1 00:00:00,650 --> 00:00:02,761 Host: Our next speaker will be Joel Salatin 2 00:00:02,761 --> 00:00:05,661 who is a farmer, lecturer, and author, 3 00:00:05,661 --> 00:00:09,503 whose books include "You Can Farm", and "Salad Bar Beef". 4 00:00:09,504 --> 00:00:15,076 Salatin raises livestock using holistic methods of animal husbandry, 5 00:00:15,077 --> 00:00:19,518 free of potentially harmful chemicals, on his farm in Virginia. 6 00:00:19,519 --> 00:00:22,992 His farm is featured in the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" 7 00:00:22,993 --> 00:00:25,563 and the documentary film "Food, Inc." 8 00:00:25,564 --> 00:00:27,656 Please welcome Joel Salatin. 9 00:00:27,657 --> 00:00:30,126 (Cheers) (Applause) 10 00:00:36,681 --> 00:00:38,280 Joel Salatin: Thank you. 11 00:00:38,281 --> 00:00:42,654 A lot of people wonder, "How did you get to where you are?" 12 00:00:42,655 --> 00:00:45,007 And so as I've thought about this presentation, 13 00:00:45,007 --> 00:00:51,103 I've decided to just give a story of exactly how we got to where we are. 14 00:00:52,546 --> 00:00:55,317 It doesn't start at the beginning necessarily, 15 00:00:55,318 --> 00:00:59,951 but it does start with the need of people fleeing their Dilbert cubicles 16 00:00:59,952 --> 00:01:04,757 being a cog in the wheel of a corporate, global elitist, 17 00:01:04,757 --> 00:01:06,988 wanting to have a pleasant life in the country 18 00:01:06,989 --> 00:01:09,456 and asking us to grow ready-to-lay pullets for them. 19 00:01:09,457 --> 00:01:15,546 Now a pullet, for you uninitiated, a pullet is a non-laying, female chicken. 20 00:01:15,547 --> 00:01:21,130 OK, like a virgin, or a heifer, or something like that, OK. 21 00:01:21,131 --> 00:01:22,988 So we started raising these pullets 22 00:01:22,989 --> 00:01:25,095 for people who wanted them in their backyard 23 00:01:25,096 --> 00:01:28,208 for their McMansion farmettes out in the countryside. 24 00:01:28,213 --> 00:01:29,781 (Laughter) 25 00:01:29,782 --> 00:01:32,733 So we raised these 100 for this lady that called and said, 26 00:01:32,734 --> 00:01:34,161 "We want 100 pullets." 27 00:01:34,162 --> 00:01:36,265 We raised it for five months 28 00:01:36,265 --> 00:01:39,265 - they don't start laying till five months - 29 00:01:39,265 --> 00:01:42,633 they've got to go through puberty and all that sort of thing. 30 00:01:42,634 --> 00:01:45,344 So they started laying, and I called the lady, and I said, 31 00:01:45,345 --> 00:01:48,934 "OK, your pullets have begun laying, now you want to come and pick them up?" 32 00:01:48,935 --> 00:01:52,196 She said, "Oh, my plans have changed, I'm not going to pick them up." 33 00:01:52,762 --> 00:01:54,811 Well, we had 100 pullets. 34 00:01:55,451 --> 00:02:00,370 You know, you don't tell these ladies to just stop laying eggs. 35 00:02:00,371 --> 00:02:02,031 You don't say, "Put a cork in it!" 36 00:02:02,032 --> 00:02:03,791 I mean, they just start laying eggs. 37 00:02:03,792 --> 00:02:06,418 There's nothing to do except collect eggs. 38 00:02:06,419 --> 00:02:10,865 We had a customer at the time that was a Washington lobbyist, actually, 39 00:02:10,866 --> 00:02:14,277 and he came down, and we were doing all this ... 40 00:02:17,863 --> 00:02:21,934 "Buy ten dozen, get one free" promotional things. 41 00:02:21,935 --> 00:02:24,583 Now, you've got to understand, when we raise chickens, 42 00:02:24,584 --> 00:02:27,242 we provide a habitat 43 00:02:27,242 --> 00:02:30,709 that allows the chicken to fully express its chickenness. 44 00:02:30,711 --> 00:02:32,414 (Laughter) 45 00:02:32,415 --> 00:02:36,252 The number one question is what is the essence of chicken? 