Gordon Jones is the President of College of Western Idaho and came in to talk about the bottleneck that CWI is experiencing with popular programs. One notable offender is his nursing program, where they have twice as many qualified applicants as they have spots. In a state struggle to attract more medical professionals, it seems wild that we’d be turning away students. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho...
Feb 18, 2026•48 min•Ep. 835
Dean Fisher is the President of the College of Southern Idaho and came on to talk about industry, education, and the value proposition CSI offers its students and Idaho every day. 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 ...
Feb 17, 2026•57 min•Ep. 834
Alexis Morgan is an education advocate in Idaho and also a PHD Candidate in Public Policy at BSU and came in to talk about several bills going through the 2026 Idaho legislative session from a public policy lens. 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 a...
Feb 17, 2026•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 833
John S. Zink is a Cadastral Surveyor in Idaho and came in to talk about the Boise Meridian Initial Point. Established on April 19, 1867, this initial point served as the cornerstone for surveys that mapped over 54 million acres under the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Enjoy! Event Description: The Boise Meridian Initial Point Celebration: Surveying the Past, Mapping the Future is a meaningful signature event within Idaho's America250 commemoration, linking the state's defining landscape and l...
Feb 17, 2026•49 min•Ep. 832
Jeff Cornilles is an Idaho State Representative and came in to speak about the recent conveyance of the Ford Idaho Center to CWI and the state of Ag in his area and beyond. 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...
Feb 16, 2026•32 min•Ep. 831
Richard McPherson is a world leading authority on Nuclear Technology. In Episode 23 of the American Nuclear series, we discuss the problem that Idaho faces with its employment base. Idahoans need jobs, and the exploding nuclear industry has many to offer. However, without enough children in Idaho that are interested in this field and without action to unleash the nuclear industry, the promise of jobs and nuclear energy at scale may be something that can never be realized. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcas...
Feb 16, 2026•27 min•Ep. 830
Lori Den Hartog is an Idaho State Senator and came in to talk about the current state of Idaho education and the HB 93 School Choice Tax Credit that was recently challenged in the Idaho Supreme Court. 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 ...
Feb 16, 2026•51 min•Ep. 829
Brett Adkins works at the office of Technology Transfer at BSU and came on to explain how he helps connect faculty and students who have brilliant inventions to the private sector for application and development. 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 a...
Feb 16, 2026•59 min•Ep. 828
Steve Zettel is a wilderness guide out of Challis, Idaho and came on to talk about the movement he has started to protect our wilderness and the classic wilderness experience that we have all come to love from ever evolving technology that has finally infiltrated our most sacred outdoor experiences. 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...
Feb 14, 2026•36 min•Ep. 827
Dan Waugh works for the Idaho Recreation Council and came in to talk about the ever growing issues around funding and preserving our public lands that offer both unparalleled recreation opportunities but are literally the platform upon which billions of dollars are generated by entrepreneurial Idahoans making a bid for self-reliance and self employment. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. ...
Feb 14, 2026•48 min•Ep. 826
Allison Ginn is a US Forest Service Liaison for Idaho and came in to talk about the hyper complex process of managing an enormous swath of Idaho lands, the resources, and the problems that are constantly evolving as the world changes. 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...
Feb 14, 2026•59 min•Ep. 825
Gary Tucker is the director of StudioBlu at BSU and came in to talk about the incredible marriage between academia and BSU students and real world businesses that have problems that need to be solved. 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 ...
Feb 13, 2026•26 min•Ep. 824
Matthew Zietlow is a regulatory expert with Liberty Gold in Idaho and came on to talk about the barriers and roadblocks to unlocking our natural mineral resources here. 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...
Feb 13, 2026•31 min•Ep. 823
Franklin "Bud" Corbus is an Elmore County Commissioner and came in to talk about the plight of water and the aquifer in Elmore county. The water resource has not been getting sufficiently recharged, naturally or incidentally, and the area is now appealing to the state for help to build infrastructure and supply water rights so life and business can continue on into the future. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiase...
Feb 13, 2026•29 min•Ep. 822
Peter Richardson is an Idaho attorney who, among other things, represents industrial power customers and came on to talk about what he sees as challenges and potential problems within current industry practices. 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 ar...
Feb 12, 2026•33 min•Ep. 821
Sheila Hasselstrom is an Idaho ag producer from Lewis County and came on to talk about local production, direct to consumer trends, and the freedom to grow and provide for our local communities. 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 man...
