At the Iowa Farm Table Podcast

Jon Bakehouse is a corn and soybean farmer in southwest Iowa. He and his family were working to improve the sustainability of the farm over the years. But an unexpected health scare changed Bakehouse’s perspective of farming, and About this podcast This episode is part of a partnership with the Practical Farmers of Iowa , a farmer-led nonprofit with more than 9,000 members that equips farmers to b...

Arlyn Kauffman, a row crop and egg farmer from southern Iowa, took a group of high school students to one of the nation’s largest agricultural shows, where major seed and chemical companies were showcasing their products. What he learned there changed his life. This episode is the beginning of an occasional series Beth Hoffman will produce in partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI). PFI i...

More than 70% of farms in the U.S. have been lost over the past 125 years. Today less than 2% of Americans call farming their profession. Yet, in a world with a changing climate and uncertain job market, many are looking to farming as a way to get back to the land, grow healthy food for their community, and discover a life full of meaning. But finding land and becoming a full fledged member of the...

We wanted to send a quick note of appreciation for all of our listeners! Thank you so much for your support. Please be sure to write a review of this podcast (especially if you listen outside of Substack). And sign up for the Iowa Food System Coalition’s Local Food Challenge taking place this summer. Have you ever wondered why U.S. tax payers often pay farmers NOT to farm? In this episode, we fram...

Iowa has a cancer problem. We are one of the only states in the nation with a growing cancer rate, and have higher levels of certain kinds of cancers than do similar areas of the country. Many have put the blame on Iowa’s fields, while others say that legal pesticides are safe for us and the environment. In this episode we go down the rabbit hole to understand—how do chemicals become products on o...

The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program was slated to bring millions of dollars into Iowa, while supporting new farmers. Contracts were signed, fellows quit their jobs, and we were off to the races. Until suddenly, we weren’t. USDA abruptly pulled the funding in March with two days notice, deferring the dreams of new farmers like Lawrencia Rogers and eliminating the jobs created to...

In the second episode of our two part mini-series on restaurants, Beth visits with those championing for the transformation of Iowa into a farm-to-table haven. She talks to the chefs and farmers making it a reality, and to those in government supporting the change. Voices Suman Hoque of HoQ and Flora in Des Moines, Iowa Jill Beebout of Blue Gate Farm , Chariton, Iowa Austin Frerick , Author of Bar...

How come so much of the food in Iowa seems to taste the same? In this two-part mini-series, Beth Hoffman dives deep into how and why restaurants have evolved (not for the better), and the ways chefs can help reinvigorate the state of Iowa. Listen to this 12-minute podcast on Substack or any other podcast player. Voices Suman Hoque of HOQ and Flora in Des Moines, Iowa. Jill Beebout of Blue Gate Far...

Fruits and vegetables are often not the first thing many SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) participants buy. Produce can be more expensive, and when you are trying to stretch food dollars to feed hungry kids (children make up almost 40% of all SNAP users), processed foods often fills more bellies. A program implemented in Iowa called Double Up Food Bucks helps stretch SNAP dolla...

“Food as medicine.” The phrase is everywhere in the news and on social media. But food and farming impacts not only our bodies. In this episode of At the Iowa Farm Table , we look at the concept of healing our bodies, by choosing better foods and by healing our soils. “If we’re going to have healthy people, we have to have healthy soils that produce healthy plants. That gives us healthy people,” s...

Todd Western III’s family settled in Mahaska County in 1864, a year after Abraham Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation . More than 160 years later, the family still farms the same land. As one would imagine, the Western family has weathered a lot over the course of their time on the land: price fluctuations, weather changes, and racial discrimination. But it was the sudden death of...

Working to change the food system can feel like a slog. Progress is slow, challenges are constant, and wins can be hard to see. And yet, change has happened. Public understanding has shifted, and a growing movement in Iowa is pushing toward a food system that is more sustainable, more equitable, and more accessible. That progress didn’t happen by accident. It happened because people showed up. In...

