Talking farming with Field Work podcast hosts 

Minnesota farms were more profitable last year than they’ve been in nearly a decade, thanks to good weather, a bump in crop prices and income from government support programs. But that doesn’t mean pressures have eased for farmers. 

Profit margins are tight in the business of growing food and commodities like corn and soybeans, making it hard to take risks and embrace new practices that might be more environmentally friendly. 

MPR News host Angela Davis speaks with farmers Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora, co-hosts of the APM podcast Field Work, which offers up frank conversations about the benefits and challenges of sustainable agriculture. They’re back to talk about the third season of their podcast and what’s happening on their farms.

Guests:

• Zach Johnson is a fifth-generation family farmer from Minnesota who grows 2,500 acres of corn and soybeans with his dad near Alexandria, Minn. He also posts videos about his daily farm work on his MN Millennial Farmer YouTube channel, now up to 700,000 subscribers. 

• Mitchell Hora is a farmer and young entrepreneur from Washington, Iowa. His family has farmed in the area for over 100 years and makes conservation a strong focus. When Mitchell is not working with his father on their row crop farm, he runs a consulting company, Continuum Ag, and hosts a podcast focused on soil health.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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