46 00:02:36,253 --> 00:02:39,834 Because it is in answering that question, the chickenness of the chicken, 47 00:02:39,835 --> 00:02:42,451 that you actually get the best egg. 48 00:02:42,452 --> 00:02:45,602 Just like you get the best bacon from the essence of pig. 49 00:02:45,603 --> 00:02:46,971 You get your best T-bone, 50 00:02:46,972 --> 00:02:49,413 you get your best tomato from the essence of tomato. 51 00:02:49,414 --> 00:02:51,211 See, we live in a culture today 52 00:02:51,211 --> 00:02:53,011 that doesn't ask 53 00:02:54,591 --> 00:02:56,600 about the essence of pig; 54 00:02:56,601 --> 00:03:00,839 they simply ask how can we grow it fatter, faster, bigger, cheaper. 55 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,521 That's all the matters: faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper. 56 00:03:03,522 --> 00:03:05,952 And so we have this very mechanistic, 57 00:03:05,959 --> 00:03:09,832 in our Greco-Roman, Western, reductionist, linear, fragmented, 58 00:03:09,833 --> 00:03:13,100 compartmentalized, disconnected, democratized, individualized, 59 00:03:13,101 --> 00:03:17,512 parts-oriented thought process, we never think about the whole! 60 00:03:17,513 --> 00:03:20,503 (Cheers) (Applause) 61 00:03:20,504 --> 00:03:24,060 And so what happens is, as a culture, 62 00:03:24,061 --> 00:03:26,664 we basically view that pig or that chicken 63 00:03:26,665 --> 00:03:30,599 as just an inanimate pile of protoplasmic structure to be manipulated 64 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:34,256 however cleverly hubris can imagine to manipulate it. 65 00:03:34,257 --> 00:03:37,463 And I would suggest that a culture that views its animals and plants 66 00:03:37,464 --> 00:03:41,433 from that type of manipulative, arrogant, disrespectful attitude, 67 00:03:41,434 --> 00:03:45,314 will also soon view its citizens the same way, 68 00:03:45,315 --> 00:03:47,442 and other cultures the same way. 69 00:03:47,443 --> 00:03:48,521 (Applause) 70 00:03:48,522 --> 00:03:49,901 So it is asking the chicken, 71 00:03:49,918 --> 00:03:53,239 "How can we fully allow you to express your chickenness?" 72 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,351 that gives us not only the essence of chicken 73 00:03:55,352 --> 00:03:57,119 but therefore, the essence of egg. 74 00:03:57,119 --> 00:04:00,187 So we had these eggs, and this customer comes down, and he says, 75 00:04:00,187 --> 00:04:01,457 "It's immoral for you 76 00:04:01,457 --> 00:04:04,236 to be doing sale-priced stuff to get rid of these eggs." 77 00:04:04,236 --> 00:04:05,690 He says, "I'll take a case." 78 00:04:05,691 --> 00:04:08,801 Now this was a truly entrepreneurial guy, you know, grandpa; 79 00:04:08,802 --> 00:04:13,084 he and his wife live down in Gainesville, near DC. 80 00:04:13,097 --> 00:04:15,997 And the next week, he calls and says, "I want two cases." 81 00:04:15,997 --> 00:04:18,031 Now, a case is 30 dozen. 82 00:04:18,033 --> 00:04:20,800 The next week, he calls and says, "I want three cases." 83 00:04:20,801 --> 00:04:24,922 Now I knew that he and his wife were not eating 90 dozen eggs a week. 84 00:04:24,923 --> 00:04:26,480 (Laughter) 85 00:04:27,351 --> 00:04:30,962 So I said, "Alright, time to fess up. What are you doing with these eggs?" 86 00:04:30,963 --> 00:04:34,171 He says, "Well, I'm taking them into these chefs in DC, 87 00:04:34,172 --> 00:04:37,635 and they've never seen an egg like this, and they're just going euphoric, 88 00:04:37,636 --> 00:04:38,833 and they want more eggs." 89 00:04:38,834 --> 00:04:41,293 So he said, "I've got a business proposition." 