ReWild Yourself

Regenerative Agriculture and the Truth About Cowspiracy - Doniga Markegard #169Doniga Markegard is a rancher with a background in ecology and permaculture, and she's here to share how regenerative agriculture can help to restore the biodiversity of prairie grasslands while simultaneously producing grass-fed, nutrient dense meat. In her youth, Doniga was mentored by some of the leading wildlife trackers, naturalists and Native spiritual elders. She spent years alone and with a small group of passionate youth in the Western Washington Wilderness learning the ways of the ancestors, immersing in nature, bird language, survival skills and wildlife tracking. Fast forward to today, she now stewards 10,000 acres of land in California where she — along with her husband and four children — owns and operates Markegard Family Grass-Fed LLC raising grass-fed beef, lamb, pastured pork and dairy. Doniga is passionate about large-scale restoration of Western Rangelands through cattle grazing, and she and her family have developed grazing and conservation management plans that encourage a resilient and diverse landscape. Doniga believes that humans are an integral part of the complexity of life, and in this episode, we hear how her family stewards land based on the principles and patterns found in nature. She takes us back in time to her wild childhood and her time spent tracking wolves in Alaska and Idaho. We discuss living with apex predators and her unique perspective on ranching alongside wolves, as a rancher with an ecological background and passion for wildlife. We also hear about her family's misleading feature in the controversial film Cowspiracy, which sheds a grim light on the credibility of this film's message. Tune in for a refreshing take on sustainable, holistic agriculture and Doniga's captivating evolution from wild child to conservationist and rangeland steward! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: • Show Introduction • Introducing Doniga Markegard • What brought Doniga to her work in sustainable ranching • On grasslands • The life-centric focus of regenerative agriculture • Doniga reflects on her childhood and shares about her book, Dawn Again • Living with apex predators • The truth about "Cowspiracy" • Life on Doniga's ranch • Transitioning back into the world after time spent in wilderness immersion programs • Doniga's prognosis for the future of the human species

150|1H 26min

Native to When? - Ben Falk #166Ben Falk returns to ReWild Yourself Podcast to add his perspective to our invasive species conversation series! Ben lives in an intentional, resilient, forage-able ecosystem on his homestead in Vermont's Mad River Valley that he designed and continues to evolve. As someone who works closely with his local landscape, he is intimately enmeshed with both native and non-native invasive species and has valuable input on this complex issue. Ben — an innovative permaculturist and intentional ecosystem designer — developed Whole Systems Design as a land-based response to biological and cultural extinction and the increasing separation between people and elemental things. Life as a designer, builder, ecologist, tree-tender, and backcountry traveler continually informs Ben's integrative approach to developing landscapes and buildings. Ben has studied architecture and landscape architecture at the graduate level and holds a master's degree in land-use planning and design. He has conducted more than 300 site development consultations across the US and abroad, and has facilitated dozens of courses on property selection, permaculture design, and resilient systems. Ben is also the author of the award-winning book the Resilient Farm and Homestead. In this episode, Ben and I grapple with some of the critical questions of the invasive species conversation: Who has the right to be considered native to a specific ecosystem when we are all native to this planet? Can we eat our way out of the invasive species problem? How do we define natural? Ben brings a balanced viewpoint to our invasive species series. He believes — as do I — that the conversation on invasives can be hugely advanced by active ecosystem participants (rewilders!). Tune in, and let's continue to be conscientious participants in the conservation of our ecology! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: • Show Introduction: • Hunt + gather updates: Striper and mackerel fishing, squirrel hunting, acorn gathering and pack basket making • • Introducing Ben Falk • Ben's permaculture intentional ecosystem • Food yield on Ben's homestead • The processing that goes into a permaculture ecosystem • Backstory to Ben's viewpoints on invasive species • Invasive species and native local plant communities — who has the right to stay? • Thoughts on eating invasives • Creating forage-able landscapes • Tying a bow on the invasive species conversation • Defining what's natural • Ben's prognosis for the future of the landscape

148|1H 27min

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