Why young Iowans are ‘beefing up’ with animal-based proteins | The Spokesman Speaks Podcast, Episode 220

Welcome to Episode 220 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we explore why young Iowa adults are increasing their consumption of animal-based proteins and other findings from the 2026 Iowa Farm Bureau Food and Farm Index ® – an annual survey of Iowa grocery shoppers conducted by The Harris Poll. We also share new data from EPA and Iowa State University demonstrating the progress Iowa’s farmers are making in protecting water quality here in Iowa and down in the Gulf of America.  

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Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Read more highlights from the 2026 Iowa Farm Bureau Food and Farm Index®.
• Read EPA’s report on the reduction of nitrogen flowing into the Gulf of America. 
• Learn more about the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s new cover crop program for counties north of Des Moines. 
• Check out the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance Conservation Compass tool.
• Learn more about Iowa’s conservation progress at ConservationCountsIowa.com. 

About The Spokesman Speaks Podcast

Since 1934, The Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman has been Iowa’s leading agriculture news source, and today it has the largest readership of any ag newspaper in Iowa. While The Spokesman newspaper is available exclusively to Iowa Farm Bureau members, The Spokesman Speaks podcast is available publicly, providing the ag news and farmer education that matter most. You can find episodes of the podcast here or subscribe and listen in your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Audible, TuneIn Radio, Audacy, YouTube or AgriAmerica.com.