On this edition of Your Call, Renee King-Sonnen discusses her new memoir, Rowdy Girl: Confessions of a Vegan Cattle Rancher. She traces her journey from the wife of a Texas cattle rancher to a vegan activist fighting to save those cows from slaughter. She argues that we must reimagine the way we eat and the food systems we uphold.
Renee King-Sonnen writes: "My transition to veganism wasn’t a dietary choice; it was a spiritual awakening, a rebirth, and recovery. It was the gift of desperation that broke me and brought me to my knees. I could not imagine the cows going to slaughter after I went vegan. I would have died for them. I would have stood between the red trailer and the cows to keep them from going to slaughter. My fierce determination to save their lives saved me. I came to the conclusion that there will be no peace on earth without peace in our bellies."
King-Sonnen also runs a program to inspire ranchers to consider alternatives to animal farming. What will it take to reform the animal agriculture industry in the US?
Guests:
Renee King-Sonnen, founder and executive director of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary, internationally-recognized animal rights activist, and author of the new book Rowdy Girl: Confessions of a Vegan Cattle Rancher
Resources:
PBS: Rowdy Girl: The Story of a Texas Cattle Rancher Who Went Vegan
Vogue: How Rowdy Girl Sanctuary Is Challenging the Texas Cattle Industry One Ranch at a Time
NBC News: Americans are eating up the meat industry’s health claims
Stanford: Meat’s Environmental Impact
FarmAid: Tracking the Farm Economy in Crisis
USA Today: Half of farmers are over retirement age. Is our food system at risk?
PBS: Screwworm fly detected in Texas decades after cattle threat was largely eradicated in U.S.
