Mercy For Animals founder Nathan Runkle is my guest on today’s podcast. We talk about this past week’s shocking video investigation of Ohio’s Conklin Dairy, and how you can get involved to stamp out this sort of viciousness. You can witness the undercover video here, donate to Mercy For Animals here, and support Ohioans For Humane Farms here. Today’s podcast is 20 minutes.

Attorney Dara Lovitz joins me for today’s podcast, in which we discuss the federal government’s persecution of nonviolent animal advocates, and its bizarre interpretation of the word “terrorism.” We also spend some time conversing about the overzealous prosecution of the notorious SHAC-7 case. Dara is the author of the brand new and excellent book: Muzzling a Movement: The Effects of Anti-Terrorism Law, Money, and Politics on Animal Activism. Today’s podcast is 30 minutes.

And now for something completely different: a podcast featuring comedian Doug Stanhope. Although we spend several minutes talking about animal issues, mostly our conversation veers far from this series’ usual theme. Doug is hands down my favorite comedian, so it was a real pleasure to get the chance to talk with him. If you enjoy our discussion, check out his website and his Facebook fan page. I can’t recommend his DVDs and CDs highly enough. He’s about to go back out on tour, so catch him if you can. This podcast is 36 minutes.

HSUS Factory Farming Campaigns director Paul Shapiro joins me on today’s podcast to discuss Ohio’s newly-launched Prop 2-style ballot initiative. As Paul says in this interview, in many respects this campaign could impact far more animals than Prop 2 affected in California. You can visit the campaign’s website for information on how to get involved, as well as to make a donation to support this crucial effort. Today’s podcast is 19 minutes.

It’s the last Vegan.com podcast of 2009, and we’re going out with a bang. Jonathan Safran Foer joins me for a 42-minute podcast in which we discuss how to engage people on the subject of animal farming. Jonathan’s outstanding book Eating Animals is by far the most influential text on factory farming to be released this year, and I’m betting it will become the default title recommended by vegetarian activists for the next decade. Today’s podcast is 42 minutes.

Two big pieces of farmed animal news happened this past week, and HSUS’ Paul Shapiro joins me on today’s podcast to share his take on things. We begin by discussing the HSUS undercover investigation that occurred at the Bushway veal calf slaughterhouse in Vermont. The resultant footage was some of the most disturbing animal cruelty video I’ve ever witnessed.

Next we talk about the passage of Ohio’s Issue 2, and what it means for future efforts to rid Ohio of agribusiness’ worst cruelties. Today’s podcast is 24 minutes.

HSUS factory farming campaigns senior director Paul Shapiro joins me for today’s podcast. We discuss the soon-to-be-signed bill in Michigan that will outlaw battery cages, veal crates, and gestation crates. Paul’s now turning his attention to Ohio, where agribusiness is pushing a bill to that would perpetuate cruel farming practices. Today’s podcast is 17 minutes.

Nathan Runkle, founder of Mercy For Animals, joins me for today’s podcast. We discuss MFA’s investigation of Iowa’s Hy-Line hatchery: the fallout from the video, the company’s inept response, and how you can use social networking services to expose this video to even more people. Today’s podcast is 22 minutes.

Today’s VegTalk podcast features Erica Meier of Compassion Over Killing. Erica and I discuss the group’s efforts to get Dunkin’ Donuts to commit to ridding its products of eggs. COK has set up a website offering information about the campaign, and providing a handy online form to contact the company. Today’s show is 19 minutes.

I’m back with my first VegTalk podcast in more than two months. Paul Shapiro, the Senior Director of HSUS’ Factory Farming Campaign, joins me and we discuss agribusiness’ sleazy efforts to codify cruel farming practices in Ohio and Michigan. Today’s show is 21 minutes.

Just hours after winning a major victory in Maine, that will abolish veal and gestation crates, HSUS factory farming campaigns director Paul Shapiro has joined me for today’s VegTalk podcast. In addition to discussing Maine, we talk about prospects for comparable reform in Ohio, as well as HSUS’ legal actions against Chino California’s Hallmark slaughterhouse. Today’s show is a mere 13 minutes, so go listen.

I’m thrilled to welcome German animal protection activist Mahi Klosterhalfen back to today’s show. Mahi has been instrumental in pushing Germany to abandon battery cages, and to leap to cage-free as the new minimum standard for raising layer hens. We talk about Mahi’s campaign, and how any motivated person can have similar impact.

During the interview, Mahi discusses how Peter Singer’s Ethics Into Action has informed his approach to activism. And I end the show by talking about the updated release of my own Ultimate Vegan Guide. Today’s podcast is 22 minutes.

I’m thrilled to welcome Rip Esselstyn, author of The Engine 2 Diet, to today’s VegTalk podcast. We talk about all the advantages his plan has to offer in terms of weight loss, disease prevention, and athletic performance. I also urge you to check out Rip’s website, which offers plenty of great material to supplement the book. Today’s podcast is 26 minutes. Link.

Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of HSUS’ factory farming campaign, was kind enough to join me for today’s show. Now that California’s Prop 2 has passed, we discuss the opportunities it has opened up for future animal protection efforts. Today’s podcast is 22 minutes.

