About this episode

Arlyn Kauffman shares his transformative experience at a major agricultural show with high school students, launching a series on food and farming.

Arlyn Kauffman, a row crop and egg farmer from southern Iowa, took a group of high school students to one of the nation’s largest agricultural shows, where major seed and chemical companies were showcasing their products. What he learned there changed his life. This episode is the beginning of an occasional series Beth Hoffman will produce in partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI). PFI is a farmer-led nonprofit with more than 9,000 members that equips farmers to build resilient farms and communities. Through farmer-led education, on-farm research, financial support, technical assistance, business development and solutions-oriented policy work, PFI helps farmers try new ideas, solve problems together and build successful farm businesses. Every January, at the PFI annual conference in Des Moines, a “Conversation Coop” is set up where attendees tell stories about food and farming. These stories are stored with StoryCorps , a national story-collection organization, and at the Library of Congress. Arlyn Kauffman recorded his story at the Conversation Coop in 2026. Stay in the Loop Stay connected to the latest in Iowa’s food system news. Subscribe to the Iowa Food System…

People in this episode

Host: Beth Hoffman

Guest: Arlyn Kauffman

Topics covered

• agriculture
• food systems
• education
• community resilience
• farmer-led initiatives

Keywords

• moral obligation
• feed the world
• agricultural education
• Iowa farming
• community support

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Practical Farmers of Iowa, StoryCorps

Places: Iowa, Des Moines

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