The Spokesman Speaks: Ag Insights for Your Farm and Family

Welcome to Episode 226 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan shares the factors contributing to Iowa's historically warm and wet autumn season. And Iowa State University agronomist Dr. Mike Castellano offers farmers tips for adapting to this year's "super" El Niño weather conditions, by adjusting the timing of their fall fertilizer and manure applications to maximize productivity, profitability and environmental performance.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Register for Iowa Farm Bureau's October 7 webinar: Preparing for Super El Niño: Protecting Water and Your Nutrient Investment.
• Read Dr. Mike Castellano's advice for farmers managing their fertilizer during this fall's "super" El Niño weather event.
• Use Iowa State University's Iowa Environmental Mesonet site to assess local soil temperatures.
• See Iowa State University's soil organic matter mineralization forecast.
• Use the N-Fact website to help identify the nitrogen rate for your farm to maximize productivity, profitability and environmental performance.
• If you farm in one of 22 counties in the Greater Des Moines watershed or four counties in the Middle Cedar watershed, you may be eligible for free fall soil sampling through the Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
• Join us for ANF (America Needs Farmers) Game Day at Kinnick Stadium, October 3.

Welcome to Episode 225 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we explore the 40-year legacy of the World Food Prize with World Food Prize Foundation CEO Tom Vilsack. We also sit down with retiring Iowa State University economist Dr. Chad Hart to reflect on his 35-year career, the lessons he's learned from decades of analyzing crop markets, and his thoughts on today's agricultural economy.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Learn more about the World Food Prize at WorldFoodPrize.org.
• On October 20, volunteer to help the World Food Prize Foundation and Meals from the Heartland break the world record for most meals packaged in an hour.

Welcome to Episode 224 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we talk with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson about Choose Iowa and other Iowa programs that help farmers sell food to local consumers and schools.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Visit ChooseIowa.com. Learn about the Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program.
• Learn more about Iowa Farm Bureau's Young Farmer Program, Acres of Opportunity Conference and Grow Your Future Award.
• Check out the results of the 2026 Iowa Farm Bureau Food and Farm Index ® survey.

Welcome to Episode 223 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we analyze U.S. grain and protein markets with two experts who spoke at Iowa Farm Bureau's 2026 Economic Summit: Susan Stroud (a grain markets expert who is the founder and CEO of No Bull Agriculture) and Gregg Doud (who previously served as Chief Ag Negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative and is currently President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation).

Welcome to Episode 222 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we explore both sides of the free trade and tariffs debate that has captured news headlines and ag policy discussions in recent years, with Dr. Sam Gregg of the American Institute for Economic Research and Ambassador Bob Lighthizer, who was the former U.S. Trade Representative under President Trump.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Join Farm Bureau at the Iowa State Fair.

Welcome to Episode 221 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa Farm Bureau economist Dr. Christopher Pudenz breaks down a new, 107-page report on Iowa's agricultural economy, including analysis of crops, livestock, trade, ag lending and more. The study – titled "2026 Iowa Agricultural Outlook: The Pressure is Rising" – was published jointly by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University, the Iowa Bankers Association, and Iowa Farm Bureau. It was first released at Iowa Farm Bureau's 2026 Economic Summit, July 17 in Ankeny.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Read the full report, 2026 Iowa Agricultural Outlook: The Pressure is Rising.
• Report authors: Miguel Carriquiry — Instituto de Economía, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay; Rabail Chandio — Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University; John M. Crespi — Director, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), and Professor of Economics, Iowa State University (co-editor); Jerome Dumortier — Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University Indianapolis; Amani Elobeid — Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University; Joohun Han — Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF), University of Missouri; Chad Hart — Department of Economics and Extension, Iowa State University; Sunghun Lim — Department of Economics, Iowa State University; Alejandro Plastina — Director, Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF), University of Missouri; Christopher C. Pudenz — Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (co-editor)

Welcome to Episode 220 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we explore why young Iowa adults are increasing their consumption of animal-based proteins and other findings from the 2026 Iowa Farm Bureau Food and Farm Index ® – an annual survey of Iowa grocery shoppers conducted by The Harris Poll. We also share new data from EPA and Iowa State University demonstrating the progress Iowa's farmers are making in protecting water quality here in Iowa and down in the Gulf of America.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Read more highlights from the 2026 Iowa Farm Bureau Food and Farm Index®.
• Read EPA's report on the reduction of nitrogen flowing into the Gulf of America.
• Learn more about the Iowa Department of Agriculture's new cover crop program for counties north of Des Moines.
• Check out the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance Conservation Compass tool.
• Learn more about Iowa's conservation progress at ConservationCountsIowa.com.

Welcome to Episode 219 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we discuss the farm economy with Iowa Farm Bureau economist Dr. Christopher Pudenz and meet a Harrison County farmer and Farm Bureau member who's turning food waste, yard waste, manure and other organic matter into natural fertilizer for farmers.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Register for Iowa Farm Bureau's 2026 Economic Summit, July 17 in Ankeny.
• Learn more about Farm Bureau member Abe Sandquist and his company, Natural Fertilizer Services.
• Join us in celebrating America's 250th birthday and the roots of our freedom!

Welcome to Episode 218 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we dip into water quality with two DNR experts. Water quality resource coordinator Adam Schnieders discusses Iowa DNR's extensive – and growing – water quality monitoring capabilities. And avian ecologist Anna Buckardt Thomas shares how Iowa's trumpeter swans are making a remarkable comeback.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• DNR water quality monitoring sites: AQuIA public information portal, BioNet database, ADBNet
• Learn more about Iowa's conservation progress on the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy site and at ConservationCountsIowa.com.

Welcome to Episode 217 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we talk with a central Iowa corn and soybean farmer who's experimenting with a unique perennial grain: Kernza. Later in the episode, Mykayla Hagaman of the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium explains how Iowa has grown its monarch habitat by more than 10x in just 5 years, while sharing tips for farmers to successfully add pollinator habitat to their fields.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Register for Iowa Farm Bureau's Economic Summit.
• Learn more about Kernza.
• Apply for Iowa Farm Bureau's Grow Your Future Award.
• Learn more about establishing monarch habitat through the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium.
• Learn about funding opportunities for monarch habitat: ISU Natural Resources Stewardship, FSA CRP, NRCS EQIP, NRCS Ag Conservation Easement Program, NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program, IDALS cost share, DNR REAP
• Register for Iowa Farm Bureau's immersive, two-day farm succession planning workshop.
• Apply for Iowa Farm Bureau's Market Study Tour of India.