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The Rural Dispatch
Welcome to The Rural Dispatch, the podcast that delivers honest conversations from the fields, the highways, and the home front.
I'm your host, Aly Behrens - headquartered in rural Iowa, I help run a trucking company that specializes in hauling livestock nationwide.
I was born and raised in small-town-Iowa and I’m passionate about rural communities and the people who help them thrive. Since becoming a mom, I’ve taken a step away from my own career in finance and into a behind the scenes role in our second-generation family business. I’m proud to help continue the legacy of hard work and dedication that built this business. I’m building a life with a multi-faceted business owner who also holds the title of truck driver, cattle feeder and dispatcher, all while we both work together to manage office operations, oversee business development, and bring the next generation along to show them the ropes, just like their grandpa did with their dad.
If you’re anything like us, you wear a lot of hats in your operation. This podcast is for people like you: hardworking men and women in the rural trucking, livestock and business communities who are juggling all the things every day. Whether it’s running loads, managing a herd, staying compliant, or handling the bookkeeping, we know the challenges you face because we’ve lived them.
In our weekly episodes, I’ll bring you a mix of my own experiences as I navigate the ins and outs of these industries, stories with my better half, Smoke about the lessons we’ve learned throughout our time in this business, and interviews with experts who tackle the pain points we all probably face at one time or another. From trucking to livestock production to rural entrepreneurship, this show is here to equip you with the tools, resources and a supportive community to help you thrive.
Whether you’re in the cab of a truck, out checking cattle, or sitting at your kitchen table, we hope you’ll tune in and find value in conversations that speak your language. No matter your role in the industry, there’s something for everyone here.
Buckle up, friends, there's lots to come. If you enjoy an episode, it would mean the world to us if you would share it with a friend. Keep up with us between episodes on our socials, at Behrens and Co., or subscribe to our email list on our website to receive new episodes directly to your inbox every Wednesday. Thanks for being here. We'll talk soon.
Episodes
52 episodes
Hope & Hardship in Agriculture: How Disappearing Family Farms Impact Every American
Family farms are the backbone of rural America, but the reality isn't always what it seems from the outside. In this episode, Brian Reisinger unpacks what's really happening across American agriculture and why it matters far beyond the farm.&nb...
Navigating Cattle Prices & Trucking Hurdles 50 Episodes Later
In this milestone 50th episode of The Rural Dispatch, Smoke and Aly sit down for a real time conversation about what's happening across cattle country right now. From baby calves to fat cattle, they let you know what they're seeing and how they...
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Life Rolls On: Turning Adversity into Purpose for the Trucking Community
In this episode, JR Joy shares about the setbacks, lessons, and resilience it takes to keep going when you get knocked down. We talk about overcoming adversity, finding purpose after a life-changing accident, polishing your craft, and why givin...
Inside Iowa Agriculture: What the Secretary of Ag Wants You to Know
This week Aly sits down with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig for a conversation that breaks down what's really happening in Iowa agriculture. We talk about his personal ties to agriculture and the programs his office oversees - from Cho...
How Livestock Haulers Get Started: First Load Stories & Lessons from the Road
If you've ever wondered what bull haulers talk about when the truck is parked... this one's for you. In this episode of The Rural Dispatch, Rob Budzik, Jacob Magner, and Cauy Brotherson swap stories, share lessons from the road, and...
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Leadership, Failure & Faith with Adam Steen
In this episode of The Rural Dispatch, Aly sits down with Adam Steen, a candidate for Governor of Iowa, for a real conversation about leadership, work–life balance, failure, faith, and the lessons that come from both winning and losing. Adam sh...
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Trucking Stories & Racy Escapades
⚠️ Explicit content warning: This episode is not suitable for most children.This week Mark Toms joins Smoke & Aly for a no holds barred trip down memory lane. From their trucking escapades, the worst of the worst truck drivers...
From Farm Kid to Full-Time Entrepreneur Building a Custom Business
In this episode, Aly sits down with Luke Quandt, owner of Quandts Coatings to talk about what it really looks like to bet on yourself. Luke grew up on a farm and started engraving in his spare time out of his house. After years of working on ho...
Using What You Know to Grow: How an Iowa Farm Family Built a Diversified Ag Business
In this episode, Aly and Smoke sit down with Austin and Mady Blair, owners of ABC Beef, to talk about what it really looks like to diversify a family farming operation while raising three young kids. We dig into how they’ve used what they alrea...
