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We are all about agriculture all the time. This podcast will surprise you! It is not your ordinary farm podcast. These are fascinating stories, from technology to human interest, where we talk to captivating people who are changing the landscape of the world around us. Hosted by the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation.
102 Episodes
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Send us a text Consumers can be overwhelmed as they walk through the aisles of the grocery store. Food has become a battleground where marketing labels and misinformation persuades people around their eating choices. Michele Payn brings clarity and common sense to the conversations surrounding food, farming, and science. Whether it’s helping farmers and scientists communicate more effectively, tackling food misinformation, or addressing mental health in agriculture.
Send us a text Winter months in rural Idaho may lack a Friday night football game, but locals are discovering Skijoring: a sport where competitors ski behind a galloping horse, navigating jumps, grabbing rings, and trying not to break any bones. It has been described as rodeo adrenaline for participants and crowds, only you need a warm coat. Shailee and Sage Lish got hooked on skijoring from friends in Wyoming and brought it to southeast Idaho. In this interview, they share how a tournament ...
Send us a text 100th Episode! The Dirt Road Discussion crew literally hit the road to travel to Sun Valley for 10-minute interviews with a lineup of ag experts attending the Idaho-Oregon Grain & Oilseed Convention. They each share a personal message on the status and future of farming in the Northwest. Erin Hansell-Heideman 2026 President, Oregon Wheat Growers League Kyle Wangemann Vice President, Idaho Grain Producers Association; Committee Member, National Wheat Growers ...
Send us a text In 1980, the eruption of Mount St. Helens left a landscape of devastation. Decades later, that volcanic soil has become the foundation for a farm that produces products that become our holiday boughs, wreaths, garlands, and centerpieces. In this special holiday episode, we sit down with Troy Turnbull, VP of Northwest Operations at Continental Floral Greens. He takes us behind the scenes of their unique farm and shares how the process works to get everything ready for this fest...
Send us a text Leslie Edgar grew up in a large family Kuna, Idaho, where her parents emphasized the importance of hard work and education. Back then, she probably never knew that her life would take her to multiple states only to return as the J.R. Simplot Endowed Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Idaho. What a journey. In this podcast, Dean Edgar breaks down how a land-grant university works with students, farmers, 4-H, FFA, extension agencies, and a...
Send us a text While most farmers are trying to get their crop out of the ground by October 15th, Geoffrey and Jana Yockey are working to get their garlic seed in the ground before winter hits. The funny part is that they hope its a frigid winter with lots of snow covering their precious crop. Years ago, the Yockeys returned to Jana’s hometown from Florida to continue her family's five-generation farming heritage. With limited land available from the original homestead, the Yockeys sought a ...
Send us a text She was a girl who grew up singing at church in her Amish community. He was a boy that grew up in Texas listening to Metallica. A chance encounter at a Nashville event would create the country duo sensation of Lance and Lea. In this podcast, Lance and Lea talk about what it is like to be on the road, mapping out performance dates across the country, and writing music along the way. They also share what it takes to love the lifestyle of a performer and how the people they have ...
Send us a text Should land be used for farming or houses? Maybe the better question is, how do we plan for the future so people can still build neighborhoods and businesses without taking up all the farmland that grows our food? Keri Smith's thought she wanted to be a graphic designer until she answered a job in the local newspaper looking for an entry-level position taking notes for the land council meeting. This would be life changing as it led to more land-development positions until she ...
Send us a text Adam Ratliff, known as the Armchair Engineer, knows that when the topic of dams in the Pacific Northwest comes up, people start talking. Whether it is the topic of salmon recovery and breaching or the need for hydroelectric power and agriculture, Adam has studied how both good information and misinformation have spread, making it hard for many to understand. Adam discusses a host of variables surrounding small private and larger federally run dams, which creates the debate. He...
Send us a text Three years ago, Ashlie Sutton's family was frantically working to get potatoes out of the ground before a potential frost killed the crop. From the spud truck, she started posting on social media about the plight of farmers in her valley. It captured the attention of people all over the country, which led her to launch a personal campaign to thank farmers. If that wasn't enough, she realized many families, like farmers, didn't have the funds or the time to run into town for a...
