Agriculture Proud

This episode of the Beef Runner podcast is an audio version of the article, "Addressing Vegan Myths with Advocacy" published on November 01, 2021. Visit the original article for links to citations and more information. If you enjoy this audio article episode of the Beef Runner Podcast, let me know in the comments on the original article. Check out all my episodes and subscribe at anchor.fm/BeefRunner. Follow me on social media as @BeefRunner. Like what you see here? Sign up for my newsletter to be notified of future stories and weekly headlines. Click here to sign up. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beefrunner/message

On episode 042, Ryan and Carrie sit down for another Over A Beer episode. This week's guest is Cami Ryan, PhD from Bayer (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Cami recently published a paper (Monetizing disinformation in the attention economy: The case of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)) focusing on disinformation campaigns and their impact on agriculture and science conversations. We discuss the impact these disinformation campaigns have on agriculture advocacy conversations. Cami also shares how agriculture advocates can be stronger communicators, not by sharing the facts, but by focusing on the relationship when it comes to these tough scientific topics. You can find those episode show notes here. If you’d like to buy us a beer or support future episodes, hit me up on Venmo. Be sure to hop on over to Carrie’s Blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to connect with her. I hope you enjoy this episode of the Beef Runner podcast. Check out all my episodes and subscribe at&

This week on the podcast, Carrie Mess (a.k.a. Dairy Carrie) and I jump on Zoom for a virtual Over A Beer episode with guest, Janeal Yancey, the mom at the meat counter from Arkansas. If you haven’t already, you should subscribe to my podcast (RSS link) to listen to all previous episodes. You can find those episode show notes here. If you’d like to buy us a beer or support future episodes, hit me up on Venmo. In episode 041 of the Beef Runner podcast, Carrie Mess and I are joined by Janeal Yancey for another Over A Beer conversation. Janeal is a meat scientist at the University of Arkansas, a mom to two adventurous girls who show sheep, cattle, and (Carrie’s favorite!) goats. And Janeal has been a guest author on the blog before! Read her post here. Recent conversations have been filled with stories of foods like potatoes or milk being dumped and hogs or poultry being euthanized. Prior to this pandemic, there haven’t been large conversations to spur people to think about getting f

In the current time of social distancing, there is a lot more than Zoom calls that can bring us all together - and that is food. Carrie and Ryan bring a guest to the Over A Beer podcast series to discuss these food connections. During the course of our conversation, we see how much rural and urban America can have in common when it comes to the food on our tables. This week on the podcast, Carrie Mess (a.k.a. Dairy Carrie) and I jump on Zoom for a virtual Over A Beer episode with guest, Nicole Rodriguez, Registered Dietitian from New York. If you haven’t already, you should subscribe to my podcast (RSS link) to listen to all previous episodes. You can find those episode show notes here. If you’d like to buy us a beer or support future episodes, hit me up on Venmo. For episode 40 of the Beef Runner podcast, Carrie and I sit down with our first guest in the Over A Beer series. Nicole Rodriguez is a mom, wife and Registered Dietitian from just outside New York City. We've all connected on social media as Nicole

It's safe to say that things have drastically changed over the past few weeks, but one topic that has definitely risen to the top is access to food. Whether it be families with more time on their hands or searching shelves at the grocery store that have been picked over, we've found ourselves cooking more meals at home. And many people are realizing they may not know how to cook! This week on the podcast, Carrie Mess (a.k.a. Dairy Carrie) and I sit down for another Over A Beer episode to discuss. If you haven’t already, you should subscribe to my podcast (RSS link) to listen to all previous episodes. You can find those episode show notes here. If you’d like to buy us a beer or support future episodes, hit me up on Venmo. One of the positive impacts coming out of this time of a coronavirus pandemic is that families are able to spend more time together – even if they’re being forced to do so through social distancing. This also means they have more time to plan meals around the table. Food is something that has

