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Welcome to The Rural Dispatch, the podcast that delivers honest conversations from the fields, the highways, and the home front.
I'm your host, Aly Behrens - headquartered in rural Iowa, I help run a trucking company that specializes in hauling livestock nationwide.
I was born and raised in small-town-Iowa and I’m passionate about rural communities and the people who help them thrive. Since becoming a mom, I’ve taken a step away from my own career in finance and into a behind the scenes role in our second-generation family business. I’m proud to help continue the legacy of hard work and dedication that built this business. I’m building a life with a multi-faceted business owner who also holds the title of truck driver, cattle feeder and dispatcher, all while we both work together to manage office operations, oversee business development, and bring the next generation along to show them the ropes, just like their grandpa did with their dad.
If you’re anything like us, you wear a lot of hats in your operation. This podcast is for people like you: hardworking men and women in the rural trucking, livestock and business communities who are juggling all the things every day. Whether it’s running loads, managing a herd, staying compliant, or handling the bookkeeping, we know the challenges you face because we’ve lived them.
In our weekly episodes, I’ll bring you a mix of my own experiences as I navigate the ins and outs of these industries, stories with my better half, Smoke about the lessons we’ve learned throughout our time in this business, and interviews with experts who tackle the pain points we all probably face at one time or another. From trucking to livestock production to rural entrepreneurship, this show is here to equip you with the tools, resources and a supportive community to help you thrive.
Whether you’re in the cab of a truck, out checking cattle, or sitting at your kitchen table, we hope you’ll tune in and find value in conversations that speak your language. No matter your role in the industry, there’s something for everyone here.
Buckle up, friends, there's lots to come. If you enjoy an episode, it would mean the world to us if you would share it with a friend. Keep up with us between episodes on our socials, at Behrens and Co., or subscribe to our email list on our website to receive new episodes directly to your inbox every Wednesday. Thanks for being here. We'll talk soon.
37 Episodes
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Send us a text This week we’re talking trucking truths — who should buy their own truck, how driver pay really works, and what happens when trucks get ordered but never used. We also touch on getting started feeding cattle. This one is a real, no-filter look at the business side of hauling livestock. Beef Hub App – Built by cattle haulers, for cattle haulers. Tools to make your job easier out on the road. Use referral code RURAL to sign up. ➤ Download the Beef Hub App | Google Play Supp...
Send us a text This week’s episode is a snapshot of life right now — the kind where life and business blur together in the best and busiest ways. We’re fresh off our wedding weekend, still soaking it in, and juggling everything that comes with it, because you have to make hay while the sun shines and that means they honeymoon can wait. Smoke and I talk through how things look when he’s on the road and the latest in the fat cattle trade and cow buying business. It’s a little bit of wedding tal...
Send us a text This week on The Rural Dispatch, we’re switching gears from hauling livestock to hauling a bar! Join me for a quick solo update on a busy week in trucking, Smoke getting back into cow buying, and the chaos of wedding week prep in our backyard. Plus, hear about our friends at Agar Transportation and PAR Repair driving a custom bar across the country — and how you could score some merch if you spot it on the road! Beef Hub App – Built by cattle haulers, for cattle haulers. Tools ...
Send us a text This week on The Rural Dispatch, Smoke and Aly talk trucking, cattle, and life. We dig into what a “slow busy season” looks like in livestock trucking, how the cattle market is shaping both hauling and beef availability, and why trucking’s connection to so many industries is both a challenge and a blessing (hello, reefer division revival!). If you’re curious about cattle markets, livestock hauling, or just enjoy a good trucking story, this one’s for you. Beef Hub Ap...
Send us a text On this episode, Aly is joined by Ashley Brincks, ag professional and leader specializing in cattle and conservation. In this episode, Ashley shares how her journey through both personal loss and professional opportunities has shaped her into the industry advocate she is today. She reflects on the ways resilience and hard work have guided her path, and we talk about the intersection of conservation and cattle production, the importance of producer’s voices in the industry, and ...
Send us a text This week Smoke and Aly are diving into a mix of trucking life, ag seasonality, and some good old-fashioned storytelling. We chat about whether the days of handshake deals are behind us, swap stories from Smoke’s time in the truck (including 5 Hour Energy, CB radios, CDs, and stacks of DVDs), and share some ideas for Truck Driver Appreciation Week. We also break down why fall is the busiest season for ranchers, farmers, and truckers, plus give a little update on wedding plannin...
Send us a text The countdown is on: we're one month out from a wedding and life is a mix of bottle calves, bin dust, broke down trucks and last-minute details. This week is a quick update plus we're asking for your best wedding/marriage advice. Send us your tips and I'll share them on the show! Beef Hub App – Built by cattle haulers, for cattle haulers. Tools to make your job easier out on the road. Use referral code RURAL to sign up. ➤ Download the Beef Hub App | Google Play Beef Hub A...
Send us a text This week on The Rural Dispatch, Bryan and Rochelle Heiman join Aly and Smoke to share how they came to be Heiman Farm: A Raw Milk Diary in Iowa. With five kids under eight, four (going on six) milk cows, plus pigs, chickens, and turkeys, the Heiman family is living the full farm life while serving their community with fresh raw milk through weekly drop-offs throughout west central Iowa. We talk about how Heiman Farm got its start, how it’s grown, and what’s next for this hardw...
