Under The Covers
Under the Covers is a farmer-led agriculture podcast hosted by Bill Frederick and James Holz, Iowa farmers and founders of Iowa Cover Crop.
Each episode is recorded during a game of cribbage. When the game ends, the episode ends.
We’re working Midwest farmers who built an independent seed business rooted in practical farming and sustainable agriculture. The unfiltered conversations we’ve had for years, in the seed shed, at the farm gate, and over a few pond beers, are now on the record.
This show is about modern agriculture, the real decisions, tradeoffs, and debates shaping farming today.
We talk about:
Midwest farming and row crop agriculture
Regenerative agriculture and soil health
Cover crops
Water quality and land stewardship
Small grains, forages, alfalfa, turf, and native seeding
Cattle, grazing systems, and pasture management
Farm profitability and business strategy
Rural economics and agricultural policy
Some episodes are light.
Some will tackle harder issues.
All of them are grounded in the reality of actual working Iowa farms.
We don’t script it.
We won’t always agree.
We sort it out as we go.
It’s honest farm talk, all our cards on the table.
Follow us on social media @iowacovercrop
Under The Covers
What We Learned at the Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference 2026
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The 2026 Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference is in the books.
In this episode of Under the Covers, we talk about what actually stuck with us after PFI.
Not a play-by-play recap, just the conversations, themes, and ideas we’re still thinking about weeks later.
We cover:
• How we explain the Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference to someone who’s never been
• What makes PFI different from other ag conferences
• Themes we kept hearing in hallway conversations
• A few moments that stayed with us
• Ideas we’re excited to take back to our own farms
• What feels like it’s shifting in Midwest agriculture right now
Some conversations reinforced things we’ve been thinking about for a while.
Others pushed us a little.
A few made us rethink how we’re approaching our own acres.
This episode is us sorting through what we heard and what it might mean for our farms, our business, and the direction regenerative agriculture and Midwest farming seem to be heading.
If you care about:
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Regenerative agriculture
Soil health
Cover crops
Grazing systems
Small grains
Farm profitability
Rural communities
Or the future of independent farming
You’re in the right place.
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Find us on social media in between episodes on:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/iowacovercrop
Instagram: @iowacovercrop
X: @iacovercrop
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iowacovercrop
Learn more about Iowa Cover Crop at www.iowacovercrop.com