The Spokesman Speaks: News from Iowa Farm Bureau

Welcome to Episode 47 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. This is part one of a two-part series on water quality and conservation.

In this episode, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig quantifies the growing number of practices Iowa's farmers are using to protect soil and water quality.

And Mark Jackson (a Mahaska County Farm Bureau member who was recently named Iowa's 2020 Conservation Farmer of the Year) shares his advice...

Welcome to Episode 46 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

This episode is all about protecting your livestock farm, featuring expert advice from Indiana ag attorney Brianna Schroeder and Brian Waddingham (Executive Director of The Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers).

Unfortunately, we're all familiar with stories about livestock farms that have been targeted by people and groups with bad intentions. Learn how to reduce your f...

Welcome to Episode 45 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

In this episode, Iowa Farm Bureau’s senior economist (Dr. Sam Funk) walks through the COVID-19 assistance that’s currently available to farmers and Iowa Farm Bureau’s national policy advisor (Daniel Heady) discusses additional federal relief that could be available to farmers in the weeks to come.

Below are some of the resources referred to in this episode:

Welcome to Episode 44 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

In this episode, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig talks about state COVID-19 relief resources and Chris Norton (a former Luther College football player who experienced a paralyzing injury on the field and beat the odds to walk again) shares inspiration that we could all use right now.

Below are some of the resources referred to in this episode:

Welcome to Episode 43 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. 

In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Polking (Bureau Chief for Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's Meat and Poultry Inspection Bureau) and Terry Kerns (co-owner of eastern Iowa's popular Edgewood Locker) help farmers navigate their best options for marketing and processing livestock during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Below are some of the resources referred to in...

Welcome to Episode 42 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast, which is Part 3 of Iowa Farm Bureau's 3-part podcast series on managing farm stress in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, featuring Dr. Larry Tranel (a pastoral psychologist who has spent more than 30 years working with farm families).

Part 1 (released May 8) covers how to identify unhealthy stress and how to manage it.

Part 2 (released May 13) covers how to make effective b...

Welcome to Episode 41 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast, which is Part 2 of Iowa Farm Bureau's 3-part podcast series on managing farm stress in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, featuring Dr. Larry Tranel (a pastoral psychologist who has spent more than 30 years working with farm families).

Part 1 (released May 8) covers how to identify unhealthy stress and how to manage it.

Part 2 (released May 13) covers how to make effective b...

Welcome to Episode 40 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast, which is Part 1 of Iowa Farm Bureau's 3-part podcast series on managing farm stress in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, featuring Dr. Larry Tranel (a pastoral psychologist who has spent more than 30 years working with farm families).

Part 1 (released May 8) covers how to identify unhealthy stress and how to manage it.

Part 2 (to be released May 13) will cover how to make e...

Welcome to Episode 39 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

In this episode, we interview Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill and the new Chair of Iowa State’s Department of Animal Science (and the host of RFD-TV’s “Doc Talk” show), Dr. Dan Thomson.

President Hill discusses updates to the COVID-19 assistance for Iowa farmers and what he’s hearing as he conducts listening sessions with farmers in every region of the state.

Dr. Thomson ...

Welcome to Episode 37 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill discusses important COVID-19 relief for agriculture.

Iowa Food Bank Association (IFBA) Executive Director Linda Gorkow talks about food banks’ urgent needs, and how a new $100,000 donation by Iowa Farm Bureau is making a difference. Visit IowaFBA.org to help IFBA, your regional food bank, or your local food pantry.

Iowa State University (IS...

Welcome to Episode 36 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

This episode, hosted by Delaney Howell, features economists Dr. Sam Funk (Iowa Farm Bureau) and Dr. Chad Hart (Iowa State University) talking about the impact coronavirus is having on agriculture and what agriculture is doing to fight back.

We also have a 2020 growing season weather forecast from ag climatologist Dr. Dennis Todey (Director of USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub).

This e...

Welcome to Episode 35 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

This National Agriculture Week episode (hosted by Delaney Howell) features an interview with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig on Iowa's water quality progress and the steps being taken to scale up water quality protection practices.

It also includes tips from Charlie Arnot (CEO of the Center for Food Integrity) on the best ways for farmers to respond to the challenge...

Welcome to Episode 34 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

This episode is all about sustainability and agriculture’s shrinking environmental footprint.

Dr. Jean Lonie of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance dissects a 2019 report indicating that U.S. agriculture is on a trajectory to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 50% over the next five years. Here’s that report: https://usfarmersandranchers.org/usfra-2019-report/

Dr...

Welcome to Episode 33 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

This episode features a forecast from Iowa Farm Bureau Senior Economist Dr. Sam Funk, who sees signs that Iowa corn and soybean growers may be able to break even or secure profit opportunities in 2020. It also includes an interview with Brett Sciotto, the President and CEO of Aimpoint Research. Brett’s a former Army Intelligence Officer, and his company did an interesting study...

Welcome to Episode 32 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

This episode (hosted by Delaney Howell) provides livestock farmers tips for handling opposition to their operations.

Hannah Thompson-Weeman (Vice President of Communications for the Animal Agriculture Alliance) offers her insights into how livestock farmers can build local trust proactively, and Story County farmer Eric Henry shares his first-hand experience handling local oppo...

Welcome to Episode 30 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast.

January 13 marks the beginning of Iowa’s 2020 legislative session, and this episode features a preview of Iowa Farm Bureau’s legislative priorities in 2020, along with an update (from Iowa DNR Water Quality Resource Coordinator Adam Schnieders) on the significant progress that’s being made on one evergreen priority: protecting and improving Iowa’s water quality.  

This episode ...

Welcome to Episode 29 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. This episode focuses on managing stress and overcoming adversity, topics that have become all-too-familiar in farm country.

The episode features an interview with Chris Norton, a former Luther College football player who overcame a devastating spinal cord injury and inspired millions of people in the process. The episode also includes an interview with Dr. Larry Tranel, an Iowa...