About this episode

Abey Scaglione discusses her journey from veganism to animal farming, emphasizing the importance of well-sourced animal foods for health and ecology.

In this episode, we sit down with Abey Scaglione, author of Radical Farm and farmer at Ruckle Heritage Farm in Salt Spring Island, BC, to explore the ecological, nutritional, and ethical case for well-sourced animal foods in our food system. We dive deep into Abey’s journey from being a low-fat vegetarian and Pilates instructor in Los Angeles to managing a holistic livestock farm in British Columbia, examining why so many former vegans evolve into supporting well-managed animal husbandry once they understand real food systems. Abey reflects on the emotional complexity of raising and harvesting livestock; she deconstructs common environmental arguments against meat; and she explains the relationship between the natural carbon cycle and rotational grazing practices. We explore Abey’s homesteading experiences, from calf-sharing with dairy cows and raw milk cheese-making to the benefits of mobile chicken tractors and mob grazing for soil fertility. Finally, we discuss the economics of small-farm profitability, the shift from self-sufficiency to community sufficiency, and how consumer choices ultimately drive change in our food system. Abey’s book Radical Farm…

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