The Regenaissance Podcast

JR Burdick of Nourishing Family Farm explains how losing his family’s farm in the 1980s and later being forced out of his dairy co-op shaped his path toward raw milk, soil-based farming, and local food independence. His story exposes how modern agriculture breaks families and communities - and how rebuilding begins one farm at a time.

Key Topics
  1. The 1980s farm crisis and its generational impact
  2. Industrial agriculture’s false promises
  3. Losing and rebuilding the family farm
  4. Founding Nourishing Family Farm and producing raw milk
  5. Redefining farming as care for soil, cows, and community
Why Listen
  • Reveals how U.S. farm policy hollowed out rural America
  • Shows how raw milk and local food rebuild trust and health
  • Offers a firsthand blueprint for regenerating the land and economy
  • Traces 40 years of American farming through one family’s eyes
  • Ends with a powerful redefinition of what it means to be a farmer
Connect with JR:
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References:
"The Jungle" (1906) by Upton Sinclair

Timestamps

 00:00:00 – JR’s multi-generation farming roots
 00:02:00 – 1980s farm collapse
 00:06:00 – Debt, rates, and farm failures
 00:10:00 – Starting over
 00:14:00 – Ag education and GMOs
 00:25:00 – Green Revolution and nutrition loss
 00:33:00 – Regulation and consolidation
 00:46:00 – Tornado and community response
 01:00:00 – Rebuilding under financial strain
 01:15:00 – Generational succession challenges
 01:30:00 – Co-op shutdown and income loss
 01:45:00 – Ethanol and insurance dependence
 02:03:00 – Conventional dairying realities
 02:10:00 – Identity, purpose, and faith
 02:30:00 – Founding Nourishing Family Farm
 02:45:00 – Food as medicine
 03:00:00 – Stewardship and resilience
 03:10:00 – Redefining the modern farmer

What is The Regenaissance Podcast?

Hosted by @Regenaisanceman with the mission of reconnecting us back to where our food is grown & exposing everything that is wrong with our broken food system. We are more disconnected from our food than we ever have been. I sit down with ranchers and farmers to give them a voice and hear their stories, helping paint a picture of what it really looks like to support humanity with food. I also will be talking to others involved in the agriculture space as there is a lot that goes into it all. My hope is that from hearing this podcast you will begin to question what you eat and where from.