Culture & Christianity: The Allen Jackson Podcast - Why Small Farms Matter to YOUR Daily Meals! [Featuring Stephanie Nash]

Episode Date: March 23, 2024

Small farms help secure our food supply, and it’s important to support and advocate for them. Join Pastor Allen Jackson for a discussion about the issues small farmers face today—and how they impact us—with Dairy Farmer Stephanie Nash from Nash Family Creamery near Nashville. As government agencies actively promote alternative sources of milk and protein, the public turns away from long-standing food staples like beef and milk. “I truly believe the work that we do is totally different than what’s being grown in a laboratory,” Nash said. They discuss the climate change agenda and its impact on farming, foreign countries purchasing U.S. farmland, farmers protesting in Germany, and more. “Consumers deserve to know what family farmers are going through, and what our food security could be going through if we don't protect ourselves,” Nash said.More about Nash Family Creamery: https://nashfamilycreamery.com/--It’s up to us to bring God’s truth back into our culture. It may feel like an impossible assignment, but there’s much we can do. Join Pastor Allen Jackson as he discusses today’s issues from a biblical perspective. Find thought-provoking insight from Pastor Allen and his guests, equipping you to lead with your faith in your home, your school, your community, and wherever God takes you.Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3JsyO6ysUVGOIV70xAjtcm?si=6805fe488cf64a6dListen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culture-christianity-the-allen-jackson-podcast/id1729435597

Hey, this is Alan Jackson. Welcome to our podcast today. My guest is somebody I think you're really going to enjoy Stephanie Nash. She is a fourth generation dairy farmer. That may not seem very exciting, but she's an expert on sustainable food sources. She has been engaged in this enterprise her entire life, quite literally. The whole notion of food to table that is so popular today, at the end of it, It's really about what's healthy and what's good for us to eat.

And Stephanie understands that. Spoiler alert, she's going to help us understand the difference between milk that we get from an animal and milk that we get from an almond. And just in case you don't know, almonds don't give milk. But at the end of the day, how we can eat healthy and eat things that are better for us and see that they stay available to us, I think you'll enjoy the conversation. And just a reminder, you can listen to the Culture and Christianity, Alan Jackson podcast, on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you consume your podcast.

Make sure to follow, subscribe, and like the podcast wherever you're listening. We drop a new episode every Saturday. Hey, we're doing a conference the last weekend in April here in Tennessee. I wanted to share a quick video with you. It'll introduce some friends. I think it'll be a worthwhile investment of your time. We are watching on the walls, and if we see evil and we don't use our voice, it says it's on us.

our exercise of our faith in America is at risk what are you going to do about it we are called to be advocates for Jesus of Nazareth in Nashville this April join us for the Culture and Christianity Conference Brandon Tatum Eric Metaxus Kurt Cameron, Ali B Stucky and more go to lead with faith.church to register

Well my guest today is Stephanie Nash I am so excited we certainly have grown up in different worlds but we share a lot of things in common. So welcome. We're glad to have you today. Thanks for having me. You are a transplant.

You're a California girl. I am a California girl. And now you're a hillbilly. Now I'm a southern woman. Not going to go hillbilly yet. Okay. But you've been here 10 years. Yeah, we've been here 10 years.

You came from the Central Valley in California? Came from Fresno. We had a dairy farm for 85 years there, and now 10 years here. That part of California reminds me so much of Israel. Mm-hmm. The topography and the climate is really similar. You need water. Yeah.

But we're really glad you're in Tennessee now. But you've got a dairy here. How many cows do you milk? We milk 1,200 twice a day. Oh! That's a lift. And if you've never been on a dairy, folks, cows don't take days off. They don't have PTO.

They don't get sick days. If you're milk in a dairy herd, you're working every day, every morning, every evening. What time do they start in the morning? They'll start actually not around right around 9.30. So not too, too early, but then they have to come back again at 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. So, yeah. The farm kind of runs on different schedules because everybody's got their hands in something, whether it's feeding calves, milking cows, getting corn planted during harvest season. So you grow all your own feed for the cattle?