90 00:04:41,294 --> 00:04:45,282 He says, "How soon can you get me 91 00:04:48,337 --> 00:04:51,232 500 dozen a week?" 92 00:04:53,173 --> 00:04:56,427 I said, "Well, I've got to buy the chicks, I've got to raise them up, 93 00:04:56,428 --> 00:04:59,719 five, six months, we can probably do that." 94 00:05:00,824 --> 00:05:02,869 He said, "OK, well," 95 00:05:02,870 --> 00:05:07,250 - this is the greatest lie ever invented by man - 96 00:05:07,251 --> 00:05:10,131 "you raise them, and I'll sell them." 97 00:05:10,132 --> 00:05:13,805 That's why farmers go out of business, believing things like that. 98 00:05:13,806 --> 00:05:18,223 But, before you're old and wise, you have to be young and foolish. 99 00:05:18,224 --> 00:05:19,993 So, we were younger and foolish. 100 00:05:19,994 --> 00:05:21,569 And we said, "OK, we'll do it." 101 00:05:21,570 --> 00:05:24,495 So we bought 1,000 little chick pullets, raised them up, 102 00:05:24,496 --> 00:05:28,383 they began to lay, right when he got very busy with lobby efforts. 103 00:05:28,384 --> 00:05:31,375 You know, fluoridation of city water systems, 104 00:05:31,407 --> 00:05:34,987 and vitamins, trying to make them into prescription drugs, 105 00:05:34,988 --> 00:05:36,390 and all this stuff. 106 00:05:36,391 --> 00:05:38,963 And he just got too busy to market them. 107 00:05:38,964 --> 00:05:42,949 Well now, instead of 100 pullets, I had 1,000 pullets. 108 00:05:42,950 --> 00:05:44,018 (Laughter) 109 00:05:44,019 --> 00:05:45,867 Big problem! 110 00:05:45,868 --> 00:05:47,479 So I realized, you know what? 111 00:05:47,479 --> 00:05:51,149 If it's going to happen, it's going to be me. 112 00:05:51,150 --> 00:05:53,833 If it's going to be, it's up to me. 113 00:05:53,834 --> 00:06:00,244 So, I had a retired chef friend, who was cheffing in Charlottsville, VA. 114 00:06:00,245 --> 00:06:02,925 So I called him up, I said, "Hans, I'm in a problem here. 115 00:06:02,926 --> 00:06:04,362 I need a hit list. 116 00:06:04,362 --> 00:06:06,490 I need a hit list of restaurants 117 00:06:06,490 --> 00:06:09,860 that are interested in the essence of egg." 118 00:06:10,511 --> 00:06:11,930 (Laughter) 119 00:06:11,931 --> 00:06:13,782 And he said, "Oh, no problem." 120 00:06:13,783 --> 00:06:15,627 This was in the days before computers. 121 00:06:15,628 --> 00:06:17,013 So he got on his typewriter, 122 00:06:17,013 --> 00:06:20,013 he typed me out about 12 restaurants in the area, 123 00:06:20,013 --> 00:06:22,927 and mailed them to me, so I just started down the list. 124 00:06:22,928 --> 00:06:24,631 I said, "Hello, I'm Joel Salatin. 125 00:06:24,631 --> 00:06:27,421 I've got the world's best egg. I'd like to show it to you." 126 00:06:27,421 --> 00:06:29,137 I've never had a chef turn me down. 127 00:06:29,137 --> 00:06:31,018 Because chefs are very artistic, 128 00:06:31,018 --> 00:06:34,130 you don't see salt shakers in a white tablecloth restaurant, 129 00:06:34,131 --> 00:06:36,920 they've got bowls so they can feel it and pinch it. 130 00:06:36,921 --> 00:06:41,766 They don't have little Tupperware white and yolk separators, 131 00:06:41,767 --> 00:06:43,390 they crack the egg in their hands 132 00:06:43,391 --> 00:06:46,140 and let the white dribble down through their fingers. 133 00:06:48,170 --> 00:06:51,860 They get into it; they're sculptors and so they love a new medium. 134 00:06:51,876 --> 00:06:56,953 And so my son and I - he was a little chumper - 135 00:06:56,954 --> 00:07:00,061 didn't have a business card at the time, you know, 136 00:07:00,062 --> 00:07:03,200 so we put some eggs in the car, I called these six, and I said, 137 00:07:03,201 --> 00:07:06,694 "I've got the world's best egg. I'd like to make an appointment with you." 138 00:07:06,695 --> 00:07:09,353 So we made six appointments in the day. 139 00:07:10,104 --> 00:07:13,935 That was what we could compress between morning chores and evening chores. 