Commentary
In a perfect world, we would all buy our beef directly from a farmer we know. A farmer whose cattle we can see grazing in a field when we drive by. A farmer who does not need a label because trust is built face to face.
A butcher cuts beef for a customer in a grocery store in Miami, Fla., on July 22, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Mollie Engelhart
Author
Mollie Engelhart, regenerative farmer and rancher at Sovereignty Ranch, is committed to food sovereignty, soil regeneration, and educating on homesteading and self-sufficiency. She is the author of “Debunked by Nature”: Debunk Everything You Thought You Knew About Food, Farming, and Freedom—a raw, riveting account of her journey from vegan chef and LA restaurateur to hands-in-the-dirt farmer, and how nature shattered her cultural programming.
