The Prairie Farm Podcast

Matt Hatala of Prairie Rose Farms shares his unlikely path from adoption and military service to raising pasture pork in Iowa. He discusses regenerative hog production, farm marketing, local food systems, water quality, animal welfare, and why rebuilding agriculture requires courage, transparency, and healthier relationships with land, community, and risk.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP, Pasture Mixes, Habitat Mixes, Native Seed, and more)   Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop mixes, forage mixes, small grain mixes)

In this Coffee Time episode, Nicolas, Kent, and Riley debate whether the Midwest really feeds the world, dig into commodity calories, exports, food security, environmental tradeoffs, and what prairie, local food, grazing, and conservation minded choices might mean for Iowa's future.   Hoksey Native Seeds (for all your native seed needs: CRP, backyard pollinator, habitat, native pasture, and more)   MckayInsAgency.com (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)   BirdHuntingSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies and bird dog supplies)

Hal Herring joins The Prairie Farm Podcast to unpack American Prairie, grazing permits, public lands, ranching culture, and the hard history behind conservation in the West.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP, backyard prairie, Hunting Habitat, native grazing mixes, and more!) BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies and bird dog supplies)

In part 1 of our FAQ mini series, we answer the following questions. 1. How long does it take for a prairie planting to become established? 2. How do I prepare the site for planting? 3. Is tilling or breaking up the soil recommended before planting? 4. When is the best time of year to sow native prairie seeds? 5. How do I handle maintenance (mowing) in the first year?  6. How high should I mow in the first two years, and when should I stop? 7. Should I water or fertilize my newly planted prairie?   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP, backyard prairie, native wildflowers and grasses, hunting habitat, and more)   Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop, waterway mixes, small grains, and more)   McKay Insurance (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)

Andrew Di Alessandro of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service joins the Prairie Farm Podcast to discuss Neil Smith Refuge, prairie restoration, prescribed fire, bison and elk grazing, private lands conservation, funding challenges, and how landowners can connect money, recreation and legacy to meaningful habitat work across Iowa and Illinois.   Hoksey Native Seeds (for all your CRP, Backyard Prairie, Native Pasture, Hunting Mixes, and more)   McKay Insurance (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)   BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supply needs, and all your bird dog supply needs)

On this Coffee Time episode, Nicolas and Kent crack into the global nut industry (forgive the pun), from California almonds and pistachios to pecans, cashews, and peanuts. They talk water use, pollination, pricing, supply chains, and why legumes might matter more in native prairie establishment than we usually give them credit for here.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP mixes, backyard prairie mixes, hunting mixes, and more)   Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop and small grain and cool season forage needs)

Another of Doug Duren's quarterly episodes where we have a wide ranging conversation on turkey habitat, savanna restoration, Aldo Leopold, chainsaw stories, and native landscapes. The crew digs into why habitat is the answer, why native plants matter, and how restoring prairie brings back birds, bugs, and the wildness we need.

Senior Environmental Scientist for EOR Kevin Griggs joins us to talk reed canary grass, wetland restoration, Iowa water quality, tile drainage, data centers, and the hard truth behind conservation work. His conservation conversation is practical, honest, and hopeful.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your wetland mixes, backyard prairie mixes, CRP mixes, hunting mixes, and more)   Iowa Cover Crop (for all your small grain, cover crop, and forage mixes)   McKay Insurance (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)

This week on Coffee Time Wednesday, we dig into everything shaking up commodity markets heading into summer. It's complicated with a lot of nuance, so grab your coffee cup, and let's jump in!   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP, backyard prairie, and hunting habitat mixes)   birdhuntersupply.com (for all your bird hunting equipment and bird dog equipment)

Mark Schneider, development and marketing manager of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, joins the Prairie Farm Podcast to talk about the real Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) and how he became the "world's first celebrity". hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seeds, CRP, hunting habitat needs)   McKay Insurance (for all your financial advising and insurance needs)   Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop, forage mixes, waterway mixes and more)

We dig into two big conservation stories... the Trump administration's memo opening select national park lands and wildlife refuges to hunting, and the BLM's decision to revoke American Prairie Reserve's bison grazing leases. We weigh both sides honestly and talk about what it means for the long game.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP, backyard pollinator, native pasture mixes, and more)   BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird dog and bird hunting supplies)

Travis Frank, host of The Flush TV show and podcast, joins Kent, and Nicolas in Minnesota for a wide-ranging conversation on upland bird hunting and habitat. From Iowa pheasants and Kansas quail restoration to hunting dogs and conservation philosophy, this one covers a lot of ground worth covering. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your habitat mixes, CRP mixes, and other native seed needs)   IowaCoverCrop.com (for all your cover crop, small grain, and non row crop seed needs)

