50: Who Gets to Shape What Happens Next in Agriculture?
Episode 50 · October 31, 2026
In the 50th episode of The Future Herd, Jesse Hirsh weaves together insights from past guests around a single question: who gets to shape what happens next in agriculture? Drawing on conversations about knowledge, innovation, care, and succession, Hirsh argues that the sector's future depends not just on new ideas but on who is recognised as an expert, whose care is valued, and who has the resources and authority to act.
Overview
In this milestone 50th episode, host Jesse Hirsh steps back from individual interviews to connect threads from across The Future Herd's first fifty conversations. The episode is organized around a question that runs through the entire project: who gets to shape what happens next in agriculture? Hirsh argues that answering this requires asking whose knowledge counts, what kind of innovation we recognize, and what allows someone's ability and care to become a contribution that is recognized and lasts. It's an ideal entry point for new listeners and a chance for regulars to revisit key insights.
Hirsh's takeaway is that recognizing someone's knowledge is only a start; the harder work is closing the distance between having something to contribute and having the conditions to contribute it.
Key themes
- agricultural leadership
- knowledge and expertise
- food sovereignty
- innovation
- care work
- succession