140 00:07:13,936 --> 00:07:17,339 Got in the car, put a couple of cases of eggs in there, 141 00:07:17,340 --> 00:07:18,739 and some sample dozen, 142 00:07:18,740 --> 00:07:20,702 and drove off to the first appointment. 143 00:07:20,703 --> 00:07:23,994 We made them one hour apart for six hours. 144 00:07:24,740 --> 00:07:27,467 And the first place we went to, we went in 145 00:07:27,468 --> 00:07:32,663 - this was a small, 50-seat, white tablecloth, nicely appointed, 146 00:07:32,664 --> 00:07:36,196 chef-owner-operated restaurant. 147 00:07:37,616 --> 00:07:40,605 He was busy, he had burns all up and down his arms. 148 00:07:40,606 --> 00:07:44,951 You can tell when a chef is a chef; their body's full of burns. 149 00:07:44,952 --> 00:07:46,723 (Laughter) 150 00:07:47,873 --> 00:07:53,242 So, he's there; he's got a stove there, and he's a man of few words. 151 00:07:53,243 --> 00:07:55,227 I walked in and introduced myself. 152 00:07:55,228 --> 00:07:58,829 And he said, "OK," and I opened up a sample dozen. 153 00:07:58,830 --> 00:08:04,252 He took an egg out, and he had a little, six-inch saucepan there, 154 00:08:04,253 --> 00:08:06,556 about half-full of water, sitting on the stove, 155 00:08:06,557 --> 00:08:08,517 not boiling but almost. 156 00:08:08,518 --> 00:08:11,383 And he cracked the egg into it, dropped in it, 157 00:08:11,384 --> 00:08:12,976 and it floated. 158 00:08:12,977 --> 00:08:17,782 And he began studying the essence of egg. 159 00:08:17,783 --> 00:08:19,011 (Laughter) 160 00:08:19,012 --> 00:08:21,751 And it captured his attention. 161 00:08:21,752 --> 00:08:25,699 And waited a few seconds, 30 seconds or so, 162 00:08:25,700 --> 00:08:27,965 then he takes a slotted spoon, a white saucer, 163 00:08:27,966 --> 00:08:29,620 and he gingerly pulled it out. 164 00:08:29,626 --> 00:08:33,418 By this time it was clear that he was having an epiphany. 165 00:08:33,419 --> 00:08:34,613 (Laughter) 166 00:08:34,614 --> 00:08:36,792 He pulled it out; he dropped it on the saucer. 167 00:08:36,793 --> 00:08:39,602 And then he put the spoon down, and he began to stroke it. 168 00:08:39,604 --> 00:08:41,494 (Laughter) 169 00:08:41,500 --> 00:08:43,359 Like you'd pet a kitten. 170 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:45,072 (Laughter) 171 00:08:45,073 --> 00:08:48,210 Daniel and I are standing there, my son, he's about six years old, 172 00:08:48,211 --> 00:08:51,511 we're looking at each other, 'Whoa, what have we gotten into here?' 173 00:08:51,512 --> 00:08:53,130 (Laughter) 174 00:08:55,036 --> 00:08:58,099 And so, of course, I couldn't stand it, I asked the chef, I said, 175 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:01,558 "So, what are we doing here? What's the deal?" 176 00:09:02,998 --> 00:09:06,515 And again, a man of few words, he says, "I'll show you." 177 00:09:06,516 --> 00:09:08,794 Of course, they all have some exotic accent 178 00:09:08,795 --> 00:09:12,432 because they've all been trained in Europe, and Switzerland, and all this. 179 00:09:13,552 --> 00:09:20,441 So he has a stack of flatted, regular, fecal, confinement factory, salmonella, 180 00:09:20,459 --> 00:09:22,251 E. coli eggs there standing. 181 00:09:22,252 --> 00:09:23,639 (Laughter) 182 00:09:24,860 --> 00:09:28,642 So he takes one of those out, and he drops it in the same pan. 183 00:09:28,643 --> 00:09:31,972 When the egg hits the water, it explodes. 184 00:09:31,973 --> 00:09:33,652 The yolk separates from the white. 