The Neal Larson Show
Neal Larson is an Associated Press Award-winning newspaper columnist and radio talk show host. He has a BA from Idaho State University in Media Studies and Political Science. Neal is happily married to his wife Esther with their five children in Idaho Falls.
Julie Mason is a long-time resident of east Idaho with a degree in journalism from Ricks College. Julie enjoys reading, baking, and is an avid dog lover. When not on the air she enjoys spending time with her three children and husband of 26 years.
Together these two are a powerhouse of knowledge with great banter that comes together in an entertaining and informative show.
The Neal Larson Show
6.4.2026 - Potato Farming, Social Media, Idaho History
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Neal Larson is out traveling with his family, so Julie Mason runs the show with Adam Hall (a.k.a. “HOA Adam / Car Show Adam”) and special guest Tehren Likes —better known online as the **Rocky Mountain Farmer**. Tehren shares how a simple drone purchase turned into a massive YouTube presence (130,000+ subscribers) by leaning into a niche most farming channels ignored: **potatoes**. The conversation gets real about what farming actually looks like—only a couple months in the tractor, and the rest of the year fixing broken equipment, managing pivots, cleaning ditches, pulling pumps, and trying to keep a high-cost operation moving. They dig into the eye-watering economics: $500k+ tractors, million-dollar machines, and fuel burns that make everyday gas complaints look silly.
They also get into the water picture—how rainfall helps, why too much water can rot potatoes, and why drought and water uncertainty still hang over everything, even when you’re under contract and *have* to plant. Tehren explains crop rotation (potatoes into wheat, hay for weed pressure), why Idaho grows world-class potatoes (soil + climate), and where the industry is heading after a brutal pricing year—selling potatoes for pennies compared to break-even. The hour wraps with talk of an Idaho potato grower association forming to help stabilize the future. In the second hour, Julie and Adam preview special upcoming programming for the **50th anniversary of the Teton Dam flood**, then bring in Adam’s daughter **Paisley** to talk about being a paid page at the Idaho Legislature—what she did day-to-day, what she learned seeing government up close, and how school phone policies look from a student’s perspective.
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### Highlights
- How Tehren Likes built “Rocky Mountain Farmer” by filling a potato-content gap on YouTube
- The true rhythm of farm life: tractors for a season, repairs and maintenance the rest of the year
- Big ag costs: half-million-dollar tractors, million-dollar combines, and $1,700 fuel fill-ups
- Water realities: rainfall benefits, rot risk for potatoes, and ongoing curtailment concerns
- Paisley’s Idaho page experience: committees, floor sessions, and behind-the-scenes Capitol work
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