Food Transforms

Alex is joined by Laura Nelson, Executive Director of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition to talk about their upcoming grazing schools and connecting grasslands, ranching and conservation back to FOOD. Plus a moment of some pure grassland zen!

Sarah K. Mock is the accomplished author of "Farm (and Other F Words)," and "Big Team Farms," a blogger with the substack feed "People Eat the Land," and podcaster with many, many great ongoing and series podcast creations. She joins Alex to discuss how we relate to the land, farm subsidies, creative ownership and management structures for farms and ranches, the price of food, ecosystems services...

Amy Tabor, General Manager of Open Harvest Co-op, joins Alex at the Farm to talk about cooperative principles, the history of Open Harvest, working with Boards, local food sales, and all the challenges Open Harvest has faced over 50 years of business. Plus a greenhouse interview with Megan about "pet grass."

Alex visits his good friend and neighbor, Kevin Loth of Shadowbrook Farms and Dutch Girl Creamery, to hear about what his 40 years in farming have taught him about life, farming, people and the land.

An incredible conversation with Heather Dawn Thompson of the World Wildlife Fund! We discuss indigenous foods and philosophy, having hard conversations across divides, Farm to School programming, capitalism and the value of food, what buffalo mean to the plains tribes, and we laugh a lot. Plus an insider's view on food from the 1973 Standoff at Wounded Knee. Don't miss this engaging conversation!

Erica Wassinger, one of the founders of Sandhills Elixir, joins us for a wide ranging discussion about this special Nebraska drink company, capitalism, Nebraska Water law & Natural Resource Districts, and of course Alex works in grasslands. We meet the woman taking the helm at Sandhills Elixir, Emily Hassenstab, and she offers up a 20% discount code for listeners! PLUS more details on the Robinett...

Dr. Stephanie Hartman, an excellent primary care doctor in Omaha, NE, and professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, joins Alex to talk about how food impacts health, the importance of our "microbiome," and practical ways to build resilient diet changes into your life. And who could forget fiber? Plus a fun break interviewing dozens of people about what foods suit them best!

Alex talks with Nicole Ragon about her family's business, Niobrara Grain and Milling. Her family grows certified organic wheat in the Nebraska Panhandle and mills it into flour in Valentine, Nebraska. We hear about her father, Dick Tetherow, and his passion for community and agriculture, the UniFine Mill that Niobrara uses to create the highest quality flour on the market, and balancing life and a...

Alex is joined by Michaella Kumke, the President and CEO of the Food Bank of Lincoln, to discuss food insecurity and what role farms play in feeding those in need. Plus a quick visit to the hoophouses to chat with one of Robinette's team members, Brett, about the surprising thing that makes him happiest on the farm.

Listen to Alex & Chloe banter through a discussion of grass-finished beef and how it impacts human and environmental health, how they approach concerns about animal welfare, and how ruminants affect the climate. Alex shares his least-favorite work, and Chloe tees up a funny "listener pro-tip" during the break. Learn a bit, laugh a lot, and find out how you can buy grass-finished beef from Robinett...

Join Alex McKiernan as he and the author and conservationist Bob Budd explore the value of grazing ruminants on America's grasslands, the idea that humans manage every ecosystem, and the joy and power of Wonder. And don't miss the break when Alex talks with Ty in our first edition of "Ask a Redneck."

Maggie Pleskac is passionate about the changes food can make in everyone's life. She joins Alex to talk vegetarian cooking, seasonal eating, functional foods and the joy that food can bring to life. Plus special content from the greenhouse where we explore Robinette's micro greens production with Megan, the Queen of Micros.

Cole Mannix, CEO of Old Salt Coop in Montana, joins Alex to talk about how spending time on the land that grows your food is the best way to build a food system that values more than just monetary profit. The Old Salt Festival, June 19-21, 2026 in Helmville, MT on the Mannix Ranch is in it's 4th year of bringing people to place, and Alex and Cole explore this event and the power of Commerce, Conse...

Chef Shack Butters of Doane University and Bread and Butter Catering knows a thing or two about change and the power of food. He grew up on the northeastern coast of South America in Guyana, as well as the island of Bimini in the Bahamas before landing in the US to play basketball. Medical school?: No way -- "Food is a love language!"

Can food change your life and improve the land that grows it? If you're ready to be inspired by stories of food transformations, join Alex McKiernan and Chloe Diegel of Robinette Farms for the first episode of Food Transforms. This week Chloe and Alex talk about the history of their land, why they farm, if one can live on "Soylent," and the positive change that food has made in their lives. Join e...