PODCAST EP. 96: Upland Birds, Sorghum, and Sustainability

Host Bob St. Pierre is joined by Kira Everhart-Valentin, the sustainability director for the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, for a conversation with Eric Johannsen and Garrett Love, two farmers and ranchers who also own upland bird hunting operations. The group discuss sorghum’s role at the center of a Venn diagram where wild pheasant and quail populations intersect with farm profitability and environmental sustainability. Episode Highlights: • Johannsen, a 5th generation South Dakota farmer who also owns a wild pheasant hunting operation, talks about how a focus on soil health has had a positive influence on his farm’s profitability and booming pheasant numbers. • Love, who is featured in a new collaborative video between Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and the Sorghum Checkoff Program, talks about sorghum’s role on his Kansas farm. In addition to his farming business, Love also owns a pheasant and quail hunting operation in Kansas, and he explains the importance of sorghum as a habitat component and food source for wild birds. • To close out the episode, Johannsen gives a mid-season rooster report from South Dakota and Love provides an early season pheasant and quail forecast from Kansas.