The At the Iowa Farm Table Podcast takes a deep look into food and farming in Iowa. Brought to you by the Iowa Food System Coalition. attheiowafarmtable.substack.com
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Sep 29, 2026 · 16:30
Welcome back to Season III of At the Iowa Farm Table! This week Beth Hoffman digs into pesticide drift with Amanda Severson ( Grand View Beef ), Joel Meyer ( Meyer Agri-Air Inc…
Jun 30, 2026 · 9:23
Jon Bakehouse is a corn and soybean farmer in southwest Iowa. He and his family were working to improve the sustainability of the farm over the years. But an unexpected health…
Jun 16, 2026 · 9:10
Arlyn Kauffman, a row crop and egg farmer from southern Iowa, took a group of high school students to one of the nation’s largest agricultural shows, where major seed and…
Jun 2, 2026 · 12:44
More than 70% of farms in the U.S. have been lost over the past 125 years. Today less than 2% of Americans call farming their profession. Yet, in a world with a changing climate…
May 5, 2026 · 12:02
We wanted to send a quick note of appreciation for all of our listeners! Thank you so much for your support. Please be sure to write a review of this podcast (especially if you…
Apr 21, 2026 · 17:46
Iowa has a cancer problem. We are one of the only states in the nation with a growing cancer rate, and have higher levels of certain kinds of cancers than do similar areas of the…
Apr 7, 2026 · 13:17
The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program was slated to bring millions of dollars into Iowa, while supporting new farmers. Contracts were signed, fellows quit their…
Mar 24, 2026 · 14:28
In the second episode of our two part mini-series on restaurants, Beth visits with those championing for the transformation of Iowa into a farm-to-table haven. She talks to the…
Mar 10, 2026 · 12:04
How come so much of the food in Iowa seems to taste the same? In this two-part mini-series, Beth Hoffman dives deep into how and why restaurants have evolved (not for the…
Feb 23, 2026 · 9:13
Fruits and vegetables are often not the first thing many SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) participants buy. Produce can be more expensive, and when you are…
Feb 9, 2026 · 9:08
“Food as medicine.” The phrase is everywhere in the news and on social media. But food and farming impacts not only our bodies. In this episode of At the Iowa Farm Table , we…
Jan 26, 2026 · 10:53
Todd Western III’s family settled in Mahaska County in 1864, a year after Abraham Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation . More than 160 years later, the family…
Jan 12, 2026 · 10:32
Working to change the food system can feel like a slog. Progress is slow, challenges are constant, and wins can be hard to see. And yet, change has happened. Public understanding…
Nov 17, 2025 · 20:38
There’s a word that explains a lot about modern agriculture, even if Merriam-Webster hasn’t caught up yet: chickenization . It’s what happens when animals become “widgets,” farms…
Nov 3, 2025 · 35:00
This week on At the Iowa Farm Table, learn more about how and where your food is raised! Beth Hoffman and Amanda Severson chat about their cattle businesses and how they raise…
Oct 20, 2025 · 10:45
What’s going on in farm country? China, which normally buys half of America’s soybean crop, hasn’t bought a bean. Corn prices are dragging below the cost of production. Wheat and…
Oct 6, 2025 · 12:03
In recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day (October 13th in Iowa), we hear from two Indigenous women residing in Iowa and learn how shifting our perspective can help bring us back…
Sep 22, 2025 · 13:49
Iowa schools spend millions feeding kids — in effect, they’re the largest restaurants in the state. But here’s the catch: most of those tax dollars don’t stay in Iowa. When food…
Sep 8, 2025 · 13:45
Iowa’s food system has been engineered into sameness. This episode explores how diversification—of crops, markets, and farmers—could reshape the Corn Belt and prove that Food…
Aug 25, 2025 · 15:35
Iowa’s nitrate levels have hit historic highs, forcing lawn watering bans, swim advisories, and costly cleanups. A new report — the Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment…
Aug 11, 2025 · 11:07
Cheese curds. Goat cheese. Ice Cream. Beverages. At the Iowa State Fair, the Iowa Quality Dairy Products Competition showcases the best dairy products in the state, from small…
Jul 28, 2025 · 11:53
It starts showing up in parking lots and roadside stands around July. People rearrange their schedules to get it while it’s fresh. They stand in line, drive miles out of their…
Jul 14, 2025 · 14:53
In 2024, Governor Kim Reynolds made headlines when she declined $29 million in federal funding for Summer EBT (also known as SUN Bucks)—a proven program that helped feed nearly…
Jun 30, 2025 · 14:30
Nitrate levels in Des Moines' drinking water are hitting historic highs. The city just issued its first-ever lawn watering ban , and rural communities are struggling too. What’s…
Jun 16, 2025 · 10:17
"Local food" is a popular idea. But why is it important to buy food grown locally? In this episode, we dive deeply into what local food really means and why it matters more than…
Jun 2, 2025 · 12:21
For this episode we visited our partners at the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) food pantry network, where collaboration, data collection, and advocacy are changing how…
May 19, 2025 · 13:19
So much of the food we eat is grown, processed, and prepared by people we rarely see. Many of them are immigrants and refugees. In this episode, we hear from Iowans whose lives…
May 5, 2025 · 10:40
Listen Now | What does it mean to add value on the farm and why does it matter? In this episode, we explore how Iowa farmers are going beyond raw products to create products that…
Apr 21, 2025 · 15:06
Listen Now | In 2012, Rob Faux was bringing water out to the hens on his organic farm in northeast Iowa when a plane flew over and sprayed pesticides on him, his partner, and his…
Apr 7, 2025 · 14:42
This week, we explore the innovative world of Iowa’s food hubs —those central engines that aggregate, coordinate, and distribute locally grown food to schools, hospitals,…
Mar 24, 2025 · 12:18
School lunch is about so much more than tater tots and chocolate milk. In this episode, you’ll discover how local food in schools not only improves nutrition for kids, but also…
Mar 10, 2025 · 5:47
The Iowa Food System Coalition had a great idea: to start a podcast featuring our amazing partners (there are more than 40 of them!) and to dive into the topics we care about. So…
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