The Iowa Podcast

If you think Mayor Tom Phillips is joking as he petitions Buc-ee's to build their first Iowa location in Norwalk, you're wrong. He's serious, it's not a PR stunt. And if you talk to him about the Norwalk master plan, it all makes sense. Mayor Phillips discusses the beloved convenience store, their growing school district, and discusses a major hush-hush $500M project.

Norwalk has grown 43% since 2010 making it the 6th faster growing state in Iowa. Houses and businesses are growing at a fast rate, and data centers are eying the area with excitement. Phillips discusses challenges to their annexation plans, interstate designation, a new library, and addresses a large plot of land Hy-Vee bought. Are they coming or not?

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/norwalk

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MAHA, seed oils, glyphosate, nitrates, corn syrup, ethanol, processed foods, and carbon pipelines? Suddenly, Iowa has become the center of many of the political hot button issues driving the national conversation. Farm broadcaster David Geiger discusses the implications for Iowa farmers now and in the future.

Just last week, The Iowa Soybean association warned congress on trade risks and what they're calling "MAHA misinformation." As partisan lines get blurred and debates heat up, how do farmers feel and do they swing one way or another? Geiger breaks down all the issues. He says as political sides are formed and fights rage, their view is simple: show us the data.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/farm-bill-iowa

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The Des Moines Register has built a massive amount of national respect for decades. The new Editor in Chief Rachel Stassen-Berger discusses restoring media trust, the Selzer Poll debacle, and answers a common Republican complaint: do they have a left-bias?

Political operatives have long-recognized the Register as a political powerhouse and Stassen-Berger is well aware of the legacy. She addresses challenging questions and details how she plans on building trust. Gallup records Americans trust congress more than they trust the national media—a fact Stassen-Berger is well aware of and plans to change.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/rachel-stassen-berger

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Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack needs a bigger business card. The newly minted CEO of the World Food Prize just completed his second White House cabinet run under President Joe Biden, previously serving in the Obama administration. Vilsack discusses food health and gives his perspective on President Biden's mental acuity in office.

As new CEO of The World Food Prize, Governor Vilsack has moved on from politics and is now focusing on The World Food Prize and Iowa Hunger Summit on July 16th. He explains why having The World Food Prize in central Iowa is a major blessing, and many Iowans have no idea this global gem exists downtown Des Moines.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/tom-vilsack

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Have you seen a massive rock painted with a Veteran theme in Iowa? How about two of them? How about more? Is there something bigger behind the trend? It turns out, the Iowa artist started the project when he was 19 to honor veterans. Now every country in Iowa has one.

Artist and veteran advocate Ray "Bubba" Sorensen shares the powerful story behind his Freedom Rock Tour—99 hand-painted tributes to veterans across Iowa. Inspired by a film depicting the horrors of war, Sorensen's mission grew from a single heartfelt mural into a nationwide movement honoring American heroes through art and storytelling.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/freedom-rock

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https://iowapodcast.com/dubuque-is-the-wall-street-journals-pick-for-travel/Iowans love it when people from the rest of the country recognize our awesomeness. This week, the state was pleasantly surprised to see just that. A piece in The Wall Street Journal hailed Dubuque, Iowa as a top summer destination. Writer David Farley joined the show to discuss why he wrote the piece and what surprises he encountered.

Farley grew up in Dubuque, leaving when he was 6. Without that personal connection, he said he probably wouldn't have thought to return. But when he did decide to give it a visit he was surprised how the city had made a complete 180. When he left, the city was hurting from layoffs and boarded up buildings, but today it's thriving. Farley's piece shines a spotlight on the thriving small town, alerting millions of WSJ readers to the local charm.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/dubuque-is-the-wall-street-journals-pick-for-travel/

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It's the most state-of-the-art EV charger in the country, the only one in Iowa, and you'll never guess where it is. The V4 Tesla Supercharger is capable of an output of 350 hW per hour charging speeds and is located in Lamoni, Iowa at the Amish Country Store, right next to Amish Horse and Buggy Parking. Jeremy Sellars, owner of the store says it was a long time coming.

Tesla owners stop at the charger for roughly 5-15 minutes, sometimes more if they have a long way to go with no charging stations on their route. Other EVs that use the North American Charging Standard (NACS) can stop too. Sellars has seen an uptick in business from his store that features 100% Amish-made products, which he sources and transports himself. He explains the fascinating collision of our past and future.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/lamoni

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Have you heard of Pizza on the Prairie? Only in Iowa can you enjoy locally made pizza, made from scratch, out of an Italian pizza oven, sourced using ingredients grown right next to you, as you eat! Debra Houghtaling tells us why families come to learn about Iowa agriculture with their appetite!

On Friday nights in the summer, Iowans are making their way to Orient, Iowa to enjoy Pizza on the Prairie. The ultra-local pizza is made using ingredients that were grown on the farm in which the event takes place. Iowans appreciate the in-season menu that rotates weekly, and reservations are booked three weeks in advance. The event takes place at Wallace Centers of Iowa.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/pizza-on-the-prairie/

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Representative Eddie Andrews has announced his run for Iowa Governor. As a Republican he doesn't align with his party's lock step on everything, specifically the glyphosate shield law and eminent domain use for carbon pipeline companies. He also discusses mental health and property taxes, and ESA transparency.

Rep. Andrews discusses his take on issues, but also expands on his focus on mental health in the state of Iowa. Having someone in his own family that has struggled with mental health, and public schools he addresses the issue from a first hand account. He also explains how mental health services can be expanded despite his desire to cut Iowa property taxes that would typically pay for such an increase.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/rep-andrews-for-governor

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Does Iowa have a rising tech scene? Many community leaders may brag about it often but the reality is… well, no. Liz Keehner, Principal of Next Level Ventures explains the hard truths that many Iowans probably don't want to hear—the money isn't there. So is it time to pack it in or double down?

The discussion ventures into uncharted territory many Iowans are reluctant to discuss. Venture investment represents 0.2% of GDP, but generates 21% of GDP in this country, and how much of those returns come home? None. That's not to say we don't have successful tech companies based here—we absolutely do, but Iowans contributed almost nothing. Do we want startups here or just more fake "innovation?"

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/iowa-startup-scene

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