Current Research 

I am currently working on my dissertation, Just Transitions in Animal Agriculture: Visions for the Future and Solidarity Building in the U.S. Midwest, which examines how farmers, farmworkers, and food system advocates are envisioning and enacting changes within the animal agriculture sector in the Midwest region. Through ethnographic research, participatory action methods, and over 120 interviews, I explore how communities are challenging dominant agricultural models and working toward regenerative, equitable futures. My research highlights the ways in which racial capitalism and labor exploitation shape industrial agriculture, while also centering the alternative pathways that farmers—particularly immigrant, Indigenous, and small-scale producers—are forging through cooperative structures, perennial grazing systems, and multi-species approaches to land stewardship. By focusing on labor, governance, and cultural narratives of agriculture, I examine how these communities are reimagining who gets to farm and how agriculture is critical for just transitions. 

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My interest in labor and agricultural transitions has led me to expand my research to the role of small-scale meat processing plants in shaping worker experiences and food system dynamics. My next research project will investigate the labor conditions, ethical concerns, and governance models of small-scale processors, centering worker perspectives to better understand how these plants reinforce or challenge broader food system inequities. While large-scale industrial processing plants have been well studied, my work fills a critical gap by exploring the possibilities and limitations of smaller-scale facilities in fostering more just and sustainable labor practices.
 

In addition to my work on agriculture and labor, I have long been engaged in research on cultural narratives, race, and power in food systems. My master’s research examined the colonial histories and symbols of yerba mate and how Indigenous knowledge has been erased through nationalistic and capitalist rebranding. This historical lens informs my current work, where I interrogate how dominant agricultural systems continue to privilege certain forms of knowledge and labor while excluding others. My research on grazing and silvopasture builds on this, analyzing how alternative food systems are not just ecological or economic shifts, but cultural and political projects that challenge entrenched hierarchies.

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I am deeply committed to participatory research and public scholarship, collaborating with farmers, workers, and food system organizers to co-develop knowledge and policy solutions. My work with Grassland 2.0 and the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance has involved participatory workshops, farmer learning circles, and policy engagement to ensure that research is actionable and community-driven. As I continue to develop my research, I am particularly interested in how participatory action research (PAR) can serve as a tool for amplifying marginalized voices and fostering collective agency in agricultural transitions.​