The Prairie Farm Podcast

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All things conservation, prairie, gardening, hunting, and farming. From the fore-most voices of conservation and prairie to your casual backyard garden lovers, we’ve picked some of the most interesting brains around. Don’t miss it.

Nicolas Lirio & Kent Boucher


    • Dec 31, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 54m AVG DURATION
    • 326 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Prairie Farm Podcast

    Ep. 319 (Coffee Time) The Biggest Conservation Wins and Biggest Conservation Disgraces of the Year

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2025 61:05


    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)

    Listen to the Land: Conversations about Conservation w/Doug Duren and Guests Ep. 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2025 67:37


    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.

    Ep. 318 How to Get Pheasants on Your Land with The Bearded Uplander and Joy of All Trades

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 65:05


    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)

    Ep. 317 (Coffee Time) Christmas Morning on the Farm in the 1940s, The Absurdity of Christmas Lights, and the Hazards of Antibacterial Soap

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 34:30


    Merry Christmas! Enjoy your festive peppermint mocha while tuning into this week's Coffee Time Wednesday!   Sign Up for the Iowa Prairie Network Winter Conference  

    Ep. 316 Gubernatorial Candidate Zach Lahn

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2025 99:48


    Zach Lahn joins us to discuss the future he envisions for Iowa, ag consolidation, chemical poisons, and more. Hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes, pollinator mixes, habitat mixes, and more)

    Ep. 315 (Coffee Time) The NFL, Bearded Uplander, and Smiley

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2025 49:18


    We had the privilege of being joined by previous guest Mike Swartzlander, Tim Brown (The Bearded Uplander), and former Hawkeye and NFL player, Parker Hesse, for another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday. hokseynativeseeds.com (for pheasant habitat, CRP mixes, and backyard prairie mixes)

    Ep. 314 What Do Prairie Strips Accomplish? And Practical Incremental Changes for Conservation On Your Farm

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2025 93:12


    Tim Youngquist of Iowa State University and Practical Farmers joins us to share his experience on the Prairie Strips program at Iowa State and what farmers are able to do practically to bring income while boosting conservation. hokseynativeseeds.com (for prairie strip mixes and backyard prairie mixes and all your other native seed needs)

    Ep. 313 (Coffee Time) Stiff Goldenrod's Role in a Prairie and The Dead Zones of the World

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2025 26:41


    Another exciting episode of The Prairie Farm Podcast where Riley and Nicolas take a deeper look into the infamous "dead zones" in the water around the world. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie and hunting habitat mixes)

    Ep. 312 What Does Leaving Your Leaves Actually Do??

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2025 72:08


    David Mizejewski, from Natural Wildlife Federation, joins us to talk conservation, but specifically why leaving your leaves even matters. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes and other fun habitat mixes)

    Ep. 311 Iowa' Wildlife Action Plan, Soybean Farming, Prairie Snow Fences

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2025 40:16


    Nicolas is down with Tuberculosis and Dysentery... again. But don't worry because Riley and Kent are as healthy as two fine horses and are here to talk current events in Prairie Country.     Keep snow off the road --> Order Prairie

    Ep. 310 Can You Make a Food Forest in Your Own Yard?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2025 89:04


    We joined some of the crew from Abundant Design to discuss creating food forests in your own yard. We had a great time and we believe you will as well. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes and other native seed)

    Ep. 309 (Coffee Time) Is Fast Fashion Actually Cheaper?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2025 32:22


    Happy Thanksgiving! Another riveting episode of The Prairie Farm Podcast. This week, we have an intriguing question from a guest that had us thinking about the Thanksgiving Holiday. hokseynativeseeds.com (to fight consumerism with conservation)

    Ep. 308 Hunting Pheasants with Steve Hanson and Ryan Lynton

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2025 70:28


    We had the privilege of hosting Steve Hanson and Ryan Lynton (Upland Social Podcast) for a pheasant hunt and naturally we had to get them on the podcast. We discuss bird numbers in Iowa, land prices and trends, and whatever else came up in the conversation. This was supposed to be a coffee time episode, but the conversation was too good to not make it a full length episode. Enjoy!

