The Vance Crowe Podcast

Matt Stubblefield of Brush Creek Valley Farms raises cows, pigs and chickens in the Joel Salatin system, decentralized, local and personal.  Stubblefield was growing his customer base when Coronavirus hit and now his business is exploding.  He offers customers a chance to buy a subscription for a box of meat every month. To learn more about Brush Creek Valley Farms- and see if you can still order...

Lyle Benjamin recently quit farming and this was now small thing- he was the former President of the Montana Grain Growers Association.  He is a reserve police officer, a statesman, and a modern day mountain man.  We discuss dealing with adrenaline during a scary moment, the potential breakup of centralized governance, social mobs and a lot more. On Saturday, April 11, 2020 Lyle published an artic...

"This is not only a financial downturn as big as the great depression... this not a pandemic as lethal as the flu pandemic... the only thing that rivals [Coronavirus] is the Black Plague, in the 17th Century" National Geographic Explorer in Residence and world renown population geneticist Spencer Wells joined Vance Crowe from his hideout in Indonesia where he has decided to wait out Coronavirus. ...

Jesse Civello is a physical therapist in Saint Louis, Missouri.  Coronavirus forced her business to pivot because she could no longer see patients in person.  Now their business is up and running via tele-medicine.  Jesse talks about what is different about virtual care for people in pain while doing every day activities.   Jesse and my wife Ann Crowe own Precision Physical Therapy which has pivot...

I have a Friday morning meeting with Sarah Bohnenkamp ever week.  She is insightful, energetic and helps me push through the mental blocks that keep me from seeing opportunities. We recorded our conversation discussing how people are reacting to the chaos of Coronavirus and which people are adapting to thrive. We talk about handling the crisis, how teachers are adapting and pushing the boundaries...

Brian Rund is a farmer and ag chemical salesman that paradoxically lives in Indianapolis.  We met after a little conflict on Twitter that prompted some far more interesting DM's.  We went on to have an interesting discussion of his perception of Coronavirus on April 9, 2020. @wtfisameme @VanceCrowe This is the 27th interview in the ongoing series of Coronavirus perspectives. I believe that society...

"Just say plant geneticist and data scientist" That is what Kate Crosby told me to say about her background.  She is a Canadian plant geneticist living in Sacramento California and she has a lot of ideas that are outside of the norm. We discussed quarantine zones, how systems break down, how long people will stay in their houses and how she spends her time. @_Kate_Crosby_ @VanceCrowe This is the 2...

Dan Broadbent is the host of a blogging platform that regularly reaches more than 1 million people. He was suspended from Facebook for publishing jokes about the death of Harambe; RIP.  Now Dan is on quarantine with his wife and children and he articulates the danger he sees with the disease, how he prepared and the conditions under which we as a society should come out from quarantine.  @ASciEnth...

Vance Crowe and Jayson Lusk describe how the agricultural supply chain is intricately tied together, and how there are dangers that cannot be foreseen when central control starts demanding that exports halt and the government has enacted war-time powers to direct companies to produce specific goods.   Jayson Lusk is an economist, Distinguished Professor and Department Head in the Department of Agr...

Matt Ridley is a member of the House of Lords, a Ph. D. Ornithologists, and author of my favorite book; the Rational Optimist. We had an astounding conversation about how the virus unlocks our immune system, the bureaucratic failures of the WHO, and what will happen to the EU in a post Coronavirus world.  @MattWRidley @VanceCrowe This is the 24th interview in the ongoing series of Coronavirus pers...

Rick Fox is an attorney with a portfolio of companies that he runs his offices in Saint Louis and New York City.  He discusses how Coronavirus has impacted his international importing business, what will happen if renters stop paying, and what he thinks will happen to the price of imported goods.   Vance Crowe on Twitter: @VanceCrowe This is the 23rd interview in the ongoing series of Coronavirus...

Robb Fraley Ph. D. is the former CTO of the agriculture seed and chemical company Monsanto.  Retired after the purchase of Monsanto by Bayer, Fraley spoke freely about his view from running the most important ag biotech company in the history of the world. We discuss the time a vaccine would need to be tested before it was safe, the labor shortages that threaten our food supply and the role of pat...

