back on the land. This is a call to rethink what’s possible—from healthier soil and food to a fairer future for farmers and families. Social Handles Website: Hygeia Analytics - ⁠https://hygeia-analytics.com/⁠ Website: Heartland Health Research Alliance - ⁠https://hh-ra.org/⁠ Bio: Dr Charles Benbrook is an agricultural economist whose career spans over four decades of research into the relationships between food production systems, public health, and ecological outcomes. His work has helped illuminate how policy, technology, and economic incentives shape the realities faced by farmers, regulators, and eaters alike. With a PhD in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a background in both academic…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Charles Benbrook

Topics covered

• glyphosate
• pesticide regulation
• food policy
• agriculture
• public health
• sustainable farming

Keywords

• glyphosate
• pesticides
• agricultural economics
• food system
• sustainable agriculture
• factory farms
• healthy rotations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hygeia Analytics, Heartland Health Research Alliance

Books & works: The Organic Center

Places: U.S.

More episodes of The Invisible Ingredient

• Episode 12: Cultivating Possibility: Glyphosate and the Way Forward with Blair Beattie and Alana Mooi · January 20, 2026 · 1h 23m
• Episode 11: The Turning Point - Glyphosate and a Farmer’s Truth with Nick Dugmore · January 6, 2026 · 1h 23m
• Episode 10: The Next Generation - Glyphosate and Emerging Changemakers with Sheina Crystal · December 30, 2025 · 52 min
• Episode 9: Pathways to Justice - Glyphosate and Legal Reform with Brent Wisner · December 23, 2025 · 1h 8m
• Episode 8: Living Knowledge - Glyphosate and Food Sovereignty with Dr. Jessica Hutchings · December 16, 2025 · 55 min
• Episode 6: Close to Home - Glyphosate and Relocalizing Food with Helena Norberg-Hodge · December 2, 2025 · 60 min