You all know I’m a big supporter of healthy, ethically raised animal proteins – and today we get another serving of the good stuff.
Today's guest is Farmer Paul Grieve. Paul is the founder of Pasturebird, the largest pasture-raised chicken operation in the world, focused on making true pasture-raised, nutrient-dense chicken, more accessible and affordable to you and me.
Paul never set out to be a farmer. His journey began after contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite during his marine corps training, a seemingly innocuous event that would shape the rest of his life. Going Paleo as a means to treat his symptoms, he identified a glaring gap in the market for natural, pasture-raised chicken – especially in Southern California.
Soon, his backyard-based business maintained wholesale accounts with both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dodgers. He was onto something big, and hasn’t slowed down since.
I'm so inspired by Paul, his wife Lynsey, the community they've created, and all the good they're putting into this world. It's such a pleasure to introduce you to Pasturebird in the hopes that this knowledge empowers you with a better way of taking care of your family, and the planet as well.
We also cover…
00:02:55 — Catching Up With Farmer Paul Grieve
- Reliving happy memories at Pasturebird’s farm
- Remaking the land from 50 years of soil depletion
- A surprising shift from the marines to farming
- Contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite and his resulting symptoms
- How Paleo changed his outlook on health and nutrition
- Identifying a gap in the market for pasture-raised chicken
- The 50 tiny baby chicks that started it all
- Creating Pasturebird and Primal Pastures thanks to the help of Joel Salatin
00:13:45 – Paul’s Shift in Diet & Mindset around Nutrient-Dense Food
- Paul’s delicious local diet as a Marine in Iraq
- America’s lack of nutrient-dense foods and recommendations
- Indigenous wisdom around regenerative farming
- Inspired by the work of Joel Salatin
- Soil quality over the generations
- Roaming vs. stationary livestock
- Kiss The Ground (film)
- Harms of monocropping and factory farming
00:24:34 — Scaling A Regenerative Farm
- Mission to be widely available and affordable
- Pasturebird is at Sprouts!
- The key to scaling an eco-friendly chicken business
- Welcoming technological solutions to inefficiency problems
- Inventing the Automated Range Coop to support 6,000 chickens
00:35:10 – How Healthy Soil Grows Healthy Food
- Allowing chickens to forage on pesticide-free land
- Bugs, not drugs – raising clean poultry
- The ‘flaws’ in a conventional chicken operation
- Find Real Chicken Near You
- Carbon sequestration in plants, water infiltration, & biodiversity from regenerative farming
- Supporting an evolving ecosystem with the reintegration of crops and animals
- Reimagining and reinventing the future of our food system
00:57:54 — Paul’s Health & Home Hacks
- Paleo-forward family diet
- Education pods and garage learning for their kids
- Living amongst a large family support system
- Enrichment from traveling the world
- Paving his own path and doing hard things
Resources:
Connect with Kelly:
Be Well By Kelly is produced by Crate Media.
Mentioned in this episode:
LMNT | Go to DrinkLMNT.com/Kelly to order a free sample pack of LMNT electrolytes. Just pay shipping (only $5 if you're in the US)!
Pasture Bird | Order today at pasturebird.com and use code 'BEWELLBYKELLY' for 10% off your order.
BWBK Protein Powder | Get $10 off your order with PODCAST10 at bewellbykelly.com.