Nicolas, Kent, and Riley break in the new studio with a conversation about society's spring lawn routine. They dig into No Mow May, what actually started it, what a 2023 peer review found, and which common lawn weeds genuinely help native bees.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your backyard prairie, pollinator mixes, habitat mixes, and native seed consultation)   MckayInsAgency.com (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)   BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies)

Keith Horn stopped for coffee and a donut on his way mushroom hunting. A real estate sign a block away changed the course of his life. The 50 acres he bought in 2001 turned out to be the most diverse prairie we have ever seen, hosting 665 native species across five prairie types. Hoksey Native Seeds (for all your backyard prairie, CRP mixes, and more) BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supplies and bird dog supplies needs)

Trees cut depression by a third, reduce crime, and make people spend more money. That's what the research says. Then the team brings a brand new Nature Medicine study linking Tordon herbicide to early-onset colorectal cancer, and the maps are nearly identical.    hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your prairie, CRP, hunting mixes, and native seed needs) Iowa Cover Crop (for all your grains, cover crops, forage mixes, and more) Mckayinsagency.com (for all your financial planning and insurance needs)

Johnathon Swanson from Polk County Conservation joins Nicolas and Kent talk about Iowa's water quality crisis. They dig into tile drainage, nitrates, saturated buffers, constructed wetlands, and what's actually working on the ground. Plus data centers, farm diversification, and quail nostalgia.   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your backyard prairie, hunting habitat mixes, CRP mixes, pollinator mixes, and more)   Mckayinsagency.com (for all your insurance and financial advising needs)   BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting needs, and for your bird dogs' supplies as well)

A new ISU study is shaking up how we think about prairies. It turns out pollinators don't just need the prairie, the prairie needs them back. Kent, Nicolas, and Riley dig into what declining pollinator populations mean for plant diversity, then shift to the Boundary Waters mining fight and what's actually at stake ecologically.   Hoksey Native Seeds (for all your backyard prairie, CRP, Prairie Strip Mixes, Hunting Habitat and More)   IowaCoverCrop.com (for all your cover crop and small grain needs)

Val Van Kooten, administrator at the State of Iowa Historical Society, returns for her third episode. The conversation digs into pioneer journal entries, pre-tractor farm life, an April Fool's fact-or-fiction game, the phenomenon of declinism, claim jumper clubs, and what autonomous tractors might do to Midwest culture. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP mixes, backyard prairie mixes, hunting habitat mixes, and more) Oh and check out our new Prairie Farm Forum! Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop needs) McKay Insurance (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)

This week on Coffee Time Wednesday Nicolas breaks down what would actually happen if the Corn Belt set aside 10% of its acres for conservation. Using over 40 sources, he walks through the county level economics of lost grain sales, higher commodity prices, hunting revenue, and CRP payments. The math might surprise you. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP, native mixes, butterfly wildflower patches, hunting habitat mixes, and more!) BirdHunterSupply.com (to give back to conservation while purchasing your bird hunting supplies)

Thomas Mlsna is a habitat consultant and biologist who's spent 16 years rethinking how hunters manage land. In this episode, he breaks down the deer food pyramid, makes the case for smaller food plots in smarter locations, connects native plant diversity to EHD prevention, and challenges the entire model of chemical-heavy whitetail land management. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, habitat mixes, perennial food plot, CRP, backyard prairie, and native pasture mixes) Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop and small grain needs)

Grab your coffee folks, it's time for another Coffee Time Wednesday! This week Nicolas, Kent, and Riley kick off Coffee Time debating whether Nicolas's cargo pocket jeans are fashion-forward or a complete disaster. From there the guys swap their best farm mistakes. Tractors buried in mud, discs wrapped around power poles, and $5,000 worth of hand-collected seed dumped on gravel. Then the crew digs into the US Forest Service's move from DC to Salt Lake City and what it might really mean for conservation.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP, backyard pollinator, native pasture mixes and more!)   McKay Insurance (for all your insurance and financial advising needs)   birdhuntersupply.com (for all your bird hunter supplies)

Molly Pickering, Policy Director for Illinois Stewardship Alliance, joins Nicolas and Kent for a wide-ranging conversation on what's actually broken in America's food system. From monopoly meat packers to cottage food laws to pesticide drift hitting small farms, Molly brings the policy perspective that most farmers never get to hear.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed, native pastures, native habitat mixes, and more) BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supply needs)

