Welcome to Episode 193 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. Central Iowa's water quality challenges are making headlines. In this episode, we discuss those challenges and the progress that's being made in protecting water quality with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Iowa State University researcher Dr. Mike Castellano. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• ConservationCountsIowa.com
• CleanWaterIowa.org
• N-FACT nitrogen fertilizer application consultation tool

Welcome to Episode 192 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we hear how the National Pork Board developed its new “taste what pork can do” campaign to increase U.S. consumption. We also learn how Iowa State University and Alliant Energy are partnering to grow fruit, vegetables, and pollinator habitat under solar panels.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Visit the Pork Checkoff website.
• Visit Pork.org.
• Sign up to attend a field day at the Alliant Energy Solar Farm in Ames.

Welcome to Episode 191 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we share a new study on the factors influencing Iowa grocery shoppers' purchasing decisions, who those shoppers trust for information about food and farming, and more. We also hear what 25 Iowa Farm Bureau members learned while recently touring Belgium and the Netherlands to explore European agriculture and learn about European Union (EU) climate regulations.

Resource Mentioned in this Episode:

• Learn more about Iowa grocery shoppers' beliefs and behaviors, through the 2025 Iowa Farm Bureau Food & Farm Index®.
• Visit Iowa Farm Bureau’s social media accounts to see photos and videos from the 2025 Iowa Farm Bureau Market Study Tour: Facebook, Instagram, X
• Read more about the 2025 Iowa Farm Bureau Market Study Tour in the Spokesman.
• Contact Stacy Stevens to express your interest in an upcoming Iowa Farm Bureau Market Study Tour: [email protected]

Welcome to Episode 190 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we chat with Iowa State University’s resident expert on farmland values, economist Dr. Rabail Chandio. We also explore new research on Americans’ meat purchasing habits, with Rick Stein, who’s the Vice President of Fresh Foods for The Food Industry Association.

Resource Mentioned in this Episode:

• Review Iowa State University’s annual Farmland Value Survey.
• Learn how farmers provide nutritious meat while caring for their animals and the environment at RealFarmersRealFoodRealMeat.com.
• Learn more about the 2025 “Power of Meat” report.

Welcome to Episode 189 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we discuss learning opportunities, promotion, and funding available to Iowa farmers who grow specialty crops and livestock, through Choose Iowa and Iowa Farm Bureau programs. We also talk with Adam Ledvina, a young Tama County Farm Bureau member who raises Kiko goats for weed and brush management and meat, exemplifying the diverse, nontraditional opportunities in agriculture.

Resource Mentioned in this Episode:

• Apply for Iowa Farm Bureau’s Grow Your Future Award.
• Learn more about Choose Iowa.
• Visit the Iowa Kiko Goats Facebook page.

Welcome to Episode 188 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we talk with Farm Rescue about services they offer farm families facing crises, including illness, injury, and natural disasters. And Ben Covington, the chief test engineer for Iowa State University’s Digital Ag Innovation Lab, shares what he’s seeing as he tests the latest precision herbicide application technology.

Resource Mentioned in this Episode:

• Learn more about Farm Rescue.

Welcome to Episode 187 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa State University Extension weed specialist Dr. Wesley Everman helps farmers navigate changing herbicide requirements, and economist Dr. John Newton offers his thoughts on the current farm economy.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Contact ISU Extension weed specialist Wesley Everman.
• See more economic analysis from Terrain.
• Register for one of Iowa Farm Bureau’s upcoming Take Root farm succession workshops.
• Sign up for Iowa Farm Bureau’s 2025 Young Farmer Ag Insights Tour.

Welcome to Episode 186 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson shares recent policy conversations he has had with new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and national lawmakers. And Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig discusses Iowa’s conservation and water quality progress ahead of Earth Day.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Learn about USDA’s Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP).
• Visit ConservationCountsIowa.com to learn about Iowa’s conservation and water quality progress.
• Try the new N-Fact calculator to help you determine your best nitrogen fertilizer application rates.
• Register for Iowa Farm Bureau’s 2025 Young Farmer Ag Insights Tour.

Welcome to Episode 185 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa’s State Climatologist, Dr. Justin Glisan, reveals his weather outlook for spring planting and beyond. Later, Amanda Van Steenwyk (who leads Iowa Farm Bureau’s farm succession planning program, Take Root) and farm succession planning attorney Erin Herbold-Swalwell share their tips for successfully transitioning the family farm from one generation to the next.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Register for Dr. Justin Glisan’s free “growing season weather outlook” webinar on April 10.
• Learn more about the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Climatology Bureau and contact State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan directly.
• Learn more about Iowa Farm Bureau’s Take Root farm succession program and watch for new workshops this summer.

Welcome to Episode 184 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa Farm Bureau’s Dr. Christopher Pudenz and Zach Brummer share their outlook for crop and livestock markets, and Todd Thurman (an ag futurist and swine consultant with 25 years of international agriculture experience) predicts the future of the global ag economy.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Register for Iowa Farm Bureau’s April 1 “Livestock Risk Protection” webinar.
• Watch Todd Thurman’s webinar predicting the future of the global ag economy.
• Use these farm facts and conservation infographics/videos/stats to help celebrate Ag Week in Iowa.