Iowa Prairie Documentary Project

Part 1 of "THE BIG PICTURE WITH STEVE GRUHN" series. Big Spirit Lake resident. Conventional farmer turned Biochar researcher. Soil science thinker. Bergman Prairie explorer. Sustainable solutions guy. Former greenhouse owner. Former CAFO employee. Nitrogen cycle minded. Steve Gruhn has a lot of stories to tell about the land in Iowa and I think once you start watching or listening, you'll stick around to the end.

There is nothing like sitting down to talk to a descendant of the original keepers of the prairie. Speaking with Reneé was completely unexpected. We literally ran into one another at the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar and within 15 minutes were doing a sit down interview in the setting sun there in Onowa, Iowa. Reneé Sans Souci is an Omaha Native American and I was very fortunate to have her agree to share her perspectives on the land, relatives, our connections with nature, indigenous knowledge, the impacts of colonization and so much more.

Cheryl Johnson is a long time local of Decorah, IA. And when I say long time, I mean that a cabin on the property of the local Norwegian history focussed Vesterheim museum is one that used to belong to relatives of hers. In case you are curious it’s called the Egge Cabin. So yeah…she’s been around for a while. Seeing Decorah’s landscape and town with her is like walking around with the unofficial Mayor of Decorah. But what’s even more fascinating about Cheryl is her passion for being underground in caves! I’ll let her explain what she's been up to in this interview. https://caves.org

Featuring southwest Iowa organic vegetable farmer Shad Swanson, this video dives into overspray and chemical drift here in the state of Iowa. What is it? How does it happen? How severely can it impact an organic farming operation? What can we do when it happens? Shad shares his personal experience with all of these issues. I also share what happened when I asked the internet for footage of overspray and chem drift.

I first found out about Deb Matlock via Facebook. Her work, which is under the banner of Wild Rhythms, popped up on my feed and I was like…hmmm…not enough people talk seriously about reconnecting with nature. I think I'll give this a follow. Her website has a featured one liner on it that states: “For those called into deeper conversation with earth, animals and spirit.” Most of these episodes talk about the mess we are in. And we can talk all we want about the science of toxins, prairie restoration efforts, nitrates, cancer, water quality and Big Ag…but those are all on the symptoms side of things. But…What’s the cause? Deb and I will be getting into that during this interview.

Originally recorded April 17, 2026, this interview features Connie Mutel. She's a prolific author on ecosystems and prairie who lives here in Iowa. I would consider this a must listen or must watch episode! Decades of ecosystems understanding are on full display here folks! Connie's message of hope in these trying times is particularly moving!

This episode is different than all the others. This is the one episode where someone is interviewing me. Beth Waage of KHOI radio's morning "Local Talk" asks me all sorts of interesting questions. I think you might like it.

How is the chicken, pork and beef you eat grown? Most likely at a CAFO. Most of us don't even know what a CAFO is. But Diane Rosenberg does and she's been fighting against them for over 20 years in Iowa. Tune in to this detailed look at how CAFO's operate and how they impact water quality, animal welfare and environmental health.

I was lucky enough to be invited to film a fire last year and here is the result. Hop in the "side by side" with John Van Rybroek and find out a bit about why people here in Iowa do prescribed prairie burns, prairie reconstruction and more! I also get to chat with Grace, the safety drone operator from Americorps +Bur Oak Land Trust.

Sit right down and take you a listen. Chris Jones dishes up the deets on all things Ethanol.

Jennifer talks about something I had never heard of before: "Environmental Witnessing." From visiting her grandparent's farm in Nevada, IA to meditating in front of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations...I think this episode is bound to offer some new perspectives on how we occupy the land.

Nicolas and I didn’t just talk about the value of conservation and native seeds role in prairie restoration…we also talked about faith, family, how the bigger is better model of farming has harmed farming community bonds. Nicolas talks about how Hoksey got its roots through his father and so much more…this one is really worth a listen.

