
30 episodes

Reframing Rural Tree Ring Records
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- Society & Culture
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4.9 • 47 Ratings
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Reframing Rural's mission is to cultivate curiosity and conversation across geographic, class and cultural divides. Season 1: Coming Home, is set in the rural homeplace of host Megan Torgerson's youth, on the plains of far Northeast Montana. Season 2: Sowing Possibility, sows hope in the future of the rural West and Heartland through interviews with rural activists, academics, artists and entrepreneurs. Hosted and produced by Torgerson, this podcast uses conversation and storytelling to reframe the narrative on rural America.
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Bonus Episode: Working Wild U “Wolves in the West | 01 | Defining the Problem”
In this bonus episode from Working Wild U, a podcast by Montana State University Extension and Western Landowners Alliance, hosts Jared Beaver and Alex Few explore how people’s values impact how they think about wolves and land use in the West.
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"Groundwork" Episode 4: Rural Gentrification in North Idaho
The small North Idaho town of Dover has seen the extraction of timber, cheap labor and the natural amenities that draw tourists and second home owners with high-incomes and high-expectations for the luxuries they’re accustomed to. What happens to the natural environment and community cohesion when developers build with higher-income-earners and with profits in mind? What happens to locals when they are priced out or culturally displaced? In this immersive episode, host Megan Torgerson brings listeners to the shores of the Pend Oreille River, the center of Kalispel’s homeland for 10,000 years, where she interviews longtime residents, local historians and Dr. Ryanne Pilgeram whose book “Pushed Out: Contested Development and Rural Gentrification in the US West” uses Dover as a case study for how corporations cause destruction in order to profit from spaces with abundant natural beauty.
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“Groundwork” Episode 3: A Conversation with Kathleen McLaughlin on Class Inequality & Cultural Extraction in a Changing Montana
Montana has long held a distinctive place within the mythos of America. Today, it’s becoming an ever-more attractive destination for those in search of a stronger sense of community, or an escape, in response to a dizzying and hyper-digital world. In this honest conversation with award-winning, Butte-based journalist, Kathleen McLaughlin, Reframing Rural explores what an influx of wealthy newcomers means for housing access and affordability, open spaces and community cohesion, and how new and established residents of all class backgrounds can work together to create a place where all Montanans can thrive.
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Bonus Episode: Stories for Action, "Strengthening Community in a Changing Montana"
In this bonus episode Stories for Action podcast host Lara Tomov explores how the pressures of rapid growth and development are affecting Montanans, and how community groups like Trust Montana, Successful Gardiner and Reimagining Rural are working to maintain vibrant communities where all Montanans can thrive.
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"Groundwork" Episode 2: Farm Succession in Northeast Montana
After a lifetime farming wheat on the Northern Great Plains, the time has come for Russ Torgerson to retire. In this narrative episode, Reframing Rural producer Megan Torgerson shares the intimate journey of her family’s farm succession, giving listeners an inside look into the emotional, legal and financial factors at play with succession planning. Curious what the next generation of farmers are facing, Megan also interviews the Jorgensens, another farm family from NE Montana who is transferring the management of their farm to their son Tanner. What happens in the transitional space between a farms’ present caretaker and the next? What becomes of a community when, voluntarily or not, a farmer surrenders their plow. And what does the next generation need in order to keep their families’ multigenerational farms going are all questions this episode seeks to explore.
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"Groundwork" Episode 1: An interview with the "farmer's lawyer," Sarah Vogel
The “farmer’s lawyer” Sarah Vogel is a hero to farmers across the country. In the 1980s she saved 240,000 family farmers facing foreclosure. In the 2000s she pursued justice for thousands of Native American farmers and ranchers who suffered decades of credit discrimination from the USDA. Sarah continues her fight to save the family farm today, and her new book “The Farmer’s Lawyer,” is inspiring others to join her.
Customer Reviews
Awesome!
These discussions are awesome. I grew apart from agriculture and rural living, but have always considered those things “home”. Having finally moved out of the big city to a small town a few years ago, the problems rural communities (especially in the West) are facing today are different than when I was growing up. This podcast is a great forum for today’s issues in rural America and I’m so glad to have found it.
god bless rural media
so stoked on finding this podcast and seeing the questions and conflicts that show up in my home actually represented in media and social commentary with such nuance and curiosity. Eagerly awaiting more episodes!
This American Life but make it Rural!
I love this podcast so much. The host, Megan, approaches her interviews with curiosity and openness, and there is such a great, wide berth of perspectives from different rural people.
As someone who grew up in MT and WY, it has really helped me understand my own stories and place in the world, and to get to know my neighbors and the challenges they face a bit more.
She elevates rural values and the importance of our communities and the relationships we build, despite differences in religion, politics, and other backgrounds/beliefs. It creates a really impactful experience of human connection.
The people she interviews are all so impressive. And, the production quality is chefs kiss, especially as the seasons continue.
I cant get enough!