This week is proving the start of something different for those of us in North America. The coronavirus has spread from Asia and Europe and now most of us in the US find ourselves working from home. Kids are out of school – many of them for the remainder of the Spring semester. Restaurants and bars are either closed or doing only carry out, drive up or delivery service. And of course, every grocery store is out of toilet paper. Even in our small town of 1,400 outside of Denver, I walked into our Safeway grocery store to find produce, meat and dairy shelves completely empty. I had to time my visit for the next day after they had restocked their shelves to get milk and eggs. And for the foreseeable future, I find myself working from a home office with all travel canceled for the next month. Which I guess means I have more time for my scheduled training runs. These are uncertain times for many of us. And that also means we have extra time on our hands to spend on social media. You can’t open Facebook or Twitter

In 2017, farm accidents resulted in the deaths of 416 farmers and farmworkers. Every day, about 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury. In 2014, an estimated 12,000 youth were injured on farms; 4,000 of these injuries were due to farm work. These statistics from the CDC are sobering. But these events are preventable. On the podcast this week, Carrie and I share some personal stories. Both of our families have been deeply affected by farm accidents. Our hope is that by sharing our stories, others can take a second to stop, think and look around to prevent these casualties from happening to other families. This week on the podcast, Carrie Mess (a.k.a. Dairy Carrie) and I sit down for another Over A Beer episode. If you haven’t already, you should subscribe to my podcast (RSS link) to listen to all previous episodes. You can find those episode show notes here. Thanks to our sponsor (Yes! We finally have sponsors) David Hayden from Kentucky for buying us a beer (and bourbon). If you’d like to buy

Take a look at the labels on food packages near you or in your kitchen. What do you see? These food labels can confusing, leading to misinformation and often guilty feelings that we're not doing the right thing for ourselves and our family. How do we filter through the marketing to understand what labels have true meaning? How can and should the agriculture community join in to clear the air on these topics? Or did we help contribute to the confusion of food labels? This week on the podcast, Carrie Mess (a.k.a. Dairy Carrie) and I sit down for another Over A Beer episode to discuss.. You can find those episode show notes here. Thanks to our sponsors (Yes! We finally have sponsors) Chad Anglin from Kentucky and Markie Hageman from California for buying us a beer. If you’d like to buy us a beer or get me to Wisconsin for future episodes, hit me up on Venmo. When Carrie and I sat down for this episode of the podcast, there were two label terms that were top of mind for us. Antibiotics and Hormones. Both things t

This year's Hollywood award season is proving desperate for ratings as was shown when the Golden Globes kicked things off by going vegan in January. So we’re tackling it this week on the podcast. Several celebrities spoke up, including Joaquin Phoenix, in post-show interviews. Joaquin didn't cool it off for the Oscars in February. In fact, he heated things up with comments bashing farmers in his acceptance speech.... and agriculture responded fiercely. Carrie took the opportunity to respond in a timely manner by writing her own letter in response to Joaquin's comments. That letter and a following interview made a splash across the country. So we sat down over a beer to discuss what happened and offer our perspectives on what can be learned for future moments in time when public figures disagree with agriculture in another Over A Beer episode to discuss. You can find episode show notes here. Thanks to our sponsors (Yes! We finally have sponsors) Kiah Twisselman and Melissa Laurent for buying us a beer. If you'

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live more than an hour's drive from town? What is life like in Wyoming where the growing season is only a few short months long, but you have amazing views at high elevation in the mountains? This week, Wyoming rancher, Kacy Atkins joins me to share this a bit of her journey through agriculture advocacy. You can find all podcast episode show notes here. For episode 034 of the Beef Runner podcast, I sit down with Kacy Atkinson during a visit in Denver. We met several years back as our paths cross in the ranching business and have had the opportunity to work together on several advocacy projects during the past few years. Kacy grew up on her family's Wyoming ranch, 85 miles from town, where they only receive mail a few times each week. She then went to school and worked in education and extension before returning to the family's operation. Since really diving into her advocacy from the ranch, Kacy shares her stories from life "10 Miles Past No Where." I think you'

