What if the story we've been told about food—about meat, animals, and what it means to truly nourish ourselves and the land—is incomplete?

Many people today are searching for a way of eating that feels healthier, more ethical, and more sustainable. Some turn away from animal foods out of compassion. Others are working to reconnect with traditional diets and local farms. But what if the answers aren't as simple as we've been led to believe?

Our guest today is Abey Rae Scaglione, author of Radical Farm: Animals, Food, and Our Future. Abey's journey is anything but conventional. She became a vegetarian at just thirteen years old, driven by a deep concern for animals. Years later, she found herself raising livestock as a regenerative farmer—facing the emotional, ethical, and ecological realities of producing food within a living system.

In this conversation, Abey shares what it was really like to wrestle with the moral complexity of eating animals—and why she ultimately came to believe that well-raised livestock may actually do less harm than many plant-based food systems.

She explains how animals play a vital role in restoring soil health and ecological balance, why removing them from agriculture could push farmers toward more synthetic fertilizers and industrial practices, and how regenerative farming offers a path forward that honors both the land and the animals.

We also explore what this means for you—whether you live on acreage or in a city apartment—and how small, intentional choices can help you reconnect with real food and more sustainable ways of living.

This is a thoughtful, honest, and at times surprising conversation about food, ethics, and our place in the natural world.

 

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