Tori O’Neal is part of the social conservation district system in Idaho and came in to explain what these districts do. Idaho cares deeply for its soil health, and each county has a group that will help you find out how you can maximize the health and productivity of your individual soils. I’ve never been more excited for spring! Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the...
Jan 22, 2026•34 min•Ep. 766
Luis Granados is the Executive Director of the Breaking Chains Academy of Development in Idaho. He works with youth that need guidance, help, and an education to move forward as contributing members of Idaho’s population. The importance of his work cannot be overstated. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in...
Jan 21, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 763
Stephanie Mickelsen is an Idaho State Representative and came in to talk about the budgeting process in Idaho. She also went into nuances of how funds can be agreed upon by the larger legislative body and then directed by the JFAC group, which is done without public comment. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and informati...
Jan 21, 2026•40 min•Ep. 764
Jordan Redman is an Idaho State Representative and came in to talk about two most issues: housing and natural resources in Idaho. This will definitely be the first of many this session. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great state of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many countie...
Jan 21, 2026•21 min•Ep. 765
Miguel Legarreta is the executive director of the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho and came on to talk about the tax considerations being considered currently in the state. The One Big Beautiful Bill passed many tax reforms on the federal level and this put Idaho in a position to either adopt these changes as well or break with tradition and develop its own separate decisions. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, ...
Jan 20, 2026•50 min•Ep. 762
Richard McPherson is a world leading authority on Nuclear Technology. In Episode 19 of the American Nuclear series, we consider the position of Hawaii as well as US Island territories. These landmasses in particular are vulnerable to natural disaster and direct attacks as they do not have reliable, easily repaired energy sources. Nuclear at any scale may be the only solution. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased...
Jan 20, 2026•41 min•Ep. 761
Janie Ward-Engelkind is a Idaho State Senator and also sits on the JFAC committee that appropriates Idaho taxpayer funds. She came in many times last session regarding the budget and came back to give an update on where she sees this going. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and great...
Jan 20, 2026•35 min•Ep. 760
Lisa Knapp is a compost specialist with the city of Boise. The city goes to incredible lengths to incentivise and create fantastic compost that is available for free for the citizens of the city and is also used to improve parks and landscape throughout the area. It also goes to reduce landfill cost and storage needs, which is a huge win in and of itself. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media...
Jan 19, 2026•42 min•Ep. 759
Rich Tyler is a retired fire fighter and now works with CORE Construction to help build, among other things, fire stations. These multipurpose buildings are incredibly complex and are also paid for by the taxpayer. Rich kindly came in to explain what goes into building a station and what considerations the average person should have when looking at the bill. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused me...
Jan 19, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 758
Debbie Critchfield is the Idaho State Superintendent of Public Education and recently played a key role in saving the federal grant going to many Idaho community schools. She came in to explain what happened, what Idaho had already done ahead of federal requests, and how she was able to save the day for many Idaho families. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premi...
Jan 19, 2026•34 min•Ep. 757
Sam Eaton works for the Idaho Potato Commission and came on to discuss this iconic crop, its reliance on our research institutions, the wavering markets, and the herculean effort put forth by our farmers to sustain this incredible crop and economy. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley a...
Jan 19, 2026•51 min•Ep. 756
Keri Smith is a former Canyon County Commissioner and came on to discuss the issues with growth in Idaho. She is currently working with a group called Growing Together that educates residents about how to self advocate for how, where, and when they want their communities to grow. We can’t stop growth in Idaho, but we certainly can communicate better about our needs and wants and hopefully end up with communities that the most possible people like. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth I...
Jan 16, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 755
Todd Achilles is a former Idaho State Representative and current US Senate candidate and came on to discuss problems for consumers and the working class around lack of competition and actual free markets that would benefit businesses, workers, and consumers. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasur...
Jan 16, 2026•59 min•Ep. 754
Treg Bernt is an Idaho State Senator and came on to discuss several issues including his bi-partisan efforts to show positive political discourse to our next generation of voters and potentially eliminating cellphones in Idaho public schools. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasure Valley and gre...
Jan 16, 2026•23 min•Ep. 753
Dr. Rayme Geidl is the interim Co-Director of the School of Health and Medical Professions at the University of Idaho and came on to talk about the relationship with the University of Utah Medical School. Idaho ranks the lowest in many medical based metrics, and a partnership with UofU could help push this great state in the right direction. It’ll take, you know, like 10 or 15 years, but we’ll get there nonetheless. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit...
Jan 15, 2026•36 min•Ep. 752
Melissa Wintrow is a democratic senator in Idaho and came in to speak about the budgeting issues as she sees them. Idaho is currently facing a huge budget deficit in the coming years, and many, many people are discussing solutions and the problem. Sen. Wintrow was extremely clear in that she feels this is a manufactured crisis and there’s no actual financial reason for us to be in this position but instead it was poor planning and overly aggressive tax relief that led to this. Enjoy! The Ranch P...
