The Prairie Farm Podcast

A new ISU study is shaking up how we think about prairies. It turns out pollinators don't just need the prairie, the prairie needs them back. Kent, Nicolas, and Riley dig into what declining pollinator populations mean for plant diversity, then shift to the Boundary Waters mining fight and what's actually at stake ecologically.   Hoksey Native Seeds (for all your backyard prairie, CRP, Prairie Str...

Val Van Kooten, administrator at the State of Iowa Historical Society, returns for her third episode. The conversation digs into pioneer journal entries, pre-tractor farm life, an April Fool's fact-or-fiction game, the phenomenon of declinism, claim jumper clubs, and what autonomous tractors might do to Midwest culture. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP mixes, backyard prairie mixes, hunting...

This week on Coffee Time Wednesday Nicolas breaks down what would actually happen if the Corn Belt set aside 10% of its acres for conservation. Using over 40 sources, he walks through the county level economics of lost grain sales, higher commodity prices, hunting revenue, and CRP payments. The math might surprise you. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP, native mixes, butterfly wildflower pat...

Thomas Mlsna is a habitat consultant and biologist who's spent 16 years rethinking how hunters manage land. In this episode, he breaks down the deer food pyramid, makes the case for smaller food plots in smarter locations, connects native plant diversity to EHD prevention, and challenges the entire model of chemical-heavy whitetail land management. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed,...

Grab your coffee folks, it's time for another Coffee Time Wednesday! This week Nicolas, Kent, and Riley kick off Coffee Time debating whether Nicolas's cargo pocket jeans are fashion-forward or a complete disaster. From there the guys swap their best farm mistakes. Tractors buried in mud, discs wrapped around power poles, and $5,000 worth of hand-collected seed dumped on gravel. Then the crew digs...

Molly Pickering, Policy Director for Illinois Stewardship Alliance, joins Nicolas and Kent for a wide-ranging conversation on what's actually broken in America's food system. From monopoly meat packers to cottage food laws to pesticide drift hitting small farms, Molly brings the policy perspective that most farmers never get to hear.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, native pastur...

Welcome back to another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday! The Nebraska Sandhills just went through the largest wildfire in state history. What does that mean for the prairie and the cattle on that prairie? Then the conversation shifts to Iowa's water. Two new reports just tied nitrates and pesticides to Iowa's extremely high cancer rate. Who's responsible? Who pays? hokseynativeseeds.com...

Ray Geroff is a district heritage biologist for the Illinois DNR and has burned over 100,000 acres of prairie. 3,900 were just the day before the podcast. In Episode 344, Kent and Nicolas break down burn safety, proper weather windows, what each season of fire does to your landscape, using fire against sericea and brome, and what happens when a prairie never burns. This is burning 101 from someone...

Nicolas and Kent start this one recanting how a man tried to steal two tractors from them through their recent farm auction. Tim Brown, The Bearded Uplander, is back, and this one gets real fast. His bird dog Mac nearly died from a grass awn that migrated through his body — and it happens way more than people think. The guys break down which wild ryes are dangerous for hunting dogs, how to protect...

Eddie Andrews joins us to discuss the riff between republicans and democrats in Iowa, property taxes, school ESA's, and of course water quality. We enjoyed this conversation and believe you will as well! hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, backyard prairie mixes, native pasture mixes, and hunting habitat mixes) Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop needs) McKay Insurance (for all your insuran...

Kent, Riley, and Nicolas talk about what's going on with the Farm Bill today, and what status it has in the legislative pipeline. They also discuss what would need to happen for Iowa to have a higher tax bracket for out of state land owners. There's a lot of uncertainty for the rural United States, especially with farming. What can we do to enhance it? What needs to change? hokseynativeseeds.com (...

Justin Meissen, Research and Restoration Program Manager at the Tallgrass Prairie Center, joins the Prairie Farm Podcast to talk prairie establishment from the ground up — literally. Why native annual weeds aren't always your enemy. What months to plant and which ones to avoid at all costs. How seed size predicts establishment success. And what "coefficient of conservatism" actually means. This on...

