All Episodes

In August 2020, our intrepid Field Work hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora sleuthed around in Washington County, Iowa, in search of the origin story of its robust conservation culture. Zach had his camera handy to document the experience for us.

On Field Work this week, hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora talk with the founders of two startups that aim to help farmers with their costs. Guests are Sami Tellatin of FarmRaise and Robyn O’Brien of rePlant Capital.

Zach and Mitchell check in with Farm Journal news director John Herath about the sustainability buzz coming from the new administration and what farmers should keep their eyes on. Then Bill Northey, who oversaw Farm Production and Conservation at USDA in the Trump administration, offers his takeaways from his time as a USDA insider.

A preview of Field Work season three with farmers Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora.

In our season finale, Field Work hosts Mitchell Hora and Zach Johnson talk with Lauren Lurkins from the Illinois Farm Bureau about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the sustainable ag movement.

Field Work hosts Mitchell Hora and Zach Johnson discuss the impact retailers can have on sustainable agriculture with Agronomy Marketing Manager Samantha Schmidgall and Crop Specialist Malcolm Stambaugh of Ag View FS in Walnut, IL.

 Crop prices ain’t what they used to be, so some farmers have sought out additional sources of income. On this episode of Field Work, Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora talk to Pat Duncanson, a fifth generation corn and soybean farmer in Minnesota who has installed multiple solar panels on his land. We also hear from Fritz Ebinger, who works with farmers to assess their options for solar panels or wind turbines.

Field Work hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora talk to Kevin Norton, Associate Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Service, and dairy farmers Tom Zwald and Todd Doornink about funding for conservation practices, from NRCS programs to farmer-led coalitions.

This week, Field Work looks at how consumer demand for sustainably-grown food is translating into actual incentives for farmers to use conservation.

What if farmers could get paid for practices that put carbon back into the ground? Field Work hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora talk to the chief development officer and co-founder of Nori, one company working to make this possible.

Field Work co-host Zach Johnson talks to researchers at American Public Media and Farm Journal’s Trust in Food initiative about their new research on average Americans’ knowledge of and concern levels about water, and the extent to which farmers mirror the general population on these fronts.

Field Work co-host Mitchell Hora visits Rick Clark’s Indiana farm to learn how Clark Land and Cattle transitioned away from conventional growing towards using both regenerative and organic practices at scale.

Field Work hosts Mitchell Hora and Zach Johnson speak with Tim and Tyler Nuss of Nuss Farms in Lodi, California about regenerative ag, vegetable farming at scale, running a farm business in the modern age and the Nuss brothers’ podcast, The Modern Acre.

Field Work co-host Mitchell Hora talks with Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk, to understand the state of agriculture amidst a global pandemic.

Hosts Mitchell Hora and Zach Johnson talk to Eric Jackson from Pipeline Foods and Sara Harper from Grounded Growth about regenerative and organic practices-- the differences, the benefits, and the challenges.

Field Work co-host Mitchell Hora visits Scott Thellman’s Juniper Hill Farms to learn about Scott’s first shot at growing hemp.

Hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora talk to Tim Hammerich, host of the Future of Agriculture podcast, about innovations in the ag world and the changing skill sets farming demands.

Field Work hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora bring on Professor Amy Kaleita and farmer Mike Ehlers to discuss edge-of-field practices that can reduce nutrient runoff from farms.