Rural Route 2 Podcast

Episode 27: A Moment of Reckoning

A road culvert plugged from soil erosion provokes a conversation between Jason and Matt about the current state of conservation - where it has come from, where it is going, its level of acceptance, and the role it plays in the future - and sparks what Jason believes may be a "moment of reckoning" for conservation and agriculture as a whole. 

Note: the opinions and raw emotions shared on this podcast reflect only the individual who is stating them, and do not represent any organizations, businesses or peers the individual may be connected to. Now that your interest has been piqued, take a listen and let us know if you agree or disagree! 

Episode 26: A Bug in the Eye of the Beholder

Bugs are much like weeds which are much like trash. They are each in the eyes of the beholder. Just like "one man's trash being another man's treasure," the same can be said about bugs. Whether we manage a backyard garden, a wildlife foodplot, or acres of cropland, we are all familiar with "bugs." To some, bugs have a negative connotation, to others it is positive. There are bugs that are a pest, and bugs that are beneficial. They are in the eyes of the beholder. Do we think about these things when we make management decisions? Let's talk it through!  

Episode 25: Ownership

You didn't forget about us, did ya? Well, we're back at it! And we've got some interesting things (at least we think) to talk about. We're going to kickstart things by talking about the vast, maybe vague, and multi-faceted concept of ownership. While that word can mean many things, we're going to talk about what ownership - in all its forms - means to rural lifestyle. If this topic sounds a little "meh" to you, just hear us out. We'll try to make sense of it! Oh, and thanks for waiting for us!

Episode 24: Mother's Day Special - Mom Is The Best Gardener I Know

Matthew goes solo in this episode with a Mother's Day conversation with the best gardener he knows: his mom, Carol. Gardening looks easy, but it is a labor of love that a only the few can handle, and Matthew needs more than love to muster up the labor to maintain a garden. Luckily, his mom is there to help, who has been building and growing gardens for over five decades around the old family farm.  Carol explains her favorite plants, tips/hints to starting a garden, her earliest memories growing plants, why she gardens, and explains which one was more difficult: raising three boys or gardening. 

Enjoy the episode and Happy Mother's Day

Episode 23: Candies and Treats

In our next installment we stumbled into a conversation about sweet treats, from our childhood days to our current selections. Candy/"Sweets"/"Treats" are a prominent piece in our lives because they serve as a sugary-delight, but also link us to memories to our past/our childhood days. 

Take a listen as the guys go over their favorites, their deplorables, and which ones they can't resist today.

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Episode 22: Frost Seeding, Should I Do It?

It has certainly been awhile, but we are back, baby, WE ARE BACK. We have a good helping of episodes coming up, but we wanted to share this one first considering it is frost-seeding-season!  

Take a listen as Jason and Matt talk about the intentions, goals behind frost seeding, how do to it, what are the best species, and why this isn't just limited to farmers. 

Welcome back humble listener to the Rural Route 2.  

Episode 21: Rural Vernacular Volume 1

Vernacular is defined as the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular region, and the midwest is known to have it's own set of vernacular/terms/slang/pronunciation that is different than the rest of the US. The most unique of those comes from the rural communities of Wisconsin.  Take a listen to find out if your favorite made the list.  If it didn't, please leave us a comment on our social media page so we can mention it in the second volume ! 

Thank you for following, make sure you mention our podcast to your friends, share on social media, and stay tuned for our next episode.

Episode 20: The Truck Ride

A truck cab hears a lot of interesting conversations, and some that tend to be more personal. While traveling to Baraboo, WI to attend a farmer event, we talked about a recent conference where Jason had the opportunity to share as the keynote speaker of the event. This speaking opportunity was unique in that it was a different topic than we usually talk about - empathy.  Sharing personal things you care about isn't the easiest thing to do in front of an audience. Especially when the audience is Wisconsin farmers, who tend to be awfully stoic! Take a listen as Matt and Jason share their thoughts on empathy and why Matt wears sunglasses.   

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Episode 19: A Gen-Z, Millennial, and Gen-X Walk Into a Bar

Last time we talked about kids in the rural setting and it inspired our next conversation. What influences different generations?

We had the opportunity to listen to a presentation by Brad Gingras of Superior Strategies at the 2022 WI Producer-Led Workshop. He talked about the attitudes, influences, attributes, and motivations of Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, Millennials, and the latest to hit the workplace, Gen-Zers. His presentation provided a lot of context and insight for blending of generations in the workplace and in social and community settings. We were deeply intrigued. So we decided to continue the conversation based off our own experiences, and how we think it all applies to life in rural settings. 

To learn more about Brad's work, we encourage to you to look him up at: https://www.superiorstrategies.org/

Episode 18: 21st Century Kids in Rural Life

In today's episode we chat about kids in rural settings and the things they choose to spend their time with; especially "electronics" (you know what we are talking about).  When living out in the country there is an association of kids playing outside all day; or at least an expectation. In this modern era with technologies that feature videos, movies, music, and interactive video games, our expectations of what kids do with their time are challenged. That begs the questions: are there standard activities for rural kids, do they know what they are, and what should our expectations be for them? Take a listen and please share, like, subscribe!