We grow all of our silage and we cut some of our hay. and we also use our neighbors as well for food that we need for the cows. That's an amazing. That's a lot of work, folks. I'm just, I need a nap, just thinking about it. So if I were going to go pick a farmer out, I'm not going to pick you out of the crowd. Probably not. But I heard you were milking this week.

I was, yeah. So the flu is going around everywhere. And so the final answer was, well, you need to go out there and help. And so I was out there. There was a relief that finally came in for me. I'm not the fastest milker. I raise the baby, so it's not my territory. But I know how to do it, and you have to do it if people get sick and don't show up.

That's part of it. So Nash Family Creamery. People that listen to me very much know I like ice cream a lot. So this place is close to my heart. So you have a... Tell us what Nash Family Creamery is. Yeah. So when we moved here, we had the intention of growing a community with local

products. And so we already had the dairy and the milk. So we grew Nash Family Creamery three years ago. And we opened our doors and my brother makes all the ice cream. We have over 20 flavors at a time. We serve grilled cheese soup and different kinds of things for lunch and dinner. And then we also produce our own cheese. We have our cheese plant on site for cheese curds and then aged cheddars. Some place I read that your brother and dad went to ice cream school, like ice cream university. Yeah, they learned how to make ice cream. So they wanted to know the best of the best. So they went to a couple states and learned how to make ice cream.

And they kind of found the formula of how good ice cream is produced. But it was some fancy school. I mean, it wasn't like out of the back of a pickup truck. Yeah. Where, what, University of Pennsylvania? Yeah, yeah, Penn State. They're very known for their dairy program and ice cream products. I mean, it wasn't like they went to Bucksnort, you know, community college.

Yeah, yeah. No shame to Bucksnort. but I was impressed, ice cream university. If I had known that, I would have applied for a scholarship. All the ice cream you can eat, huh? Yes. So this whole notion of sustainable farming, farm to table, I mean, that's all a part of the world you live in a lot. Yeah, I'm really advocating a lot for people knowing where their food comes from.

I'm very vocal about labeling because I'm big on America. We don't farm the same way that we did in California. California doesn't farm the same way as New York. We all have different resources, different regulations. So I believe that our food is sacred. And, you know, especially if you're looking at you preaching up there on Sundays, you know, God gave us food to survive and live off of. And so every farm and ranch does it a different way.

And I think that's so humbling to be able to buy local and just buy food in general and have that, you know, blessing to be in a farming community. Absolutely. And I mean, that's your family heritage. So you've lived close to it your whole life. And you understand the value of that. You know milk doesn't come in a plastic jug at the grocery store. Absolutely. And I think to help the rest of the people listening understand that message, that when the government starts talking about who can own land and who can't own land or foreign nations buying up our farmland, we should be agitated by that. That's not a good thing.

Yeah, I talk about this a lot. That's how I grew my platform. I'm a very honest. advocate of agriculture because I believe that our community is dying. And so that's why I started doing it because not only did my family have to retreat out of California like a lot of people did, but I see the trends of our country of different governments, different agendas, trying to push not only your right to private land ownership, but your right to choose what food you want to choose at the grocery store. And especially now with inflation, people are paying anywhere from 15 to 35% more in the grocery store for products. And it saddens me because I'm big on education. I don't have kids myself, but I believe every kid has the right to nutritional food,

whether it's at school or whether it's at the grocery store of what their family can afford. And I think the government is definitely weaponizing our food in that aspect of having nutritional food for kids and nutritional food on your dinner table at home. But you pay a lot of attention to this. I mean, I've heard you talk about the farm bills and what's in them and trying to wake people up to what's really happening? Yeah, I follow along with a lot of regulations, whether it's the activist side of, you know, them advocating against us, whether it's the Green New Deal, whether it's bills going back to private land ownership. Now they are threatening to trade our land through the stock market. That's going to be the new thing of 2024, the hot topic.

I follow along and I really do believe I know agriculture politics. And it's not something that my generation gets into, you know, I have a passion for it. I don't know it's because we had to fight our way in California and really defend ourselves. Maybe that's where I'm coming from watching my dad do it for years. But again, I truly believe that the consumers deserve to know what family farmers are going through and what our food security could be going through if we don't protect ourselves. You're exactly right. I have a family, part of my family, my aunt and her husband have a generational dairy farm in southwest Missouri. So I grew up there and I've been around that.

