The Ranch Podcast

Andrew Mickelson is an Idaho farmer who has been working to understand possible ways to stretch our scarce water resource farther in our varying soil types. The Rule of Thumb within the farming community is changing as we gain more advanced technology like soil probes and more effective monitoring devices, and this shift may be the key to unlocking even greater production with the same or less wat...

Ilana Rubel is the House Minority Leader from District 18. She came in to speak about the shortfall in revenue that is being reported, medicaid repeal, and marriage in Idaho. She also happens to be an attorney by trade and was able to speak extensively on the legal implications of repealing the 2015 same-sex marriage decision laid out by the Supreme Court. Marriage, unlike many other decisions, re...

Monica Church is a District 19 Representative and multi-generation Idahoan. We spoke extensively about what it takes to live and thrive in Idaho, and how there is a disconnect between individuals like myself who have moved from other states to the great state of Idaho and those that have been here for some time. This is going to be one of the greatest chasms that we, as a state, have to bridge tog...

Bam is the host of the Wild Chaos Podcast, a vet, and an entrepreneur. He has gone through the crucible of getting a show off the ground in a way very few people have. It was wonderful to speak with him about what that is like as so many people want to have a show but just do not understand what it takes to make it a reality. I greatly appreciate him and his production. Enjoy! www.theRanchPodcast....

Mike Moyle is the Speaker of the House for the state of Idaho. He ran in 1998 on reducing taxes, and that has been his mission ever since. We spoke extensively about his plan to give back over $400+ million in taxes to Idaho tax payers, as well as Ag labor, medicaid expansion, ballot initiatives, and more. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Founda...

Jason Fellows is an Agriculture Advocate who traveled the world studying sustainability. The 20th century saw the introduction of many farming practices as well as farming disasters, and if we are to have consistent food supplies and successful ag businesses, we must have people who understand how to keep this machine running. Jason is just that guy. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session ep...

Dr. Megan Kasper is a pro-life OB/GYN in Nampa, and she agreed to come in and explain why two medications that have come under fire should not be removed from the toolbox of doctors. The two medications in question are used to stop bleeding postpartum as well as help mothers who have had a failed pregnancy and are carrying a deceased fetus in their uterus. Although these two drugs have very clear,...

Jordan Redman is a District 3 Representative who is advocating for many things, and today we specifically talked about mandatory reading of the bible in schools, adding a medicaid work requirement, and adding alternatives to medical residency programs. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbi...

Bryan Searle is the president of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation. As a lifelong farmer, he has gone through the entire range of life experiences that farming offers. The love, the loss, the joy, and the misery that are all offered by this way of life are very well known to him. The reality of our food production system is no longer common knowledge to the average Idahoan and American, so hearing...

Tammy Nichols is the District 10 Senator and also the chairwoman for the Senate Ag. Committee. She has been working on several crucial bills for Idahoans, specifically one that bans weather modification and another that works to save our cloud seeding program through transparency and reporting. Idaho’s Ag sector fundamentally operates on water supply, and the cloud seeding program in Idaho not onl...

Dustin Miller is the Director of the Department of Lands in Idaho. Idaho has been working closely with many state and federal agencies to combat wildfires within our state and also prepare for future fires. The Governor’s budget included a 60 million dollar line item to replenish what we spent fighting fires previously and a 40 million dollar line item for ongoing, recurring expenses with fires so...

Susie Keller is the CEO of the Idaho Medical Association, the largest association in the state representing physicians and medical practitioners. Idaho has consistently ranked lower in the country for physician to patient ratios and also struggles attracting medical professionals in a wide variety of specialities. These issues have many causes, but part of the problem is lack of residency programs...

Sebastian Griffin is a Nampa City Councilman who has been working to solve the problem of growth and preservation. Nampa is the third largest city in Idaho and also experiencing tremendous growth. This growth is changing the function and layout of the city with many developments popping up in ag land and some with lower end amenities. Sebastian has been working with the city, planning and zoning,...

Jason Monks is a District 22 Representative who is running a bill to increase the grocery tax rebate. Idaho has a grocery tax, but we also have a rebate program where every man, woman, and child that files tax returns can get a large portion of that money back. My family, for instance, gets enough grocery tax rebate to eliminate all taxes on any groceries bought up to around $12,000. The question...

John Shirts is a District 9 Representative, an Air Force Jag, and Federal Prosecutor. We spoke at length about predation on tech, problems developing as we move more towards tech communities, and trafficking in Idaho. Although a heavy topic, this is hugely important for our youth and our future, and John’s insights were powerful. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported...

Clint Hostetler is a District 24 Representative and brought forth a school choice bill this year. There have been so many debates and conversations about school choice, but Clint and I focused instead on articulable issues that we both felt are dragging down our public schools. No matter what school choice bill passes or fails, we’re still going to need the best possible public school system, and...

Ron Taylor is a District 26 Senator. We spoke extensively about the Ag. Labor, ownership and management of our public lands, and harvesting of both minerals and timber in a responsible manner so that we, as Idahoans, can benefit from our natural resources without losing our unparalleled open spaces and recreation opportunities. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast Legislative Session episodes are supported by...

Ron Winegar is a former Boise Police Chief, an Idaho Medal of Honor recipient, and a true servant to Idaho. He was with Officer Mark Stall in 1997 when Mark Stall was killed in the line of duty in downtown Boise. It is difficult to overstate the heroic nature of our men and women who defend us everyday, all day, and it is imperative as a community, state, and nation that we not forget this event a...

Lauren McLean is the Mayor of Boise. She came in to speak about what the city is doing to address the housing crisis that we all feel the effects of as well as what is being done so the city grows together instead of apart. We also discussed the preservation of the surrounding hills and open spaces that the citizens of Boise have paid millions to put into trust so we, as all Idahoans, will have ac...

Jason Sevy is the Marsing School District School Board Chair and the president-elect of the Idaho School Boards Association. He is also a Marsing graduate and a lifelong supporter of his community and the school community. He answers the question very clearly that few like myself in an urban environment understand, which is, what is the real value of a rural public school? Enjoy. The Ranch Podcast...

Mark Niemeyer is the Fire Chief of Boise and is working extensively with surrounding state and federal agencies to make sure the Urban-Wildlands Interface where our communities meet enormous fire risk environments stay as safe as possible. We are experiencing a new age of fire risk, and with Idaho’s exploding population, we need everyone participating to preserve life and property. Enjoy! The Ranc...

Stoney Winston is the superintendent for Fruitland School District. He came in to speak on some of the issues facing public schools, including administration bloat, special ed population explosion, ESL populations, and lower competing pay when compared to bordering states. Whether the school choice bills come to pass or not, we need to figure out a way to continue improving Idaho public schools, a...

James Ruchti is a District 29 Senator who is very passionate about the school choice debate. He brought with him many data points from the national debate that I had not heard before. I am pro-education, and if that means we fund public schools, private school contractors, charter schools, home schoolers, I am here for all of it, but I certainly want to understand how and why our dollars are going...

Scott Bedke is the Lt. Governor of Idaho and came in to speak about the SPEED Council, a group formed by an executive order from Governor Little comprised of several state agency directors that will expedite the review of permits, increase collaboration with project proponents, boost public transparency, and seek to eliminate duplicative or unnecessary statutes and rules. The world supply chain pr...

Brett Wilder is an Ag Economist, Proprietor of Boise River Lamb, and an incredible lamb chef. He kindly agreed to smoke a boneless leg of lamb to bring in that we devoured and share his recipe. The more I engage with local providers and find out how they work their homegrown proteins, the more I’m drawn to cooking at home myself with high quality, locally sourced food. My mouth is watering recount...