The Prairie Farm Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 382 Secretary of Ag Candidate Chris Jones Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Retired water scientist Chris Jones (author of The Swine Republic and now Democratic candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture) joins Kent and Nicolas to talk nitrate, tile, and crop dusting. His pitch for Iowa transition a million corn acres to pasture, oats, prairie, and pollinator habitat, and finally treat clean water as a right.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

iowacovercrop.com (for all your cover crop mixes, waterway mixes, forage mixes, small grains, and more)

MckayInsAgency.com (for all your financial planning and insurance needs)

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome

0:03:03 Meet Chris Jones

0:09:08 Tending Iowa's Land and How We Met

0:12:10 Iowa's Rising Cancer Rate

0:15:12 Crop Dusters, Fungicides, and Dying Oaks

0:18:14 Report Improper Spraying to IDALS

0:21:16 The Corn-Soy Monoculture System

0:24:17 Absentee Heirs Defaulting to Corn and Soy

0:27:18 GMOs vs the System Around Them

0:30:23 Property Tax Incentives for Better Crops

0:33:26 Oversupply and the Renewable Fuel Standard

0:36:28 A Post-Ethanol Iowa

0:39:31 Moving Cattle From Confinement to Pasture

0:42:34 Sheep, Goats, and Midwest Meat Markets

0:48:39 Corn as an Inefficient Solar Panel

0:51:41 Young People Who Want to Farm

0:54:44 Corporations Losing the Narrative

1:00:51 Why Rural Iowa Feels Left Behind

1:06:53 Tiling Plus Nitrogen Equals the Water Crisis

1:12:56 No Permits for Field Tile

1:18:59 Local Seed Companies Doing It Right

1:25:08 Regenerative Math vs Corn Convenience

1:31:15 Why Big Farms Dig In Their Heels

1:34:16 Water Quality Getting Drastically Worse

1:37:19 Putting the Onus on Farmers Alone

Ep. 381 (Coffee Time) Why Are Wildfires Breaking Out Across The Whole World?? (And we’re hiring) Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Coffee Time Wednesday takes on the world on fire in August 2026, from Oregon's largest wildfire ever to France's biggest evacuations since World War Two. Kent, Nick, and Riley dig into fire suppression, invasive fuel loads, lost grazers, and why some landscapes are becoming unlivable. Also... broccoli for breakfast.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies and dog hunting supplies)

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome

3:05 Broccoli Breakfast and Too Many Nuts

9:09 We're Hiring for Conservation

12:12 Metric Tape Measures Across Europe

15:15 Wildfire Behavior and Prairie Burns

18:17 Woody Vegetation and Savanna Fire

24:22 Small Old Houses vs Giant New Ones

27:24 Short Episode Wrap-Up

Ep. 380 Gubernatorial Candidate Zach Lahn Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

Join us as we welcome Zach Lahn back to the Prairie Farm Podcast. We dive into Iowa's rich history, the urgent need to address water quality and cancer rates, and practical incentives for regenerative agriculture. Zach shares his vision for keeping young Iowans home and revitalizing our public schools.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

iowacovercrop.com (for all your cover crop mixes, waterway mixes, forage mixes, small grains, and more)

MckayInsAgency.com (for all your financial planning and insurance needs)

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome

0:02:00 Meet Zach Lahn

0:03:03 Iowa Civil War History That Sticks

0:06:05 Poll Numbers and a Second Conversation

0:09:07 Regenerative Practices and Cost Parity

0:12:10 Farm Bankruptcies and Extra Burden

0:15:12 No Room to Negotiate Commodity Prices

0:18:14 Nutrient Density in Our Food

0:21:16 Connecting Iowa Farms to School Procurement

0:24:17 Iowa Culture Worth Staying For

0:27:21 Pella's Never-Again Flood Plan

0:30:22 Funding IWILL and Getting People Back on Farms

0:33:24 Who Actually Owns Iowa Land

0:36:26 De-Risking Vegetable Farms

0:39:29 Big Ag Mining Iowa

0:42:30 From Fort Dodge to CU Boulder

0:48:33 Fisheries Biologist at the Power Plant

0:51:34 Crossbow Lobbying and Hunting Tradition

0:57:38 Teaching Biology and Iowa Education

1:03:40 Traveling to Study School Systems

1:06:42 Kids Who Need Different Off-Ramps

1:09:45 Screens, Dopamine, and ADHD Lookalikes

1:12:48 Parent Opt-In School Experiments

1:15:50 Public Money and Private Schools

1:18:54 Water Quality Needs Basic Science Literacy

Ep. 379 (Coffee Shop) Cyclospora Lettuce and the Ins and Outs of Crop Insurance Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

