The Prairie Farm Podcast

Ep. 391 (Coffee Time) Which Prairie Species Are Invasive to The Rest of The World

Nicolas and Riley dig into milkweed banned in the EU, broomsedge, ragweed's 7.4 billion euro allergy bill, and the 2016 Palmer amaranth scare. Plus bare soil temperatures

Ep. 390 What Pesticide Companies Are Doing In Washington to Make Billions

Sarah Starman of Friends of the Earth joins Nicolas and Kent to break down pesticide tort immunity: who is lobbying for it, how the EPA got captured, and why only 1.4% of

Ep. 389 (Coffee Time) Should We Use Farmland for Solar and Who Wins... A Bison or Bull?

Nicolas is back from three weeks off, and the crew digs into solar on farmland: how many acres each Midwest state would need, whether panels wreck the soil, and the hard

Ep. 388 The Status of Farming According to Bankers and Where is Agriculture Headed

Join Nicolas and Kent as they sit down with Robert Poppe, Vice President of Marion County Bank. Robert unpacks the realities of ag lending, the true cost of farm consolid

Ep. 387 (Coffee Time) Bringing Back Grazing, but Importing Beef and The Iowa State Fair By The Numbers with Aaron Van Wyk

Another NicoLESS coffee time and we are talking bovines and the state fair with our friend and fellow farmer Aaron Van Wyk. Hoksey Native Seeds McKay Insurance   

Ep. 386 How Jon Judson Created Some of The Best Reconstructed Prairies in The Midwest

Join Nicolas and Kent as they visit Diversity Farms owner Jon Judson, a veteran Iowa prairie reconstructionist. From local seed genetics and tough site preparation to int

Ep. 385 (Coffee Time) Mad Max on Cars, Conservation and Farming

We are joined by the talented Alex Hoksbergen this week for Coffee Time Wednesday. Enjoy!   Hoksey Native Seeds Iowa Cover Crop

Ep. 384 Gubernatorial Candidate Rob Sand

Iowa auditor and gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand joins the Prairie Farm Podcast to talk clean water, cancer, and conservation. He lays out a plan for the biggest prairie

Ep. 383 (Coffee Time) Is Ethanol ACTUALLY a Quality Energy Investment? And a Farm Bill Update

Coffee Time Wednesday is back. Nicolas, Kent, and Riley debate which famous conservationist they'd most want as a friend, why the Farm Bill stalled over SNAP, and whether

Ep. 382 Secretary of Ag Candidate Chris Jones

Retired water scientist Chris Jones (author of The Swine Republic and now Democratic candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture) joins Kent and Nicolas to talk nitrate,

Ep. 381 (Coffee Time) Why Are Wildfires Breaking Out Across The Whole World?? (And we’re hiring)

Coffee Time Wednesday takes on the world on fire in August 2026, from Oregon's largest wildfire ever to France's biggest evacuations since World War Two. Kent, Nick, and

Ep. 380 Gubernatorial Candidate Zach Lahn

Join us as we welcome Zach Lahn back to the Prairie Farm Podcast. We dive into Iowa's rich history, the urgent need to address water quality and cancer rates, and practic

Ep. 379 (Coffee Shop) Cyclospora Lettuce and the Ins and Outs of Crop Insurance

Join Nicolas, Riley, and special guest Nick Moats as they dive into the realities of farm insurance, food supply chains, and the value of sitting still in a deer stand. P

Ep. 378 Why Emulating the Bison is the Secret to Profitable Farming w/ Peter Byck

Peter Byck, director of Carbon Nation and Rooted So Deep, joins The Prairie Farm Podcast to discuss the massive benefits of AMP grazing. We explore how regenerative pract

Ep. 377 (Coffee Time) The Canadian Fires and the Depletion of the Colorado River

Join Nicolas, Kent, and guest Aaron Van Wyk for Coffee Time Wednesday as they dive into the environmental impact of massive wildfires and the looming Colorado River droug

Ep. 376 Why The Midwest Uses Way Less Cover Crop Than The Rest of The World

Join Nicolas and Riley as they sit down with Ruth McCabe, Conservation Manager at Heartland Cooperative. They dive into the realities of agricultural conservation, why ce

Ep. 375 (Coffee Time) Are Pesticides Killing Our Oaks and Why Native Plants Are "In Fashion"

Join Nicolas, Kent, and Riley on this Coffee Time Wednesday as they discuss the hidden impact of agricultural chemical drift on native oaks. The guys also explore the mas

Ep. 374 How Rural Hospitals Affect Rural America and What Will The Big Beautiful Bill Do To Them

Kevin Kincaid, CEO of Knoxville Hospital and Clinics, joins Nicolas and Kent. Kevin shares about his time serving on a nuclear submarine during the Cold War and dives dee

Ep. 373 (Coffee Time) Where Are Your Invasive Weeds ACTUALLY From

Join the Prairie Farm Podcast crew on a road trip as we dive into the origins and natural predators of invasive prairie weeds. Smooth Brome, Sericea Lespedeza, Canada Thi

Ep. 372 The Pros and Cons of Grazing Cattle, Bison, Sheep, and Goats on Prairie

Join Nicolas and Kent as they sit down with Elizabeth and Loren Steele from Hamilton Native Outpost. They discuss the incredible nutritional benefits of prairie-raised be