{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Regenaissance Podcast","title":"Chaz Self: The Raw Milk War in Wisconsin #125","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":4237,"description":"I chat with Chaz Self of Grassway Organics about his fight to keep selling raw milk in Wisconsin, the decline of small dairy farms, and what the future of farming might look like amid consolidation, regulation and new technology.\nChaz is a first-generation dairy farmer who runs Grassway Organics with his wife in East Troy, Wisconsin, managing roughly 640 acres and milking around 50 cows in a grass-based, seasonal dairy system.\nA lot has changed since Chaz was last on the show. Grassway is now in an ongoing dispute with Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection over how the farm sells raw milk, with Chaz preparing for a legal fight that he believes could become extremely expensive. We get into how his ownership model works, why he believes the farm has operated legally, and why he has decided to keep pushing rather than step away. \nWe also look at what has happened to Wisconsin dairy more broadly: fewer farms producing more milk, increasing consolidation, overproduction, subsidies and whether relatively simple changes like putting more young cattle back onto pasture could begin moving the system in another direction. We talk about Farm Bureau, social media and the growing political divide around food, before getting into the future of agricultural technology. \nThanks for listening. \n\nWhat we cover:\nGrassway Organics’ raw milk fight with Wisconsin\nThe decline and consolidation of Wisconsin dairy\nSubsidies, grazing and possible paths forward\nFarm Bureau, social media and polarization around food\nAI, farm technology and what farming is actually for\nTimestamps:\n00:00 – Catching up with Chaz Self\n02:01 – The raw milk fight in Wisconsin\n10:07 – The cost of fighting regulation\n19:48 – Lobbying for raw milk\n26:28 – What happened to Wisconsin dairy?\n29:23 – Could grazing help fix dairy?\n34:31 – Does Farm Bureau represent farmers?\n37:28 – Social media, politics and agriculture\n44:52 – Rebuilding community around farms\n53:41 – AI and technology on...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/al8BwjjnR2m8I-3vEq0Iyx2E0FqQ9QB0aLPF4D6flnY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS81YzE3/NmFmYjZiNmRkZDdm/Y2MwYzk5ZjI5ZjRj/YzgwZi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}