So your story resonates. The details are a little different because of the location in the country. And you're exactly right. Farming's different based on region and place because water and climate and everything affects it. But your awareness at your age and your courage and your boldness intrigues me. You don't, your backup button is broken. I'm proud of you for that. I mean, you talk about, you've got some comments.

I've heard you talk. about meat products in general and what's being done with that. Why don't you talk a little bit about that? Because I bet some of our listeners are not quite as up to speed as you are. Yes. So this is the topic I'm the strongest on because I'm a dairy farmer, because I know what it takes to get one glass of milk. I do not believe that the FDA and the USDA have protected us as family farmers or ranchers

with labeling and with other products coming in. The biggest mistake our country made, and I say this all the time, is alternative products adopting meat and milk on a label. It's not the same as what we do on a daily basis. And so not only have they taken... Almonds don't give milk? No. Wow, who knew?

And you're from California. I know. And so it just, it really boils me a little bit. And I get agitated because I truly believe the work that we do is totally different than it being grown in a laboratory. And unfortunately, because the dairy industry has died and we'll talk about the meat industry just in a second, but the dairy industry has died so quickly and there is no money being advocated for us. The oat and almond and soy took that on the last 10 years and they used their money to market against us, to market in the family home, that it's better for you, that there's

antibiotics in your milk, or if, or if you don't buy organic, you know, it's not good for you and it's going to cause cancer. And so they have created this fear. the American consumer, that agriculture is bad. And I, I, there's still people that believe in us. And I, you know, I'm not going to say that they don't because I think there's people out there that do buy the product. But unfortunately, as we get further and further away from the farmer and rancher, people are going to start to believe what the marketing agencies are feeding them inside their homes, whether it's through commercial, whether it's the government, whether it's through schools educating their kids. I have learned so much being at Fresno State, being an advocate, I was dairy princess. so I talked a lot about this in California. I saw as activists would come on and convince college students to live this vegan vegetarian

lifestyle, to get away from agriculture, to not believe in the land. And it's happening across the world. And there's billions of dollars being invested by the 1% to make sure that this agenda is being pushed. And that is another reason why they're bringing fake meat into our country is because it's a great time. I think there's a trend, especially during COVID. We talked about this a lot. is the shelves were empty, everybody got freaked out that there was no food. I'm telling you right now, if there's anything that the United States is good at,

is producing their own food and making sure it is safe for the American consumer. And they are making it believe that it's not. So imports have increased. The faith in the consumer to the American farmer has decreased. And now the government is a good position to push alternative products and fake meat into our country. So help everybody understand when you say, fake meat, what you mean? Because that's probably a new idea to a lot of people. Yes, so we'll go through the process of it. So this is what gets me again on the activist side is

they subpoena and humane society. I know all about them. I follow them very aggressively is they push the agenda to save the animals. And so they always say that we do a bad job. Well, this fake meat coming into the country, they're going to take these animals. They're going to take the cells from the animals. They're going to grow it in a laboratory and they're going to produce a like meat cultured meat. And to me, again, going back to save the animal concept, you're going to make these animals live a life in a laboratory, and you're going to push this on people to consume it. That is not animal husbandry. That is not the future for America. And, you know, in my American freedom and growing up the person that I am and the woman I am, we don't take

orders from the United Nations either. They're the ones that are pushing it as well. So I think America needs to stand strong and we need to have stronger representation, not only in Washington, D.C., but here in Tennessee, to protect us. Okay, I'm probably going to need to check your birth certificate. I don't believe people coming out of California use the language you do. So this is refreshing. Yes. Maybe it's the farming.

