Mike Hon is running to be elected a Trustee of the Meridian Library Board on May 20th. We spoke at length about his concerns with the district, specifically fiscal responsibility and content moderation. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www…

Jeff Kohler is an existing Meridian Library Board Trustee and running for re-election on May 20th. We spoke at length about the various programs, offerings, and struggles of the Meridian library system and what Jeff sees for the future. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to …

Garrett Castle is running for the Meridian Library District Trustee position on the May 20th ballot. He is incredibly enthusiastic about our library systems and sees great value across generations for its continued preservation and use, and he wants to be part of the trustee board that continues to care for this system. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is …

Chief Allen is the Chairman of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and came in to speak about the enormous difference between his life as a young person before Indian casinos in Idaho and what his tribe and youth are experiencing now having built a casino. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe is working with Shoshone-Paiute on the Duck Valley Reservation to build its first…

Travis Worwood is a candidate for the Ada County Library District Board. Aside from the many individual city library districts, Ada County has four additional libraries that it operates. Travis is a medical professional and came in to speak about the issues surrounding the system, the value he sees for the county, and he personally gets, and why he…

Phil Reynolds is a Meridian resident running for the Meridian Library District Board. We spoke at length about ways he thinks the libraries can evolve and maintain value as well as things he’s worried about with the content of the libraries. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committe…

Dr. Jeff Carlson is a seasoned Ed. Tech leader and came in to speak about the integration and future of tech in the Idaho education system. There are many problems emerging in this field, most notably recently with AI, but there are other more basic questions about value and even funding. Many of the 1-1 tech systems were purchased during the 2020 …

Gretchen Hyde is the Executive Director of the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission and works closely across industries to promote, sustain, and educate all about the fundamental necessity of rangeland in Idaho. Our ranching industry benefits Idahoans in so many ways, not the least of which is fire mitigation and land management. Grazing operations …

Brian Jagger is the founder of GuardRailz AI, an AI system integrated into several university systems as well as high schools throughout the country. President Trump recently passed an executive order that emphasizes integration of AI in classrooms down to kindergarten, and Brian came in to talk about what different types of integration and utiliza…

Celeste Bolin is the Executive Director of One Stone High School. There is a new type of conversation emerging in the United States and especially Idaho around education and relevance to life. One Stone is going after this exact issue and constantly asking the question, how are we providing relevant information around the students goals and their f…

Kevin Bailey is a VP of Impact and the Idaho Nonprofit Center. He came in to speak about the nature of Idaho nonprofits and help me see the incredible reliance we all have on the robust nonprofit offerings in this incredible state. Whether you were born in a nonprofit hospital, educated or cared for in your early years by a nonprofit, learned finan…

Dan Meyer is the CSA Farmer for the Dry Creek Ranch community and also runs a weekly open market. He came into farming after his college education and came in to speak on the difficulties and considerations with operating a smaller, non-industrialized farm program. Our food system is incredibly complex, and I love speaking with Dan about the differ…

JohnathanBaldauf is a BSU graduate and local attorney. He has a deep love and appreciation for the written word and the libraries that support education, youth, and our communities. He’s running for the Ada County Library District Board and came in to speak about issues near and dear to him. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media F…

Dr. Perry Brown is an Idaho Pediatrician and heads a pediatric residency in the Treasure Valley. He is also engaged daily with recruiting more medical professionals in a wide array specialties. Hearing the direct feedback from doctors who are rejecting Idaho as an option was sobering to say the least. The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Medi…

Ted Hill is the District 14 Representative for Idaho and focused on many things regarding Idaho’s security. Strategic seed supply, foreign ownership of our farm lands, power security and more are things he’s been working on for years. He is also a champion for many who feel our community has become too reflective of culture war issues, like flags a…

Susan Buxton is the Director of Parks and Recreation for the state of Idaho. She has an incredible love for the outdoors and the preservation of Idaho's wildlife FOR people, as opposed to preserving it from people. She is not only a wealth of knowledge about Idaho’s offerings, but she also deeply understands the need for engagement, preservation, a…

Callie Zamzow is a member of the legendary Zamzow family and has a love for finished compost like I’ve never seen (like, for real). She very kindly came in to explain how and why over use of chemicals on lawns destroys the very biological systems in place that actually produce better looking lawns. We hit dethatching, aerating, feeding, watering, a…

