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

From “organic” to “all-natural,” “no antibiotics” to “non-GMO,” food labels are everywhere — and they’re shaping how you shop, whether you realize it or not. But how much of what’s on that package is fact… and how much is just clever marketing?

In this week’s Culture Consumed, we unpack the psychology behind food labels, why certain buzzwords influence purchasing decisions, and the most common myths that confuse even savvy shoppers. We’ll look at the real differences between organic and conventional produce, what’s regulated (and what isn’t), and how pricing, safety, and consumer trust all play into the grocery store game.

From USDA pesticide reports showing 99% of samples are well below safety benchmarks, to research finding no consistent nutritional advantage for organic, to the reality that organic produce can cost over 50% more — we’re putting the facts on the table so you can shop with confidence, not fear.

Sources:

Organic Food Study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950329313000141

Organic prices

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2025/04/17/organic-produce-now-costs-as-much-as-53-more-than-conventional-alternatives-and-the-price-disparity-is-getting-worse/

Michigan State University: Americans Confused by Labels

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/americans-pay-attention-to-food-labels-but-are-confused-by-what-information-matters?utm_source=chatgpt.com

2025 Consumer Trust Study

https://ota.com/about-ota/press-releases/younger-health-conscious-consumers-are-embracing-organic-ota-survey-shows?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Food Color

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23444895/

Organic profit loss

https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2015/november/despite-profit-potential-organic-field-crop-acreage-remains-low?utm_source=chatgpt.com

USDA Pesticide Report

https://www.food-safety.com/articles/9207-usda-releases-annual-pesticide-residue-report-finds-99-percent-of-samples-below-benchmarks

Carl Winter on Exposure to Pesticides

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3135239/

Organic vs Conventional

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10987935/

Is your steak secretly disrupting your hormones? Spoiler alert: probably not. In this episode, we cut through the fearmongering and get real about hormones in beef, milk, and the food supply. You’ll learn what’s naturally occurring, what’s added (and why), and how tiny the actual exposure is—especially compared to the real disruptors we’re exposed to every single day.

We’ll cover:

• What hormone implants actually do in cattle and how they’re regulated

• How phytoestrogens in soy and flax compare to estrogen in beef

• The truth about rBST in dairy cows.

• Why higher childhood BMI, not beef, is more strongly linked to early puberty.

• How marketers have capitalized on fear to sell “hormone-free” labels that don’t mean what you think.

This episode isn’t just about meat—it’s about reclaiming the facts, trusting your food, and not falling for marketing masquerading as science.

Want further reading material?

• Phytoestrogens and their effects (PubMed)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25160742/
• Data on obesity and puberty timing in children (PubMed)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23744298/
• Oklahoma State studies on hormonal additives and safetyhttps://openresearch.okstate.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/cfe13978-87b2-4f36-8816-f7ae5ec5d7f4/content
• Iowa Beef Center report on cattle implantation practiceshttps://www.iowabeefcenter.org/information/IBC48.pdf
• AABP guidelines on implant selection in beef cattlehttps://www.aabp.org/committees/resources/welfare/ImplantSelUse-DDG-2008.pdf
• CattleSite overview of beef implant programshttps://www.thecattlesite.com/articles/744/beef-cattle-implants/
• Molecular-level insights on endocrine disruptors (MDPI)https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/15/12195
• NIEHS resource center on hormone-disrupting agents (NIEHS)https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine
• EPA on pesticides
• https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-science-and-assessing-pesticide-risks/human-health-issues-related-pesticides
• EU precautionary principle:
• https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/precautionary-principle.html
• FDA on Hormone Implants:
• https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/product-safety-information/steroid-hormone-implants-used-growth-food-producing-animals

Next week, we cover what everyone has been waiting for... food labels! Tune in to learn more.

Welcome to Culture Consumed — a podcast that unpacks the headlines, food labels, and fear-based media shaping how we think about agriculture. If you've ever felt confused about how your food is grown or frustrated by the noise online, you're in the right place.

You’ve heard the headlines: factory farms are cruel, unregulated, and run by giant corporations that only care about profit. But what if that narrative isn’t just misleading — what if it’s flat-out wrong?

In this first episode of Culture Consumed, we peel back the curtain on what’s really going on in modern animal agriculture. From how animals are housed and cared for, to the truth about “factory farms,” we’re breaking down the myth that mass production means mistreatment.

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Link to FSA's contracting article:

https://www.fsa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2016%20Drake%20FSA%20NSAC%20Production%20Contracts%20Guide.pdf

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