Carrie has decided she needs to deliver a running intervention to call out – what she sees as – a crazy running addiction. For some reason, she thinks wanting to run 100 miles isn’t normal. And, of course, I disagree and know that my running adventures are completely normal for trail and ultrarunning. So we’re tackling it this week on the podcast. This week on the podcast, Carrie Mess (a.k.a. Dairy Carrie) and I sit down for another Over A Beer episode to discuss. And if you haven’t already, you should subscribe to my podcast (RSS link) to listen to all 32 previous episodes. You can find those episode show notes here. My love for running on the trails and in the mountains has been well-documented on Instagram and I've shared several of my running adventures on this blog. And Carrie has followed my adventures from the time I first began a weekly 5k at the beer market in grad school. So it really shouldn't come as a surprise that I've signed up for a 100-mile race in 2020. But Carrie is concerned and wanted to

What are your thoughts on plant based proteins (a.k.a. alternative proteins, plant milks, fake meats, etc.)? It's been a topic of discussion in the business news headlines and within the agriculture community. So we're tackling it this week on the podcast. This week on the podcast, Carrie Mess (a.k.a. Dairy Carrie) and I sit down for another Over A Beer episode to discuss. You can find episode show notes here. We've seen the marketing and business headlines as a CEO gives a good soundbite, a restaurant adds an option to their menu, or a company has an IPO in the stock market. Alternative proteins are in the public eye and livestock agriculture isn't too pleased. How do we respond? Are these products sticking around? Carrie and Ryan tackle these questions on episode 032 of the Beef Runner podcast. What do you think? Let us know what you think about Alternative Proteins by dropping a comment below or chiming in on Twitter. Thanks to our sponsors (if we had sponsors) – Spotted Cow Beer from New Glarus Brewing fo

Thank a Farmer. We’ve heard it over the years and I’ve even joined in the movement myself over the past decade by writing a few articles asking for others to thank us – farmers, ranchers and the agriculture community for the food, fiber and fuel that is used every day. But is that really what we should be asking? This week on the podcast, Carrie Mess (a.k.a. Dairy Carrie) and I sit down for another Over A Beer episode to discuss. You can find all episode show notes here. Hey, I’m guilty of it. If you search my blog, you’ll find an article as far back as 2009 asking the world to Thank A Farmer “for all of the hard work a small portion of Americans put forth to feed a growing world population.” But as we’ve matured in our advocacy efforts, I’d like to think we can realize there is a much more effective way of communicating that message. Carrie and I sit down over a beer to discuss how this campaign had every great intention when it began. There are absolutely appropriate times to ask people to Thank a Farmer. A

It's been a few years since Dairy Carrie and I sat down with a pitcher (or a few) of Spotted Cow beer in the back room of the Crawfish Junction bar in Milford, Wisconsin and recorded several episodes for my podcast (formerly known as Agriculture Proud). And, of course, we titled the series Over A Beer, because who doesn't like to sit down with their best friends for great conversations over a beer?!? We covered a ton of topics in the world of agriculture advocacy. You can find those episode show notes here. I recently made a trip back to Wisconsin for the holidays, so we decided it was about time for another round. Carrie and I caught up on a few topics and over the next four weeks, we'll be sharing those podcast episodes. In classic Wisconsin style, Carrie made sure my day started with a Rumchata coffee + a breakfast beer before we made it to the bar (hey... it was vacation) so I think you'll enjoy some good, open conversations over a beer. In today's first round, also known as episode 30 of the Beef Runner

I’ve got a special bonus episode for you today from the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. I brought four beef advocates that I work with for a panel during the convention to ask them about their experiences in advocacy. This segment here is as we wrapped up the panel and I asked them to share their advice from experiences with advocates. On the panel we have Christie VanOver, a food blogger and grilling master from Las Vegas who is online as Girls Can Grill. Michaela Gasseling is a rancher from Nebraska who is online as Cowgirl Boots and Running Shoes David Dial is a food blogger from New York who is online as Spiced Blog And Terryn Drieling is a rancher from Nebraska who you can find online as Faith, Family & Beef. I hope you enjoy some of the tips they have to share at the closing of the panel. And let me know your thoughts on this by sending me a message on Twitter as @BeefRunner. Like what you see here? Sign up for my newsletter to be notified of future stories and weekly head

