Unconfined Podcast 

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Logo US consumers enjoy access to a veritable cornucopia of meat. We consume an annual average of more than 220 pounds of chicken, pork, and beef per person—one of the highest rates of carnivory in history. What makes it possible is a factory model of meat production that took root in Midwestern stockyards in the late 19th century and bloomed after World War II. For decades, the transnational meatpacking giants that dominate US production have been exporting this model to countries across the globe. But it's not all about just widely available burgers, tacos, and nuggets. What are the model's downsides—the impacts on communities, workers, ecosystems, and public health? Are there better ways to farm animals and provide meat? In Unconfined Podcast, veteran meat industry observers and CLF staffers Tom Philpott and Christine Grillo dig into those questions, interviewing the researchers, community organizers, journalists, and farmers documenting or experiencing the ills of our dominant mode of meat agriculture—and those who are exploring alternatives.  Read the CLF announcement here.

Episodes are available for listening on Apple, Spotify, and CLF’s YouTube channel. Listeners who would like to receive the Unconfined newsletter in their inbox every time there’s a new episode can subscribe here.

	Mariah Blake and Adam Nordell This Is Your Farm on Forever Chemicals Episode 25 of Unconfined, in which author Mariah Blake tells the maddening tale of how a major federal science program and a pair of huge corporations together generated perhaps the biggest toxic-waste mess in history; and Adam Nordell recounts how it destroyed his organic farm in Maine. Read and listen
	Helena Bottemiller Evich and Theodore Ross The Dish on MAHA and Food Episode 24 of Unconfined, in which ace reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich and Theodore Ross of the Food and Environment Reporting Network tease out the contradictions and paradoxes of food policy in the age of Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with our host, Tom Philpott. Read and listen
	Leo Horrigan Soil Microbes Matter Episode 23 of Unconfined, in which Leo Horrigan tells us about a new CLF book he wrote and why we should not be treating soil like dirt. Read and listen
	Michelle Hughes Landing Young People Episode 22 of Unconfined, in which Michelle Hughes sings the praises of young farmers for whom farming is synonymous with conservation. Read and listen
	Michael Grunwald Land's End Episode 21 of Unconfined, in which author Michael Grunwald argues that industrial agriculture provides our best hope for "feeding the world without frying the world," and host Tom Philpott has questions.  Read and listen
	Brea Baker Black to the Land Episode 20 of Unconfined, in which author Brea Baker traces the 21st century push to reclaim the legacy and future of African-American agrarianism. Read and listen
	James Skeet The Land Owns Us Episode 19 of Unconfined, in which James Skeet re-imagines an agricultural practice that relies on “indigenous regenerative intelligence.” Read and listen
	Austin Frerick Monopoly Money: On the Iowa Hog Barons Behind Your Bacon Episode 18 of Unconfined, in which Austin Frerick discusses his recent book Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry. Read and listen
	Marion Nestle Confused by Nutrition Research? Blame Big Food In this episode 17 of Unconfined, Marion Nestle reveals the food industry's recipe for cooking up academic nutrition research that serves its interests—not yours.   Read and listen
	Dave Love, Meghan Davis, Erin Sorrell Is Animal Agriculture Contributing to Bird Flu Spread? In episode 16 of Unconfined, two leading experts, Meghan Davis and Erin Sorrell, discuss the current bird flu outbreak affecting poultry, dairy cattle, and farm workers—and unpack risks to food supply and public health. Read and listen
	Adam Sheingate, Claire Kelloway, Mike Lavender What Trump II Means for Our Food Episode 15 of Unconfined, in which three policy experts read the tea leaves and try to assess what Trump's second turn in the White House means for the food system. Read and listen
	Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted A People’s Scientist Meets a Tiny Fish Episode 14 of Unconfined, in which World Food Prize winner Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted explains how biodiversity, local resources, and saying “no” to pricy pesticides helped cut childhood hunger in Bangladesh. Read and listen
	Dave Love The Weird, Beautiful Oyster Episode 13 of Unconfined, in which Dave Love explains why oyster farming is the antithesis of industrial food production, and how this artisanal aquatic food plays a positive role in the food system. Read and listen
	Douglas Frantz and Catharine Collins Abundant Salmon, Troubled Waters Episode 12 of Unconfined, in which veteran journalists Douglas Frantz and Catharine Collins lead us into the troubled waters of open-pen farmed salmon. Read and listen
	Philip Loring A Livable Future for Fisheries Episode 11 of Unconfined, in which Philip Loring encourages us to re-imagine how we interact with fisheries in order to restore health and abundance to these critical ecosystems. Read and listen
	Paul Greenberg Fish Stories Episode 10 of Unconfined, in which Paul Greenberg lays out the paradoxes and untapped promise of the United States’ vast fishery resources. Read and listen
	Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin Chicken Heaven  Episode 9 of Unconfined, in which Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin describes his alternative and regenerative model for raising chickens. Read and listen
	David Montgomery and Anne Biklé Farm Like Our Health Depends On it   Episode 8 of Unconfined, in which David Montgomery and Anne Biklé show that regenerative farming might hold the key to farming through climate chaos. Read and listen
	Leo Horrigan It’s Not Enough to Sustain: We Must Regenerate Episode 7 of Unconfined, in which we launch our series on regenerative agriculture and learn some things about soil, as well as how photosynthesis and superpowered microbes make all life on Earth possible. Read and listen
	Debbie Berkowitz The Injured Workers Behind Your Chicken Habit Episode 6 of Unconfined, in which we dig into why poultry workers face such hazardous conditions despite a landmark 1970 law requiring safe workplaces. Read and Listen
	Christina Cooke Danger on the Farm: What’s Putting Workers at Such High Risk? Episode 5 of Unconfined, in which we explore what the Occupational Safety and Health Administration does—and does not do—to protect farmworkers. Read and Listen
	Magaly Licolli Poultry Workers Fight for Their Rights Episode 4 of Unconfined launches our three-part series on worker justice in the meat industry. Read and Listen
	Chris Heaney What the Science Says about Living Near Giant Hog Operations and Methane Digesters Episode 3 of Unconfined, in which we explore community-directed research on biodigesters in communities. Read and Listen
	Patty Lovera The Methane Digester Money Trail: Who’s Making Money Off of Biogas? Episode 2 of Unconfined, in which we explore the market-based viability of biogas Read and Listen
	Sherri White-Williamson Living Amid Hog CAFOs—Now with Methane Digesters Attached Episode 1 of Unconfined, the podcast about industrial meat production and its alternatives Read and Listen