2025 Wins & Wrecks: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly from Our Year in the Trucking Business
In this episode of The Rural Dispatch, Smoke and Aly sit down to recap 2025 in the livestock trucking business — the good, the bad, and the ugly. From the moments that made the long days worth it to the wrecks that tested us, this conversation ...
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Record Keeping that Pays: How Better Data Leads to Smarter Decisions for Today's Cattle Producer
This week we're talking about the one thing every cattle producer knows they could do better or should do better or would do better if they had the time... but most put off: record keeping. I'm joined by Oaklee Trapp, rancher, entrepreneur, and...
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Veal Calves, Market Pivots & Amish Barns — Lessons for Livestock Producers
This week Smoke and Aly sit down with Adam Prokash, a first-generation livestock producer whose path into agriculture looks nothing like the traditional one. Adam walks us through how he bought his first farm and learned to raise veal calves wi...
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Trucking Safety Systems that Actually Work: How Small Fleets Can Improve the Bottom Line
In this episode, Aly sits down with Natallia Opalko, founder of Trucking Safety and author of Safety is the New Profit, to break down the systems and simpl...
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Winter Truck Prep, Debt Strategy, & Measured Risk
This week Aly and Smoke dive into a lesson on why winter preparation is important, a conversation about debt strategy and our mindset when financing equipment and managing growth without getting stretched too thin. We also chat about taking cal...
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Inside the Trucking & Cattle Industries: Real Numbers, Real Frustrations
Hosts Aly and Smoke catch up on Smoke's time back behind the wheel - navigating sale barns, a few frustrations about how trucking has changed, and taking kids along for the ride. They also dig into the business side, from climbing insurance pre...
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From Life on the Ranch to Life on the Road with Olivia Harms
In this episode I'm joined by the rhinestone cowgirl herself, Olivia Harms. We chat about growing up on a 150-year-old ranch, running one today with her husband in Northern California, and chasing big dreams on the road. Olivia Harm...
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Trucking Truths: Ownership, Paychecks & Unwritten Rules
This week we’re talking trucking truths — who should buy their own truck, how driver pay really works, and what happens when trucks get ordered but never used. We also touch on getting started feeding cattle. This one is a real, no-filter look ...
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Making Hay While the Sun's Shining: Marriage, Markets & Messy Desks
This week’s episode is a snapshot of life right now — the kind where life and business blur together in the best and busiest ways. We’re fresh off our wedding weekend, still soaking it in, and juggling everything that comes with it, because you...
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From Hauling Livestock to Hauling a Bar: Trucking Meets Wedding Week
This week on The Rural Dispatch, we’re switching gears from hauling livestock to hauling a bar! Join me for a quick solo update on a busy week in trucking, Smoke getting back into cow buying, and the chaos of wedding week prep in our backyard. ...
Slow Busy Season in Trucking + a "Break" from Buying Cattle
This week on The Rural Dispatch, Smoke and Aly talk trucking, cattle, and life. We dig into what a “slow busy season” looks like in livestock trucking, how the cattle market is shaping both hauling and beef availability, and why tru...
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Conservation, Cattle, and Confidence with Ashley Brincks
On this episode, Aly is joined by Ashley Brincks, ag professional and leader specializing in cattle and conservation. In this episode, Ashley shares how her journey through both personal loss and professional opportunities has shaped her into t...
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Are Handshake Deals in Agriculture Over?
This week Smoke and Aly are diving into a mix of trucking life, ag seasonality, and some good old-fashioned storytelling. We chat about whether the days of handshake deals are behind us, swap stories from Smoke’s time in the truck (including 5 ...
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Wedding Countdown Meets Fall Run
The countdown is on: we're one month out from a wedding and life is a mix of bottle calves, bin dust, broke down trucks and last-minute details. This week is a quick update plus we're asking for your best wedding/marriage advice. Send us your t...
Got Milk? Heiman Farm Brings Raw Milk to Iowa
This week on The Rural Dispatch, Bryan and Rochelle Heiman join Aly and Smoke to share how they came to be Heiman Farm: A Raw Milk Diary in Iowa. With five kids under eight, four (going on six) milk cows, plus pigs, chickens, and turkeys, the H...
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Cows, Chaos, and Rural Summer Stories
In this episode of The Rural Dispatch, it’s just Aly + Smoke catching up on life, work, and everything in between. We kick things off the way most summer conversations in the Midwest do, talking about the weather. From there, we shift gears int...
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