In this episode of Red Meat Nation, hosts Alx and Julie sit down with rancher, entrepreneur, and community builder Jessie Jarvis to unpack what beef really represents in the American West.
Raised on a multi-generational cattle ranch in Southern Idaho, Jessie offers a grounded, first-hand perspective on ranching not as myth, but as daily labor—shaped by land, weather, responsibility, and care. Together, they explore how beef has come to symbolize strength and masculinity in American culture, and how those narratives both support and strain the people who live within them.
The conversation moves beyond consumption to examine visibility, emotional labor, and the growing distance between rural food producers and urban eaters. Jessie also shares the vision behind Of The West, her platform dedicated to connecting people to opportunity and purpose within agriculture and Western industries.
This episode asks listeners to reconsider beef not as an abstraction or a political talking point, but as a story—one rooted in people, place, and the evolving identity of the nation itself.
