This week, I've been listening to a podcast on regenerative ranching with Head Cattleman Will Harris from White Oak Pastures. We've all heard about Monsantos likely one way or another, but Will shared the strategy they employ and many others as well, and how it really works - explanation below:
The 'Bullets & Bandages' strategy describes companies who profit from both creating problems and selling solutions. In this case, Monsanto produces pesticides like Roundup, which have been linked to health problems in humans like cancer, kidney and liver disease, endocrine and reproductive issues, and microbiome disruption. At the same time, Bayer, the company that owns Monsanto, also sells pharmaceuticals that are often used to treat some of the health issues and symptoms caused by those same pesticides.
The use of pesticides and herbicides in farming is not only a threat to human health but also to the climate - since we rely on our soils to store a significant portion of carbon. As consumers, it can be difficult to recognize these corporate strategies and how they interplay to keep us in a vicious cycle, but what we can't do is turn a blind eye in the spirit of convenience and let it ruin our health and environment. The 'Bullets & Bandages' strategy is employed in many other industries that we interface with everyday, are there any examples you see in your daily life?
Here's the link to the full podcast if you're interested - Will Harris is an incredible speaker that slows things down and breaks them up to be more understandable.