It's the farming. It's the passion in me. I think really what got me is, you know, there's a trend and maybe some high schoolers and colleges will, students will listen to me about this is while I love dressing up and I love Western influencers and, you know, this fun thing to go to Nashville and wear a cowgirl hat, there's not many like me standing up for agriculture in a political way and being honest with consumers and actually talking about the issues and actually telling people where they should be going, how they should be educating not only their family, but their neighbors and people that they really truly

care about because our country, God is going to protect us either way. God believes in family farmers and ranchers, but it takes really good people to back up our farmers or ranchers of America. Absolutely. We can't do it alone. So why do you think we have become so receptive to the government telling us what kind of appliances to put in our kitchen, you know, what kind of food we should eat? What has caused us to become so compliant? Because a generation or two ago, I read enough about your family. Your grandfather would have never put up with that. I'm pretty confident. I don't know him well, but I got just a little bit. And nobody would have told him what kind of appliance to put in his kitchen. No. Twice. I think fear has a lot to do with it. I see, again, you are passionate as well

about and what they get educated about and families protecting their own families. Absolutely. And And on the agriculture side, you know, I see government pushing for bugs and kids diets. And I see agriculture being pushed out of the picture by our government because it's easy for them to do. You know, we're a trillion dollar industry, but we still haven't learned as an agriculture industry how to protect ourselves. We can fight as much as we want in Washington, D.C. against, you know, energy infrastructure and the push for electric vehicles and the push for fake meat. But at the end of the day, there's still not a big voice out there against these big companies, against the big four, against Target, or against Walmart.

Yes, we're a big voice, but we use our money in a different way that is not being progressive. I think there's so much we can do together, and instead of doing it together, we kind of go in our own little corners and we advocate, and that's great. But it takes an army to go up against big people that are powerful. And while we have God on our side, I think it's going to take a lot more, especially from the agriculture industry, to push real American-grown food for this country and to make sure that the Americans are secured. Well, and I think to understand there's something that binds us together more than our advocacy for a niche in the economy, you know, it's our worldview, because this notion of a biblical worldview where God created the earth and everything that's for it, for humanity. I know that annoys to no extent some of the radical activists. But God created the world and everything that's in it for human beings.

Not to misuse it, we have a stewardship responsibility. But that is really where we stand in agreement that how we care for animals and livestock and the world around us is an expression of our faith just as much as we stand in a church building and worship. And I mean, that's very true for me because the smell of a barn is probably more comforting to me than the smell of the church. So that's another issue. But it's so grateful for your voice and your courage and your boldness. I particularly think it's your stage in life to do that.

You'll have a far greater impact than you can know today. Don't grow weary. Don't let the knuckle hair wear you down. Your Nash family cream, you actually have like four businesses attached to that? Yeah, we have four businesses throughout all of us. So you're not just like some country hick with a hat. Yeah, I think that's another thing. You know, I have gotten so much positivity.

Don't get me wrong. I think more people have been open to conversation with me than I would have ever thought. But I'm still out there, milking the cows. I was out there this morning treating a calf for pneumonia. I've been out there at midnight pulling a new calf because it's going to get cold Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. And sorry, nobody else is going to do it. So I do sacrifice. but I also believe that taking time off the farm and fighting for truth

and fighting for family farmers and ranchers is truly where I'm meant to be. I think in my heart that five years ago when I started my platform and now where I've gone is I can be a voice for agriculture. I can be a voice for kids growing up that don't know anything about agriculture and I can be a voice for our country for our food security in the future. Absolutely. You do some kids camps. I do kids camps.

Tell us a little bit about that. So I started those. two years ago, a lot of the parents were like, we love coming on the tours, we love learning about agriculture, but I actually want to leave my kid with you. And so we created Nash Family Farm Camp. We do it in the summer. This year we're doing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, it'd be the last week of June and the last week of July. And the kids come. They get dropped off in the morning. We ride the trailer over. We have a little safety session of what not to do around cows and we're not to go around trucks because most of them have never been on a farm. I have a lot of repeat campers. And so they'll milk cows. They'll get in there in

the milk parlor and they'll do it. They'll feed the baby's bottles. We will go around. We'll talk about nutrition of the cows, just kind of like nutrition with them when they go out and play sports or whatever it might be. We talk about the big tractors. The guys usually like that the best. And then at the end of the day, we have some bonding sessions and we play some kickball, which is really really fun and I find out who my competitive kids are at the end of the day. So it's not all work. It's a little bit of play, but I really think it's been a great experience for kids to learn about agriculture. That is so good. What ages are the kids that can participate? Five to 13. And then go to your website to find out about that?