Welcome back to another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday! The Nebraska Sandhills just went through the largest wildfire in state history. What does that mean for the prairie and the cattle on that prairie? Then the conversation shifts to Iowa's water. Two new reports just tied nitrates and pesticides to Iowa's extremely high cancer rate. Who's responsible? Who pays? hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your backyard prairie, native pasture, and native seed mixes) Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop and alternative crop needs) McKay Insurance (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)

Ray Geroff is a district heritage biologist for the Illinois DNR and has burned over 100,000 acres of prairie. 3,900 were just the day before the podcast. In Episode 344, Kent and Nicolas break down burn safety, proper weather windows, what each season of fire does to your landscape, using fire against sericea and brome, and what happens when a prairie never burns. This is burning 101 from someone who does it for a living every single year. hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native seed needs. And we also do prairie restoration and management and site visits.) McKay Insurance (for all your insurance needs) BirdHunterSupply.com (for all your bird hunting supply needs, as well as bird dog gear, and more!)

Nicolas and Kent start this one recanting how a man tried to steal two tractors from them through their recent farm auction. Tim Brown, The Bearded Uplander, is back, and this one gets real fast. His bird dog Mac nearly died from a grass awn that migrated through his body — and it happens way more than people think. The guys break down which wild ryes are dangerous for hunting dogs, how to protect them at the tailgate, and then get into building pheasant habitat that actually works. Informative, honest, and a little terrifying if you run a bird dog.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your CRP, backyard prairie, and pollinator mixes)   Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop and alternative crop needs)

Eddie Andrews joins us to discuss the riff between republicans and democrats in Iowa, property taxes, school ESA's, and of course water quality. We enjoyed this conversation and believe you will as well! hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, backyard prairie mixes, native pasture mixes, and hunting habitat mixes) Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop needs) McKay Insurance (for all your insurance and financial planning needs)

Kent, Riley, and Nicolas talk about what's going on with the Farm Bill today, and what status it has in the legislative pipeline. They also discuss what would need to happen for Iowa to have a higher tax bracket for out of state land owners. There's a lot of uncertainty for the rural United States, especially with farming. What can we do to enhance it? What needs to change? hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes, habitat mixes, CRP mixes, EQIP mixes, and a lot more)

Justin Meissen, Research and Restoration Program Manager at the Tallgrass Prairie Center, joins the Prairie Farm Podcast to talk prairie establishment from the ground up — literally. Why native annual weeds aren't always your enemy. What months to plant and which ones to avoid at all costs. How seed size predicts establishment success. And what "coefficient of conservatism" actually means. This one's packed.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie, CRP mixes, hunting habitat mixes, native pasture mixes, and more)   Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop needs)

Kent's very own father, Alan Boucher, joined us to discuss a journal entry from a woman in the 1800's. We also discuss whether or not someone should burn a prairie field now or in May to eliminate brome. hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP, Backyard Prairie, and Hunting Mixes) Iowa Cover Crop (for all your cover crop needs) Bird Hunter Supply (for all your bird hunting supplies)

Derek Orth, a fourth general dairy farmer, joins us to discuss if small dairy farms could have a spot in the US market in the future. Dairy farmers do a lot of work for very little pay, and we get into the nitty gritty on the podcast.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie, pollinator, native pasture mixes, and more) birdhuntersupply.com (for all your bird hunting gear and to give back to conservation)

Join us for another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday. Today we discuss Bayer's Tort Immunity at the federal level and the chance they have at succeeding. We also talk about Iowa Secretary of Ag Mike Naig's recent conversation about grazing CRP.    Hoksey Native Seeds (for Midwest CRP Mixes, Wildflower Patch Mixes, and More) Iowa Cover Crop (For all your cover crop and small grain needs) McKay Insurance (For a better insurance experience)

Black Hawk is a mythological character at this point. But why is that? What did he do, or not do? Dr. Patrick Jung, author of The Black Hawk War of 1832, joins us to tell us the incredible story of the last Native American to resist in the Midwest. To order his book hokseynativeseeds.com (for native prairie and wildflower seeds and mixes)

It's finally here! Farm Bill Updates are coming. Kent was home with the kids, so the one and only Judd McCullum joined Riley and Nicolas to talk about the new Farm Bill. Our Hoksey Auction (filter with the keyword "Lynnville")   Hoksey Native Seeds (for prairie mixes, wildflowers, and more!)

