This first episode of Perspectives on Pipe Quality opens a critical conversation about building drainage systems that truly last. Host Jamie Duininck sits down with industry veteran Tony Kime, Senior Advisor to Soleno, whose 40+ years in the corrugated pipe business have shown him what it takes to deliver a 50-year service life and what happens when quality falls short.

Tony draws on a lifetime in the industry, including a story of pipe installed in 1971 that is still performing today. He explains how resin selection, manufacturing practices, and rigorous testing protect farmers’ long-term investments and the reputation of the entire industry. From the “Wild West” days of untested products to the importance of third-party certification, this episode dives beneath the surface to show why getting it right the first time matters for generations.

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome & Series Introduction
02:07 - Tony’s Background & Industry Experience
04:02 - How the Industry Expands, Contracts & Learns
07:10 - Why Testing Matters in Pipe Manufacturing
14:22 - The Cost of Cutting Corners
20:30 - Standards & Third-Party Certification
28:06 - A 1971 Pipe Still Performing Today
32:05 - Drainage as a Conservation Practice
35:00 - What’s Ahead in the Series

Related content:

• #132 | Ducks Unlimited: Balancing Wetland Conservation & Agricultural Production
• #122 | Drainage in Ontario: Balancing Ag & the Environment
• #54 | Building Wealth Through Tiling: Insights from Canada’s OG Installer
• Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario (LICO)

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And the winner of the Polaris 570 Sportsman Edition ATV is... Prinsco Ag Segment Lead Karl Guetter joins us on The Water Table podcast to reveal the highly anticipated winner of the Prinsco "Save & Ride" Summer Sale! This program was a massive success thanks to our incredible partners, with 364 customers participating and an impressive 642 loads of pipe shipped in June. We'll also cover a mid-summer ag update, from commodity prices and crop conditions to the outlook for fall tiling.

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the Water Table Podcast
00:46 Prinsco Ag Summer Sale - Buy & Ride
01:36 Contest Success & Customer Partnerships
03:32 How Many Customers Participated??
05:32 Announcing the ATV Winner!
06:02 Spotlight on Basin Construction
09:48 Mid-Summer Crop Report
14:24 Outlook for the Rest of the Season
18:28 Thank You to Our Customers

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How do we find the balance between productive agriculture and wetland conservation? Guest host Trey Allis sits down with Samantha Ewald of Ducks Unlimited to learn how their engineering expertise goes beyond conservation to actively restoring wetlands to filter water, capture sediment, and remove nutrients. From tackling failing drain tile systems to transforming farmland into thriving wetlands, learn how they’re finding solutions and why wetlands are considered the kidneys of the Earth.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro & Wetlands
00:29 Welcome Sam Ewald
01:33 About Ducks Unlimited
02:23 Regional Engineer Role
03:29 Project Discovery
05:01 Wetland Restoration Process
07:49 Wetlands & Water Quality
09:11 Balance in Landscapes
11:46 Where to Restore?
13:24 Ducks Like Friends
14:11 Favorite Duck Hunt
15:42 DU's Impact: 1 Million Acres
17:16 More Than Digging Holes
17:35 Favorite Projects: Tile
19:46 Shallow Lake Restoration
21:29 Make Wet Spots Wetter
22:59 Career Advice & Learnings
27:37 Wish I Knew Earlier
29:45 DU's Broader Reach
31:28 More Duck Talk
33:05 Wrap Up

Related content:

• #15 | A Look at Watershed Districts - Balancing Water Quality and Water Quantity
• #18 | The Intersection of Pheasants Forever and Conservation on the Farm
• #125 | A 30-year Career in Conservation & Innovation: From NRCS to Family Farms
• Ducks Unlimited - Conservation Projects

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John Schwartz of Schwartz Farms shares his remarkable journey from a dairy farm upbringing to building a highly successful agricultural enterprise with 500 employees across multiple states.

John discusses how they've navigated the industry's volatile cycles. From the "Go-Go days" of the 1970s inflation to current biosecurity challenges like the PRRS virus to the future potential of gene-edited pigs. He offers invaluable lessons on leadership, embracing change, and the profound impact a business can have on rural communities.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:14 1970s Inflation & Early Days
00:30 Welcome John Schwartz, Schwartz Farm
01:05 Farm Origins & Growth
02:03 Pig Business Evolution
03:10 Company Expansion
03:44 Biosecurity Challenges
05:47 Gene-Edited Pigs & Future
07:03 Airborne Viruses & Industry Hubs
08:44 Minnesota's Agri-Powerhouse
10:20 Weathering Cycles & Culture
11:36 The Power of Culture
12:30 Leadership, Humility & Appreciation
14:40 Growth & Culture Preservation
17:07 Employee Investment: 401K
18:28 Rural Impact
19:12 Legacy & Community
21:14 Valuing Relationships
23:53 Humility & Connection
25:09 Family Farm History
26:37 Ag Interdependence & Drainage
28:37 Rewarding Rural Impact
31:16 Sustaining Culture Amid Change
34:19 Embracing Industry Uncertainty
37:53 Final Thoughts: Opportunity & Attitude

Related content:

• #40 | Family Business Series: Insight and Advice From a Family Business Coach
• #39 | Family Business Series: Relationships and the General Transfer of Knowledge
• #38 | Building a Strong Business Culture

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We're diving deeper with Ruth McCabe, Heartland Co-Op Conservation Manager, to explore how Heartland Co-Op is tackling gaps in federal funding for ag conservation. Learn about their sustainability-linked loans and a new non-profit fund designed to empower tenant farmers and fund local conservation projects. We'll also discuss the growing demand for state-led alternatives to programs like CRP, and which practices are making farms more resilient to extreme weather.

