Corn and Beans from 20 Thousand Feet

Learning about modern agriculture and its complexities have been one of the best parts of our move back to Iowa.  The interconnectedness of weather, corn and bean productivity, and how it all relates to the pork and beef industry, the price of gas, and yes, the weather in Brazil and a tsunami in Japan are fascinating subjects.  I've had at least two great teachers--Leslie Miller and John Jensen with the Iowa State Savings Bank in Knoxville.

If you think you know agriculture, you will probably enjoy the following interview.  If you don't know anything--I think you will find it fascinating--even wondrous.  Here is the interview.

Michele Bachmann Calls

One of the best things about working in radio in Iowa is getting to speak with all of the presidential candidates.  Before the 2008 caucus, I interviewed nine candidates, including President Obama and Mike Huckabee.  My program is 15-20 minutes long, so they have to spend some time with me.

This time around, the Republicans have been on a tighter leash for some reason, and while I have worked very hard to get to interview Pawlenty (before he dropped out), Bachmann, Cain, Paul, Gingrich and Romney (Perry hasn't been here yet), it hasn't happened.  No one wants to commit that much time, or go much beyond the basic "cattle call" media shout out.

That is, until an acquaintance of mine and Facebook friend Eric Woolson started working on the Bachmann campaign. I mentioned how difficult it had been to get interviews to Eric, and the next morning I was able to speak with Congresswoman Bachmann.  Thanks Eric!

Here is the interview.

Fall Migration at Lake Red Rock

If there was a prettier place in Iowa than Lake Red Rock this week, I would love to see it.  I went to check out the lake and the annual migration of birds with Marion County Naturalist Marla Mertz.  While we spoke about many birds, the thousands of pelicans stole the show.  The photo above was taken by Ron Huelse of Knoxville, one of Iowa's finest nature photographers.  To hear the full interview with Marla click here.

Marion County First Responders and Dispatcher Think Back to 9/11

A few days ago, I decided to hear what our first responders thought about when they contemplated 9/11.  My interview with over a dozen individuals for KNIA/KRLS can be found here.  It's worth listening to.