Send us a text In this episode of The Rural Dispatch, it’s just Aly + Smoke catching up on life, work, and everything in between. We kick things off the way most summer conversations in the Midwest do, talking about the weather. From there, we shift gears into family life with a recap of our annual trip to Branson, a streak of Behrens bad luck, and business lately. It’s a mix of cows, chaos, and family updates... just a slice of what rural life looks like for us this summer. Beef Hub Ap...
Send us a text This week on The Rural Dispatch, I sit down with Maury Eickman, a 97-year-old lifelong farmer from Templeton, Iowa, to capture nearly a century of farming history and wisdom. Maury shares stories from growing up during the Great Depression, surviving the unforgettable “year from hell” in 1936, and building a life on the farm with his wife, Dottie, while raising seven children. He reflects on the 1980’s farm crisis, how rural families built wealth over time, and the dramatic cha...
Send us a text This week I'm joined by Brandon Roering, third generation dispatcher for his family's livestock transportation business, Lambrecht Livestock Trucking, and the creator of Beef Hub — a brand-new app created specifically for the needs in the livestock transportation world. Join us as we dive into Brandon's journey from growing up in trucking to managing logistics and developing tech, and how he turned his real-world experience into a digital tool to make life a little easier...
Send us a text This week, we're joined by both the founders of Agar Transportation, Matt and Debbie Agar, and the current owners of Agar Transportation, Paul and Kindra Radloff. Matt shares how he got started in trucking, and Debbie brings an honest look at what it's really like being married to, and raising kids with, an over-the-road truck driver and dispatcher. We hear about their journey through the trucking industry, all the way up to passing the torch over to Paul. Whether y...
Send us a text NEW: LEAVE US A MESSAGE Fresh off Day 1 of the Western Video Market’s biggest sale of the year, Rick Machado joins us for a boots-on-the-ground conversation in Reno. As an auctioneer, cattleman, and part owner of WVM, Rick shares how the video sale works, what makes it unique, and other industry insights. Plus, we’re joined by a couple of drop-in guests, the Nuttall boys of Susanville, CA and Glenn Benjamin of Simla, CO, to talk about how day 1 of the sale went for them. ...
Send us a text Catch up with us on the road this week. From behind the scenes of podcasting to the current cattle market and life lately, this episode is short and sweet and packed with a little bit of everything from our corner of the world. Need livestock hauled? Give us a call: 712-790-3359 Suggestions for a podcast guest? Email Aly: behrensandco@gmail.com Mentions: Western Video Market Cattle Drive Video Market Beef Hub App – Built by cattle haulers, for cattle haulers. Tools to mak...
Send us a text Ryan and Ryam Nelson joined us for a real, down-to-earth conversation about building their concrete business from absolutely nothing - literally. In this episode they share about the early days of Concrete Creators, how they figured it out as they went, and what drove them to start a business and work together. The two of them now also own Jefferson Monument Works and talk about what it means to take on another business, and how it fits into their lifestyle. Get ready for...
Send us a text In this episode, we are honored to have Mark Handlos on to share his story — a farm kid turned medical warrior whose life is rooted in resilience, hope, and an unshakable sense of humor. Mark opens up about what it was like growing up in rural Iowa and then facing a mysterious illness that began at age 15. With no diagnosis and no treatment that worked for more than a decade, he battled episodes that left him unable to walk, urinate on his own, or even see. Mark shares how he n...
Send us a text If the words “hedging,” “options,” or “basis” make your eyes glaze over — this episode is for you. Today I’m joined by Zach Tindall, a commodity broker with Producers Livestock and a farmer feeder himself, to break down price protection tools in plain English. We talk about the real-world side of managing market risk — not just the theory, but how it actually works when you’ve got cattle on feed and money on the line. We cover: What “hedging” really means Pros and cons of ...
Send us a text In this episode of The Rural Dispatch, Aly sits down with farmer and cattle feeder Justin Heiman, a Carroll County native who built his own farming operation from the ground up. Justin shares how he got started with nothing but work ethic, a love for agriculture, and mentors who were willing to show him the ropes. We talk about the highs and lows of getting into farming on your own, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and why serving on the Carroll County Cattlemen’s Associ...
Send us a text This episode is for the dads — the ones who hauled cattle before sunup, made you work when you got in trouble, and taught you how to let things roll off your back like water on a duck. For this Father’s Day edition of The Rural Dispatch, we’ve pulled clips from past episodes where guests told stories about their dads — the things they said, the lessons they passed down, and the work ethic they demanded. You’ll hear about trucks, cattle, and the quiet wisdom rural dads are known...
Send us a text In this episode, Smoke and I sit down for a real-time check-in — no guest, just us. Following up last week’s episode with Rich Pudenz felt like a tall order, but we wanted to bring it back home and share what’s going on behind the mic. We talk about what it means to build a life and business together — especially when your past doesn’t look picture-perfect. From marriage and faith to cattle markets, networking, and finances, this episode covers everything happening behind the s...
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