The Ranch Podcast

Alexis Morgan is an education advocate and a PHD candidate in the school of Public Policy at BSU. As the legislative session was approaching, I asked Alexis if she would be willing to come in and discuss some of the legislation from a public policy lens. She graciously agreed, and here you have it. Hopefully this will be a regular show for the duration of the legislative session where I can unders...

Lauren McLean is the mayor of Boise and came on to talk about a number of things, including affordable housing wins, continuing open space and park projects, and more than anything, the number of key community events that the city is hosting to ensure that in this time of unprecedented growth, Boise can remain a connected community with a clear sense of history and future. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast...

Leslie Edgar is the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Idaho and came on to discuss ag, education, and where our food production may be moving. Many people that grew up on the farm or the ranch are not returning, which means we must educate and train our future farmers and food producers. UofI as our land grant university plays a key role in ensuring that ou...

Brooke Blevins is the Dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at University of Idaho and came on to discuss the difficulty with educating educators. Education is desperately needed so America can leverage its human capital to the fullest extent, but the plight of educators today includes easily over $100,000 in education cost for a job that does not return huge salaries. Heari...

Jason Dixon is the Bannock County Clerk and came on to talk about the election system he oversees. Things like drop box security and absentee ballots are common points of confusion with people, and Jason’s experience and reasons for doing things the way he does were fantastic. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased,...

Dennis Becker is the Dean of the College of Natural Resources at Univ. of Idaho and came on to discuss the state of our resources, their preservation, their utilization, and the future. As he pointed out, the US went through a very aggressive period of over harvesting in many areas, be it trees, minerals, fish, etc., and in response to that, we have arrived at a place of conflict with many people...

Pam Howland is a practicing employment attorney in the Treasure Valley and came in to discuss liability in the workplace with social media communication. Private social media has been increasingly tied to workplace environments, but in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, there were many employers in Idaho that felt compelled to terminate employees for things these people said online. For both emplo...

Dr. Gabriel Potirniche is the associate dean of the School of Engineering at University of Idaho. Engineering as a broader discipline is one that requires incredible technical and creative skill, all things that are starting to change as we integrate AI more fundamentally into education and industry. AI itself is becoming a core focus of study, as Dr. Potirniche pointed out, and UofI is actually d...

Tim Haynes is the new Chief of Police for Star, Idaho. He has taken over as chief as the city has grown percentage wise faster than almost any other area in the state. It also happens to be an incredible community, led by an intentional mayor and city council that have a clear vision for the community and area they want to continue building. It was wonderful to understand Tim more and hear his vis...

Dr. Rayme Geidl is the interim Co-Director of the School of Health and Medical Professions at the University of Idaho. Idaho is ranked last for physician access in the US, and Rayme, along with many others, is trying to help educate and raise our own medical professionals. This is an incredibly complex and time consuming process, but one that she deeply believes in. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is sup...

Phil McGrane is the Idaho Secretary of State and came in to discuss what happened in Elmore County after the Nov 2025 election. It was uncovered post election that over 300 votes were not counted, and Phil came in to explain what happened, how Idaho responded, and why Idahoans should have even more faith now in the election process. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundatio...

Monica Church is a District 19 representative in Idaho and came in to ring in the new year. As always, we stumbled onto tricky subjects and talked them out like champs. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media.  The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in...

Nick Fasciano is the executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation and came in to kindly share his bounty of wild game. The meal consisted of elk, pronghorn, mule deer, and bear, all of which were expertly prepared and served. Wild game access in Idaho is one of the state’s most incredible offerings, and thanks to Nick, I was able to try these incredible animals for the first time. Hearing h...

Alex Zamora is the superintendent of the Wilder School District. Wilder integrated a tech heavy curriculum roughly 7 years ago when Ivanka Trump and Tim Cook visited the district, but after years of seeing lackluster educational performance, the district switched back to classic curriculum and is improving significantly. As Alex pointed out, tech companies frequently over promise and under deliver...

Luke Visser is a third-generation dairy farmer in Idaho, involved with his family's dairy operations. He kindly took me all though the Idaho Dairy Product plant and explained operations. Luke and several other dairy farmers have been able to take Idaho dairy and create high quality dairy derivatives that are enjoyed world wide. What the Idaho dairy industry is doing is amazing. Enjoy! The Ran...

Tammy Nichols is an Idaho State Senator who came on to talk about some of the political issues around elections that Idaho has faced for years. Political operatives from out of state get flown into Idaho to advocate for or against Idaho candidates. These people are housed, paid, and instructed to engage very specific dialogue. This is a problem across the state and we should all be aware of it, re...

Brandy Furiani is the Executive Director of Eagle Chamber of Commerce and is coming to her last few days in the position. Over the last couple years, she has done a phenomenal job assisting her member businesses expand their visibility and support within the community. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization  to unbiased, Idaho focused me...

Eric Jones is the CEO of Thunder Mountain Gold, a prospecting and mining company operating in Idaho. His company has contributed both environmentally and financially to the state, and I greatly appreciate his willingness to come and explain what his organization does. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho fo...

Dr. Emily Wakild is a professor and historian and came in to talk about how people find their places in Idaho. As people move to this state, there is an ever evolving problem with building housing and changing the landscape. Boise specifically recently voted to tax itself to preserve more of the surrounding hills and open space because people felt it just wouldn’t be the same without it. Dr. Wakil...

Ali Rabe is the new executive director of the Gem State Housing Alliance, a non-profit group focused on state wide housing affordability. The crisis with housing costs is real and affects all Idahoans. Ali is working to understand the policies, practices, and issues that are driving up costs so Idaho can potentially lead the way with addressing this issue. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by...

Ron Nate is the President of the Idaho Freedom Foundation and came on to talk about the budget issues Idaho is facing. The Foundation has produced a budget that would cut off an additional 1.8 billion dollars, and I asked Ron to come on to explain how they came to that number. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased,...

Austin Johnson lives in the Treasure Valley and is the director of Ghana Make a Difference, an organization that runs an orphanage in Ghana on the banks of lake Volta. The area is a hot bed for human trafficking and slavery as parents routinely unknowingly sell their own children into slavery. As these children are liberated, they need not only food and shelter but also education and a glimmer of...

Scott Green is the President of University of Idaho and came on to speak about the value of education in Idaho. There is a large concern about youth of Idaho and their opportunities as they move into adulthood. There is also a growing anxiety amongst adults about their ability to retool and retrain as the AI wave washes over humanity. The University of Idaho has a place for all of these people. En...

Mitchell Searle is a multi-generation Idaho farmer and came in to speak on the difficulties around entering the ag field professionally. The astronomical cost of land as well as the variability of the product market has made this option all but impossible for anyone trying to start from scratch. For those inheriting an operation from an older generation, there’s also an increasingly confusing Deat...

Tori O’Neal is a fifth generation, sustainable rancher in Custer County, Idaho. She didn’t go straight into ranching, but instead headed to college, left the state, and worked in food product development. Throughout her work and travels, she recognized the growing trend of people feeling disconnected from the food they consume and the growing desire to understand the food system better. She works...