Iowa Prairie Documentary Project

S1:E17 THE C.A.F.O. TRUTH WITH DIANE ROSENBERG

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 01:19:57 +0000

I first saw Diane Rosenberg speak at an event in late 2025. She was talking about the dangers of CAFO’s. At the time I still hadn’t seen a CAFO in Iowa. Well, I mean…I had seen the buildings but didn’t know what they were. During her talk I quickly was made to understand that CAFO’s in Iowa were a huge factor in terms of water quality and animal welfare. When we met in March for this interview, I still knew very little about the topic though. And so the questions you will hear me ask may seem super basic…it’s because they are. I was starting at the very beginning in terms of my research of the role that CAFO’s play here in Iowa.

Diane's Links:

www.jfaniowa.org
jfan@lisco.com
www.Facebook.com/JFANIowa
http://www.iowaresponsibleagriculture.org/

Charlie's Links:

https://iowaprairieproject.blog
Venmo= CharlieMakesMovies
Substack: https://substack.com/@iowaprairieproject

The intro and outro music are original compositions made for this podcast, created and played by Anthony Arnone of Iowa City. The music tracks were sound engineered by Jay Siebold of Sieboldsound.com.

This work is a microbudget project that is self-funded by me, the host, Charlie Morris. If you would like to help me cover the costs of things like sound mastering or gas money to travel to visit interview subjects, my Venmo is @CharlieMakesMovies

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E16 PRESCRIBED PRAIRIE BURN (+music) feat. JOHN VAN RYBROEK

Sun, 5 Apr 2026 01:47:54 +0000

I was lucky enough to be invited to film a fire last year and here is the result. Hop in the "side by side" with John Van Rybroek and find out a bit about why people here in Iowa do prescribed prairie burns, prairie reconstruction and more! I also get to chat with Grace, the safety drone operator from Americorps +Bur Oak Land Trust.

MUSIC:
Sarah Arnone- https://www.saraharnone.com
Hanna Rumora- https://hrumora.wixsite.com/hannaplaysthecello
Josh DeVries (no socials!)

Full Fire Video with Fire Music: https://youtu.be/p6eU7lF_zY0?si=ZvdFzXykeN-wG_NQ
Video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/_8IXBRl2-Vg?si=yfAggc59V867mT9u

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E15 WHAT'S AT STAKE WITH ETHANOL? feat. CHRIS JONES

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 02:34:22 +0000

Sit right down and take you a listen. Chris Jones dishes up the deets on all things Ethanol. Some of the things we cover in this episode:

What is Ethanol?
How is Ethanol made?
Who uses Ethanol? (Spoiler Alert=Most Likely You and Me Both)
What’s the connection between Ethanol production and Cancer in Iowa?
How is the CO2 pipeline proposal in Iowa connected to Ethanol?
How much farmland in Iowa is used to create Ethanol?
What is it like to run for Secretary of Agriculture?

Chris’ book: “The Swine Republic” https://icecubepress.com/2025/01/14/the-swine-republic-2/

Chris’ campaign website: https://chrisjonesforiowa.com/

Chris’ FB page: https://www.facebook.com/chrisjones4ia

To watch this on Youtube: https://youtu.be/LaSDWLXk9VU

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E14 ENVIRONMENTAL WITNESSING WITH JENNIFER NEW

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:55:12 +0000

Jennifer talks about something I had never heard of before: "Environmental Witnessing." From visiting her grandparent's farm in Nevada, IA to meditating in front of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations...I think this episode is bound to offer some new perspectives on how we occupy the land.

Some of the topics we cover: What is Environmental Witnessing / Meditating at a CAFO / Remembering her Iowa farming grandparents / Beauty in Iowa / Nishnabotna River Chemical Spill / Native American Mounds / 200 - acre prairie restoration/ Data Centers in Cedar Rapids / How to do Enviro Witnessing / Grandparents and the 1980's Farm Crisis in Nevada, IA

To watch this on Youtube: https://youtu.be/GoVxeaN6i-Q
Jennifer's website: https://www.hyphaconnect.com

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E13 NICOLAS FROM HOKSEY NATIVE SEEDS

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 03:22:20 +0000

We didn’t just talk about the value of conservation and native seeds role in prairie restoration…we also talked about faith, family, how the bigger is better model has harmed farming community bonds. Nicolas talks about how Hoksey got its roots through his father and so much more…this one is really worth a listen.