Chapters:
00:00 Introducing the Heartland Conservation Fund
00:22 Resilient Soil: A Conservation Benefit
01:04 Heartland Co-op's Expanding Team & New Loan
02:08 Funding Tenant Farmers Through the Non-Profit
03:32 Partnership-Based Funding Model
04:26 Private Solutions Amidst Federal Shifts
05:22 Alternative to CRP: A Local Approach
06:42 The Power of Local Community & Engagement
08:19 Farmer Perspectives: Seeing Conservation Results
09:26 Weather Patterns and Insurance Impact
11:18 Conservation for Resilience, Not Just Yield
14:13 Tailored Solutions for Every Farm
15:17 Heartland's Micro-Level Innovations
16:33 Iowa's Macro-Level Conservation Leadership
18:19 Collaborative Federal Agency Support
19:06 Iowa's Unexpected Conservation Success
20:32 Overcoming Obstacles: Pushing Past "No"
22:10 Public Land Access vs. Private Land Opportunity
23:51 Hunting Leases and Landowner Benefits
25:19 Building Relationships Through Access
26:06 The Nuance of Conservation and Dialogue

Related content:

• #129 | The Tipping Point: Accelerating Agricultural Water Quality and Soil Retention
• #128 | Bridging the Divide: Tenant Farmers, Landowners and Conservation Decisions
• #127 | Cover Crops and No-Till: A Conservationist’s Perspective
• Heartland Co-op

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Why is there an urgent need to address soil loss and explore solutions like saturated buffers, bioreactors, and advanced wetlands? Ruth McCabe, Conservation Expert, shares her optimism about reaching a tipping point in water quality and soil retention thanks to batch and build and edge-of-field practices. Hear why farmers are experiencing the positive impact firsthand, and why a new wave of passionate individuals is poised to transform agricultural landscapes for cleaner water and richer soil.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:35 Welcome

00:43 Getting excited about water quality

01:30 The tipping point

02:20 Unsustainable soil loss

03:40 Developing infrastructure

05:20 Give us another ten years…

06:20 Is it making a difference?

07:00 Getting the farmers excited

07:26 Small impact to production acres

08:20 Batch and build

09:20 Spreading the model beyond Iowa

10:27 Thanks for joining us!

Related content:

• #128 | Bridging the Divide: Tenant Owners, Landowners & Conservation Decisions
• #127 | Cover Crops and No-Till: A Conservationist’s Perspective
• Ag Drainage Management Coalition
• Heartland Co-op

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Episode Description

Who makes the decisions when it comes to implementing conservation practices on rented farmland? Ruth McCabe, Heartland Co-op Conservation Manager, discusses the pivotal role of non-operating landowners in conservation decisions on rented farmland. Listen in as Jamie and Ruth discuss the spectrum of landowner engagement and how to encourage land stewardship across the board.

Chapters:

00:00Welcome to The Water Table

01:01Working with tenant farmers

01:25The perspective of landowners

02:30Letting landowners off the hook?

03:30Generations removed from farming

04:45Preventing soil loss, and cleaning water

05:38In-field conservation vs. edge-of-field conservation

08:18What trips their trigger?

09:04Erosion and incentivizing conservation practices

Related content:

• #127 | Cover Crops and No-Till: A Conservationist’s Perspective
• #56 | A More Efficient Approach to Water Quality: Batch and Build
• #52 | An Ag Economist Tells All: Critical Topics Impacting the Future of Agriculture
• Heartland Co-op

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Cover crops and no-till… How will they impact your bottom line? We’re joined by fan-favorite and Conservation Manager, Ruth McCabe, to dig into the benefits and drawbacks of these increasingly popular conservation practices. We're tackling the tough questions: Do cover crops boost yields? How do they affect soil health? Why are these practices being adopted from Iowa to Minnesota and beyond? This is the first of several insightful conversations with Ruth you won't want to miss!

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome Ruth McCabe

01:00 What is going on at Heartland Co-op and Beyond?

04:41 Cover Crops

05:51 Ruth's Experience and a Balanced View of Cover Crops

08:33 Regional Differences in Cover Crop Adoption

11:29 Benefits and Considerations for Cover Crop Use

14:00 The Leaky Root

16:26 Warming up the Soil

18:52 No-till + Cover Crops = So Many Bonuses

20:43 The Learning Curve and Potential Yield Impact of New Practices

22:00 Short-Term Yield Hits, Long-Term Benefits

23:52 Guidance is Key

Related content:

• Episode 82: Getting #%@$ Done in Iowa With Batch and Build…On the Road
• Episode 104: Worldwide Conservation, Water Quality and Woody Harrelson
• Subsurface Drainage and Soil Temps
• Heartland Co-Op

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