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We all know someone who says they are technologically challenged, which may be a light-hearted comment until we realize how isolating it can feel in a world that requires skills with a smartphone or computer to pay basic bills, register kids for events, or video chat with family.

High-speed or fiber optic internet opportunities can be late or non-existent in our country's rural areas, making it difficult for some who live there. 

In this podcast, we meet Monica Hampton (U of I Extension Digital Economy Program Coordinator) and Aubree Denker (U of I Extension Digital Navigator )  who are carrying out a game-changing program in Southeast, Idaho. They discuss their work and mission to reach people in rural Idaho to encourage, train, and empower people with technology. Some of their answers may surprise you on how it is going.

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One day on a long flight over the Pacific Ocean, a fellow airline pilot asked Captain Bill Gross what he would do when he retired. Without hesitation, Bill answered, “I’m going to be this Good Samaritan that buys a tractor and goes around helping farm families plant their crops when they have a major injury or illness.” That generated some laughter until his coworker realized Bill was serious. For 20 years now, Farm Rescue has organized volunteers and resources to help farmers who have gone through devastating events, including natural disasters, in a nine-state area.

Dan Erdmann, Director of Communications at Farm Rescue, tells stories about neighbors helping neighbors. He talks about how Farm Rescue had to remind farmers that the help coming into their fields and pastures was a “hand up” and not a “hand out.”

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As a young girl, Kaala Clark was the daughter of a single mom who had acquired 3 acres of farmland in Hawaii. They lived in a camper trailer with no running water and no mirrors. However, when Kaala started finding photos of her mom with celebrities around the world, she began asking questions. 

Recruited to be a young model, Kaala had to wait until the age of 17 to leave their small patch of land to travel to global modeling cities. What a cultural shock. After her brushes with celebrities and modeling, she felt the call to return home to the land of Hawaii and become a farmer among her people. In this interview, she discusses how the modeling industry helped shape her grit for farming and how this Hawaiian girl is working smarter, not harder.

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When ranching families decided to bring the cowboy experience to tourists in Jackson Hole, it became a dedicated lifetime adventure. It requires a love for people and a love for open Western living. Bar T 5 co-owner Chris Warburton shares how the whole thing started and how, after 2,500 shows, their passion and love of what they do are not slowing down anytime soon.

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Eugene Smith loved working at McDonald's as a young man. Being in the high-paced fray of fast food was thrilling, but what Eugene didn't know was that this passional would reemerge in 2008 when a cow broke his leg, farm prices started to tank, and he had to figure out what was next. 

Eugene told his adult kids that he was going to move from Wisconsin to Idaho to expand Culver's restaurants and invited any one of them to join him for the adventure. This is their story with a behind-the-scenes look at being a restaurant owner.

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Live Audience Recording! Nearly 70% of Americans eat beef at least once per week. 

In this episode, Dr. Phil Bass, Associate Professor of Meat Science at the University of Idaho, talks about how lessons learned as early as 1906 have shaped meat safety measures in the United States. 

He also shares how the American meat industry should embrace people who know little about meat production and how the sustainability of this staple food depends on the relationship between producers, consumers, and food safety agencies.

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As a continuation of his original interview, Rulon talks about life after winning gold, two near-death experiences, advice for young people, and participates in Cam and Ott's speed round.

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Those who witnessed the 2000 Olympics will remember the David vs Goliath wrestling upset of a Wyoming farm boy, Rulon Gardner, over Russia's historic dominator Aleksandr Karelin. 

What most people don't know is that Rulon did not grow up as an early wrestling prodigy. There were many times in his life where he faced forks in the road to determine what he might become. In this podcast, Rulon talks about the journey from his childhood farm life to a world stage in Sydney, Australia. It is an amazing story of setbacks, grit, and resolve.

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Today, people use computers as weapons to target key industries. Some do it for financial gain, while others are connected to international political factions. Regardless of their intention, the agriculture industry has had to take these threats seriously and is working to share information across companies to keep America's food chain protected.

Jonathan Braley, Director of Threat Intelligence at Food & Ag-ISAC, gives us an inside look at what ag companies have experienced in the past, what processes are in place now, and what every farm operation should do to protect itself moving forward.

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When Emma from "Ag With Emma" told her dad that she wanted to be on the road with a harvest crew, he did not approve. The interesting part was that her dad himself was once part of these crews that traversed states (sometimes with 50 combines) to help with harvests all over the country. 

As Emma started this adventure as a young woman in the United States and Australia, she started posting about her experiences, which have gone viral. Although she currently has a large social media following, Emma says she doesn't do it for fame but to share the life of a farmhand and help people see the grunt work that goes into getting the harvest in. She also talks about using her platforms to tackle misinformation about agriculture.