Yeah, they can go to my website. We haven't announced it officially yet. We're looking to announce it here in a couple weeks. Okay. Yeah. But if they want to, they can schedule tours of the creamery or the barns and the farm in general? Yes. So our tours start. the first week of April, and they will go all the way till October. What's that website? That's nashfamily creamery.com. Awesome. Do you have a favorite flavor of ice cream?

I do right now. Campfire. Campfire? Campfire, and it tastes like you're sitting at a campfire. Everybody, I keep saying I think it's the best ice cream he's ever made. I think it's just because it takes me back to when I used to go to camp, and it tastes like that. But, yeah, there's great flavors. In the summer, peach is my favorite because it's so refreshing.

Yeah. That is so good. So we need to pay more attention to our food supply, to the voices speaking to us, to the disingenuous politicians that are manipulating us. Gee, that's a new idea. So just the average person listening, what would you like us to do or be more aware of, particularly your peer group? What would you say to them? Yeah. So specifically here in Tennessee, I'll start that off, is just because it has something on the label,

doesn't mean it's better than the product next door. And I really do believe that. Again, everybody farms in different ways. We are all held the standards. Your food is safe. So let's come together as community and support everybody. Good for you. That's something that I want to say first off the bat to Tennesseans.

Secondly, is try to get your kids in programs. I really do think that as we get further and further away from our farming and ranching community, our kids are going to grow up to believe that agriculture is bad for them. And so the more that we can protect our children to believe in agriculture, to believe in eating a great steak and some potatoes at dinner, and trusting their family farmers and ranchers, we can raise a generation that's going to protect our food supply and what God intended it to be for. That is such a good message. I'm going to start praying. The Lord expands your platform. Thank you.

Thank you for your courage and your boldness. Don't stop. Your voice is important. One last thing. I know someone, you've been to Israel? I have been to Israel. I went to a private school, and the senior year they offered us to go on a trip. And so we got to go. I was baptized in the Jordan. It was the best experience of my life. It really opened a lot of doors. And, you know, it was funny because I went with my best friend.

She is not a morning person. Again, I'm a farmer. And so I remember us having, you know, we stayed right by the Galilee. And I woke up and I said, I'm not going to miss this. And I'd get up at 5 a.m. and she'd be like, You are so loud, but I understand because we're on this experience. But it was just the most humbling trip I've ever been on. Do you get to visit any of their dairy lots? We didn't. No, we didn't. They set records every year for milk production.

Yeah, we didn't get to go to any of the dairies, but I remember we hiked a lot. Because it reminded me a little bit of what I read about your farm because they keep the cattle under shelters. Because their temperature, they're a little more harsh than Tennessee. but the Jews for years and years couldn't own property when they were in Europe most places. So when they began to migrate back to Israel, they had to learn agricultural again. And so it's become a point of national pride

that now they really lead the world and drip irrigation and milk production and so many things because their space is really limited. If they owned Kansas, God help us all to feed the world. But they have managed to make the desert bloom. They've used a desalination plant. to have all the water they needed. I don't know why California hadn't been awakened to that yet.

It would help them. It's probably Newsome. He's not going to lead anything too innovative. He's got to go at the dinner at somewhere. Yeah, and that's something, too, if listeners are, you know, open to the idea of getting to know what the world's going through, just look at Germany right now. They're fighting back. And again, I talk about this all the time because people are like, why don't farmers and ranchers do more? And I said, we're only 2%.

most countries are anywhere from 50 to 80% of the population. It's not, we don't want to do anything. So again, having consumers fight with us. A bit a lot of our listeners don't know what's going on in Germany. The farmers there have been leading protests, really choking down the major streets, big deal. Tell us a little bit about that. Yeah. So Germany is the fourth country to go into protest against their government. The big thing right now is the climate change agenda to kill off agriculture. It's not just in Germany. It started in India. There was just no news about it out. India fought back against their

government. Then it went to the Netherlands. Then it went to Ireland. And now Germany has said, we're done. We are over it. It is the biggest protest. The farmers in Germany have said we're done. Yes. The farmers in Germany. And that's the biggest protest any country has ever seen from the farming ranching community. Because they took, they had had some price breaks on agricultural diesel. And the government has taken those all away, along with a whole host of other things, making it more difficult for the farmers just to survive. Yes. And that's how the people get their food. You know, again, if the government can take away the family farm, those small farmers, and their ability to function and flourish, it puts the government in control of our food supply.

