The United States had 131,000 dairy farms in 1992. Today, we have just 23,600. San Diego County alone went from more than 100 dairies to one.Kevin Muno just made it two.He is a first generation producer, a former college baseball player with no agricultural background, and he built the only certified raw milk dairy in Southern California from scratch. This conversation covers how he did it, what the regulatory path actually looked like, and why he thinks the future of dairy is bioregional rather than national.We also get into where the food influencer conversation has gone wrong, the grain vs. grass-finished debate, and who should be leading the MAHA discussion.00:00 Intro02:12 Meet Kevin Muno of Perennial Pastures02:38 Getting certified: paperwork, CDFA, first milk in the tank03:08 From Los Angeles to baseball to ranching04:00 The Paleo Diet04:51 Deep roots in California06:00 The injury that ended baseball, and the man behind the curtain07:28 Learning from Rodger Savory and holistic management09:35 Johan Zietzman, ultra high density grazing, and genetics11:51 Why a dairy, why Southern California, and why now?12:20 Losing 16,000 acres of leases13:37 What customers asked for most: raw milk16:30 Importing a milking parlor from Lithuania18:55 From Angus, Moshona, Corriente to A2A2 Jerseys20:14 Bringing back the milkman21:41 Vegans are becoming regenerative ag advocates24:37 From 131,000 dairies to 23,60025:36 Conventional vs. regenerative, and the false choice33:37 Grain-finished beef vs. grass-finished beef39:48 Cattle on Western landscapes42:05 The case for raw milk42:52 How pasteurization won: Nathan Straus and Dr. Henry Coit48:17 Health claims, and a clinical trial in the works50:00 Working with CDFA, and where the code needs updating54:38 California’s food safety standards and daily testing55:55 Advice for the next dairyman59:24 Where to find Perennial PasturesShow NotesFind Kevin:Perennial Pastures Ranch: perennialpasturesranch.comInstagram: @perennialpasturesranchX: @regenranchingMentioned in this episode:The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren CordainRestoration Agriculture by Mark ShepardAllan Savory and holistic managementJohan Zietsman, ultra high density grazingRaw Milk Institute (RAWMI)Dr. Weston A. PriceHappy Hens Egg Farm, Ramona, CARegenifiedSponsored by RanchVision, the software ranchers use to boost profits and make better decisions: https://www.ranchvision.ioSpecial thanks to Josh Woolwine for creating our intro. Follow Josh at https://www.instagram.com/hjwoolwine.UNWON is reader-supported. To support independent journalism for the American West, become a subscriber: https://www.americaunwon.com

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