Many people consider Dr. Thomas Rosburg the grandfather of the modern prairie restoration movement in Iowa. Find out why!

Tune in for part 4 of my "Cancer in Iowa" series. This time we are featuring David Cwiertny, the Director of the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination at the University of Iowa.

Part 3 of the "Cancer in Iowa" series. Iowa has some of the USA’s worst water quality AND some of the highest cancer rates in the nation. Larry Weber, who is this episode's featured speaker has spearheaded the effort to create one of the United State’s most advanced watershed nitrate monitoring systems. We can now tell where the most pollutants are coming from. We can tell what times of year the nitrate loads will be the highest and in what river system. There is a treasure trove of real time data and thank god for that right…?? Because without it, how do we even know where to start in terms of tackling cancer rates and cleaning up our water? Inexplicably…There are people here in Iowa, with a vested interest in eliminating this program. People in positions of influence actually voted to know LESS about how to pursue cancer and water quality in our state. If something doesn’t change, in 2026…We are going from having one of the nation’s most sophisticated water monitoring systems, to possibly having none. Larry has a lot to say about this and other incredible projects he has worked on…and I think you should listen.

Episode 9 is the second interview of the "Cancer in Iowa" series, where I interview someone who knows more than the average bear about what's going on with cancer here in our state. Shawn Ellerbroek is a cancer researcher based in the state of Iowa. What Shawn shares in this interview should honestly rattle every single iowan. This is the kind of interview that I have lost sleep over.

Episode 8 is the first interview of the "Cancer in Iowa" series, where I interview someone who knows more than the average bear about what's going on with cancer here in our state. This first episodes features Zachary Oren Smith, a journalist and reporter with Iowa Starting Line.

This interview is available as both a podcast and a video and comes to you from Manhattan…but not the one in NYC…it’s the one in Kansas! Yes you heard that right. Kelly Yarbrough is the founder of the Tallgrass Artist Residency which "seeks to create connection and conversation across the Great Plains through engagement with the prairie ecosystem." Who knew that there was even such a thing as art residencies dedicated to the prairie? I didn’t! Listen up and tune in!

S1:E6 Getting Real with Glenn Pollock We dive into pioneer history, pioneer cemeteries, prairie species that have gone extinct, farm life in early pioneer days, MOTUS bird tracking and how we can’t let the bastards get us down.

Scott Koepke doesn't mess around, not when he's planting peppers with incarcerated youths or when he's talking about what you see root systems do when viewed through a 400X microscope. This guy has more good plant stories than most, especially when it comes to how badly we all need growth and gardening in our lives. From Indian Creek Nature Center to Iowa City, Scott's been around the block. Tune in and learn you something.

Episode 4 covers Ruth's life story of gardening with her family as a youngster to restoring prairie and oxbows in Iowa as an adult. We met up just before she is about to receive a Legacy Landowner Award. Find out why!

Paleozoic Plateau? Driftless? Algific Talus slopes? What's the difference between an Oak Woodland and an Oak Savannah? Can you look at a patch of Iowa and tell by sight if it's restored prairie, old growth prairie or neither? What does it all mean? Join host Charlie Morris and Clayton County Conservation Naturalist and Resource Manager Kenny Slocum to get some answers.

Hey ya'll...wanna go to Fairfield, Iowa? I love a lot about this episode. Sue's enthusiasm for the land she lives on and her commitment to helping the land restore and recover is inspiring. She helps me understand that there are different types of restoration that Iowans are working on. Spoiler Alert: There's more than one approach! We also take a close look at her three different "prairie patches" as they have different results from the Spring burns. Oh...and Iowans burn prairie to make it grow. Are they crazy or what? Let's find out...

Prairie + Iowa? How is that even a story? Where would that start or finish? Take a listen as I explain my point of entry into the topic of Iowa Prairie in this first installment of the Iowa Prairie Documentary Project.