185 00:09:33,653 --> 00:09:38,456 The white turns into what look like little (sound effect) packing peanuts 186 00:09:38,459 --> 00:09:39,626 little nurlies. 187 00:09:40,042 --> 00:09:42,860 He points at it, and he says, "I can't serve that." 188 00:09:44,371 --> 00:09:47,351 He said, "I'll buy 30 dozen on the spot." 189 00:09:47,351 --> 00:09:50,454 I just happened to have a case with me, you know, just in case ... 190 00:09:50,455 --> 00:09:51,760 in case we struck it rich. 191 00:09:51,761 --> 00:09:53,843 So, ran out to the car, got one. 192 00:09:53,844 --> 00:09:57,859 Now, we were asking him to pay three times the price, 193 00:09:57,860 --> 00:09:59,585 and cut a separate check. 194 00:09:59,586 --> 00:10:02,601 If you've been in restaurant marketing, you know that's suicide. 195 00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:06,220 Fortunately, we were too dumb to know it was suicide. 196 00:10:06,221 --> 00:10:08,859 So we went where angels fear to tread. 197 00:10:08,860 --> 00:10:12,757 And we went in there with this, and he bought them on the spot, 198 00:10:13,597 --> 00:10:15,600 became a very loyal customer. 199 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,679 Several weeks later, we found out the second part of the story, 200 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:24,099 and that was that the very next morning, 201 00:10:24,100 --> 00:10:27,599 the very next morning, he was having a meeting 202 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:32,453 of all of his staff to get together because, it turns out, 203 00:10:32,454 --> 00:10:36,271 unknown to us, that for this little restaurant, 204 00:10:36,272 --> 00:10:39,501 the only one of 50 in the Charlottsville area, 205 00:10:39,502 --> 00:10:43,988 the only one that had this as their centerpiece menu item 206 00:10:43,989 --> 00:10:49,284 - all restaurants evolve around a kind of a centerpiece menu item, 207 00:10:49,285 --> 00:10:51,289 their forte, alright? - 208 00:10:51,290 --> 00:10:55,033 well this one, their signature menu item, 209 00:10:55,042 --> 00:11:01,417 was Sunday brunch, water-poached egg in hollandaise sauce. 210 00:11:02,851 --> 00:11:08,280 And the following morning after we showed up, 211 00:11:09,390 --> 00:11:13,446 he had called together his whole staff to look at all their options, 212 00:11:13,447 --> 00:11:18,576 and their gifts, and talents, and resources, client base, and all that, 213 00:11:18,577 --> 00:11:25,423 and decide what's to substitute for their signature menu item 214 00:11:25,783 --> 00:11:31,024 because they could not get enough eggs to hold together to make it work. 215 00:11:33,125 --> 00:11:37,709 And I'd always enjoy - and I always get chill bumps every time I tell that story, 216 00:11:37,709 --> 00:11:39,470 and I've told it a million times - 217 00:11:39,470 --> 00:11:42,238 but the point of the story is 218 00:11:43,470 --> 00:11:48,362 that if we devote ourselves 219 00:11:49,842 --> 00:11:53,142 to sacredness in our vocations, 220 00:11:55,122 --> 00:11:57,432 the world will rise to meet us. 221 00:11:58,542 --> 00:12:05,065 And I think too often in our culture, we don't have sacredness, 222 00:12:05,066 --> 00:12:10,100 we don't have honor, we don't have nobility of personal ministry. 223 00:12:10,802 --> 00:12:15,424 That story illustrates the essence of egg, 224 00:12:15,425 --> 00:12:17,546 and the essence of chicken. 