Losing My Farm, Being Outed From Dairy, And Lessons For Future Food - Jr Burdick | #93

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

The 1980s farm crisis and its generational impactIndustrial agriculture’s false promisesLosing and rebuilding the family farmFounding Nourishing Family Farm and producing raw milkRedefining farming as care for soil, cows, and community

Why Listen

Reveals how U.S. farm policy hollowed out rural AmericaShows how raw milk and local food rebuild trust and healthOffers a firsthand blueprint for regenerating the land and economyTraces 40 years of American farming through one family’s eyesEnds 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