Re-imagining the Ranch

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 05:00:00

Re-imagining the Ranch

One of Charlie Sydnor's Red Devon cows

At a recent press conference, President Bush pushed China to buy more U.S. beef: "It's good for them, they'll like it," he said. The cattle industry is big business in the U.S., in part because the government subsidizes the grain farmers buy to feed their cows.

Charlie Sydnor is a rancher and doctor in North Carolina who used to be part of the mainstream cattle industry. For years, he raised cows to the appropriate size, then trucked them off to the feedlot to fatten up on grain before getting slaughtered.

Charlie Sydnor

On September 11, 2001, the bottom dropped out of the beef market. Charlie lost a lot of money and that led to a realization - he wanted to raise his cows differently.

Dick Gordon visits Charlie's farm - a sprawling 460 acres that has become a model in the movement for local, sustainable, and grass-fed beef.

See an album from the visit
Find out what Charlie has been reading
Learn more about Charlie's ranch, Braeburn Farm

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Watching Gaza

Laila El-Haddad and her son, Yousuf

Palestinian journalist Laila El-Haddad travels between two homes in Gaza and Durham, N.C. Earlier this year, she joined Dick on The Story to talk about how she navigates that divide, and how she explains the political situation to her three-year-old son.

On her most recent trip, Laila saw the beginnings of the fighting that overtook Gaza last week and led to Hamas wresting control from Fatah. She talks with Dick about what it was like to be there as the political fissures deepened.

Keep up with Laila's work and travels on her blog

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TWO MOMS FOLLOW UP... IT'S A BOY!

Catherine, Kathleen, and Kace - click for a larger view of the baby

A couple of weeks ago, Catherine and Kathleen McAuley stopped by the studio to talk with Dick Gordon about sharing their pregnancy - and figuring out how to talk to other people about it.

On Friday, June 15, 2007 at 2:00 a.m., their son Kace Hendrik McAuley was born. He weighed 10 pounds and 6 ounces. Catherine and Kathleen talk to Dick Gordon from the maternity ward about their introduction to motherhood.

The Story from American Public Media - Re-imagining the Ranch

Re-imagining the Ranch

Re-imagining the Ranch

Watching Gaza

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TWO MOMS FOLLOW UP... IT'S A BOY!