We discuss the hows and whys of rearing beef cattle and explore some of the myths around whether beef is good for us and the planet. We ask our guests Nicolette Hahn Niman and Dr Michael Clark what this means in the context of the global food system.
This episode has been produced with generous sponsorship from Chelsea Green Publishing
Our guests:
Nicolette Hahn Niman is a California rancher, lawyer, and writer. She has authored two books about sustainable livestock farming: Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms, and Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production.
Niman received her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Michigan and her B.A. in Biology and French from Kalamazoo College.
More about Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production
Dr Michael Clark is a post-Doctoral researcher. His research interests include the environmental, economic, and health impacts of food systems. He uses models to provide quantitative estimates on the current and projected impacts of the food system, as well as the potential benefits of changing the food system (e.g. by changing diets, or the rate at which yields increases).
Mike joined the Centre on Population Approaches for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention in August 2018, and is working on expanding the Centre’s food system model to incorporate biodiversity and economic outcomes in collaboration with the Wellcome funded projected “Livestock, Environment and People” (LEAP), as well as with researchers from other departments across Oxford and international collaborators.
Mike holds a PhD in Natural Resources Science and Management from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, and studied biology and ecology at undergraduate level.
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