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
Dr. Rayme Geidl is the interim Co-Director of the School of Health and Medical Professions at the University of Idaho. Idaho is ranked last for physician access in the US, and Rayme, along with many others, is trying to help educate and raise our own medical professionals. This is an incredibly complex and time consuming process, but one that she deeply believes in. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho fo...
Jan 06, 2026•45 min•Ep. 737
Tim Haynes is the new Chief of Police for Star, Idaho. He has taken over as chief as the city has grown percentage wise faster than almost any other area in the state. It also happens to be an incredible community, led by an intentional mayor and city council that have a clear vision for the community and area they want to continue building. It was wonderful to understand Tim more and hear his visions. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organiz...
Jan 06, 2026•49 min•Ep. 736
Phil McGrane is the Idaho Secretary of State and came in to discuss what happened in Elmore County after the Nov 2025 election. It was uncovered post election that over 300 votes were not counted, and Phil came in to explain what happened, how Idaho responded, and why Idahoans should have even more faith now in the election process. 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 05, 2026•52 min•Ep. 735
Monica Church is a District 19 representative in Idaho and came in to ring in the new year. As always, we stumbled onto tricky subjects and talked them out like champs. 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 counties and ways of lif...
Jan 02, 2026•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 734
Nick Fasciano is the executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation and came in to kindly share his bounty of wild game. The meal consisted of elk, pronghorn, mule deer, and bear, all of which were expertly prepared and served. Wild game access in Idaho is one of the state’s most incredible offerings, and thanks to Nick, I was able to try these incredible animals for the first time. Hearing how each was harvested was also awesome. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foun...
Dec 31, 2025•46 min•Ep. 733
Alex Zamora is the superintendent of the Wilder School District. Wilder integrated a tech heavy curriculum roughly 7 years ago when Ivanka Trump and Tim Cook visited the district, but after years of seeing lackluster educational performance, the district switched back to classic curriculum and is improving significantly. As Alex pointed out, tech companies frequently over promise and under deliver, and almost none of them has any studies or large scale results as evidence of efficacy ahead of ti...
Dec 29, 2025•46 min•Ep. 732
Luke Visser is a third-generation dairy farmer in Idaho, involved with his family's dairy operations. He kindly took me all though the Idaho Dairy Product plant and explained operations. Luke and several other dairy farmers have been able to take Idaho dairy and create high quality dairy derivatives that are enjoyed world wide. What the Idaho dairy industry is doing is amazing. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbias...
Dec 26, 2025•34 min•Ep. 731
Tammy Nichols is an Idaho State Senator who came on to talk about some of the political issues around elections that Idaho has faced for years. Political operatives from out of state get flown into Idaho to advocate for or against Idaho candidates. These people are housed, paid, and instructed to engage very specific dialogue. This is a problem across the state and we should all be aware of it, regardless of political affiliation. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundatio...
Dec 23, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 730
Brandy Furiani is the Executive Director of Eagle Chamber of Commerce and is coming to her last few days in the position. Over the last couple years, she has done a phenomenal job assisting her member businesses expand their visibility and support within the community. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and information in the Treasu...
Dec 22, 2025•57 min•Ep. 729
Eric Jones is the CEO of Thunder Mountain Gold, a prospecting and mining company operating in Idaho. His company has contributed both environmentally and financially to the state, and I greatly appreciate his willingness to come and explain what his organization does. 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 t...
Dec 19, 2025•32 min•Ep. 728
Dr. Emily Wakild is a professor and historian and came in to talk about how people find their places in Idaho. As people move to this state, there is an ever evolving problem with building housing and changing the landscape. Boise specifically recently voted to tax itself to preserve more of the surrounding hills and open space because people felt it just wouldn’t be the same without it. Dr. Wakild came on to talk about the need for our surrounding areas to reflect what we associate with home an...
Dec 18, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 727
Ali Rabe is the new executive director of the Gem State Housing Alliance, a non-profit group focused on state wide housing affordability. The crisis with housing costs is real and affects all Idahoans. Ali is working to understand the policies, practices, and issues that are driving up costs so Idaho can potentially lead the way with addressing this issue. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused medi...
Dec 17, 2025•49 min•Ep. 726
Ron Nate is the President of the Idaho Freedom Foundation and came on to talk about the budget issues Idaho is facing. The Foundation has produced a budget that would cut off an additional 1.8 billion dollars, and I asked Ron to come on to explain how they came to that number. 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...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 725
Austin Johnson lives in the Treasure Valley and is the director of Ghana Make a Difference, an organization that runs an orphanage in Ghana on the banks of lake Volta. The area is a hot bed for human trafficking and slavery as parents routinely unknowingly sell their own children into slavery. As these children are liberated, they need not only food and shelter but also education and a glimmer of hope that they’ll learn to survive in the real world and perhaps one day be reunited with their fami...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 724
Scott Green is the President of University of Idaho and came on to speak about the value of education in Idaho. There is a large concern about youth of Idaho and their opportunities as they move into adulthood. There is also a growing anxiety amongst adults about their ability to retool and retrain as the AI wave washes over humanity. The University of Idaho has a place for all of these people. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization co...
Dec 15, 2025•48 min•Ep. 723
Mitchell Searle is a multi-generation Idaho farmer and came in to speak on the difficulties around entering the ag field professionally. The astronomical cost of land as well as the variability of the product market has made this option all but impossible for anyone trying to start from scratch. For those inheriting an operation from an older generation, there’s also an increasingly confusing Death Tax to be considered. Mitchell was a wealth of knowledge and understanding. Enjoy! The Ranch Podca...
Dec 12, 2025•52 min•Ep. 722
Tori O’Neal is a fifth generation, sustainable rancher in Custer County, Idaho. She didn’t go straight into ranching, but instead headed to college, left the state, and worked in food product development. Throughout her work and travels, she recognized the growing trend of people feeling disconnected from the food they consume and the growing desire to understand the food system better. She works every day to help address that. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, ...
Dec 11, 2025•50 min•Ep. 721
Alex Adams is the former head of Health and Welfare in Idaho and is now the Assistant Secretary for Family support, leading the administration for Children and Families at the US Department of Health and Welfare. He helps finance and oversee programs that help deliver vital services for our most in need populations, and as he points out, this area is one of the few where what is right and what is financially smartest align perfectly. Alex is an absolute treasure to Idaho and to our nation. Enjoy...
Dec 10, 2025•39 min•Ep. 720
Sid Sullivan as a Giving Machine ambassador here in the Treasure Valley and came in to speak about the nature of the machines and what charities they go to help fund. There is a problem with giving that has become highlighted in the past decade with some organizations taking large sums of money and giving very little to those intended recipients. The giving machines completely eliminate that problem by offering not just donor directed giving (you can purchase specific items for those in need lik...
Dec 09, 2025•47 min•Ep. 719
Dr. Jim Souza is the Chief Physician Executive at St. Luke’s Hospital system and came on to talk about the state of people’s faith in modern medicine. In recent years, people’s belief in the western medicine system has started declining. This has led to a paradox: we know more about medicine now than ever in recorded history and people are seeking alternative treatments more. Dr. Souza’s insights were both wonderful and heartbreaking. The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, ...
Dec 09, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 718
Aaron Menenberg works with Renewable Northwest to advocate for renewable energy sources in Idaho and came in to speak on the recent decision that was made by the Ada County Commissioners regarding solar farms on existing ag farms in the county limits. There is a big question about what ag producers should be allowed to use their land for, and Adam explained the position of Ada County perfectly. Shout out to Adam Richins from Idaho Power for taking my call mid episode. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is...
Dec 08, 2025•52 min•Ep. 717