    Ep. 307 (Coffee Time) Who's Responsibility is it to Pay for Iowa's Water Monitors

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2025 23:51


    Welcome back to another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday! This time we discuss the responsibility of Iowa's Water Monitors and the organizations who are making it happen. Hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP and Backyard Prairie Mixes) Izaak Walton Foundation The Article We Read

    Ep. 306 Gubernatorial Candidate Brad Sherman

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2025 83:49


    Brad Sherman was kind enough to open his house to us and sit down for a full conversation on the state of Iowa. We discuss taxes, schools, small farms, water quality, cancer, and a lot more. We deeply enjoyed it and believe you will as well! hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes and hunting habitat)

    Ep. 305 (Coffee Time) Why Are Young People Leaving the Midwest?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2025 48:24


    Welcome back to another riveting episode of The Prairie Farm Podcast- Coffee Time Wednesday! We deeply enjoyed this conversation, and we believe you will as well.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, hunting habitat mixes, and backyard prairie mixes)

    Ep. 304 Why to Burn Your Fields in the Fall with Jeremy French and Pete Ehryalde

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2025 95:22


    Welcome back to another in depth, nerdy episode of The Prairie Farm Podcast. You'll love this one. We dive deeper into the science of fire and its historic use. hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP and other prairie mixes)

    Ep. 303 (Coffee Time) Soybean Price Update, Longleaf Pines, Shortgrass Prairie Shortage

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2025 39:59


    Welcome back to another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday! This week we're back with a soybean update for the markets and what that means for the future of ag in the midwest, as well as the current shortgrass prairie shortage. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie and pollinator mixes)

    Ep. 302 Prehistoric Prairie Director's Cut Pt 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2025 156:06


    What happened to the prairie? Kent does a historical deep dive to find out exactly what happened to the prairie and why. Then Nicolas and Kent argue about what's the best way forward. We had a great time with this podcast, and we believe you will as well. Hokseynativeseeds.com (for native seed to help restore the prairie and habitat that was once here)

    Ep. 301 Lab Grown Meat is Inevitable

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2025 32:37


    Join us for another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday, as we discuss the impending demise of meat as we know it. We greatly enjoyed this conversation and believe you will as well. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie and pollinator mixes and hunting mixes)

    Ep. 300 Prehistoric Prairie Director's Cut (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2025 102:58


    Nicolas and Kent relisten and join you to discuss the second episode of The Prehistoric Prairie. If you haven't already listened to it, enjoy. If you have, we highly recommend listening again!   hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, backyard prairie, and native pasture mixes)

    Ep. 299 (Coffee Time) Self Driving Cars, Tractors, and Agriculture Accidents

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2025 44:56


    This week we dive into the what does the world look like on the road in 10 years. Agriculture is often a dangerous job, and vehicle collision is a big part of that. Join us for another riveting episode of the Prairie Farm Podcast. hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes, hunting habitat, and bee and butterfly gardens)

    Ep. 298 Prehistoric Prairie Director's Cut (Part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2025 100:43


    Kent, Riley, and Nicolas sat down and listened to the Prehistoric Prairie docuseries they made in 2023. At the very end they give commentary on it. We discuss part 1 "The Ice Age" and what questions we have two years later. We greatly enjoyed this conversation, and we believe you will as well. Hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes, hunting habitat, and more)

    Ep. 297 (Coffee Time) John Deere's Ethanol Tractor and Kent's Toe Fungus

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2025 45:25


    Welcome back to another great episode of Coffee Time Wednesday. We had a great time discussing energy, John Deere, ethanol, and more. hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, switchgrass, backyard prairie mixes)

    Ep. 296 Gubernatorial Candidate Julie Stauch

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2025 60:48


    Julie Stauch generously sat down with us at Smokey Row in Des Moines to discuss Iowa's water quality, our public schools, vouchers, rural poverty, and a lot more. It was a great conversation. Whether you agree with her or not, we hope you will enjoy our conversation. And let the record show, we really enjoyed our time with her. She was lovely.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes and all your native prairie and wildflower needs)

    Ep. 295 (Coffee Time) What the Government Shutdown Does to Conservation

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2025 26:22


    Welcome back to another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday. Kent is gone this week, so Riley and Nicolas take on topics much too big for them without Kent to make sure they don't get canceled. They discuss how government spending affect conservation, and what it will take to longevity to our conservation practices in the US. Hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, Backyard Prairie Mixes, and Hunting Mixes)

    Ep. 294 Hairy Sheep, Vallet Nightmares, and a Little Announcement

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2025 75:31


    Our good friend, Judd McCullum, joins us to discuss his new hairy sheep and a philosophical discussion on consumerism. We are deep into harvest, so we don't have our normal guest lineup right now, but we deeply enjoyed this podcast and believe you will as well.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP Mixes and Native Pasture Mixes)

