Will Westmoreland became an influencer overnight when he directly addressed a farmer's concerns over not receiving a rotational grazing reimbursement. The first/second Trump administration’s Department of Agriculture promised the money but then rescinded it. Will’s story made an impression on millions of people with the straightforward way he shared how the farmer voted against his best interest by supporting Donald Trump.

Westmoreland, Ken’s guest on today’s episode, is a farmer and political activist. He’s also the founder of The Back Forty, a bipartisan media company focused on fortifying and growing rural America, family farmers, ranchers, and nearby communities. It does this work through public education, infrastructure, healthcare, and economic development.

EWG and The Back Forty are committed to helping rural Americans. EWG’s Farm Subsidy Database (visited by thousands of people daily) helps ensure public accountability for how taxpayer dollars are distributed in agricultural support programs.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

The Back Forty

@WestmorelandPops

Farm.EWG.org

Not All Corn Is the Same — Learn About the 3 Main Types with Our Handy Cheat Sheet (The Kitchn)

RHIhub Maps on Rural Healthcare Facilities

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

Under the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other key federal departments are shedding thousands of experienced scientists. This assault on federal scientists will have a lasting effect for generations, eliminating much-needed expertise that has historically played a central role in developing rules that protect human health and the environment.

Two leaders in the science community – Dr. Linda Birnbaum and Dr. Micah Niemeier-Walsh – talk with Ken about the widespread damage this brain drain is causing. Birnbaum worked at the EPA and as the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Niemeier-Walsh is an industrial hygienist in the Firefighter Health Program and the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer at the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health.

Federal rules that safeguard the environment and public health need scientific research – without it, backsliding to weaker rules and more pollution is the only likely outcome.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup

Food production is responsible for a third of the climate crisis, yet it’s the part of the problem we talk about the least. With agricultural land making up forty percent of our planet, we are literally eating the Earth. The first step is acknowledging the mess and the second is addressing it. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by investigative reporter Mike Grunwald. They discuss Mike’s exploration of our broken food system in his new book, “We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate”.

Both Ken and Mike acknowledge that industrial agriculture has many problems: it mistreats workers and animals, pollutes air and water, and relies too heavily on toxic chemicals and antibiotics. But they also share a conviction that reform is possible — and essential — if we want to feed a growing population without destroying the planet.

For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:

We Are Eating the Earth The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate

Monsanto Hid Decades Of Pollution (The Washington Post, 2002)

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.

@kencookspodcast

www.ewg.org

@environmentalworkinggroup