Feb 12, 2026•41 min•Ep. 820
Ilana Rubel is an Idaho State Representative and came on to talk about Idaho’s Budget, Medicaid costs, and the war on local governments. 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 life. It’s also home to many law en...
Feb 12, 2026•41 min•Ep. 819
Eric Olsen is an Idaho attorney who, among other things, represents ag irrigators in eastern Idaho and came on to explain what he feels is driving increased costs that many ag producers are experiencing. With the influx of new industry and expanding existing industry, Eric feels there is an undue burden being placed onto other “rate classes,” and ultimately people are paying for energy infrastructure that they don’t benefit from. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation...
Feb 11, 2026•39 min•Ep. 818
Brett Wilder is an Ag Economist with UofI and a Ag producer in Idaho and came in to speak on the state of agriculture. Inputs have increased, commodities have been hammered, and the average Idaho producer is hurting, but that’s not the entire story. 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 ...
Feb 11, 2026•37 min•Ep. 817
Mike Satre works with HECLA Silver mining company and came in to explain the unbelievable journey silver has had over the last several years, what HECLA is doing, and how Idaho stands to benefit from the enormous cross industry demand for the critical mineral. 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 Treas...
Feb 11, 2026•29 min•Ep. 816
Andrew Finstuen is the Dean of the honors college at BSU and the director of the Institute for Advancing American Values and came in to speak about his work in understanding what contemporary Idahoans value, what they feel about our current world, and what he is doing to help them communicate these issues. 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...
Feb 11, 2026•56 min•Ep. 815
John Gilligan is the CEO of Liberty Gold, a mineral extraction company working in Idaho to extract a number of different mineral resources, including gold. The difficulty and complexity of bringing a viable resource out of the ground to push to refinement is mind boggling, yet it’s something that our country and our state so dearly need. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. The Ranch Podcas...
Feb 10, 2026•37 min•Ep. 814
Erik Weiseth is the executive director of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association and came in to talk about this incredible self driven economy and industry that relies on public access to our public lands to continue pushing Idaho’s culture and traditions forward. 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 ...
Feb 10, 2026•35 min•Ep. 813
Tal Sampson is a lifelong Idaho hunter and recreationist and a member of the HAT Committee. The HAT Committee was charged with the task of reviewing the available technology and making a recommendation to the Dept. of Fish and Game on what tech should be allowed on what animals and when. Tal came in previously to explain the broader strokes of the group, and he agreed to come back to give specifics of individual technology pieces. I greatly appreciate his willingness to invest time and energy in...
Feb 10, 2026•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 812
Richard McPherson is a world leading authority on Nuclear Technology. In Episode 22 of the American Nuclear series, we discuss the process of recycling spent nuclear fuel. Idaho has engaged in spent nuclear fuel storage for years, both on the commercial and military side, and in most reactors, operators replace fuel rods when the rods still have 97% usable fuel left. This is an incredible waste considering the scarce nature of fuel grade uranium. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In...
Feb 09, 2026•26 min•Ep. 811
Marco Erickson is an Idaho State Representative and came in to talk about the work being done in Idaho to support young people and mental health issues. Idaho has triple the national average for teen suicides and leaders like Rep. Erickson are working to find solutions to save our kids. 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 a...
Feb 09, 2026•44 min•Ep. 810
Debbie Critchfield is the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Recently, JFAC requested that superintendent Debbie Critchfield send in a framework to cut the K-12 budget 1-3%, something that was understood coming into the session would not be asked or happen. Superintendent Critchfield had worked diligently prior to the session to remove requests and tighten the K-12 budget so this wouldn’t be an issue. When the request came, she took a hard look at it and responded that she would not be ...
Feb 09, 2026•25 min•Ep. 809
Roy Akins is a long time Riggins City Councilman, a professional guide, and a champion for the community. He fell deeply in love with the Riggins community as a younger person and committed to spending his life and raising his family in the small town of 400. This is the first of many conversations needed to understand what Idaho means and what Idaho life is like for people of this iconic Idaho town. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organizat...
Feb 06, 2026•25 min•Ep. 808
Lance Davisson is the owner and principal of the Keystone Concept, a consulting firm that helps organizations understand and manage natural resources around land and timber. He has worked and continues to work with many areas that we all love and want to preserve, including Boise parks and Bogus Basin. 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 for...
Feb 06, 2026•53 min•Ep. 807
Tammy Nichols is an Idaho State Senator and came in to talk about the infestation of CA Rats in the Treasure Valley (that’s not even a joke or play on words) and revisions to a law regarding the Son of Sam (also not a joke). 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....
Feb 06, 2026•23 min•Ep. 806
