Nick Levendofsky

In this episode, Heidi Heitkamp and Joel Heitkamp host Nick Levendofsky, the Kansas Farmers Union Executive Director. Together, they discuss challenges facing rural America, especially farmers and ranchers. Listen to this episode to learn more about trade tensions, changing markets, and how government aid policies are affecting the livelihoods of those in agriculture and rural communities. Heidi and Joel share practical insights on political shifts, infrastructure funding, and community support for food banks, exploring how rural voices can regain confidence and hope. Join us on The Hot Dish every week, where we serve up hearty conversations that resonate with every corner of the country. The Hot Dish is brought to you by the One Country Project, making sure the voices of the rest of us are heard in Washington. To learn more, visit https://onecountryproject.org or find us at https://onecountryproject.substack.com/. (00:00) - Hosts Heidi and Joel Heitkamp start their conversation with Nick Levendofsky debating the trade damage with China (07:01) - Nick Levendofsky discusses how farmers are facing huge market losses right now (13:43) - Heidi and Joel debate uncertainty around the Farm Bill and Farmer Aid with Nick Levendofsky (21:27) - Joel and Heidi highlight how it seems Democrats are abandoning Rural America (31:58) - Nick and Joel agree on how important calling BS is to the Rural ethic (34:57) - Joel and Heidi discuss the cattle farmers and Senate clash with Nick

In this episode, Joel Heitkamp hosts a roundtable discussion with farmers Chris Gibbs, Will Westmoreland, and Nick Levendofsky. They talk about the ups and downs of farming today and dive into topics like tariffs, infrastructure, and politics. From tariff troubles to the fight to keep rural infrastructure strong, listeners will get an inside scoop on what it's like to manage a farm in today's challenging environment. Learn why these issues matter to rural America and why it's crucial for these farmers to have their voices heard in the bigger political arena. Heidi Heitkamp also highlights the ongoing planning of the upcoming One Country Project 2025 Rural Summit. It's all about making sure rural America's got a say in the big decisions being made! Join us on The Hot Dish every other week, where we serve up hearty conversations that resonate with every corner of the country. The Hot Dish is brought to you by the One Country Project, making sure the voices of the rest of us are heard in Washington. To learn more, visit https://onecountryproject.org or find us at https://onecountryproject.substack.com/. To see more of Will Westmoreland's work, visit http://www.thebackfortyofficial.com/. (05:50) - Will, Nick, and Chris discuss how cutting programs puts Rural America in trouble (11:58) - Joel, Will, and Nick bond over the difficulties of reporting facts as a public figure (19:37) - Nick and Will debate with Chris whether farmers are being pushed out by corporations (28:47) - Will calls for a redefinition of "farmer" to unify and affect collective change (31:24) - Heidi calls for more voices of affected farmers to write into the show

Episode Timeline: 00 - Introduction 03 - Take care of the land and it will take care of you 06 - Climate Change 11 - Where do we come from, and what could we do better? 17 - What do we have to do to take the Farm Bill to the next level? 21 - Stats on individuals approved for programs stemming from the Farm Bill. 25 - Working with the current administration. 27 - Who Is representing Kansas farmers in D.C. and how can we reach them? 33 - Will political games get in the way? 36 - Nutrition programs are the most divisive but everyone gets behind conservation programs. 39 - This is the most American Bill! Links: Kansas Farmers Union - https://www.kansasfarmersunion.com History of the United States Farm Bill - https://bit.ly/3Qcd7eC National Farmers Union Fly-In - https://nfu.org/fly-in/ Conservation Stewardship Program - https://bit.ly/3CX4DVE EQUIP - Environmental Quality Incentives Program - https://bit.ly/3AQMxSO Annual Conference - https://bit.ly/3wwFf50 Subscribe - https://bit.ly/3KsmJ3B What would you like to hear from us? email media@kansasruralcenter.org