The Water Table
Episodes
163 episodes
Resin pricing nine weeks into the Iran war… an honest update
Two months into the Iran war, Jamie welcomes back Sleiman Bassila, founder and president of BIC Advisory Group, and Tom Hughes, founder, president, and CEO of Quantum Polymers. These two polyethylene industry experts have been closely watching ...
Putting controlled drainage to the test
Can controlled drainage make that big of a difference in drainage flow, nitrogen loss, and overall yields? A research project in the Midwest has been studying that question since 2017, and the findings might surprise you.Guest host Trey ...
The Iran war and pipe prices
Just 11 days into the Iran war, Jamie hosts an in-depth discussion with two experts in the polyethylene market. Joining the conversation are Sleiman Bassila, founder and president of BIC Advisory Group, and Tom Hughes, founder, president, and C...
Facing it Together: Mental Health in Agriculture
After a near-fatal battle with depression, Mark Meier got the help he needed to recover. That experience inspired him to co-found the Face It Foundation and help other men find connection, underst...
Minnesota's Coolest Drainage Plots
In this episode, guest host Trey Allis chats with Dr. Lindsay Pease of the University of Minnesota Crookston. An Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in Nutrient and Water Management, Dr. Pease shares insights into her research on drain...
2025 Wrapped: A Year in Ag Water Management
As we close out another year, The Water Table looks back on the conversations that shaped 2025. In this special "2025 Wrapped" episode, we’ve curated highlights from our most impactful discussions—from Ducks Unlimited to the high-tech future of...
Clean Water is Everyone's Responsibility | #140
In the quest for better water quality, farmers and city residents share a vital common goal: protecting our shared water resources by managing runoff. Host Jamie Duininck speaks with Ann Zawistoski and Sophie Wicklund of the Adopt-a-Drain progr...
#139 | Right Place, Right Time; Conservation Hitting The Mark
Who can help with funding water quality practices on your land? Guest Host Trey Allis sits down with Rita Weaver, Chief Engineer at the Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR), to discuss soil health, water management practices, an...
#138 | Set It & Forget It… Making Controlled Water Management Accessible
Control structures— Can you really set ‘em and forget ‘em? Guest Host Trey Allis is joined by Scott Lukan, Agri Drain President, and Josh Shuler, Agri Drain Product & Business Manager, to dig into controlled water management. They break dow...
#137 | Harvest Check-in 2025: Yields All Over the Map
How’s this year’s harvest? Jamie is checking in with farmers across the Midwest for an update on the harvest season — what’s going well, what’s been challenging, and how weather patterns, market shifts, and community efforts are shaping the sea...
#136 | From Worry to Water Management: How Fairgoers Feel About Water Quality
When it comes to water quality, what do people really think? Host Jamie Duininck took The Water Table podcast on the road to the Minnesota State Fair to interview fairgoers and hear their concerns. You'll hear genuine, on-the-spot answers, cove...
#135 | A Fair Deal: Recycling & Giving Plastics New Life
Jamie takes a trip to the Great Minnesota Get-Together to talk with people and hear their thoughts on recycling, water quality, and products made from post-consumer plastics. He had some great conversations, including a chat with Lauren from th...
#134 | Beyond the Squeeze Test: How Unseen Variables Cost Farmers
Some of the biggest risks in quality are the ones you can’t see. Pipe might look fine or feel strong in your hands, but hidden issues like uneven wall thickness, poor resin blends, or the wrong corrugation profile could cause pipe to fail in th...
#133 | Perspectives on Pipe Quality: Delivering Generations of Yield
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 ...
Special Announcement! ATV Winner & Ag Industry Update
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 mass...
#132 | Ducks Unlimited: Balancing Wetland Conservation & Agricultural Production
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 w...
#131 | Schwartz Farms: A Business Built On Shared Purpose & Embracing Change
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 i...
#130 | Community-Driven Conservation: Bridging Gaps, Building Resilience
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...
#129 | The Tipping Point: Accelerating Agricultural Water Quality & Soil Retention
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 ...
#128 | Bridging the Divide: Tenant Farmers, Landowners & Conservation Decisions
Episode DescriptionWho 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 c...
#127 | Cover Crops & No-Till: A Conservationist’s Perspective
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 ...
#126 | From the Ground Up: A Legacy of Breaking Barriers & Land Stewardship
What does it mean to build a legacy that honors both family and the land? Mother-son duo Pattie and Tim Krengel of Krengel Brothers Tiling came from humble beginnings in Mapleton, Minnesota. Their story is one of breaking barriers, serving the ...
#125 | A 30-Year Career in Conservation & Innovation: From NRCS to Family Farms
What happens when decades of conservation experience meets cutting-edge technology? Kent Bohnhoff, retired Illinois grain farmer and former NRCS district conservationist, recently received a grant from One Good Idea to implement automated drain...
#124 | Who Pays? The Impact of Tariffs on U.S. and Canadian Ag
What do tariffs mean for relations between the U.S. and Canada? Toban Dyck, an Ag Journalist and fifth-generation grain farmer from Winkler, Manitoba, joins us for a conversation about the ripple effect of tariffs on agriculture. Toban breaks d...
#123 | Drainage Contractors' Questions Answered - The Water Table LIVE!
Jamie and Karl are in the hot seat on this live episode of The Water Table Podcast. From questions about the future of water management and drainage water recycling to what they would ask President Trump about agriculture, Jamie and Karl tackle...
