Culture Consumed

Is glyphosate truly the villain it’s made out to be or just a distraction from the real health crisis? 🌽⚠️ In this episode of Culture Consumed, we dig into the history of glyphosate, why farmers use it, what mainstream science and regulators actually say about its risks, and how groups like Moms Across America helped turn it into a household controversy.

We’ll also zoom out to the bigger drivers of poor health in America: ultra-processed foods, added sugars, sleep loss, screen time, synthetic additives, and our pill-for-everything culture. If you’ve ever wondered whether weed killer in a soybean field is really the cause of rising obesity, diabetes, anxiety, or autism—or if something else might be playing a bigger role—this episode is for you.

I’m pro-agriculture, pro-health, and pro-nuance. Fresh produce and meat—organic or not—beat processed foods every time. And if better alternatives to glyphosate come along? We should explore them. But fear and scapegoating won’t solve the crisis—we need stewardship, perspective, and common sense.

💬 After you listen, comment, share, and send me a message with what YOU want me to cover next. Let’s keep this conversation going.

We eat food every single day, but most of us have no clue where it actually comes from. (Yes, I’m looking at you — and the 16 million Americans who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows.)

In this episode, we’re digging into why agricultural education shouldn’t be treated like a random elective — it deserves a spot right next to math, science, and English as a core subject. We’ll break down the history of our school system, how agriculture got sidelined, and why that’s left us with a massive agricultural literacy gap.

We’ll talk about why this matters for your health, your wallet, and the planet — plus, we’ll look at success stories from schools and programs that are already doing it right. And yes, we’re planting the first seeds of an idea I’m calling “Make Ag Core” — a push to bring ag education to every classroom.

If you care about food, sustainability, or just want kids to know where their hamburgers actually come from, this episode is for you.

This is just the beginning. But I need YOUR help to spread the word. Please share this episode. Send to your local ag teacher, your friends in education, or your local school board. Let's start the initiative to #MakeAg Core

This one’s personal.

If you’ve followed Culture Consumed for a while, you know I talk a lot about media, agriculture, and consumer perception — but this episode dives into a topic I am deeply passionate about: how anthropomorphism and animal rights activism are reshaping our food system, and not for the better.

From Disney-fueled childhoods that taught us animals have human thoughts and feelings … to the Instagram era of dogs in strollers and pet cupcakes… we’ve created a culture where we treat animals like tiny people. And while that might make us feel good, it’s distorting reality — and it’s hurting us, our pets, our farmers, and yes, even the animals we claim to protect.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The Anthropomorphism Trap → How treating animals like humans leads to rising pet obesity, dog bite incidents, and unrealistic expectations in companion animal ownership.

• The Animal Rights Marketing Machine → How groups like PETA and HSUS weaponize emotions — sad music, baby animal eyes, and guilt-driven campaigns — to influence laws and public opinion.

• Humans vs. Nature → Why humane farming is far kinder than the brutal realities of the wild, and why using animals for food, work, and companionship is what they were created for.

• California’s Proposition 12 → The perfect example of feelings over facts: a law built on emotional marketing, skyrocketing food prices, and regulations that disrupt farmers nationwide while doing little to actually improve animal welfare.

• And yes… we’re going to talk about wolves in Colorado pastures and why urban-driven wildlife policies are leaving rural communities to pick up the pieces.

This episode is honest, a little uncomfortable, and unapologetically pro-science and pro-farmer. I care about this topic because it impacts everything: how we raise food, how we view animals, and how we make decisions as a society. So, if you’re ready for some hard truths about pets, pigs, policies, and propaganda… buckle up.

Rabobank report: https://agnetwest.com/rabobank-report-pork-supply-chain-faces-challenges-with-prop-12/

Food Policy study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306919216300045