Cows, Plows, and Things That Grow

Utah Farm Bureau CEO Spencer Gibbons and Nicole Handy with the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement talk about the America 250 celebration, with the legacy of small town parades, rodeo and community leadership along with plans for celebratory potluck dinners across Utah. And Utah Farm Bureau's Matt Hargreaves talks about the nationwide photo contest for America 250.

With spring planting and early cuttings of hay underway, Utah farmers are looking at their options in an otherwise difficult year. Irrigation water will be limited this year after a dry winter, and livestock will still need to be fed. Utah State University agronomist Earl Creech sizes up the situation, and Deputy Commissioner Troy Forrest looks at resources farmers can turn to from Utah Farm Bureau and others to handle this year's challenges.

Three participants in Utah Farm Bureau's leadership training, Clayton Rindlisbacher from Nephi, Dustin Cox from Alton and Dot Jensen from Tremonton, talk about how it's prepared them to bring Farm Bureau's message to their communities. And Heather Thomson, winner of the 2025 Utah Farm Bureau Excellence in Agriculture Award, talks about her work with 4H and young people in Utah Coounty through the Utah State University Extension.

The American Farm Bureau Convention is a place where Utah's Farm Bureau leadership can make connections with national leaders and with farmers and agriculture specialists from across the country.In this episode of Cows, Plows and Things that Grow, we'll hear from American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall in a conversation with Utah Farm Bureau President ValJay Rigby. We'll also meet Kelly Pehrson, the Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, and from the team that represents the needs of Farm Bureau members to the Utah legislature.A group of young farmers and ranchers who'd recently won awards at Utah's state Farm Bureau convention also made the trip and competed with others who represent the future of farming in America. We'll hear their thoughts on the national convention

There are many hazards that farm families and farm workers need to be aware of, and Utah Farm Bureau conducts training sessions with local farm bureaus around the state to make them aware of hazards and to build habits that will help avoid accidents.In this episode of Cows, Plows and Things that Grow, Dan Bammes talks with AJ Ferguson, Utah Farm Bureau's Vice President for Farm Safety and with Jason Christensen, a rancher from Sanpete County who's been a part of many safety trainings in his community.

Political candidates from any party are welcome to attend the Utah Farm Bureau candidate school, where they can learn about messaging, fundraising, working with media and other important topics. In this edition of Cows, Plows and Things that Grow, we'll hear from Cody Lyon, who teaches campaign schools around the country for the American Farm Bureau Federation. We'll also hear from Utah State Senator Scott Sandall, who says campaign school was a great help for him before he ran for the legislature the first time.

The Utah Farm Bureau operates two farmers' markets in the summer -- one at South Jordan's city hall on 1600 West and the other at Murray City Park. They make a wide range of produce available, including some unusual varieties that you'll rarely see in the grocery store. In this episode of Cows, Plows and Things that Grow, we'll hear from Adelaide Corey-Disch, who coordinates these markets for Utah Farm Bureau, and from Kent Pyne, who grows many kinds of tree fruit at his orchards in southern Utah County.

Farmers in the United States die by suicide at a rate more than three times the general population. Utah Farm Bureau is working to draw attention to the issue and to make farmers and rural communities aware of resources that can help farm families feel like they're not alone when they struggle with issues of mental health. In this episode, we'll hear from Utah State University Extension Associate Professor Josh Dallin. from nurse Tiffany McConkie from the Alamont Clinic in Duchesne County and from Utah Farm Bureau Vice President Tyson Roberts.

In a previous episode of Cows Plows and Things that Grow, we looked at how the state's water optimization program can help to save water on the level of individual farms. Today we're looking at the much larger scale of how agricultural water use can help preserve these major features of the landscape.First, we'll hear from Mark Stilson with the Colorado River Authority of Utah. He tells us farmers have been working for generations to help preserve the water resources in that part of the state and to meet Utah's obligation to downstream users. We'll also hear from Brian Steed, who holds the new position of Great Salt Lake Commissioner.

We'll hear today from two leaders in the field of water optimization, something that's important for every farmer in Utah and the communities that they serve. Brett Bunker is a farmer from Delta, Utah while Hannah Freeze works for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food in its water optimization program. We'll also hear from Utah's new Commissioner of Agriculture, Kelly Pehrson, about the crucial role farmers play in conserving Utah's limited water supplies.We'll continue our conversations on making the best use of water in Utah in an upcoming edition of the podcast. We'll learn how agriculture impacts two major water resources in the state of Utah -- the Colorado River and the Great Salt Lake.

Utah Farm Bureau followed dozens of bills through the lawmaking process in the recent session of the Utah legislature. As their work was winding down, we talked with three House representatives and two state senators about their support for agriculture and their work with Farm Bureau.Wade Garrett, Farm Bureau's Vice President -- Advocacy and Strategic Relationships helps with an introduction to this episode of Cows, Plows and Things That Grow. Senators Scott Sandall and Derrin Owens joined Dan Bammes, along with Representatives Hoang Nguyen, Jill Koford and Carl Albrecht, to talk about their reasons for serving in the legislature along with issues they see as crucial to agriculture in Utah.

In this first episode of Cows, Plows and Things that Grow, we meet several leaders of the Utah Farm Bureau, including --Val Jay Rigby, PresidentSpencer Gibbons, CEOTerry Camp, Vice President of Public PolicyThese leaders discuss a wide range of public policy issues Utah Farm Bureau has been dealing with in recent years as well as those they're watching in the current session of the Utah legislature.