Dirt Road Discussions

Send us Fan Mail Ask any farm kid from the last 50 years how much they liked rock picking and see their reaction. Most would say it was pretty fun for the first 15 minutes and miserable for the rest. Today, farmers can't afford to have sizeable rocks damage their increasingly expensive farm equipment in the fields. As with all aspects of agriculture, farms are looking to automation. Trevor Th...

Send us Fan Mail Millions of books are sold every year with all kinds of glamorous tips and gimmicks to get people to think the food they eat will give them what they want. Unfortunately, many of these fad diets aren't sustainable. Sheri Glazier is a farmer and nutritionist known as the Dirt Road Dietician. On this podcast, she walks us through how people can live life, not be too extreme, an...

Send us Fan Mail Dirt Road Discussions has shared stories from many people from across the country. In this special holiday episode, we share a touching story of hope and perseverance told by Lynn and Susan Steadman who lost their house in a fire. Their words remind us of what is truly important in life.

Send us Fan Mail Florida has the fun job to grow the majority of strawberries for the United States during the winter season. Whether they are surviving a hurricane, covid, regulation changes, or labor shortages, the strawberry industry is an exciting place to be. Michelle Williamson, Operation Manager of G&F Farms, and Kenneth Parker, Executive Director of Strawberry Growers Association, give...

Send us Fan Mail With a collection of over 100 antique tractors, it is one man's job to revive these historic machines. This behind-the-scenes interview with Rob Bearden, aka Tractor Doctor, takes us through his story and process. These old tractors are a tribute to farmers who took horse teams out of the fields and adopted new technology that changed the future of agriculture.

Send us Fan Mail Whether it is a candy bar wrapper or medical equipment, the world uses millions of plastic products. An exciting emerging technology, using starches from potato waste and other crops, can potentially change the plastic industry and waste management of plastic products. BiologiQ CEO Steven Sherman shows how agriculture waste is being accessed to make a new and strong plastic that i...

Send us Fan Mail Phillippe Aumont tells an amazing story of being a first-round draft pitcher in Major League Baseball and then later choosing to trade a mound of dirt for dirt on a family farm. He talks about learning how to become a farmer, the reaction from his teammates, and why he loves the lifestyle that comes with growing healthy food for his community.

Send us Fan Mail Cow herds will always need cowboys, but with developing technology, ranchers can now move invisible fences (and cows) with the push of a button on their phones. CK Wisniewski, ranching success manager with a company called Vence, explains how this technology is being implemented today. Another aspect of this technology is being able to monitor the well-being of cattle while on the...

Send us Fan Mail The FFA organization is found today in schools all across America. Jim Summers and Vernon Roche probably never knew that when they went to the same high school in the 1960s that both their life journeys would lead to decades of being Ag educators. Now retired, these two sit down to share insights and funny stories into why FFA and good old-fashioned hard work are needed now more t...

Send us Fan Mail Civilization needs rain and snow. Did you know there is a scientific process to help this along? Whether you water your lawn, grow crops, or run a ski resort, we all depend on precipitation for our daily lives.  Shaun Parkinson, Meteorology & Cloud Seeding Leader, and Derek Blestrud, Senior Atmospheric Scientist, from Idaho Power dive into the strategies, successes, and limita...

Send us Fan Mail Wildfires in the United States are more than the forest catching fire and agencies working to put them out as fast as possible. Forest and wildfire management comes with a deep history. Wildfire expert and Senior Research Ecologist Paul Hessburg takes us on a fascinating journey on the topic of wildfires.

Send us Fan Mail After each serving overseas deployment, Tom Norris (Afghanistan and Kosovo) and his wife Char’reise (Afghanistan and Iraq) developed a 23-acre farm to help Veterans learn, grow, and heal. This is the story of the Veterans Farming Initiative.

Send us Fan Mail What would the world do without fertilizer? Larry Lankford, Procurement Manager for Valley Agronomics, discusses where people have misunderstood where fertilizer comes from, how it is used today, and how multiple countries impact its availability.

Send us Fan Mail Randy and Karen Reed had an empty greenhouse and decided to fulfill their dream to create a butterfly ecosystem that is now the Butterfly Haven. They discuss the evolution of a caterpillar to a butterfly and how these important pollinators play a role in agriculture.

Send us Fan Mail Grand Teton Distillery has found success using local farm commodities to make award-winning spirits.  This includes a fun collaboration with Hollywood's Channing Tatum for a signature potato vodka. This is their story.

Send us Fan Mail Meet two individuals who are helping plan the future of a century-old product. Wool, unlike polyester and much of the synthetic plastic microfibers produced today, is a desirable, renewable, sustainable biodegradable fiber. 

Send us Fan Mail For centuries, grape vineyards were specifically designed for the average worker's height and arm length.  Viticulturist  Alexander Levin, Ph. D, dives into the world of producing a very delicate product (wine grapes) in modern vineyards with new technology.

Send us Fan Mail What do you do if you put out job listings for thousands of agriculture jobs, and only 18 local residents apply? Joel Anderson, Executive Director of the Snake River Farmers Association gives us the ins and outs of bringing in foreign ag labor to meet this vital need. 

Send us Fan Mail Sherri Staheli with Staheli Farms never imagined parents would pay her to have their city kids come out and do chores on her farm.  This has led to "Farm Camp" where kids build memories, interact with animals, do chores, and learn to develop a work ethic.

Send us Fan Mail Learn the truth about honeybees from beekeeper Spencer Drange, and how he chased a bear up a tree when he was just 5 years old.  

Send us Fan Mail If you see a tractor driving in the field without a farmer inside, don’t be alarmed. It may be driving itself. Ryan Jardon with John Deere tells us all about it.

Send us Fan Mail It seems there is more demand on farmers to grow the world's food with less water. Clay Carter and Tony Richards tell us how new technologies can help farmers conserve water during times of drought.  

Send us Fan Mail Does Vermont have competition for maple syrup? Trees in the Intermountain West are now being looked at for maple syrup production. Bracken Henderson of the University of Idaho tells us all about it.