The Ranch Podcast

Phil Gore is the Chief Learning Officer for the Idaho School Board Association. Idaho, along with other states, voted for a version of school vouchers (School Choice in Idaho), and many public education advocates felt disheartened at the end of the legislative session. Directly following the session, many school bonds to build new schools for Idaho’s growing populations also failed, which further...

Bree Derrick is the director of the Idaho Department of Corrections. Idaho currently has roughly 10,000 individuals incarcerated, and Director Derrick is working non-stop to ensure to the state of Idaho that the department of corrections both ensures that those sentenced to do time do serve that time but also have the best chance at not returning to the corrections system. This is, as you can imag...

Dr. Mary Barinaga is a physician in Idaho, past president of the Idaho Medical Association, and an enormous advocate for increased medical access in Idaho. She travels the state helping promote and set up residency programs whereby established doctors can help train and prepare medical school graduates for future practice. This is one of the most direct actions that will increase the number of phy...

Jarom Wagoner is the Mayor of Caldwell and came in to speak about the state of the city. Caldwell is growing rapidly, even by Idaho standards, and as such is experiencing grow pains. Mayor Wagoner came in to talk about many of the issues, challenges, and successes. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focus...

Todd Achilles is a District 16 Representative and came in to speak about his push to remove non-compete clauses from Idaho. There are many industries, like the health industry, that must rely extensively on out of state recruiting to serve our growing populations’ needs. With this initial investment, some companies want to make sure that they will not have to compete against professionals they hav...

Lisa McClellan is the director of the Idaho DMV. If you have ever wandered into one one of the establishments, you’ll notice immediately that it’s a huge departure from the torturous experience that many have in other states. I recently went to register a vehicle and it took me 15 minutes from start to finish and cost me a fraction of what it cost in previous years. Hearing about what Lisa and the...

MaKenzie Tiegs is a paramedic who has worked in several Idaho organizations ranging from wild lands fire fighting to rural EMS to large health systems. She is a champion for the mental/emotional support of first responders, having experienced first hand how draining and damaging it is to ride an ambulance day in and day out without any help dealing with death and trauma at every turn. Idaho has an...

Alexis Pickering is the executive director of Conservation Voters for Idaho and came in to speak on the proposed US Senate budget reconciliation from June 11th that would dispose of 2.2 to 3.2 million acres of public lands that are managed by either BLM or the Forest Service. There are many things that are off about this bill, not the least of which is that there is no clear mechanism for the disp...

Jessica Bate is director of the Idaho National Guard Morale Welfare & Recreation organization charged with serving service men and women as well as their families. It is a 501(C)3 but also operates many businesses to drive revenue to support these operations. Idaho has a growing population of citizens that commit their lives to the defense of our country, and I so appreciate that Jessica and t...

Holly Beech works for the Idaho Office for Refugees, a not for profit organization that helps place and integrate refugees from across the world that are looking to call Idaho home. This is different from asylum programs in many ways, and I truly enjoyed hearing about the work and effort going into this area. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media or...

Peggy Hoy is a member of the Idaho Education Association and came in to speak about the May Matters campaign that many people are promoting. The bulk of elections in the state of Idaho are determined in the May primary because you have a high probability of winning the November general election if you’re the selected Republican candidate. That selection process is the May primary. However, the pri...

Lynn Calvin works with the Snake River Stampede Rodeo and came in to talk about the longest running rodeo in all of Idaho. The event kicks off next week, June 17th to the 21st, and holds a host of amazing and entertaining spectacles. It has a wide offering of classic rodeo and family friendly options and more than anything offers a chance to support and transmit some of the things that made Idaho...

Pat Kelly is the Executive Director of Your Health Idaho, an organization designed to connect Idaho citizens, private insurance, and federal tax credits for insurance coverage. The reconciliation process for the Big Beautiful Bill stands to make changes that will complicate the enrollment process as well as increase cost for Idahoans. Pat did a masterful job of explaining a complex system. Enjoy!...

Monica Church is an Idaho educator, legislative representative, and huge advocate for the middle and low classes of Idaho. Idaho is surrounded by states, particularly coastal states, that have developed a level of income and wealth inequality that is profound and incredibly discouraging for the average American citizen. We spoke extensively about what could be done to combat such disparities in Id...

Jeff Spurklock is a Boise State University Professor of Integrated Media. He has worked in several different media industries and came in to speak about the media landscape. We have never had so many different communication options, and in a world where emerging media and “new” media are starting to stand shoulder to shoulder with legacy media, understanding how integration and full utilization of...

McKay Cunningham is the Director of Graduate Initiatives and Graduate Professor at the College of Idaho, and he was also a law professor for over a decade prior to his current position. He came in to speak about the potential of the United States in a constitutional crisis with the current administration. Birthright citizenship as well as rejection of court orders has caused some people to conside...

Dr. Sally Brown is an assistant professor and literacy expert in Idaho. She works with educators and school systems to improve literacy education. Idaho has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, and many argue that a huge driving factor is early childhood literacy. If students can’t read by the end of grade three, their probability of becoming incarcerated grows exponentially. Dr....

Dr. Andrew Finstuen is an American Historian, Dean of the BSU Honors College, and Director of the Center for Advancing American Values at BSU. We spoke at length about the current iterations and limitations on our freedom of expression, one of the most fundamental American values that we all enjoy. In a time when almost all of us depend on private companies to allow us platforms to express ourselv...

Dr. Perry Brown is a physician in Idaho and works hard to recruit and train more doctors in this state. There has been much discussion about what is required to increase physician access, be it medical schools, clinical rotations, residencies, political change, better public education, etc. Dr. Brown came in and thoughtfully picked apart the different factors and laid out what we can actually do t...

Mark Niemeyer is the Boise Fire Dept. Chief and came in to speak about river safety, preparation, and recreation. The Boise River is a gem of the Treasure Valley but can also be extremely dangerous. There is a ton of preparation that goes into making it safer every year, but there are several things that recreationists should take into consideration when enjoying this incredible attraction. Enjoy!...

Ryan Bedke is a fifth generation cattle rancher that has moved into direct consumer production with Hat Brand Beef. I recently connected with him and purchased a half beef, and man, let me tell you. This is the best protein I have ever had. I invited him in to talk about how he raises and handles his animals, and what goes into producing this incredible product locally. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is...

Megan Schomer is the founder of Rays for Rare, an organization that helps families with exceptionally medically fragile children. People in these tough positions need more than just a word of encouragement. They need help shoveling off the driveway, help with childcare, help with marital strife and pain. Rays for Rare helps people get through these life things so they can focus on the life in fron...

Dr. Emily Wakild is a professor and historian and came in to talk about the names that we attribute to Idaho, including “home.” Idaho’s history and past peoples have marked this region of the country, and understanding the origins of some of those names and people was fantastic. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiase...

Norm Semanko is the former president of the Idaho Water Users Association and currently travels the country working on water issues. He has an incredible background regarding the relationship between Idaho, native tribes, and the federal government, and he came in to explain some of the more complex, lengthy agreements and issues currently affecting our agriculture producers and water users. Enjoy...

Brad LaPlante is a union representative for the National Forest Service employees in Idaho. The forest service has experienced a significant reduction in support from the federal government, and Brad very kindly came in to talk about what is happening with the workers and service that we all rely on to keep our forests healthy and safe. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Found...