The Prairie Farm Podcast

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.

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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 ...

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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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 ...

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. 

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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.

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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.

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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 c...

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 m...

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...