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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.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
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Hope & Hardship in Agriculture: How Disappearing Family Farms Impact Every American
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May 06, 2026 |
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Navigating Cattle Prices & Trucking Hurdles 50 Episodes Later
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Apr 22, 2026 |
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Life Rolls On: Turning Adversity into Purpose for the Trucking Community
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Apr 08, 2026 |
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Inside Iowa Agriculture: What the Secretary of Ag Wants You to Know
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Mar 25, 2026 |
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How Livestock Haulers Get Started: First Load Stories & Lessons from the Road
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Mar 11, 2026 |
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Leadership, Failure & Faith with Adam Steen
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Feb 25, 2026 |
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Trucking Stories & Racy Escapades
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Feb 11, 2026 |
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From Farm Kid to Full-Time Entrepreneur Building a Custom Business
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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Using What You Know to Grow: How an Iowa Farm Family Built a Diversified Ag Business
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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2025 Wins & Wrecks: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly from Our Year in the Trucking Business
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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Record Keeping that Pays: How Better Data Leads to Smarter Decisions for Today's Cattle Producer
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Dec 10, 2025 |
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Veal Calves, Market Pivots & Amish Barns — Lessons for Livestock Producers
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Dec 03, 2025 |
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Trucking Safety Systems that Actually Work: How Small Fleets Can Improve the Bottom Line
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Nov 26, 2025 |
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Winter Truck Prep, Debt Strategy, & Measured Risk
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Nov 19, 2025 |
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Inside the Trucking & Cattle Industries: Real Numbers, Real Frustrations
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Nov 12, 2025 |
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From Life on the Ranch to Life on the Road with Olivia Harms
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Nov 05, 2025 |
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Trucking Truths: Ownership, Paychecks & Unwritten Rules
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Oct 22, 2025 |
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Making Hay While the Sun's Shining: Marriage, Markets & Messy Desks
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Oct 15, 2025 |
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From Hauling Livestock to Hauling a Bar: Trucking Meets Wedding Week
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Oct 01, 2025 |
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Slow Busy Season in Trucking + a "Break" from Buying Cattle
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Sep 24, 2025 |
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Conservation, Cattle, and Confidence with Ashley Brincks
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Sep 17, 2025 |
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Are Handshake Deals in Agriculture Over?
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Sep 10, 2025 |
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Wedding Countdown Meets Fall Run
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Sep 03, 2025 |
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Got Milk? Heiman Farm Brings Raw Milk to Iowa
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Aug 27, 2025 |
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Cows, Chaos, and Rural Summer Stories
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Aug 20, 2025 |
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97 Years on the Farm: Maury Eickman on Iowa History, Hogs & Hard Work
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Aug 13, 2025 |
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Livestock Trucking Meets Tech: Inside the Beef Hub App with Brandon Roering
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Aug 06, 2025 |
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Building a Livestock Hauling Business & Passing the Torch: The Agar Transportation Story
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Jul 30, 2025 |
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Reno Rundown: Western Video Market Insights & Real-Time Rancher Updates
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Jul 23, 2025 |
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Cattle Markets, Cheap Corn and Life Lately
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Jul 16, 2025 |
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A Small-Town Startup Story with the Nelsons: From No Shovel to Concrete Business
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Jul 09, 2025 |
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Living Forward: A Farm Kid’s Story of Hope, Humor, and Holding On with Mark Handlos
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Jul 02, 2025 |
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Hedging 101 for Cattle Feeders: Real World Risk Management with Zach Tindall
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Jun 25, 2025 |
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From the Ground Up: How Justin Heiman Built a Thriving Cattle Operation from Scratch
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Jun 18, 2025 |
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Dad Always Said... Lessons from Rural America's Hardest Workers
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Jun 11, 2025 |
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Life, Love & Livestock: The Real Side of Rural Business and Marriage
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Jun 04, 2025 |
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93 Years in the Cattle Business: Wisdom from a Lifelong Cattleman
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May 28, 2025 |
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From Hauling Livestock to Car Lots: Howard Curry on Trucking, Business, and the Power of Good People
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May 21, 2025 |
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From $300 to Owning Agar Transportation: Buying Blue Sky, Dispatching Through Slowdowns, and the Mental Load in Trucking
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May 14, 2025 |
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Turning Iowa Farmland into Grass & Building a Seed Business from Scratch with James & Megan Holz
|
May 07, 2025 |
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Truckin' Through Trouble: Marty Wilken on Lot Lizards, Border Runs and Jail Time
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Apr 30, 2025 |
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Small Steps, Big Impact: Josh Snyder on Nutrition, Movement & Community
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Apr 23, 2025 |
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Will Epperly: From Rural Roots to World Champion Auctioneer
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Apr 16, 2025 |
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Old-School Trucking Stories: Denny Kluver on 40+ Years of Hauling Livestock
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Apr 09, 2025 |
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From Broke to Business Owners: Smoke Behrens and Mark Toms Unfiltered
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Apr 02, 2025 |
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Master of Trades: Mark Toms on Trucking, Coyotes, and Hard Work
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Mar 26, 2025 |
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Trucking Talk: Peterbilt vs. Kenworth, Wilson vs. Eby & the Current Cattle Market
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Mar 19, 2025 |
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CDLs, ELDs, and Independent Trucking: Real Talk with Jeremy Behrens
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Mar 12, 2025 |
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Cattle Feeding Realities: Cash Flows, Hedging & Passion with Jeff "Bug" Schroeder
|
Mar 05, 2025 |
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Stories with Smoke: The Road to Resilience
|
Mar 05, 2025 |
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From Corporate Hustle to Rural Roots: My Journey into Rural Business Life
|
Mar 05, 2025 |
|
Welcome to The Rural Dispatch
|
Feb 06, 2025 |