225 00:12:17,547 --> 00:12:23,455 And that is why they eat bugs, and grubs, and run on green grass; 226 00:12:23,456 --> 00:12:26,684 and that's why we move them to a fresh salad bar every day. 227 00:12:26,685 --> 00:12:31,334 And that's why we practice nature's template and biomimicry, 228 00:12:31,334 --> 00:12:33,641 and move the Eggmobiles behind the cows, 229 00:12:33,641 --> 00:12:36,834 so the chickens can mimic the birds that follow the wildebeests 230 00:12:36,834 --> 00:12:40,084 on the Serengeti, but do this in Swoope, Virginia, 231 00:12:40,838 --> 00:12:43,584 and scrapes through the cow paddies, sanitize the paddock 232 00:12:43,585 --> 00:12:45,959 so we don't have to shoot the cows up with Ivomec 233 00:12:45,971 --> 00:12:49,413 and things that make them eat so bad, it kills all the bugs. 234 00:12:49,414 --> 00:12:54,646 That's all illustrative of why we do what we do. 235 00:12:54,647 --> 00:12:58,989 And so, in essence, all of us, every day, 236 00:12:58,990 --> 00:13:04,156 we are writing a story and a legacy that will be told about us. 237 00:13:04,926 --> 00:13:09,722 And wouldn't it cheapen our lives 238 00:13:09,723 --> 00:13:13,022 if we're just doing the expedient thing? 239 00:13:13,023 --> 00:13:16,894 Just putting in my time; doing my job. 240 00:13:16,895 --> 00:13:22,874 I'm so tired of hearing people that dismiss mediocrity, 241 00:13:22,875 --> 00:13:27,975 and dismiss even dishonorable deeds, with, "I'm just doing my job." 242 00:13:27,976 --> 00:13:29,988 What, did you check your mind at the door? 243 00:13:29,989 --> 00:13:32,340 Did you check your conscience at the door? 244 00:13:33,255 --> 00:13:39,493 And so, on our farm, we have been deeply and greatly blessed over these years 245 00:13:39,494 --> 00:13:43,822 to serve 50 restaurants, and 2,500 families, 246 00:13:43,823 --> 00:13:47,371 and to be able to see the growth of the operation, 247 00:13:47,372 --> 00:13:48,602 but you know what? 248 00:13:48,603 --> 00:13:53,873 We still don't and never have had a sales plan or a marketing target. 249 00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:57,470 We've never had a benchmark that we're hitting. 250 00:13:57,471 --> 00:14:00,909 In fact, we've now made ten value statements 251 00:14:00,910 --> 00:14:05,452 that are anti-Wall Street to keep us true 252 00:14:05,453 --> 00:14:08,262 to a value of faithfulness. 253 00:14:08,263 --> 00:14:11,394 Because what I've found is that serendipitously, 254 00:14:11,395 --> 00:14:16,861 my success is tied to the cumulative effect 255 00:14:16,862 --> 00:14:23,826 of everyday stories and faithfulness to injecting sacredness and nobility 256 00:14:23,827 --> 00:14:27,811 into every little action of my day. 257 00:14:27,812 --> 00:14:33,564 And when we put that kind of ministry 258 00:14:33,565 --> 00:14:37,015 - ours is a ministry of healing the land - 259 00:14:38,385 --> 00:14:43,965 and when we allow that kind of sacredness and that kind of nobility 260 00:14:43,966 --> 00:14:47,263 to permeate every one of our actions, 261 00:14:48,424 --> 00:14:53,843 the world will be ennobled, 262 00:14:53,844 --> 00:14:56,750 the world will indeed rise up to meet us 263 00:14:56,751 --> 00:15:00,585 as we leave our legacies and our stamp, 264 00:15:00,609 --> 00:15:03,762 of our life, our life's story, 265 00:15:03,763 --> 00:15:07,712 as it becomes our stories for our children and their grandchildren, 266 00:15:07,713 --> 00:15:10,131 what will they tell about us? 267 00:15:10,132 --> 00:15:12,301 And if they will tell about us, 268 00:15:12,302 --> 00:15:17,614 "He or she was a person of nobility and sacredness 269 00:15:17,615 --> 00:15:20,265 in every aspect of their life," 270 00:15:21,035 --> 00:15:25,730 we will have raised a great legacy 271 00:15:26,611 --> 00:15:29,201 for our families and our heritage. 272 00:15:29,781 --> 00:15:31,220 Thank you very much. 273 00:15:31,220 --> 00:15:32,781 (Applause)