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 advocacy The role of grants and how they enable regenerative agriculture to survive Why she opposes USDA slaughter rules and advocates for humane, on-farm kills The legacy of Temple Grandin and how autism helped redesign slaughter systems Why she nearly became vegan—and how Cowspiracy gets regenerative farming wrong Are co-ops viable, and what lessons she learned from working with one What regenerative ranching really means to her, and how she's living it Timestamps 00:00:00 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 Elizabeth Connect with Elizabeth! Website Come Stay At Otter Creek... Instagram Follow the tour on YouTube