I’m back with my first podcast in nearly two months, and I’m joined by Victor Sjodin of Vegan Outreach. Victor passed out an astonishing 100,000+ brochures for Vegan Outreach this past autumn, and we talk about his experiences and how others can make similarly giant commitments. Today’s podcast is 20 minutes.

It’s been almost two months since my last podcast, so I’m back with another show featuring two first-time guests. To start, I welcome Matt Ball, cofounder of Vegan Outreach. We talk about effective leafletting and Vegan Outreach’s record-breaking year. Next, I talk to HSUS‘ Chief Economist, Jennifer Fearing. Jennifer served as Campaign Manager for Proposition 2, and we talk about what it took to win that campaign and what opportunities for future activism Prop 2′s victory has created. Today’s Show is 57 minutes.

Could California really ban battery cages, veal crates, and pig gestation crates? Paul Shapiro joins me in this month’s podcast to discuss the situation. If you want to donate or volunteer, please check out the Yes On Prop 2 website. Today’s show is 19 minutes.

Today we’re just two months from Election Day, and I’m joined by Paul Shapiro for today’s VegTalk podcast. Paul gives us the shocking, scarcely believable news that factory farming interests are resorting to underhanded tactics to torpedo Prop 2 (like we couldn’t have seen that coming) — specifically, they appear to be involved in illegal money laundering. Happily, it’s easy to volunteer or to donate to help ensure Prop 2 passes come election day. Today’s podcast is 20 minutes.

2008 Henry Spira Grassroots Animal Activist Award winner Joe Espinosa joins me for today’s VegTalk podcast. Joe takes us through the ins and out of Vegan Outreach’s Adopt a College program, which I consider to be perhaps the most effective activism a person can undertake. If you decide to get involved, please let me know so I can tell Joe his interview made a difference. I end today’s show with mention of the three not-to-be-missed events happening this September in Canada: Toronto’s Vegetarian Food Fair and Vancouver’s Taste of Health. The Taste of Health event is preceded by a Friday night gala, featuring Howard Lyman with food by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Today’s show is 27 minutes.

I am extremely fortunate to be joined by Megan McArdle for this week’s VegTalk podcast. Megan is an Associate Editor of The Atlantic, which hosts her daily blog. Our conversation today explores how observing the public debate over various political issues can help us avoid rhetorical pitfalls when advocating a vegan lifestyle. Today’s show is 40 minutes.

In response to requests that I do some podcasts featuring entrepreneurs in the vegan world, this week’s VegTalk podcast features Allison Burgess of Match Premium Vegan Meats. We talk about creating a business for the purpose of protecting animals, and we also consider the evolution of the vegan food market. Allison also tackles the inevitable question of how long-time vegans react to a product that seems indistinguishable from animal flesh. Today’s show is 30 minutes.

On this week’s VegTalk podcast, Isa Chandra Moskowitz joins me for a conversation about her Portland experiences and her forthcoming full-color brunch cookbook. Isa’s been the best-selling vegan cookbook author for the past few years, starting with the 2005 publication of Vegan with a Vengeance. She’s gone on to co-author, with Terry Hope Romero, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, as well as the 2007 title Veganomicon. When not causing disturbances at her local vegan mall, or running the Post Punk Kitchen website, Isa has lately been spending her time experimenting with gourmet salts. Reason enough to add a salt section to the Vegan.com grocery. Finally, even though her vegan brunch book is about seven months from publication, you can pre-order it from our grocery. Today’s show is 27 minutes.

Clay Shirky joins me for this week’s show. Clay is the author of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. If you’re serious about advocating for animal protection, I consider this book required reading. In today’s interview, Clay and I talk all about Internet-based activism, and how the ideas in his book can be applied to winning California’s Prop 2 this November. I think this is the best podcast I’ve done all year, so don’t miss it. Today’s show is 37 minutes.

Because of my move to Santa Cruz, my main computer was in boxes so I had to take a month off podcasting. But I’m now restarting my VegTalk podcasts, posted each Thursday, and Paul Shapiro, the Senior Director of HSUS’ factory farming campaign, is my guest on today’s show. Paul talks to me about the upcoming Proposition 2 ballot initiative in California, and the big money factory farming is plunging into fighting the measure. We then talk about the $20/20 campaign, which makes it easy for U.S. citizens in all fifty states to contribute to getting Proposition 2 passed. Please give what you can to Proposition 2 — since Paul and I recorded this podcast, Foster Farms has kicked another $250,000 into trying to torpedo the measure. The factory farming war chest for fighting Prop 2 now contains more than $2 million. Today’s show is 21 minutes.

Today I break with the usual VegTalk podcast format and instead interview three of my listeners. The show features talks with Ryan from Pennyslvania, Mahi Klosterhalfen from Germany, and Amanda from Illinois. Of special note is my interview with Mahi, who has rapidly become one of Germany’s most effective animal rights campaigners. Mahi talks about how past interviews with Josh Balk on this podcast led him to take up the activism he’s pursuing today. If Mahi’s interview (which starts at 16:45 in today’s show) makes you want to get involved in getting battery eggs out of university dining halls, please contact me and I’ll put you in touch with Josh. Today’s show is 47 minutes.