Join Nicolas, Riley, and special guest Nick Moats as they dive into the realities of farm insurance, food supply chains, and the value of sitting still in a deer stand. Plus, the guys discuss late-summer prairie blooms and announce an extremely limited release of hand-harvested wild strawberry seeds.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

iowacovercrop.com (for all your cover crop mixes, waterway mixes, forage mixes, small grains, and more)

MckayInsAgency.com (for all your financial planning and insurance needs)

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome

0:03:08 CRP Mailers to Landowners

0:06:10 Iowa Prairie Network Conference

0:09:11 Ag Policy With Nick Moats

0:12:15 Sitting Still in a Deer Stand

0:18:19 Cyclospora and Contaminated Lettuce

0:21:22 Visa Workers and Accountability

0:24:23 Growing More Food in the Midwest

0:27:26 Why Broccoli Knowledge Is Harder Than Corn

0:30:31 Crop Insurance as a Huge Federal Line Item

0:33:31 Why Cereal Rye Won't Insure Easily

0:36:33 Private Markets Pricing Flood Risk

0:39:35 Grow What the Government Tells You

0:42:37 How Cargill Touches Everything

0:45:38 Who Pays What Share of Crop Insurance

0:48:41 Late-Season Prairie Flowers

0:54:46 Checking Prairie on the Farm

0:57:50 Plant Materials Centers and Rare Seed

Ep. 378 Why Emulating the Bison is the Secret to Profitable Farming w/ Peter Byck Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Peter Byck, director of Carbon Nation and Rooted So Deep, joins The Prairie Farm Podcast to discuss the massive benefits of AMP grazing. We explore how regenerative practices build soil health, boost farm profitability, bring back wildlife, and why huge corporations are funding independent science to secure resilient food supply chains.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

MckayInsAgency.com (for all your financial planning and insurance needs)

BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies and dog hunting supplies)

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome

0:02:00 Meet Peter Byck

0:03:03 Emulating Bison — Adaptive Grazing Basics

0:06:04 Compressing the Learning Curve

0:09:07 Ducks Eating Snails and Stacked Enterprises

0:12:10 Moving Animals Every Day

0:15:12 Amplifying Farmers Who Already Changed

0:21:19 Steve Mowry and Prairie as a Business Path

0:24:21 Land Prices Around Chattanooga

0:27:21 Who Controls the American Meat Market

0:33:28 Regenerative Farming at Real Scale

0:36:28 Grow Food Where It Rains

0:39:29 Sharing Knowledge as Currency

0:42:30 Rebuilding Trust Where We Buy Food

0:48:36 Rodale, Rattan Lal, and Early Mentors

0:51:39 Transparent Funding — No Crowdfunding

0:54:39 Greenwashing Triggers on Social Media

0:57:41 Keeping Editorial Control of the Film

1:00:43 Day Jobs That Are Part of the Solution

1:06:46 Rejuvenating Prairie With the Science Team

Ep. 377 (Coffee Time) The Canadian Fires and the Depletion of the Colorado River Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

Join Nicolas, Kent, and guest Aaron Van Wyk for Coffee Time Wednesday as they dive into the environmental impact of massive wildfires and the looming Colorado River drought. They explore the delicate balance between human infrastructure and nature’s limits, questioning how society adapts to extreme environmental challenges.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

iowacovercrop.com (for all your cover crop mixes, waterway mixes, forage mixes, small grains, and more)

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome

6:07 Hobby Farm Hours and Leisure Time

9:08 Canadian Fires and Boundary Waters Ash

12:12 Fire, Nomads, and Permanent Settlement

15:15 Watersheds Wars Were Fought Over

18:18 Firebreaks on Prairie Burns

21:19 California Paradise and Palisades Fires

24:22 Bigger Houses and Bigger Energy Imprints

27:27 Housing That Never Comes Down

30:31 Nature Kicks Us Every 10–15 Years

33:32 Colorado River Overdraft and Lake Powell

36:35 Phoenix Water and Slow Infrastructure

39:38 When in Doubt, Lean on Fossil Fuels

42:39 Sprinklers, New Builds, and Water Waste

Ep. 376 Why The Midwest Uses Way Less Cover Crop Than The Rest of The World Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Join Nicolas and Riley as they sit down with Ruth McCabe, Conservation Manager at Heartland Cooperative. They dive into the realities of agricultural conservation, why certain practices work in other countries but struggle in Iowa, the balance of economics and environment, and why there’s no single scapegoat for water quality.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

iowacovercrop.com (for all your cover crop mixes, waterway mixes, forage mixes, small grains, and more)

MckayInsAgency.com (for all your financial planning and insurance needs)