Dr. Karen Vanderhoff joins us to discuss what she is seeing in the health crisis of Midwest farmers. The suicide rates are very high compared to other occupations, and we want to know why and what we can do about it.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, hunting habitat mixes, and backyard pollinator mixes)

There's a lot of talk about how the price of living has shot through the roof. But is that actually true?? It's a complicated question that involves things like quality of life, inflation, hourly wages, median vs average, and more. We dive into this on Coffee Time Wednesday this week. You won't want to miss it. Hoksey Equipment Auction (You can filter by saying 50 mile radius with 50153)   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP Mixes, Backyard Pollinator Mixes, Hunting Habitat Mixes)

Laura Walter, of the Tall Grass Prairie Center, joins us to discuss the new species she is trying to grow at her facility. Also, which species is no one else growing that she has available for new growers. We also talk about hemiparasites and more.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes, CRP mixes, hunting mixes, and more!)

There was a push at the Iowa Capitol to put the Buffer Strip Pollinator Program into a bigger setting for farmers to put onto their land. But it was killed in subcommittee. Why? We're trying to find out. Check out another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday on The Prairie Farm Podcast. hokseynativeseeds.com (for buffer strip pollinator mixes, backyard prairie mixes, CRP mixes, and a lot more!)

Produce in America is grown at unprecedented scale in human history. But how is it done. Who grows it, and how does it get to our tables? Should any changes be made to the system? We sit down with Seth Oren, who has been on produce farms all across America, and he gave us the inside story. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator and prairie grass and all your other native seed needs)

Crop prices are freaky right now. We sit down and walk through the different major crops in America and if any farmer is making any money on their acres. hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes... because CRP at least cuts you a check)

Megan McKay is a legend in the Midwestern beer world. She founded Peace Tree and helped push legislation to allow for the microbreweries we love today. But what is she doing now? She is working hard to change the way Iowan's look at food, their health, food deserts, and cancer. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes, and all your other prairie and wildflower needs)

A lot going on in the world of conservation and ag this week. First, we dive into the new Healthy Water Act that the Iowa Democrats have put forward. Secondly, we discuss the E15 Fuel issue that the federal legislators are "figuring out". Both of these policies would have major ramifications for the Midwest. One for our health, and the second for our economy. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie, buffer strip mixes, hunting habitat mixes)

Chase Brown, a 6th generation farmer in Illinois, joins us to discuss billionaires that gobble up land, farm organizations that aren't benefitting farmers, and how he would start farming if he was a new farmer today. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie, CRP, and hunting habitat)

Join another riveting episode of The Prairie Farm Podcast Coffee Time Wednesday! This week Kent and Nicolas argue over ecological regulation, and we discuss which of the world's greatest apps are net negative and net positive.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes, CRP mixes, native pasture mixes, hunting habitat mixes, and more)

In this episode Kent interviews Nicolas about his story of going from reluctant farm kid to Bible college to prairie farm CEO. Be warned, this interview is unfiltered and is as authentic as Nicolas and Kent know how to be. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie and hunting habitat and CRP and wildflower needs)

Welcome back to another absolute banger Coffee Time Wednesday! This week the whole gang is back together-- Kent, Riley, and Nicolas. They discuss the new pilate prairie strips program that is currently being tested in Iowa. Need prairie or wildflower mixes. We've got them at hokseynativeseeds.com. We have pollinator mixes, hunting habitat mixes, CRP mixes, Prairie Strip Mixes, Perennial Food Plot mixes, Native Pasture Mixes, and a lot more.

Lyndsey Braun, Doug Duren, and Brock Rosenkranz join us to discuss the issues with hunting access and the joys of Deer Camp. hokseynativeseeds.com (for hunting habitat mixes, backyard prairie mixes, and more native seed needs)

Welcome back to another riveting Coffee Time Wednesday! This week Nicolas and Riley sit down to discuss what is going on with these beef prices and when will they come down. hokseynativeseeds.com (for pasture mixes, CRP mixes, and more native seed needs)

Power couple, Bart George and Dr. Brook Lang, join us to discuss Bart's study on Mountain Lions' interaction with humans, Dr. Lang's interactions with grizzly bears, and cat poop coffee. We deeply enjoyed this episode, and you will as well! hokseynativeseeds.com (for prairie and wildflower mixes)

Welcome back to another Coffee Time Wednesday! We review the best podcasts, best wins in conservation, worst personal losses, and the worst conservation disgraces of the year. You'll love to hear these. hokseynativeseeds.com (for prairie mixes and other native seed needs)

Welcome to another installment of Doug Duren's "Listen to the Land". He joins Nicolas and Kent, and brought guests Ben and James O'Brien to recap the deer derby and discuss what it takes to pass conservation on to the next generation.

Tim and Joy join us again, this time at the same time, to talk hunting, bird numbers, bird habitat, and dogs. hokseynativeseeds.com (for Pheasant Habitat Mixes and Perennial Native Food Plots)