In this enlightening conversation, Mariann Sullivan speaks with Jessica Culpepper, Executive Director of FarmSTAND, about their unique approach to dismantling industrial animal agriculture through legal advocacy that unites multiple stakeholders. Culpepper shares how FarmSTAND strategically challenges the systems that enable animal exploitation by representing workers, communities, and animals simultaneously—creating powerful coalitions against corporate interests that typically divide these groups. Rather than focusing solely on the worst abuses or single issues, FarmSTAND targets the structural conditions that allow animal agriculture to operate with impunity, from corporate deception around “climate-friendly” meat to the dangerous proliferation of factory farm gas as a false climate solution.
This episode explores:
Jessica Culpepper is the Executive Director of FarmSTAND, leading the organization’s staff and board to fight for a fair food system in courtrooms and communities. Jessica’s 16 year career has been entirely focused on legal advocacy on behalf of farmed animals and communities harmed by industrial animal agribusiness. Her fight for a fair food system began at her alma mater, Warren Wilson College, a work college with a sustainable working farm and garden. Most recently, she was the Director of the Public Justice Food Project where she grew the program from a single staff attorney to a team of eleven organizers, lawyers, and paralegals. As a lawyer, Jessica worked primarily on fighting pollution from factory farms with fenceline communities and advocating for federal and state policy reform to advance fair food systems. Jessica stays deeply tied to the fight for a fair food system in her personal life as well as chair of the board of Socially Responsible Agriculture Project and board member of Warren Wilson College. She loves cooking food from her garden and has a top secret recipe for the world’s best pumpkin pie.
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The Veganic Summit is a free online event from November 7th-9th, 2025. You’ll learn how plant foods can be grown using techniques that are both vegan and organic, without any chemical fertilizers or any animal byproducts like manure or bonemeal. If you’d like to start your own veganic garden or learn about sustainable plant-based farming, sign up for the Veganic Summit today at https://veganicsummit.com/
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Join hostesses Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan on this unique and fun award-winning podcast that focuses on changing the world for animals.
In this thought-provoking interview, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan speak with Liv Baker and Kristin Stewart from PAN Works about their groundbreaking “animal trusteeship” framework – a new approach that transforms how we advocate for wild animals in decision-making processes …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 17 October 2025
This week on Rising Anxieties, Mariann Sullivan dives headfirst into the media’s convenient climate amnesia, where apparently animal agriculture’s massive emissions are just too spicy for mainstream coverage. A mere 3.8% of climate articles dare mention meat production—shocking absolutely no …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 28 October 2025
In this thought-provoking interview, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan speak with Liv Baker and Kristin Stewart from PAN Works about their groundbreaking “animal trusteeship” framework – a new approach that transforms how we advocate for wild animals in decision-making processes …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 17 October 2025