Brandy Furiani is the Executive Director of Eagle Chamber of Commerce, and we spoke at length today about social media, how to find your voice, and what the Chamber does to try to help businesses find their voices on different mediums. She also brought in INCREDIBLE food from Tasso. Thank you TASSO!!!!! www.theRanchPodcast.org The Ranch Podcast is …

Dr. Kyle Tobler is a reproductive medicine specialist at Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine. Reproductive Medicine is a massively growing field as couples wait longer to have children, we focus on careers more, and we move away from the older paradigm of marriage and children in our late teens and early 20s. Dr. Kyle Tobler from the Idaho Cente…

Kate Wilson is the Executive Director of Foster + Heart foster care that focuses on offering an emergency foster care service for large sibling groups that would otherwise be separated in the worst times of their young lives. She came in to speak about the incredible work they’re doing and also to let people know how they can get involved and help.…

Marc Gee is the Middleton School District Superintendent and came in to speak about a bond measure that the district is running. Middleton is growing at a breakneck speed, and many people are moving there for better lives for themselves and their children, which, naturally, puts enormous pressure on the schools. The district has worked for years to…

Monica Church is an Idaho educator and an avid defender of Idaho’s culture and history. She spent a huge part of the legislative session extending olive branches to those on the other side of the aisle and believes that friendship and collaboration are truly at the heart of a pragmatic, functional Idaho. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Tru…

Kristen Jenson is a leading child safety advocate, author, and national voice for defending our young people. She has multiple best selling books about ways to talk to your young children about pornography and what they can do if they find themselves in a bad situation with a predator or even another child. These are difficult conversations to have…

Mike Simpson is the District 2 US Congressman to Idaho and came in to speak about issues with the Equal Access to Justice Act, the Public Lands in Public Hands bill that he is co-sponsoring, and the DOGE initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk and supported by President Trump. I greatly appreciate his willingness to carve out time for these crucial con…

Nick Fasciano is the Executive Director of Idaho Wildlife Federation and came in to speak about wildlife distribution in the state of Idaho. Big game in particular is functioning in ways that are different from years past, and this shift in movement and migration patterns have many causes. Nick will also be speaking at the Rugged Idaho event in Cal…

Parker Hargen started his So Good movement almost roughly ten years ago, and has led by example bringing the best, positive actions forward to his community. He drives around with a Nascar jack in his car to help with flats (in record time, mind you) and leans in to taking real, meaningful action in the real world. It’s humbling to be around someon…

Matt Clifford is the Ada County Sheriff and is intimately involved with dealing with illegal immigrants in our area. Many people have asked recently if Idaho law enforcement offices and departments will cooperate with ICE in the coming months and years, and Matt came in to explain that this way of thought is a little backwards. Sheriffs in Idaho do…

Brett Wilder is an Agricultural Economist for University of Idaho and a local producer at Boise River Lamb. He came in to talk about the tariffs being placed on our imports and what that means for Idaho’s industries, its producers, its imports and exports. As Brett points out, these are not all good or all bad, and more than anything, if you have a…

Susie Keller is the CEO of the Idaho Medical Association and came in to speak about many things that came up in the legislative session. One in particular was the problem with Parental Consent laws that have issues when considering emergency situations found within recreation, foster care, and even assaults. We also spoke about the state of medical…

Dr. Phil Gore is the Chief Learning Officer for the Idaho School Board Association and works nationally with school boards and leaders to improve public education. He came in to speak about the problems with school boards, the structure, the election process, and what to consider. As Dr. Gore points out, most people do not think about school boards…

Alexis Pickering is the executive director of the Conservation Voters of Idaho and a huge public lands advocate and educator. Idaho received statehood in part because of a deal we struck with the federal government and land that was inside our state borders. This land was in part designed to compensate the existing states for wrapping us into the u…

Alexis Morgan is the Idaho State PTA President and is helping build and promote a community summit on April 26th. The More Social Less Media event will bring experts from across the field and country that are all dedicated to improving the relationship with tech and youth in our community. Tech safety experts, community building experts, tech compa…

Marco Erickson is a District 33 Representative and program director at the LIV Teen Center. He’s incredibly engaged with Idaho youth and cares deeply for the health and welfare of our young people. He has also worked in other states dealing with the homeless crisis that has swept the west, and his explanations of programs, ROIs to taxpayers, and ge…

Luke Ankeny is the manager at Marsing Ag Labor and works with agriculture employers to fill labor needs. Our ag system is dependent on a patchwork labor force made of foreign, domestic, and everything in between. Ag labor in particular has come under fire in the state of Idaho with some accusing ag employers of impropriety during the hiring process…