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome

0:02:00 Meet Ruth McCabe

0:06:06 Kent Swathing Ohio Spiderwort

0:09:09 Co-op Territory and Grain Storage

0:12:12 Chasing Grants for Conservation

0:15:13 Co-ops Still Care About the Bottom Line

0:21:17 Paying for Ecosystem Services

0:24:20 Talking to Drum-Banging Environmentalists

0:27:24 Shopping With a Sense of Responsibility

0:33:31 Nuffield Scholars and England

0:36:34 Throwing Out Centuries of Evolution

0:42:42 Connecting People to Gardens and Farms

0:45:43 Practical Skills Until You Suddenly Need Them

0:48:44 Shopping Local Isn't Just a Slogan

0:54:46 Short-Term Yield Loss From Cover Crops

0:57:50 When Do Midwest Farmers Ever Make It Back?

1:03:56 Soil Types and Wet Ground

1:06:58 The Mississippi River Reality Check

1:10:00 Shuttling Manure Across the Landscape

1:13:03 Voluntary Conservation vs Only Regulation

1:16:05 Tile as Farmer Identity

1:22:08 Tenants and Short-Term Thinking

1:25:10 Ireland's Untaxed Lease Model

1:28:13 Hunters Who Also Want Clean Water

Ep. 375 (Coffee Time) Are Pesticides Killing Our Oaks and Why Native Plants Are "In Fashion" Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

Join Nicolas, Kent, and Riley on this Coffee Time Wednesday as they discuss the hidden impact of agricultural chemical drift on native oaks. The guys also explore the massive surge in native plant popularity and why people are choosing prairies over lawns.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies and dog hunting supplies)

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome

3:07 DVDs, Money, and Changing Media

9:11 Smartweed and Canada Thistle Timing

12:13 Pesticide Overspray Defoliating Oaks

15:15 Oaks Shattering to Veins on the Tree

18:21 When Farmer Needs Override the Flower Bed

21:23 Fighting It in Legislation

27:28 Harsher Chemicals and the Pro-Con Sheet

30:31 Chicago Park District Native Plant Sale Boom

33:33 What Menards Stocks vs Real Natives

36:35 Native Plants Offer People a Story

39:37 Ag, Hunting, and Conservation Worlds Colliding

Ep. 374 How Rural Hospitals Affect Rural America and What Will The Big Beautiful Bill Do To Them Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

Kevin Kincaid, CEO of Knoxville Hospital and Clinics, joins Nicolas and Kent. Kevin shares about his time serving on a nuclear submarine during the Cold War and dives deep into the complexities of rural healthcare, hospital funding, and the future of medicine in America.

hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)
IowaCoverCrop.com (for all your cover crop mixes, small grain mixes, and more)

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome

0:02:00 Meet Kevin Kincaid

0:03:08 Submarine Days — Launch Depth and Wires

0:12:17 Flooding Under Pressure

0:15:22 Stay Launch-Ready and Undetected

0:18:26 Surrounded by Brilliant People in a Hospital

0:27:33 How Rural Hospital Funding Really Works

0:30:35 Doing It by the Book With the State

0:33:38 Iowa Hospital Association Goes to D.C.

0:36:42 Why Dillinger Robbed Banks

0:39:46 Year-to-Year Programs That Can Vanish

0:48:51 Medicine Without Perverse Financial Incentives

0:51:53 Best Care at the VA

0:58:02 Healthier Lifestyles and What Hits the ER

1:04:04 Pharma Pricing Everyone Talks About

1:16:11 Not Enough People — Wholesale Change Coming

1:25:17 Baby Delivery Deserts Between Omaha and Des Moines

1:28:17 Miserable Waiting Rooms

1:31:21 No Leverage With Insurance Companies

1:34:23 Trying New Things Before Others Did

1:37:24 Traveler Nurse Pay Spikes

1:40:26 Not Renewing Traveler Contracts

1:43:28 Knoxville Hospital as 10% of Local Jobs

Ep. 373 (Coffee Time) Where Are Your Invasive Weeds ACTUALLY From Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

Join the Prairie Farm Podcast crew on a road trip as we dive into the origins and natural predators of invasive prairie weeds. Smooth Brome, Sericea Lespedeza, Canada Thistle, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Wild Parsnip, and discover what keeps these prolific plants at bay in their native ranges.
hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, backyard prairie, hunting mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)

MckayInsAgency.com (for all your financial planning and insurance needs)

BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies and dog hunting supplies)

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome

6:06 Locusts — Numbers Make the Swarm

12:10 Where Invasive Weed Origins Come From

15:13 Pregnancy Scare Over Mystery Jam

18:15 Jasmine Tea Plant or Poison?

24:21 Yanking Wild Parsnip by Hand

27:23 Cold Shower After Parsnip Burns