On Life and Land John Deere

Happy holidays from On Life & Land! Join us for a quick look back at some of our favorite stories from Season One. 

When the monks of St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts decided they needed a new revenue stream, they turned to one of the oldest agricultural products known to man. "It has moments of really intense physical activity," says Father Isaac of St. Joseph's of the production process, "but it's an almost silent environment. It really fits in with our contemplative life."  

Organic. Natural. Certified. GMO-free. What do they mean, and what should you choose? In this episode, we moderate a 'food fight' between co-host Chrissy Taylor and our friend Jen Anderson as they discuss how they (and we) make the choices we do at the store or restaurant, which labels make them put an item back on the shelf or into the cart, and what ag is doing right...or could be doing better...when it comes to promoting the health and safety of our food supply. We're talking labeling, food-shaming, fear-based marketing, and more. 

Lucky Linda Cheddar. Little Lucy Brie. Tipsy Tilsiter. These are just a few of the “ridiculously good” cheeses on offer from Brooten, Minnesota’s Redhead Creamery. In this episode of “On Life & Land,” Alise Sjostrom (President, CEO, and resident redhead) and her mom, Linda Jennissen, talk about how the creamery came to be, the challenges facing kids who want to return to the farm...and about their love of all things cheese-related! 

Tucked away along the northern edge of Iowa is the town of Mason City...agricultural hub and home to the Historic Park Inn Hotel, the only remaining hotel designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Like so many buildings of its era, the Hotel fell into a state of disrepair before a massive renovation effort began in 2009; the Hotel reopened to the public in 2011. In this episode, we speak with designer Scott Borcherding, current president of Wright on the Park, Inc., partner at Bergland + Cram Architects, and member of the Historic Park Inn Hotel restoration team.

In our latest episode, we chat with Ben Harshyne, agent and land specialist with Whitetail Properties. Ben makes his living helping recreational and agricultural clients find the right piece of ground to fit their needs, whether it’s deer hunting or crop production. In this episode, Ben talks about land use, creating wildlife habitat, his love of maps, and his time with the National Counter-Terrorism Center.