Jan 15, 2026•44 min•Ep. 751
Dr. Anna Radin works with St. Luke’s on suicide prevention and recently ran a study about connecting with both teens and adults who had hightened suicide risk. What her team found is that the connection offered by St. Luke’s, which was not extravagant or crazy, was so effective it was capable of cutting suicide rates in half. Understanding how this can be rolled out statewide is crucial to saving Idaho lives. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media ...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 750
Luis Granados is the Executive Director of the Breaking Chains Academy of Development in Idaho. He works with youth that need guidance, help, and an education to move forward as contributing members of Idaho’s population. The importance of his work cannot be overstated. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 763
Lauren Necochea is the head of the democratic party in Idaho and came on to talk about the 2026 legislative session that just started and what the priorities for the democratic party are. One of her greatest concerns centers around Medicaid expansion as many lawmakers have signaled that they want to repeal the expansion all together. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 748
Nick Fasciano is the executive director of Idaho Wildlife Federation and came in to speak about migration patterns and needs of our wildlife. One of the issues with development is that there are very clear migration corridors that exist in Idaho that benefit untold numbers of wild game, and developers at times build communities over these areas. For some species, these are well worn trails that lead to winter grazing, safety, and labor and delivery areas for their next generation. Nick came in t...
Jan 14, 2026•55 min•Ep. 747
Alexis Pickering is the executive director of Conservation Voters of Idaho and came in to discuss how a portion of Idaho state land just got sold to a wealthy investor. There is a mandate in the Idaho constitution that requires lands be managed for the highest financial benefit, and in this case, it was worth more to do the one time sale than it was to continue the existing multiuse engagements. This is exactly what most people fear will happen if federal lands in Idaho were transferred to the s...
Jan 14, 2026•29 min•Ep. 749
Alexis Morgan is an education advocate and a PHD candidate in the school of Public Policy at BSU. As the legislative session was approaching, I asked Alexis if she would be willing to come in and discuss some of the legislation from a public policy lens. She graciously agreed, and here you have it. Hopefully this will be a regular show for the duration of the legislative session where I can understand Idaho’s proposed and new laws from a different view. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by T...
Jan 13, 2026•55 min•Ep. 746
Karen Launchbaugh is a Rangeland Ecologist at Univ. of Idaho and came in to speak about the issues facing Idaho’s rangelands. These are lands used for a myriad of purposes and are literally fertile earth for many of Idaho’s biggest industries. Understanding their importance and utilization is crucial for their prolonged preservation. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is...
Jan 13, 2026•56 min•Ep. 745
Leslie Edgar is the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Idaho and came on to discuss ag, education, and where our food production may be moving. Many people that grew up on the farm or the ranch are not returning, which means we must educate and train our future farmers and food producers. UofI as our land grant university plays a key role in ensuring that our fertile lands will always have competent, capable people working them. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is...
Jan 12, 2026•38 min•Ep. 744
Lauren McLean is the mayor of Boise and came on to talk about a number of things, including affordable housing wins, continuing open space and park projects, and more than anything, the number of key community events that the city is hosting to ensure that in this time of unprecedented growth, Boise can remain a connected community with a clear sense of history and future. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, I...
Jan 12, 2026•24 min•Ep. 743
Brooke Blevins is the Dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at University of Idaho and came on to discuss the difficulty with educating educators. Education is desperately needed so America can leverage its human capital to the fullest extent, but the plight of educators today includes easily over $100,000 in education cost for a job that does not return huge salaries. Hearing about what is needed and how UofI is navigating these issues with Dean Blevins was awesome. Enjoy...
Jan 09, 2026•39 min•Ep. 742
Jason Dixon is the Bannock County Clerk and came on to talk about the election system he oversees. Things like drop box security and absentee ballots are common points of confusion with people, and Jason’s experience and reasons for doing things the way he does were fantastic. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and informa...
Jan 08, 2026•34 min•Ep. 741
Dennis Becker is the Dean of the College of Natural Resources at Univ. of Idaho and came on to discuss the state of our resources, their preservation, their utilization, and the future. As he pointed out, the US went through a very aggressive period of over harvesting in many areas, be it trees, minerals, fish, etc., and in response to that, we have arrived at a place of conflict with many people wanting zero harvest or extraction and all consumers wanting complex products that require our natur...
Jan 08, 2026•38 min•Ep. 740
Dr. Gabriel Potirniche is the associate dean of the School of Engineering at University of Idaho. Engineering as a broader discipline is one that requires incredible technical and creative skill, all things that are starting to change as we integrate AI more fundamentally into education and industry. AI itself is becoming a core focus of study, as Dr. Potirniche pointed out, and UofI is actually developing and rolling out degrees in AI engineering at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Enjoy...
Jan 07, 2026•48 min•Ep. 739
Pam Howland is a practicing employment attorney in the Treasure Valley and came in to discuss liability in the workplace with social media communication. Private social media has been increasingly tied to workplace environments, but in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, there were many employers in Idaho that felt compelled to terminate employees for things these people said online. For both employers and employees, the line between real world communication and online communication has largely b...
Jan 07, 2026•57 min•Ep. 738