Ben Gillenwater is a former Chief Tech Officer and current cyber security expert who has turned his focus onto the child tech world. There are many programs and pieces of tech that are marketed to parents and children as safe, fun, and generally innocuous. However, as Ben took a deep dive into the world of child facing tech, he realized how damagin…

Paul Arrington is the President of the Idaho Water Users Association and came in to discuss the future of water in Idaho. Gov. Brad Little requested a $30 million line item for ongoing water research and analysis to ensure the availability of this incredibly scarce and valuable resource in our arid, agricultural state. Paul came in to discuss where…

Brian Jagger is the founder of GuardRailz AI, an AI company that helps integrate safe, effective AI tech with education systems. His insights about what AI can and can’t do, along with what schools are actually looking for in education was amazing. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization c…

Lauren Necochea is the leader of the Democratic Party in Idaho and came in to speak about the legislative session, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is supported by Truth In Media Foundation, a non-profit media organization committed to unbiased, Idaho focused media. www.theRanchPodcast.org The Ranch Podcast is the premier s…

Brandy Furiani is the Executive Director of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce. We were blessed to enjoy two vanilla lattes from the new Form and Function coffee spot on Eagle at Hill and 55 while we talked some trash and schemed for the summer months. Thank you Heather Ferguson Realty for helping bring this fun, informative, community episode to the pe…

Jonathan Oppenheimer works for the Idaho Conservation League, and we spoke extensively about the timber industry in Idaho. Some have blamed the destruction of the timber industry on environmental preservation and also blamed the increased fuel load for the massive fires we are experiencing. Jonathan sees things differently, specifically from the le…

Dr. Emily Wakild is a BSU professor, historian, and beaver expert. The beaver has an amazing and incredibly functional history in Idaho, which comes as no surprise considering our extensive network of rivers and creeks. This amazing creature helped in the past but is also currently still helping by creating surface water storage systems that our st…

Chris Danley is a civil and traffic engineer in and out of the state of Idaho. He has worked on projects in almost every major area of the state and came in to speak about the interesting trend of state legislation that is designed to control local traffic design. In Ada County, for instance, we have a highway district that has commissioners that a…

Cory Stambaugh is the Garden City Chief of Police and very concerned about the state of our Department of Corrections. He brought in lots of pieces of information that gave me pause, ranging from things like state owned and paid for vehicles for inmates to drive around to bounce houses and family parties in prisons. I am obviously not in correction…

Tracy Basterrechea is a current chief of police and former president of the Idaho Police Chief Association. He came in to speak on several bills that have either passed or failed in this legislative session, including the Bolter-Stall bill, the mandatory minimum for a second DUI involving a death, and child predators. Crime in Idaho is incredibly l…

Jon Weber is a District 34 Representative concerned with the ever increasing stranglehold that the developer controlled HOA systems in Idaho have over residents. In current law, HOAs are under the control of the developer until the development is all but completed. In some areas of the Treasure Valley, for instance, there are developments that will…

Monica Church is a District 19 Representative and recently attended a rally for public lands put on by the Conservation Voters of Idaho. She spoke at the engagement on the origins of Idaho’s public lands and why they’re so important to the state. Every time I speak with someone about public lands, I learn more about how fundamental they are to our …

Jeff Simmons is the Superintendent for the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance, a state funded organization offering digital education to Idaho students. This is an incredible resource for people looking to supplement their existing public education, for homeschool families, for private school families, or those looking for alternative education models…

Jeff Ehlers is a District 21 Representative and came in to speak about the Gangster Tax and reducing licensing roadblocks for service providers. The Gangster Tax is in response to the BLM introducing projects into the state of Idaho that do NOT fit with our state, do NOT have public backing, and are NOT wanted by anyone living here. It would levy a…

Megan Egbert is a District 17 Representative and came in to speak on the SNAP program modifications and restricting illegal immigrant services. She is concerned that making it more difficult for stores to work with the SNAP program will reduce options for Idahoans who use the program, and she’s also worried about young people and soon to be born Am…

Josh Lustig is an Idaho grown success story. After dropping out of college in four months, he went to work in the insurance field, but he inserted innovation and leveraged social media marketing to become a decamillionaire before 30. This type of out of the box thinking is what we will fundamentally need in our upcoming generations as technology sh…