Dirt Road Discussions

Send us Fan Mail As a continuation of his original interview, Rulon talks about life after winning gold, two near-death experiences, advice for young people, and participates in Cam and Ott's speed round.

Send us Fan Mail Those who witnessed the 2000 Olympics will remember the David vs Goliath wrestling upset of a Wyoming farm boy, Rulon Gardner, over Russia's historic dominator Aleksandr Karelin.  What most people don't know is that Rulon did not grow up as an early wrestling prodigy. There were many times in his life where he faced forks in the road to determine what he might become. In...

Send us Fan Mail Today, people use computers as weapons to target key industries. Some do it for financial gain, while others are connected to international political factions. Regardless of their intention, the agriculture industry has had to take these threats seriously and is working to share information across companies to keep America's food chain protected. Jonathan Braley, Director of...

Send us Fan Mail When Emma from "Ag With Emma" told her dad that she wanted to be on the road with a harvest crew, he did not approve. The interesting part was that her dad himself was once part of these crews that traversed states (sometimes with 50 combines) to help with harvests all over the country.  As Emma started this adventure as a young woman in the United States and Australia,...

Send us Fan Mail Jeff Middleton knows that addiction is difficult and addicts are worth saving. As Director, his approach to getting addicts connected with Boise Vertical Farms is helping those in recovery find something to feel good about during their journey. Jeff shares how many addicts in the court system are not hardened criminals but people who are trying to escape paths that they do not wan...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Scott Leibsle graduated from the University of Wisconsin but now serves as Idaho’s State Veterinarian with the Idaho Department of Agriculture. Dr. Leibsle talks about how each state deals with different issues based on their location and the animals raised in those locations. In Idaho, his office is forever on the watch for Brucellosis from neighboring Yellowstone Park. He cl...

Send us Fan Mail What do you get when you mix a buffalo and a cow? It sounds like the beginning of a laffy taffy joke, but for Megan and Trevor Stark, this is their reality.  If it sounds hard, it absolutely is! Something of this nature requires a meticulous process to do it right. They talk about how narrow the margin of error is raising these "non-traditional" animals and how it has ta...

Send us Fan Mail Kennedy Youngren's life has an interesting connection to food. She is a licensed dietitian who is married to a dairy farmer. As a high school athlete looking at college prospects, she had to learn what her eating disorder was doing to her body. In this podcast, she offers important insights on taking care of our bodies, whether we farm all day, play sports, or work behind a d...

Send us Fan Mail They say we live in an information era, but you can't wear or eat information. Those who manufacture goods and products are dependent on those who mine and produce the elements that give us those products. Mike Veile,  Site Operational Excellence Lead with Bayer Crop Science, shares how mining in Soda Springs, Idaho, is playing a vital role in producing phosphorus for many co...

Send us Fan Mail When people hear about agriculture in the news headlines, a new trend is to find a podcast to break it down and give new insights and commentary. This is where Discover Ag Podcast hosts Tara Vander Dussen (known as the New Mexico Milk Maid, 5th-generation dairy farmer) and Natalie Kovarik (4th-generation cattle rancher from Nebraska) come into play. They talk about what it is like...

Send us Fan Mail Tater Tots have been a staple around dinner tables, school cafeterias, and restaurants for many decades, but who thought to invent this finger food? It may surprise you how it came to be and what primitive process was used in the beginning to form these tasty snacks. Les Grigg, Co-founder of the F Nephi & Golden Grigg Legacy Foundation, tells us the story of how tater tots cam...

Send us Fan Mail In Bob Hoff's family, teenagers didn't just get a driver's license. They also got a pilot's license because they never knew when to run out the back door, jump in a plane, take off from a grass runway and look for a lost cow. As Bob explains, every family has their passion, and for the Hoff family, it is farming and aviation.  Bob shares stories from his first...

Send us Fan Mail Jessie Jarvis had a time when she considered pursuing an occupation outside of agriculture. Born and raised as a rancher’s daughter in Southern Idaho, she tells how her love for agriculture and desire to raise children in agriculture changed her mind. With the support of her husband Justin, Jessie uses her experience in communications and media to build bridges for the next genera...

