The Rural Dispatch

By Behrens & Co

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Category: Entrepreneurship

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Subscribers: 1
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Episodes: 52

Description

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