Saint Louis Bank CEO, Travis Liebig discusses the PPP program being distributed through the SBA system.  We discuss the challenges for getting these loans distributed, how he is directing his employees to work with their customers and what will happen if the program runs out of money. In full disclosure: I am on the Board of Directors for Saint Louis Bank and Travis and I are long time friends. Th...

Kolja Zydatiss is a German journalist and author living in Berlin. 7 days ago he was rushed to the hospital with an embolism in his lungs.  He waited 7 days in quarantine for his tests to come back.  We spoke about his views on Germany's response to the crisis, their federalist system and what he thinks will happen coming out of the pandemic. His work focuses on socio-political issues, in particul...

Dax is a former Green Beret medic now working security as a civilian at a forward operating base in Afghanistan.  We discuss how the disease is spreading into Afghanistan, the precautions to keep it out of the US/NATO base, and what people should have in their personal medical supplies. Vance Crowe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanceCrowe This is the 19th interview in the ongoing series of Coron...

Jason Bockman, owner of the iconic Strange Donuts in Saint Louis, discusses the pressure and the suicidal thoughts that can happen during moments of uncertainty.  Jason shares his mentality to keep his business open and helping people.  https://www.strangedonuts.com/ https://www.instagram.com/strangedonuts/ Vance Crowe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanceCrowe This is the 18th interview in the on...

Razib Kahn is an internationally known geneticist and science communicator.  He has been particularly outspoken about his views on Coronavirus on Twitter.  We discussed shutting down interstate travel, the social and economic consequences for shutting down the economy, and what will change as we end the last century and enter a new era. Razib Kahn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/razibkhan Vance Cr...

Joel Sigman runs an HVAC company in Saint Louis, Missouri.  His employees are now making service calls in a post-Corona world.  He talks about how concerned his guys are about the virus and the steps they are taking to make both the homeowner and the worker feel safe from the invisible disease. To learn more about Sigman HVAC: https://sigmanhvacr.com/ Vance Crowe on Twitter: @VanceCrowe This is th...

Jerod McDaniel is the host of Ag Uncensored and a Cattle Rancher from Texahoma, Oklahoma.  We discuss how Coronavirus has impacted his family and the beef industry.  We discuss teaching his kids during Coronavirus.   Jerod McDaniel on Twitter: @jerodmcdaniel Vance Crowe on Twitter: @VanceCrowe This is the 15th interview in the ongoing series of Coronavirus perspectives. I believe that society will...

Steve Ernst is an ICU nurse and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor working at Saint Louis's level one trauma center.  He is a hard scrapping tough guy with a no-nonsense way of looking at the world. We talk about what their hospital is expecting, how to handle sick patients, washing hands, and how to behave if you become hospitalized. Vance Crowe on Twitter: @VanceCrowe This is the 14th interview in...

Saint Louis Bank CEO, Travis Liebig discusses the enormous government stimulus package that banks are being tasked with delivering to small business owners via SBA lending.  We discuss the risk of inflation, the government programs and how to find a banker in a time of crisis.  In full disclosure: I am on the Board of Directors for Saint Louis Bank and Travis and I are long time friends. This is a...

Julie Kelly is a senior contributor for American Greatness. She covers politics, science, and the media.  Julie has taken a heterodox position regarding the stay at home orders, and suspects that the number of people that have already been infected and recovered from Coronavirus is much higher than initially believed. We discuss civil liberties and taking a position that people don't agree with yo...

John Larson, Senior Vice President at the American Farmland Trust talks about how Coronavirus has shut down the local food movement from selling to restaurants and shown how important a diversified local food system can be during a crisis.    Larson discusses cities that have taken on the task of buying easements that will keep farmland as farmland while still providing a burst of income for the s...

Sam Miller is a recovering addict that now works with unhoused youth on the West Coast.  We talked about how the homeless will likely deal with the Coronavirus and what should happen after the pandemic is over to better help lift them out of poverty. This is the tenth interview in the ongoing series of Coronavirus perspectives. I believe that society will have the rules re-written when we come out...

Joscha Bach is an artificial intelligence researcher that has worked at MIT, Harvard, and Singularity University.  I have quoted his work for more than 7 years.  He sounded the Coronavirus alarm in January of 2020 and I thought he was losing his mind- so I wrote to tell him.  I was wrong.  Joscha talks about why nerds can see things coming, predicts how the virus will run its course, illustrates h...