    Ep. 293 (Coffee Time) The Soybean Crisis... China, Trump, and the Agriculture Midwest

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2025 48:03


    Another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday. We dive DEEP into the soybean price market, and what is causing China to turn away our soybeans. Are soybeans something we should even be growing? What is the current administration doing about it? We jump into all of these topics and more...   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for native pasture mixes and bee and butterfly mixes)

    Ep. 291 Cows Eat Milkweed, and Are Brushy Prairies That Bad? with Chris Helzer (The Prairie Ecologist)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 95:57


    Chris Helzer is the Director of the Nature Conservancy in Nebraska and a fantastic blogger/photographer, The Prairie Ecologist. We had a great time with him, and we believe you will as well!   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes and for hunting habitat mixes)

    Ep. 291 (Coffee Time) Is AI Using Too Much Water?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2025 35:56


    Join us for another exciting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday! This week we discuss how much water AI data centers are using, and if AI is a net positive or net negative force in our world.   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for native pasture mixes and backyard prairie mixes)

    Ep. 290 Inheriting a 500 Acre Prairie Farm Over Night

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2025 65:16


    Nicolas sits down to interview Kent to discuss the pressures of taking over the farm after Carroll passed and what Kent learned from Carroll in their time together.   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP mixes, Backyard Prairie mixes, and Hunting Habitat mixes)

    Ep. 289 (Coffee Time) The SNAP Cuts and Harvesting Prairie

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2025 54:01


    Give us some grace on this topic. It's hard to discuss SNAP because it's a complicated topic, but with how related to agriculture it is, we thought it necessary to discuss.   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes and CRP mixes)

    Ep. 288 Our Soil Will Save the Earth and Humanity

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2025 51:21


    Josh Tickell, a film director, explains why making these movies actually helps in the aid for conservation. Nicolas had some connection issues, but we enjoyed the podcast nonetheless and believe you will too!   hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP Mixes, Native Pasture Mixes, and Backyard Prairies)

    Ep. 291 (Coffee Time) 12 BILLION Dollar Settlement for PFAS (Forever Chemicals)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2025 33:47


    Join for another riveting episode of The Prairie Farm Podcast: Coffee Time Wednesday!    hokseynativeseeds.com (for CRP Mixes, Backyard Prairies, and Hunting Habitat)

    Ep. 286 The Actual Numbers of the Declining Wildlife in the Midwest

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2025 68:39


    Dave Hoffman, Wildlife Research Staff of Iowa, joins us to discuss the declining numbers of faun in the Midwest and what he thinks should be done to improve the numbers.   Don't forget the Iowa Sportsman Club Raffle. Tickets are cheap, and you'll want to see what they have!   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for Habitat Mixes, CRP Mixes, and all your other native seeds)

    Ep. 285 (Coffee Time) Is the World Getting Better? And Endangered Pallid Sturgeon Found in the DSM River

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2025 33:13


    Welcome back to another awesome episode of the Prairie Farm Podcast. This episode will make you think.   Iowa Sportsman Raffle (A Raffle for Conservation) Hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes and all your native seed needs)

    Ep. 284 Saving Our Soil and How to Grow a Food Forests

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2025 71:27


    Louis De Jaeger, author of Save Our Soil and a farmland designer, joins us to discuss all things regeneration. We dive deep into the soil health, chemicals, tillage, and what to do to avoid these things. Louis is a very practically minded conservationist that has spoken all around the world on how to protect our resources.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes, native pasture mixes, and all your other native seed needs)

    Ep. 283 (Coffee Time) A Day in the Life of a Settler and A Day in the Life of a Prairie Farmer

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2025 36:17


    Welcome back to another riveting episode of the Prairie Farm Podcast: Coffee Time Wednesday. This week we cover some of our harvest nightmares and what it was like for settlers to survive in the 1830's.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for wetland mixes, CRP mixes, backyard prairie mixes, and more!)