Send us Fan Mail Almost half of the land in the western United States is owned by the Federal Government. Compare that to only 4 percent of land east of the Mississippi. Obviously, there is a story to tell on this topic. Dirt Road Discussions visited with an online panel consisting of Amanda Kaster, Director of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; Keith Hamilton, a fourth-...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine a succulent plant with sharp spines that can grow up to 6 feet tall and 10 feet wide. When it flowers, it can grow up to 8 feet tall, and its inflorescence can reach 25–30 feet tall. Sharla and Leo Ortega grow agave, a plant used for tequila and many other products. They talk about navigating the challenges of raising this "behemoth" crop.

Send us Fan Mail Those who like to cast bait or a fly in the stream probably like a good salmon or trout filet, but it would never come close to meeting  American's demand for  fish. Welcome to the aquaculture industry. Jacob Bledsoe, Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist — Aquaculture Research, shares how fish farms are advancing, consolidating, and competing with imported products...

Send us Fan Mail Marshal Sewell's thoughts about the farmer's mental health changed with the suicide of his father. In this podcast, Marshal talks about his own quest to prevent further suicides through open dialogue about the pressures of farming and steps that can be taken to identify and help someone going down that path. He shared how he started the Mind Your Melon movement.

Send us Fan Mail This is a must-hear podcast for every family who drives. Roadways and highways in rural areas look safe because they are less crowded, but they account for 75% of fatalities. Factors such as high speeds, distractions, and lack of patience combined with wildlife, agriculture equipment, and a false sense of security create dangerous dynamics. Jessie Barrus, Idaho Transportation Depa...

Send us Fan Mail George Rohrbacher found himself in the middle of nowhere, with only the lights from his tractor, pondering how he was going to save his farm. Farm markets in the late 1970s were tanking, and very little rain had fallen on his newly acquired dry farm. And then, out of nowhere, he decides to risk it all on a board game. You will not want to miss this.

Send us Fan Mail Yes, it is absolutely true! Back in 1948, biologists threw beavers out of airplanes over Idaho's rugged backcountry with parachutes to help them rebuild ponds and other water structures. This podcast will have you laughing as Ben Goldfarb, environmental journalist, author, and "Beaver Believer," tells how it all went down. Ben also shares how biologists are seeking...

Send us Fan Mail If you raise animals on the island of Kodiak (Alaska), it comes as no surprise to see a hog, cow, or horse get brought in by plane or ferry. Kelli Foreman, Assistant Executive Director at Kodiak Baptist Mission, took everything she learned from her upbringing in Nebraska to be a goat farmer while raising a family in this unique part of the country. With three boys and a whole slew...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine placing a couple feet of water over your cranberry vines, letting Mother Nature freeze the top 14 inches or so, and then draining the water under the ice to give the vines an air pocket to protect them from harsh Wisconsin winters. This is only one crazy step in the world of cranberry production. Amber Bristow, a 5th generation Wisconsin cranberry farmer and social media i...

Send us Fan Mail It is undeniable that farming is physically demanding work, and it becomes even more challenging when a disability affects someone working in agriculture. Limitations can occur due to an accident, disease, genetic conditions, etc. Paul Jones,  National AgrAbility Project Manager, shares how the AgrAbility program, which is funded as part of the Farm Bill, finds incredible solution...

Send us Fan Mail People all over the country follow Andrea Flemming on social media for one main reason - she keeps it real when it comes to farming. If there are days to cry over sick animals, she talks about it. If there is a success, she talks about it. Most importantly, she does not shy away from discussing the importance of mental health in a challenging industry. Known as "ThatFitAgvoca...

Send us Fan Mail Horses are part of our culture in so many ways. They carry riders for leisure, horse shows, rodeos, and much more. Likewise, horses are being used  for therapy with children and adults. When Hurricane Ian raced across Florida, it went past the city of Ocala, which is the horse capital of the world triggering an emergency response to get feed to horses. Louisa Barton, known as the...