On Episode 029 of the Agriculture Proud Podcast, Ryan Goodman and Carrie Mess continue the Over A Beer series talking about hot topics in agriculture. This week, we’re likely stepping on a few toes and sharing a few tips on how not to advocate. We should start off by saying we're at the bottom of the final pitcher for this series of Over a Beer. We're not recording this episode to tell people how they have to advocate. But there is a wrong way to do it and you can mess things up. Carrie would, she married a Mess (her words, Patrick). Carrie and Ryan share their experiences of being involved for more than a decade, have our work stolen by others and being called bullies by others in the advocacy world. There's room for all of us.  If you're disrespecting anyone in your advocacy in order to promote yourself, you're doing it wrong. And not to leave it all on a sour note, we give a shout out to several advocates who are doing great work in sharing their stories. How Farms Work (YouTube) The Farmer's

In the world of agriculture advocacy, we often get caught up in the latest social media tools. But, truth is, we can be advocates offline as well. Let’s not forget I started with a dumbphone just a few years ago. And apparently Carrie like to tell people to just EAT IT in song. (At least I think this is what she was trying to sing.) On Episode 028 of the Agriculture Proud Podcast, Ryan Goodman and Carrie Mess continue the Over A Beer series talking about hot topics in agriculture. This week, we’re talking about how you can be an advocate for agriculture offline. So often Carrie and I will be visiting with attendees of a local meeting, conference or workshop, and receive great supports for our efforts in agriculture advocacy. But it never fails that we hear an undertone to the effect of, “That’s great! But I’m not doing it. Social media is for millennials.” And that is always disappointing. We can all be advocates in our own right and that does not have to include social media. How to advocate offline If

Beyond the fence post also means that I must be involved. There are so many different aspects to agriculture. The more I learn through involvement, the better I can be as a farmer. I believe that it is important to “AgVocate” for agriculture at the local level and beyond. – Jeremy Brown, Beyond the Fence On episode 027 of the Agriculture Proud podcast, Ryan visits with west Texas farmer, Jeremy Brown during the 2017 Bayer Agvocacy Forum in San Antonio, Texas. Jeremy is a 4th generation cotton farmer and proud Texas Tech alumnus. On his West Texas farm, he works with his family to raise cotton and grain sorghum. In this podcast, Jeremy and Ryan discuss how biotechnology is a tool in the belt of farmers as fewer generations come back to the farm, margins become tighter, and input costs rise. And as consumers ask more often to learn more about where their fiber comes from, as a producer, Jeremy belives the need to be an advocate is an important part of doing business. As a steward of his resources and a business

I must say that I live in my boots. I like all kinds of boots, cowboy boots – fancy and plain, dress boots – tall and short, snow, rain, muck and work boots – yup I like them all. I feel comfortable in my boots, they are part of my everyday life on our family farm. But there are many times every year when I trade the comfort and casualness of my boots for the not so familiar formality of suits. – Deb Gangwish, From Boots to Suits On episode 026 of the Agriculture Proud podcast, Ryan visits with Nebraska farmer and rancher, Deb Gangwish during the 2017 Bayer Agvocacy Forum in San Antonio, Texas. Deb and her family raise corn, soybeans, and cattle in central Nebraska on two different locations that are three hours apart. While the distance creates some challenges for the logistics of her own operation, Deb says some of the greater challenges for Nebraska agriculture today include labor, asset utilization and making sure to plug the right people into the right positions to do the job to the best of their ability

Want an opportunity to do research with Jack Daniels? Have you considered studying cattle nutrition? Well, I didn’t get to drink any JD as part of the work, but we did get to use some of their by-products from distilling as feed for beef cattle. On Episode 025 of the Agriculture Proud Podcast, Ryan Goodman and Carrie Mess continue the Over A Beer series talking about hot topics in agriculture. This week, Carrie turns the table on Ryan to ask several questions about the world of beef cattle. And Carrie doesn’t start off easy. We talk about the import of beef from Brazil and concerns that have been expressed surrounding that import and export. And of course, associated with that conversation comes a discussion on Country of Origin Labeling. Instead of reiterating numbers and resources, I’ll direct you to the blog post for this episode with answers and specific links to questions and topics addressed. Thanks to our sponsors (if we had sponsors) – Spotted Cow Beer from New Glarus Brewing for the hydration an