Absolutely. And we doesn't take much imagination to think about anything the government's in control of. It doesn't go very well. No. So the last thing we want the government in control of is our ice cream. I promise. That's ungodly. Yes, absolutely. And while the listeners might not see it as much here in the United States, I'm telling you behind closed doors, there's more regulations being passed against family farmers and ranchers. And we are losing land and water resources to foreign countries, to our government and to the 1% that want our country to suffer. What about the foreign nationals that are buying up our farmland? We're up to 2% now, which doesn't seem like a lot. But anytime you get foreign countries investing into our food, they can close doors tomorrow.

It just makes no sense. No. But it's logical, I guess, if we have an open border and they're not doing anything to stem the flow of the invasion across our borders, why would we expect them to protect our farmland? Absolutely. It's the future of our children and our grandchildren that we're standing up for. And so much of what they're giving us as data and hard science around climate change and all of the policies they're trying to implement

from electric vehicles to the appliances in our homes, it's worse science than the science they gave us around COVID. Now, they've started to admit some of the goofiness of what they did during COVID. Dr. Fauci said this week that social distancing was not science. Duh, or that putting a bandana over your face will not protect you from a virus. Gee, who have ever thought that?

But they're far more reluctant to tell us the truth about some of the bogus things they've been asserting over climate change and all of those things. I'm not a denier. I don't doubt there's change in the climate. But the cattle on the planet are not driving temperature change, I promise. So we have to make an effort to inform ourselves. Or we're going to end up eating cricket flour and fake meat.

Absolutely. No, thank you. Stephanie, thank you for what you're doing. I'm going to come check out your new ice cream flavors, I promise. And you're coming to character quest this summer here in World Outreach. So the kids are going to get to see some calves. Yeah, I'll be here educating kids and having a good time with them. Stephanie Nash, check out the website, follow her on her social media platforms,

and go by Nash Family Creamery. They've got great ice cream and good cheeses, and it will encourage you. You'll see people who love our nation, love the land, and have been doing that for generations. It's the backbone of our nation, and we're going to have to have the courage to stand up for the truth. Stephanie's doing it. If you can do it, maybe we can too. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you.

Hey, before we wrap this up completely, I want to take just a minute and talk about what we can do. You know, it's easy to listen to discussions and kind of get jacked up about all the stuff going on in the world. But at the end of the day, our responses are what make the difference. I'm not waiting on somebody else to ride to the rescue. We're responsible for our own health. We're responsible for our own nutrition. So I would just give you a simple idea. Grow something.

You know, no matter where you live, you may live in an apartment, but you can get a flower pot. and a little potting soil, and you can grow a tomato plant. Just the practice of watching something grow and what it takes to give attention to that and to facilitate that, it'll help you have a greater awareness. When I was like, boy, we lived in Miami in a very urban setting, and most of our neighbors at that time were Jewish. I've lived in Israel, and so they became really good friends. But the kids had never seen anything grow, and I remember we put a little flower bed, really,

but we put some vegetables in it. And the kids were fascinated, watching things grow. and seeing that process. Our food does not come from the grocery store, and it certainly doesn't come from the government. At the end of the day, it comes from God. And that connection to watching something grow, it'll help you be healthier,

and it'll help your faith grow. That same God that watches over those plants grow, he watches over you and me. Hey, God bless you, and I'll talk to you soon. Hey, thanks for joining me today. Before you go, please like the podcast and leave a comment so more people can hear about this topic too. If you haven't yet,

be sure to subscribe to Alan Jackson Ministries YouTube channel and follow the Culture and Christianity podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Together, let's learn how to lead with our faith and change our culture. I'll see you next time.