There’s a word that explains a lot about modern agriculture, even if Merriam-Webster hasn’t caught up yet: chickenization . It’s what happens when animals become “widgets,” farms become factories, and power quietly shifts from thousands of farmers to a handful of corporations. In this season finale of At the Iowa Farm Table , Beth Hoffman digs into how chicken went from luxury to dollar-menu stapl...

This week on At the Iowa Farm Table, learn more about how and where your food is raised! Beth Hoffman and Amanda Severson chat about their cattle businesses and how they raise meat differently than what you typically buy in the supermarket. They discuss current political trends and how the nutrition of the meat they raise differs from cattle raised on corn. You can learn more about Amanda Severson...

What’s going on in farm country? China, which normally buys half of America’s soybean crop, hasn’t bought a bean. Corn prices are dragging below the cost of production. Wheat and hogs? Also in the tank. Across the Midwest, people are whispering—and in some cases shouting—that we might be headed for another farm crisis, the likes of which Iowa last saw in the 1980s. To get perspective, I turned to...

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day (October 13th in Iowa), we hear from two Indigenous women residing in Iowa and learn how shifting our perspective can help bring us back into balance with the natural world. Featured Voices * Marianna G. M. Cota, MPH — Ecologist, dreamweaver, heartist, disruptor, folklorist, and public health scholar with Yoeme/Yaqui, Kapampangan/Filipino, and Mexican linea...

Iowa schools spend millions feeding kids — in effect, they’re the largest restaurants in the state. But here’s the catch: most of those tax dollars don’t stay in Iowa. When food is trucked in from across the country and contracts go only to national corporations, local farms and rural communities lose out. In this replay of our very first episode, we dig into the real economics of school lunch. Yo...

Iowa’s food system has been engineered into sameness. This episode explores how diversification—of crops, markets, and farmers—could reshape the Corn Belt and prove that Food Grows Iowa. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit attheiowafarmtable.substack.com

Iowa’s nitrate levels have hit historic highs, forcing lawn watering bans, swim advisories, and costly cleanups. A new report — the Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment (CISWRA) — confirms what many Iowans already know: agriculture is driving the problem, and solutions can’t wait. So what can you do about a challenge this big? In this episode, host Beth Hoffman sits down with Dr. Adam Shr...

Cheese curds. Goat cheese. Ice Cream. Beverages. At the Iowa State Fair, the Iowa Quality Dairy Products Competition showcases the best dairy products in the state, from small family creameries to large-scale brands that are investing in Iowa. In this episode, we follow Heather Moore of Moore Family Farms in Maquoketa as she enters her cheese curds in one of the fair’s most competitive categories....

It starts showing up in parking lots and roadside stands around July. People rearrange their schedules to get it while it’s fresh. They stand in line, drive miles out of their way, and plan weekend gatherings around it. Some boil. Some grill. Some freeze a dozen bags for winter. Everyone has their way. It’s inconvenient. More labor-intensive than most foods we buy. And still, Iowans go out of thei...

In 2024, Governor Kim Reynolds made headlines when she declined $29 million in federal funding for Summer EBT (also known as SUN Bucks)—a proven program that helped feed nearly 250,000 Iowa kids each summer. Instead, the state applied for a waiver to pilot its own approach: Healthy Kids Iowa. While that waiver was denied under the previous administration, it gained approval this year under USDA Se...

Nitrate levels in Des Moines' drinking water are hitting historic highs. The city just issued its first-ever lawn watering ban , and rural communities are struggling too. What’s going on? In this episode, we revisit that grade school water cycle diagram—then rip it up. Because the reality in Iowa is very different. Think monocrops, fertilizer runoff, and millions of acres of buried tile lines rero...

"Local food" is a popular idea. But why is it important to buy food grown locally? In this episode, we dive deeply into what local food really means and why it matters more than you might think. Spoiler alert: it has a lot to do with your health. But, it goes beyond nutrition. From farmers markets in small towns to food science labs, we explore how the way food is grown affects its flavor, nutriti...

For this episode we visited our partners at the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) food pantry network, where collaboration, data collection, and advocacy are changing how food insecurity is understood and addressed. We hear how local pantries work, who they serve, and why even in a state known for agriculture, one in four Iowans is struggling to access enough food. This episode also examin...