Send us a text Blake Manley is most invigorated when he helps students realize that there is an entire world of high-paying jobs in the trades, specifically forestry. As the originator of Manley Jobs, Blake piloted an idea during COVID to produce YouTube videos that shine a light on occupations that are not commonly considered by high schoolers. It turned out to be a huge success, being used in many schools across the country. In addition, Blake teamed up with school and industry profession...
Send us a text Nancy Riegler loves and lives with camels. She runs the Oasis Camel Dairy Farm in Ramona, California with her husband Gil. Her stories of meeting Gil, discovering camels, learning how to milk camels, and many other antics are told in this interview. You won’t want to miss this hilarious episode that had us laughing from start to finish.
Send us a text Mike Simpson noticed in the newspaper one day that only one person was running for two seats on the city council, so after talking to his wife, he decided to try politics for the first time. Unfortunately, a few others also noticed, and he had his first race. Turns out, he was elected to the city council by only 8 votes. Who knew that this young man would later become Idaho's Speaker of the House and a future U.S. Congressman for the 2nd District of Idaho? Mike (as he asked us...
Send us a text When J.R. Simplot met with Ray Kroc (McDonalds) and sold him on the idea of “consistent” frozen Idaho potatoes, the Simplot company was headed for big things. A second encounter with a guano (bat poop) salesman, led to an experiment that would inspire Simplot to build a large fertilizer business. And finally, Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Flo Jo) would help jump start the J.R. Simplot Games as one of the largest indoor high school track meets in the nation. These are the stor...
Send us a text Garrett Kleiner thinks more people should consider leaving traditional occupations in an office setting for a career in forestry. He loves being in nature and working with individuals to plan forest management. What may surprise some is that many forestry jobs are in the private sector. Garrett, a consulting forester with Inland Forest Management, explains how forestry works today and how it has advanced over the decades. He advocates for the next generation to take over...
Send us a text Raising cattle to produce quality beef is a process that gets better every decade. New research provides valuable knowledge, but the tricky part is getting this new information to our American ranchers, who are some of the busiest workers around. This is where Meranda Small comes in. As a Livestock Production Extension Educator with the University of Idaho, Meranda is constantly working with ranchers under Idaho's Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program which seeks to improve the...
Send us a text For many years, Idahoans have been working to solve the puzzle of increasing water storage to provide for farms and city municipalities and to recharge the aquifer. The goal is to have more water storage built up to use across Idaho's water corridors. Idaho's legislators recently passed Senate Joint Memorial 101 (SJM101) that asks federal agencies to study all options to increase long-term water capacity, including a study on the Teton Dam site. State Senator Kevin Cook, from...
Send us a text Sugar is such a critical commodity in this country that major steps are taken to protect its availability. Sugar works with other ingredients to provide taste, texture, and balanced acidity to the food we eat. However, sugar is commonly misunderstood, whether talking about its origin from sugar beet vs sugar cane, GMOs, or federal protections. Samantha Parrott (aka Sugarbeet Queen) loves to tell people the story about this industry. As the Executive Director of the Snake River...
Send us a text The waiting list to buy miniature donkeys grew so fast at Simple Little Farm that Garrett & Ruth Nilsson finally decided to primarily sell to families who could visit their farms and get to know these amazing companion animals. Their story is funny, where a random call to check on getting information on a miniature donkey quickly became a question of whether they would be interested in adopting an entire herd. The Nilssons share a fascinating story of how these popular ani...
Send us a text Trent Van Leuven thought he might be an ag economist until a chance encounter with an ag educator and a 700-mile drive changed everything. Starting his career during the recession of 2009, Trent has seen the blessings and challenges of being an ag teacher in Mackay, Idaho, a town with under 1,000 residents. He shares how many students thrive when connected to technical skills early in their lives and how schools can change lives by building programs that fit “hands-on” learners...
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