    Ep. 282 How to Fight for Conservation at the Legislative Level

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2025 63:58


    Tayler Riggen is the founder of the Iowa Sportsman Club, a lobbying group that works on behalf of hunters and conservation concerns in the State Capitol. This episode explains how and why the ISC came to be and what it is doing on behalf of Iowans.   Join ISC   Plant A Prairie with Hoksey Native Seeds

    Ep. 281 (Coffee Time): Recent Panel of Scientists Pinpoint Ag's Role in Water Quality in Iowa

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2025 45:21


    Join us for another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday! Kent brings us a recent event that you'll want to hear about!   hokseynativeseeds.com (for wetland mixes, native pasture mixes, and all your native seed needs)

    Ep. 280 Biofuel Energy, Evangelical Environmentalists, and an Organic Farmer

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2025 163:09


    Welcome back to another incredible episode. We are joined by three different guests and we put them into one episode. You'll enjoy it as much as we did!   Hokseynativeseeds.com (for native prairie mixes and wildlife habitat and all the native seed you need)

    Ep. 279 (Coffee Time) Plastic That Biodegrades in Hours and WE'RE HIRING!!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2025 26:38


    Welcome back to the Prairie Farm Podcast Coffee Time Wednesday! This week we discuss Kent's frustration on planes, an innovation in plastic that biodegrades within hours, and the exciting news that WE'RE HIRING! If you want to work with the Hoksey Team, reach out at social@theprairiefarm.com or info@hokseynativeseeds.com   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard prairie mixes, wildlife habitat mixes, and all your native seed needs)

    Listen to the Land: Conversations about Conservation w/Doug Duren Ep. 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2025 66:37


    We at The Prairie Farm Podcast are very excited to host Doug's new show. He will be joining us quarterly to have deep, and thought provoking conversations about our land ethic and how we can make a difference for the future. Because... "It's not ours. It's just our turn."   In this first episode, we discuss CWD, land fragmentation, Sharing The Land, our founder Carroll, and a lot more. We deeply enjoyed this conversation, and we believe you will as well!   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your native prairie and wildflower seed needs)   DougDuren.com (to learn more about Doug and how you can help in the conservation effort)

    Ep. 278 High Quality Timber, Perennial Food Plots, and Healthy Hunting Ecosystems w/ Jared Van Hees

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2025 77:44


    What does it really take to create a deer paradise? We're joined by Jared Van Hees of The Habitat Podcast to get the dirt on what truly matters. We cover everything from smart timber stand improvement and working with loggers to building effective perennial food plots for year-round wildlife health.   HokseyNativeSeeds.com (for deer habitat and perennial food plot mixes)

    Ep. 277 (Coffee Time) The Truth About Our Lawns (psst, it's not good)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2025 30:25


    We have another riveting episode of Coffee Time Wednesday where we discuss American Lawns and how they affect the ecosystem. We greatly enjoyed this episode, and we believe you will as well.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for backyard pollinator mixes and all your native seed needs)

    Ep. 276 What The Expert Says About Grazing Native Pasture w/ Dr. Patrick Keyser

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2025 68:07


    Dr. Patrick Keyser from University of Tennessee joins us to talk about native warm season pastures. He's a foremost expert on the topic. We get into the weeds on this topic. If you or someone you know has pasture, you'll want to hear this episode.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for Native Pasture Mixes and all your other native seed needs) Center for Native Grasslands Management

    Ep. 275 (Coffee Time) How to Manage Land for Better Water Quality and Doug Duren's New Podcast w/ Doug Duren

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2025 46:29


    Doug Duren joins us for this weeks Coffee Time Wednesday. And he's got some thoughts! (As per usual) You won't want to miss this episode.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for all your prairie and wildflower seed needs)

    Ep. 274 Why Iowa's Water Quality Is So Bad with Dr. Larry Weber

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2025 85:18


    Dr. Larry Weber, Director at IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering and Iowa Flood Center, joins us to discuss Iowa's (and the Midwest's) water quality. Look friends, we're not going to sugar coat it. It's bad. And Dr. Weber helps explain to us how bad. We dive into Nitrates, flood plains, rivers, and a lot more.   hokseynativeseeds.com (For wetland mixes and all your other native seed needs)

    Ep. 273 (Coffee Time) Mitigating Big Bluestem and Rural Hospitals in the Big Beautiful Bill

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2025 37:23


    This was a fun one! We answer a great question about how to mitigate Big Bluestem from taking over native, then dive into how the Big Beautiful Bill affects rural hospitals and their importance as economic staples for rural America.   hokseynativeseeds.com (for Backyard Pollinator mixes and Hunting Habitat mixes)

    Ep. 272 What Deer Need To Eat with Dr. Mark Turner

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2025 70:04


    Check out Dr. Turner's article on deer nutrition.   Check out hokseynativeseeds.com for prairie seed for your own project!

    Ep. 271 (Coffee Time) What Carroll Taught us

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2025 42:15


    This week we are talking about some of the biggest lessons our Founder and Mentor Carroll taught us while we were working with him.

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