Follow Keri and Janine
Zombie Agriculture
Keri Brandt Off and Janine Fitzgerald are both professors of sociology at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and they’re both ranchers. They’ve coined the term “zombie agriculture” to describe a food system that raises food from dead soil–it looks like it’s alive but doesn’t have the life or history or interactive communities on the level of either soil or interpersonal relatedness. Can we keep it from eating our brains?
Show Notes
0’41 what is Zombie agriculture
5’04 the idea of eternal hunger and greed
9’57 zombie chemicals spreading onto non-zombie land
11’36 letting go of good guys vs. bad guys thinking
14’01 Keri had to face her own right-wrong thinking when she, a vegetarian, fell in love with a rancher
17’32 radical center
18’27 the fallacy that we can find the perfect “fix”
23’54 history of a place gets erased when you remove life from the land
24’26 native belief that endangers plants “hide”
25’28 the need for restoration rather than moving on once you’ve damaged the land
26’37 the problem with the “feed the world” narrative
30’29 colonialist attitudes underlying industrial ag thinking
32’54 putting aside “good-bad” thinking doesn’t mean abandoning morality
33’25 finding “a” right road, not “the” right road
34’42 criticize the system, not the people caught up in it
37’13. bright spots of hope
40’00 how communities respond to disasters
More Episodes
Episode 179 – Virtual Fencing: New Technology that Benefits Ranching and Land Conservation
Virtual Fencing: New Technology that Benefits Ranching and Land Conservation The Nature Conservancy partners with ranchers on virtual fencing, a new technology that keeps animals in delimited areas through GPS collars — resulting in labor saving, wildlife...
Episode 178 – Regenerating a Desert Wetland Oasis
Regenerating a Desert Wetland Oasis Don Boyd spent a year on the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico, photographing, living, and finding a deep connection to land, water, and animals — including the many migrating birds that live part-time...
Episode 177 – The Awe-inspiring Beauty Hidden in our Food
The Awe-inspiring Beauty Hidden in our Food Robert Dash‘s new book, "Food Planet Future: The Art of Turning Food and Climate Perils into Possibilities," features photo collages of foods from all over the planet. Combining images from a scanning electron microscope...
Episode 176 – Painterland Sisters Yogurt: Regeneration at Every Step from Farmer to Consumer
Painterland Sisters Yogurt: Regeneration at Every Step from Farmer to Consumer Hayley and Stephanie Painter saved their farm by creating a national yogurt brand — and they’re committed to fostering not only nutrient dense, regenerative food, but also health at every...
Episode 175 – Agave, Mesquite, and a Carbon Drawdown Game-Changer
Agave, Mesquite, and a Carbon Drawdown Game-Changer André Leu knows what it takes to take massive amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere and put it into the soil permanently. We talk about his new book, The Regenerative Agriculture Solution. André Leu is co-founder...
Episode 174 – Commerce, the Destruction of Nature, and the Uphill Path to Sustainability
Commerce, the Destruction of Nature, and the Uphill Path to Sustainability Sara Dant‘s book, "Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West," covers the long history of human habitation on the North American continent — from the time that megafauna like...
Episode 173 – Colorado Peaches: Delicious for the Eaters, Fair for the Workers
Colorado Peaches: Delicious for the Eaters, Fair for the Workers Gwen Cameron grew up on Rancho Durazno, her family's peach farm. She was pursuing a career in journalism when her father asked her if she wanted to come back and take over the farm. She agreed and never...
Episode 172 – Black Farmers Regenerating Land in the Face of Historical — and Current — Racism
Black Farmers Regenerating Land in the Face of Historical — and Current — Racism P. Wade Ross‘s great grandfather was a runaway slave who bought land in Texas. His descendants founded Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers Community Based Organization, a non-profit that...
Episode 171 – Empowering Women in Agriculture
Empowering Women in Agriculture Women have been invisible in agriculture for too long: not counted in the census, not taken seriously for their work and management achievements, excluded from access to capital and credit––and even farm equipment is not made for their...
Episode 170 – The Wild Adventures of a New Mexico Hemp Farmer
The Wild Adventures of a New Mexico Hemp Farmer Doug Fine was an international journalist before he moved to New Mexico to start a polyculture farm and embrace a rural way of life. He’s the author of six books, including four on hemp and cannabis, and his film...
Episode 169 – Sarah Wentzel-Fisher on Working Lands, Community, Science, and more
Sarah Wentzel-Fisher on working lands, community, science, and more Sarah Wentzel-Fisher is executive director of Quivira Coalition. A native of South Dakota, she came to her work in agriculture and leadership via a circuitous path that included the creative arts,...
Episode 168 – Pueblo Values + Engineering Expertise = Resilient Landscapes
Pueblo Values + Engineering Expertise = Resilient Landscapes Phoebe Suina grew up on Cochiti and San Felipe Pueblos in New Mexico, where she learned about land, water, cultural values and practices from her extended family and community. With advanced degrees in...
Episode 167 – Documentary Digs Deep into Grazing Science — and Society
Documentary digs deep into grazing science — and society A decade ago, documentary filmmaker and musician Peter Byck brought together a diverse group of scientists who were studying agriculture from a whole-system perspective — something that was, and still is,...
Episode 166 – Saving Seeds, Saving Ecosystems
Saving Seeds, Saving Ecosystems Seed Savers Exchange is a small non-profit that's making a big difference. For a half century, they've been saving seeds, getting them out into gardens, telling their stories — and cultivating biodiversity that has been diminished with...
Episode 165 – Investing in Regenerative Ag
Investing in Regenerative Ag Dirt Capital Partners takes a "slow money" perspective on investing, helping farmers get land access and regenerate not only the soil but also their communities. Amanda Zakharov is director of investments and Martín Lemos is director of...
Episode 164 – From Suburban Chicago to Rural Montana: the Journey of a Bison Rancher
From Suburban Chicago to Rural Montana: the Journey of a Bison Rancher Matt Skoglund was an attorney with a conservation non-profit, but over time was drawn to work on the land. With no prior agrarian experience he started a successful bison ranch using regenerative...