Welcome to episode four of Greener Pastures, a Midstory podcast on the future of farming in the Midwest. In this episode, we pay a visit to the Stateler farm to see what life and business looks like at a CAFO. Anthony Stateler believes that large-scale animal farms like his have been unfairly blamed for the water quality issues that have afflicted Lake Erie for the last decade. What he wants is for farmers to focus on growing their storytelling capabilities, because he feels they have nothing to hide — and everything to gain.
Welcome to episode three of Greener Pastures, a Midstory podcast on the future of farming in the Midwest. In this episode, we approach the billion dollar industry of factory-farmed beef, the scrutiny surrounding its environmental and animal welfare concerns, and one Indiana cattle farmer’s vision for an alternative approach.
Welcome to episode two of Greener Pastures, a Midstory podcast on the future of farming in the Midwest. In this episode, we present farmers’ thoughts on two key cash crops — corn and soy — and their ideas surrounding monocropped soils, resilience, conservation strategies and meeting their bottom lines.
The Midwest is the land of Big Ag — but it wasn’t always that way. Before we can make any claims about the future of farming in America’s heartland, we need to look to its past, a story of how scientific progress, federal policy and social pressure brought an end to the era of the family farm.
