The Spokesman Speaks: Ag Insights for Your Farm and Family

The Spokesman Speaks: Ag Insights for Your Farm and Family

Since 1934, The Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman has been Iowa's leading agriculture news source, and today it has the largest readership of any ag newspaper in Iowa. While The Spokesman newspaper is available exclusively to Iowa Farm Bureau members, The Spokesman Speaks podcast is available publicly, providing the ag news and farmer education that matter most.

Episodes

December 22, 2025 37 mins

Welcome to Episode 206 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Heartland Co-op Conservation Manager and agronomist Ruth McCabe shares the "batch and build" process that's helping Iowa farmers quickly install edge-of-field practices to filter nitrates from water. And ag policy expert Mary Kay Thatcher offers her outlook on farm policy i...

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Welcome to Episode 205 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast, which is also Part 3 of our special three-part series with three farmers who are receiving Iowa Farm Bureau's 2025 Young Farmer Leadership Award: Devon Murray of Floyd County, Randy Francois of Buchanan County and Blake Anderson of Adams County.

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Welcome to Episode 204 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast, which is also Part 2 of our special three-part series with three farmers who are receiving Iowa Farm Bureau's 2025 Young Farmer Leadership Award: Devon Murray of Floyd County, Randy Francois of Buchanan County and Blake Anderson of Adams County.

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Welcome to Episode 203 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast, which is also Part 1 of our special three-part series with three farmers who are receiving Iowa Farm Bureau's 2025 Young Farmer Leadership Award: Devon Murray of Floyd County, Randy Francois of Buchanan County and Blake Anderson of Adams County.

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Welcome to Episode 202 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, retiring Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen shares her career highlights and discusses future ...

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November 10, 2025 36 mins

Welcome to Episode 201 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson shares trade conversations he and other Iowa Farm Bureau leaders are initiating in Washington D.C. and around the globe. And Kansas State University economist Dr. Glynn Tonsor offers a clear-eyed look at beef markets.

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October 27, 2025 44 mins

Welcome to Episode 200 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we share expert tips for strengthening the communication between farmers and their landlords. Erin Herbold-Swalwell, a Farm Bureau attorney with extensive experience in farm succession and landowner relations, and Catherine DeLong, an ISU Extension professional who speciali...

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Welcome to Episode 199 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we reflect on the 40th anniversary of ANF (America Needs Farmers) at the University of Iowa, with stories from Iowa Hawkeye football legends Hayden Fry, Chuck Long, Chad Greenway, Marshal Yanda, Aaron Kampman, Bryan Bulaga, Bruce Nelson and Micah Hyde.

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September 29, 2025 24 mins

Welcome to Episode 198 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, American Farm Bureau economist Faith Parum analyzes USDA's most recent forecast of net farm income, and we introduce you to the new chair of Iowa Farm Bureau's Young Farmer Advisory Committee, Michael McEnany. 

 

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Welcome to Episode 197 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we explore a grain bagging system that could be a solution for some farmers facing logistical challenges or inadequate grain storage. We also sit down with Iowa's 2025 Conservation Farmer of the Year. 

 

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September 1, 2025 31 mins

Welcome to Episode 196 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa Farm Bureau's in-house ag economics experts (Zach Brummer and Dr. Christopher Pudenz) share their analysis of crop and livestock markets heading into harvest season. 

Resourc...

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Welcome to Episode 195 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa's State Climatologist, Dr. Justin Glisan, analyzes Iowa's wet summer and forecasts what farmers can expect for precipitation in the late summer and fall. And Dr. Scott Gerlt, chief economist for the American Soybean Association, talks about efforts to boost the domesti...

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Welcome to Episode 194 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, American Farm Bureau economist Danny Munch shares what's in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for agriculture, including updated risk management programs, tax provisions and more. Later in the episode, we share what Iowa Farm Bureau will offer those who visit us at the 2025 Io...

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July 21, 2025 40 mins

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: 

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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. cons...

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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 t...

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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 als...

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Welcome to Episode 189 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we discuss learning opportunities, promotion, and funding available to Iowa farm...

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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 t...

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Welcome to Episode 187 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, Iowa State University Extension weed specialist Dr. Wesley Everman helps farmers...

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