Elizabeth Collins - Becoming a Farmer At 40 | #77

Elizabeth Collins is a first-generation farmer co-running Otter Creek Farm with Brad Wiley. Originally from Cincinnati, she moved from Lexington, KY, and now leads the farm’s livestock, regenerative operations, and Graceful Acres Farmstay.Otter Creek Farm is a 440-acre multigenerational farm in Pittstown, NY, with 200 tillable acres, 100 pasture acres, and 140 woodland acres. A former dairy farm (1937–2018), it now raises pastured poultry, pigs, grass-fed cattle, and turkeys, and hosts a 20-acre chestnut orchard run by Breadtree Farms.Alrighty, ranch 3!Today we speak to Elizabeth Collins. Elizabeth has an amazing story of how she battled the odds to become a farmer at age 40. We discuss:How Elizabeth became a farmer in her 40s after a life in business and food advocacyThe role of grants and how they enable regenerative agriculture to surviveWhy she opposes USDA slaughter rules and advocates for humane, on-farm killsThe legacy of Temple Grandin and how autism helped redesign slaughter systemsWhy she nearly became vegan—and how Cowspiracy gets regenerative farming wrongAre co-ops viable, and what lessons she learned from working with oneWhat regenerative ranching really means to her, and how she's living itTimestamps00:00:00 Why Elizabeth rejects USDA slaughter and does on-farm kills 00:00:30 Her awakening to food, fat, and the broken health narrative 00:11:15 Selling a business and moving north: the midlife pivot 00:15:30 Lessons from a failed co-op and how the system is broken 00:19:40 The visceral moment she knew she needed to farm 00:26:15 Interning at 40 and what the 22-year-olds taught her 00:40:30 Grants as a lifeline for regenerative farms—and why they're vanishing 00:45:00 Legal barriers and values behind her small-scale slaughter model 00:50:40 Temple Grandin and the redesign of humane slaughter 01:09:00 'Cowspiracy' and why it's irrelevant to regenerative farming 01:20:30 Why she can’t legally sell her own meat in her farm store 01:26:15 What regenerative ranching truly means to ElizabethConnect with Elizabeth!Website Come Stay At Otter Creek...InstagramFollow the tour on YouTube