The farming industry has changed dramatically over the years. With the introduction of factory farming, animal agriculture is causing more harm than good to not only our health but our environment. Joe Heitzeberg joins me to talk about his business, Crowd Cow, that focuses on supporting small, local farmers to rear the best meat and fish possible. Crowd Cow works with farmers who care about their animals to raise them with love and happiness before ending their lives with as much compassion and gratitude as possible. Joe explains what problems industrial farming has had on the local agriculture and environment. He also tells us how a few alternative views of the legislation can allow farmers to claim their animals as organic, free-range, and grass-fed when in reality they’re anything but. By choosing to support sustainable farming practices with our money and purchases, consumers can send a message that they don’t support factory farming that contributes to environmental endangerment and poor animal welfare. Consumers should also provide feedback to the producer how the meat and fish they’re eating tastes and if they’ll keep buying it because this type of feedback does work, especially if more people do it. On that note, Joe recommends consumers do their research to find out where their meat and fish come from. Many supermarkets have no way to trace where their meat comes from, preferring to avoid that conversation altogether. But it’s in the consumers’ best interest to do their research and make informed decisions about where their meat comes from. Joe talks about why the welfare of an animal is so important, not just for the fact that they’ll be sacrificing their lives for our food, but an animal that has been treated with love and kindness will also taste better. This kindness extends to the last day of the animal’s life. Everything we talk about in this episode contributes to why sustainable farming matters for our health and our environment. Where do you currently buy your animal products from? How can you be a more conscious meat consumer? Do you understand why sustainable farming methods are so important?   In This Episode: Why industrial farming has ruined the animal agriculture industry What the ideal environment for organic farming looks like Why you should feedback to the producer how you find the meat and fish you’re eating How you can find the details of where and how your meat is produced in order to make informed decisions Why the way an animal is treated throughout their life matters  Why sustainable farming is so important for our health and the environment   Quotes: “Everybody is trained that meat is just meat. The last 50-60-70 years of meat has done this industrial thing that many people are concerned about and so the whole world appears to be trying to grow meat alternatives in test tubes and create fake meat, even though we’ve evolved for 10,000s of years eating meat.” (6:56) “We’re not here to judge, we’re here to make things accessible and to empower consumers to make informed choices.” (12:32) “For it to taste good, you’ve got to make these animals calm and healthy. If they’ve led calm, healthy lives, all the way up to the one bad day, the one bad moment, then it’s going to taste better.” (21:45)   Links Get $25 off your first order with code COUCHTALK25 Find Joe Heitzeberg and Crowd Cow Online Find Joe Heitzeberg on Instagram | Twitter Find Crowd Cow on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube   Check out the full episode page Find Dr. Anna Online Follow Dr. Anna on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter