'World Without Cows'; Gino at the Movies

Between now and 2050, it gets harder to feed the world. The next 30 years are the most important 30 years there will ever be. Cattle can change the way plants grow. You want to know what a world without cows would look like? Just look at the difference here. Animals are critical to helping the biology in the soil. We're simply mimicking nature. Can cows be part of the solution? We can take the science and there's a path forward. this planet is only ours for a little while, wow, okay, a new award-winning documentary challenges what we think we know about cows climate health and the future of our planet, it sounds fascinating it's called World Without Cows, it will premiere in select theaters in Wisconsin, and you know, you actually it premieres tomorrow in select theaters in Wisconsin, you talked with the director of the documentary, yes, it's a couple, not a couple, in okay, a couple but they work together, okay, and we're talking about Michelle, Michael and Brandon Whitworth and you know they're talking about the problems that people think cows create but they're also talking about solutions, so I come to you from America's Dairyland, which is that, that is our slogan so you know there are so many preconceptions I had about cows until I saw your film and I, that's what I think it does such a good job of thank you for saying that, yeah, we um around the world where people have seen it, you know we get a lot of surprise from people, it really starts a lot of conversations that are new and we hope it's really just the beginning not the end of the conversation Brandon, tell me some of those things that that you thought maybe before you made this film and then realized that's not it, you know Gino, I think what surprised me most was we we really tried to come at this project with like a sense of curiosity, right, like we didn't have the answers, we wanted to look at this from a journalistic perspective because that's what our backgrounds are in, you we were journalists for a couple of decades And so coming into this project, trying to find, you know, we're not looking for solutions, right? We're looking for to extend conversations. Right. And Michelle, there are things that can be done to make things better in the dairy industry, in raising cows. Around the globe, there's lots of room for improvement. But look, there's a lot that farmers, ranchers and people working the land, there's a lot that they're getting right. and we got to see excuse me we got to see so much of that up close and personal firsthand and i walked away from this project with such a deep respect for the people who make food for us every day i believe yeah it's an understatement that's how a lot of people feel i know when they leave the state fair for example yeah so this film looks really dense with information gino was there one like moment or kind of nugget of information that really stood out to you yeah i had always heard that maybe if we were vegan or vegetarians that you know cows contribute so much to the ozone because of their gas and i thought that that would change things not really brandon the statistic that really struck me was okay let's say we went all vegetarian let's say we did not eat meat it really isn't going to change things that much right well now to to correct that stat that it's not just vegetarian, it's complete vegan, that if the entire United States went completely vegan, I think we'd make a difference in 2.6% of greenhouse gases. So we talked to a climatologist at Oxford University that said, yeah, that would be good for the climate, but ultimately that's not going to solve climate change. I think that surprises a lot of people too. I mean, I think people come to any sort of an issue with their own preconceived ideas of what's right and what's wrong. And I think they're really surprised. They walk away surprised and with a new understanding of what it takes to produce food. Brandon, I'm impressed with the look of this film, how beautifully it was shot. And you did go around the world. We did. Twenty twenty two countries, five continents, five years. And now, look, I really appreciate that compliment because the production team was us. And I'll tell you, you haven't lived until you've carried 13 cases of video equipment through customs and international security. It's a wild experience. I can't say I'd recommend it to everybody, but it's truly amazing. And we're sitting down right now. I'm 5'2". I'm very small. The cases are very heavy. Brandon's big, but getting through an airport and getting to these farms, these very rural locations, it was a challenge. I have such admiration. First of all, making documentaries right now is so difficult. To get anything funded and to get it done, they did a great job. And if you want to see it, tomorrow's the day. There's a listing of the theaters where you can see World Without Cows. Really interesting, and it will make you walk around. I never thought of things in those terms. South Shore Cinema is on there. Those are some good spots. Yes, yes. Will this be streaming at all? I hope eventually, but right now, this is your opportunity to see it. It looks great. I'm very intrigued by that. I know. Got our attention. For sure. And where's Rob with all the puns? I know. I'M GOING TO MOVE MYSELF DOWN THERE RIGHT AWAY. DON'T UTTER A WORD. ALL RIGHT. NOW I'M DOING WHAT I'M GOING TO DO. WE'LL LEARN. WE'LL LEARN.