Kent's very own father, Alan Boucher, joined us to discuss a journal entry from a woman in the 1800's. We also discuss whether or not someone should burn a prairie field now or in May to eliminate brome. hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP, Backyard Prairie, and Hunting Mixes) Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop needs) Bird Hunter Supply (for all your bird hunting supplies)

Derek Orth, a fourth general dairy farmer, joins us to discuss if small dairy farms could have a spot in the US market in the future. Dairy farmers do a lot of work for very little pay, and we get into the nitty gritty on the podcast.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie, pollinator, native pasture mixes, and more) birdhuntersupply.com (for all your bird hunting gear and to give back to c...

Join us for another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday. Today we discuss Bayer's Tort Immunity at the federal level and the chance they have at succeeding. We also talk about Iowa Secretary of Ag Mike Naig's recent conversation about grazing CRP.    Hoksey Native Seeds (for Midwest CRP Mixes, Wildflower Patch Mixes, and More) Iowa Cover Crop (For all your cover crop and small grain needs) M...

Black Hawk is a mythological character at this point. But why is that? What did he do, or not do? Dr. Patrick Jung, author of The Black Hawk War of 1832, joins us to tell us the incredible story of the last Native American to resist in the Midwest. To order his book hokseynativeseeds.com (for native prairie and wildflower seeds and mixes)

It's finally here! Farm Bill Updates are coming. Kent was home with the kids, so the one and only Judd McCullum joined Riley and Nicolas to talk about the new Farm Bill. Our Hoksey Auction (filter with the keyword "Lynnville")   Hoksey Native Seeds (for prairie mixes, wildflowers, and more!)

Dr. Karen Vanderhoff joins us to discuss what she is seeing in the health crisis of Midwest farmers. The suicide rates are very high compared to other occupations, and we want to know why and what we can do about it.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, hunting habitat mixes, and backyard pollinator mixes)

There's a lot of talk about how the price of living has shot through the roof. But is that actually true?? It's a complicated question that involves things like quality of life, inflation, hourly wages, median vs average, and more. We dive into this on Coffee Time Wednesday this week. You won't want to miss it. Hoksey Equipment Auction (You can filter by saying 50 mile radius with 50153)   Hokseyn...

Laura Walter, of the Tall Grass Prairie Center, joins us to discuss the new species she is trying to grow at her facility. Also, which species is no one else growing that she has available for new growers. We also talk about hemiparasites and more.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes, CRP mixes, hunting mixes, and more!)

There was a push at the Iowa Capitol to put the Buffer Strip Pollinator Program into a bigger setting for farmers to put onto their land. But it was killed in subcommittee. Why? We're trying to find out. Check out another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday on The Prairie Farm Podcast. hokseynativeseeds.com (for buffer strip pollinator mixes, backyard prairie mixes, CRP mixes, and a lot more...

Produce in America is grown at unprecedented scale in human history. But how is it done. Who grows it, and how does it get to our tables? Should any changes be made to the system? We sit down with Seth Oren, who has been on produce farms all across America, and he gave us the inside story. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator and prairie grass and all your other native seed needs)

Crop prices are freaky right now. We sit down and walk through the different major crops in America and if any farmer is making any money on their acres. hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes... because CRP at least cuts you a check)

Megan McKay is a legend in the Midwestern beer world. She founded Peace Tree and helped push legislation to allow for the microbreweries we love today. But what is she doing now? She is working hard to change the way Iowan's look at food, their health, food deserts, and cancer. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes, and all your other prairie and wildflower needs)

A lot going on in the world of conservation and ag this week. First, we dive into the new Healthy Water Act that the Iowa Democrats have put forward. Secondly, we discuss the E15 Fuel issue that the federal legislators are "figuring out". Both of these policies would have major ramifications for the Midwest. One for our health, and the second for our economy. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pr...