Ep. 237: Cheap Groceries Come at a Cost / DOJ Investigates Meat Packers
Release Date: 05/08/2026
Ep. 250: Would America Exist Without Farmers?
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Episode 250 demanded something bigger. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we’re looking back at the farmers, fighters, inventors, rebels and outlaws who helped build the country from the ground up. From armed farmers answering the call of revolution to legendary war heroes, brutal frontier conflicts and the agricultural breakthroughs that transformed hand labor into precision farming, this episode explores the wild, bloody and often overlooked history of American agriculture. We dig into the farmer-soldiers who fought for independence, the men whose inventions changed farming...
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Ep. 249: How do you keep Tennessee Tennessee? feat. John Rose
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EARLY DROP! Congressman John Rose joins us in the studio for one of our most wide-ranging conversations yet. As one of the leading candidates in the race for Governor of Tennessee, Rose sits down to discuss his vision for the Volunteer State, what sets Tennessee apart, and how we can preserve the values, culture, and agricultural heritage that have made it one of the fastest-growing states in America. With hundreds of people moving to Tennessee every day, we ask the big question: How do we keep Tennessee... Tennessee? We also tackle several of the biggest claims being made against Rose on the...
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Ep. 248: So, do cows eat people?
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If beef costs so much at the grocery store, why aren’t cattle producers swimming in money? In this episode, we tackle some of the biggest and occasionally dumbest questions people ask about American agriculture. We break down where your food dollar actually goes, how inflation has affected beef prices, and why expensive groceries don’t automatically mean farmers are getting rich. We also explain what cattle really eat, whether livestock are treated humanely, and how farmers turn everything from ethanol byproducts to rejected candy into valuable feed instead of waste. Then we get into the...
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Ep. 247: Eat More Beef, The Salad's the One Trying to Kill You
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In this episode of Talk Dirt To Me, we're answering your farming questions and breaking down the biggest stories impacting agriculture right now. We kick things off with some listener Q&As before diving into Bayer's new hybrid wheat. Is it GMO? How much more yield are they claiming? Is the ROI better than saved seed, and could hybrid wheat change the future of grain production? From there, we take a deep dive into the latest USDA Crop Progress Report, highlighting why Tennessee continues to be one of the nation's most overlooked row crop states despite ranking among the top performers for...
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Ep. 246: The John Deere Lawsuit, Relay Cropping & Funeral Playlists
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If you've ever wondered whether farmland should be taken out of row crop production to make it easier for the next generation of farmers to get started, this episode is for you. We kick things off with listener Q&A and tackle one of agriculture's biggest questions: would reducing row crop acres actually help young farmers, or would it create even bigger problems? From there, we dive into the growing conversation around relay cropping (intercropping) and discuss why innovative farmer Jason Mauck has so many people in agriculture paying attention. Is this the future of row crop farming, or...
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Ep. 245: Glyphosate, MAHA, and the Attack on American Farming Feat. Rusty Grills and Stefan Maupin
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Is glyphosate really safe? What happens if it's banned? Is modern American farming under attack? This week on Talk Dirt To Me, we're joined in studio by Tennessee State Representative Rusty Grills and Tennessee Soybean Promotion Council Executive Director Stefan Maupin for one of our most candid and hard-hitting conversations yet. We kick things off by tackling an issue that rarely makes headlines but is costing farmers millions every year: deer damage to crops. As urban sprawl continues to expand, exploding deer populations are creating a growing crisis for row crop farmers across...
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Ep. 244: Should We Eliminate Row Crop Farming? We Did the Math.
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This week on Talk Dirt To Me, we're answering your questions, taking our lumps, and diving headfirst into some of agriculture's biggest debates. One listener absolutely roasts us before asking the question that sparked one of our favorite discussions: Is ethanol actually a good thing? As a row crop farmer, Logan shares his honest perspective on ethanol, corn demand, consumer choice, and whether the benefits are as clear-cut as many people claim. We also tackle a social media comment suggesting the United States should simply eliminate row crop farming. What would actually happen if we...
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Ep. 243: Ticks, Antibiotics & The Future of Cattle Production | Nick Patterson & Dale Parker
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This week on Talk Dirt To Me, we're joined in studio by Nick Patterson, President of the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association, and Dale Parker, Vice President of the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association, for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of Tennessee's cattle industry. We dive into Nick and Dale's backgrounds as cattle producers, how they became involved with the TCA, and their vision for strengthening the voice of Tennessee cattlemen across the state. From industry advocacy to producer education, we discuss what they hope to accomplish and why organizations like the Tennessee...
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Ep. 242: Who Let the Screwworm In? | Listener Q&A
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This week on Talk Dirt To Me, we're turning the microphone over to you for a listener Q&A episode packed with agriculture, cattle, farming, and plenty of rural common sense. We continue to dive into one of the biggest livestock stories in the country right now, the New World Screwworm outbreak. Who is really responsible for screwworm making its way back toward the United States? How did it spread across multiple regions, and what could it mean for cattle producers, and beef prices moving forward? We break down the facts, the finger-pointing, and what farmers and ranchers need to know. We...
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Ep. 241: Farmer Sues the USDA, A Race to the Bottom, and the Screwworm Arrives!
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This week's lineup is loaded. The FTC just opened its first real antitrust investigation into fertilizer pricing, a Wisconsin farmer took the USDA to court over discrimination and won, and cattle prices are sitting at record highs while the screwworm threat creeps toward the border. Plus AI moving into the field, a hard look at why everybody copying everybody is killing small ag, and our Made in America pick. In this episode we get into the FTC fertilizer antitrust investigation, including why prices jumped overnight with no supply change and how that seems dirty. We break down the USDA...
info_outlineTonight’s episode of Talk Dirt To Me is packed with everything from Tennessee agriculture to Hollywood crushes and hard-hitting industry talk. We kick things off with a breakdown of the incredible farm tour we attended featuring Skip Baskin’s cattle operation, Kirk Daniels’ pecan orchard and diversified farm, and Turner Angus Farms, where we got to see their cattle program and the pizza restaurant they built inside a barn using beef raised right on their farm. It was an awesome look at the innovation, diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit driving Tennessee agriculture today.
We also dive into the USDA issuing the remaining SDRP payments and have a real conversation about farm subsidies, food prices, and why the current ag system is structured the way it is. Like it or not, cheap groceries in America come at a cost, and we discuss why most consumers are not prepared for what food prices would look like without support programs in place. The recent egg price situation proved that in a hurry.
From there, we lighten things up with our Top 3 actresses list before shifting gears into one of the biggest stories in agriculture right now, the DOJ investigating the Big Four meat packers over possible price manipulation. We break down why this matters for cattle producers and consumers alike and why many farmers are glad this issue is finally getting attention.
We wrap things up answering listener questions, including our thoughts on the screwworm situation and what it could mean moving forward. If you enjoy agriculture, rural life, cattle talk, food systems, and unfiltered conversation, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
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