Hoksey Native Seeds Prairie Farm Podcast https://hokseynativeseeds.com/the-prairie-farm-podcast

To shop Hoksey Native Seeds https://hokseynativeseeds.com

To watch this on Youtube: https://youtu.be/0RY6bA5s7Mw

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E12 TALKING PRAIRIE WITH DR. THOMAS ROSBURG

thevideoslab@gmail.com (Charlie Morris) — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:33:39 +0000

This is episode 12 and was recorded on October 4th, 2025 on the Drake University Campus in Des Moines Iowa and features an interview with Dr. Thomas Rossburg.

When I made my first post about this project on the Iowa Prairie Network’s Facebook group, it was Tom’s name that was mentioned the most as a person that I absolutely had to interview. Here is why… I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that his observations and thoughts have informed an entire generation of prairie restorationists and many people consider him the grandfather of the modern prairie restoration movement. He is the guy you call when you want to know what your land has been through and how to consider what could be done for prairie restoration. So, within the boundaries of the state called Iowa, where prairie restoration is connected to healing the land, air and water and providing habitat once again…he’s a very important figure to know about and his knowledge is crucial. This following interview is also one of the few long form interviews with him that exist. I almost didn’t get out my camera for this one…I was going to just make it a podcast audio only format. But then I asked Tom if he had done any recent in depth sit down interviews in front of a camera…to which he responded in the negative. For someone who has so much to offer it’s surprising but true. If you google him and try to find a long form video interview, let me know, because I couldn’t find one. The guy is so busy teaching and being outside, he doesn’t sit still long enough for this kind of thing often…so I feel very fortunate that he gave me this chunk of time with my mic and camera.

To watch this on Youtube: https://youtu.be/evGakDgeYqE

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E11 "CANCER IN IOWA" feat. DAVID CWIERTNY

thevideoslab@gmail.com (Charlie Morris) — Mon, 5 Jan 2026 22:49:01 +0000

This is episode 11 and was recorded on November 11, 2025 in Iowa City and features an interview with David Cwiertny…it’s part 4 of my Cancer in Iowa series. In case you are a first time listener…I want to ever so briefly answer your question…What does cancer have to do with prairie?

Well it has more to do with what is here in place of the prairie that used to exist.

Spoiler alert: If we had more prairie we’d have less cancer in the state of iowa

This interview covers a ton of important topics but in case you are wondering if it’s going to be worth your time…here are some highlights of what you’ll hear...We’ll be talking about: nitrates, the hypoxic zone of the Gulf of Mexico, Hemoglobinemia, recommended cancer studies for Iowa that were ignored over a decade ago, the water crisis in Des Moines and more…believe me… you don’t want to miss this one if you are wondering about the connections between cancer and environmental pollutants here in our state.

This interview is also available to view on Youtube.

Link to one of David's University pages: https://cheec.uiowa.edu/people/david-cwiertny

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E10 "CANCER IN IOWA" feat. LARRY WEBER

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 22:12:21 +0000

Part 3 of the "Cancer in Iowa" series. Iowa has some of the USA’s worst water quality AND some of the highest cancer rates in the nation. Larry Weber, who is this episode's featured speaker has spearheaded the effort to create one of the United State’s most advanced watershed nitrate monitoring systems. We can now tell where the most pollutants are coming from. We can tell what times of year the nitrate loads will be the highest and in what river system. There is a treasure trove of real time data and thank god for that right…?? Because without it, how do we even know where to start in terms of tackling cancer rates and cleaning up our water?

Inexplicably…There are people here in Iowa, with a vested interest in eliminating this program. People in positions of influence actually voted to know LESS about how to pursue cancer and water quality in our state. If something doesn’t change, in 2026…We are going from having one of the nation’s most sophisticated water monitoring systems, to possibly having none. Larry has a lot to say about this and other incredible projects he has worked on…and I think you should listen.

Link to Iowa's Water Quality Monitoring site: https://iwqis.iowawis.org

To watch this episode: https://youtu.be/AFniafBoR7Y

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E9 "CANCER IN IOWA" feat. SHAWN ELLERBROEK

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 19:30:17 +0000

Shawn Ellerbroek is a cancer researcher based in the state of Iowa. I wanted a snapshot of where are we at, right now in the year 2025?
I wanted to know how what we put onto corn and soybean fields in Iowa translates to cancer in our bodies? What is the actual mechanism that can turn our drinking water, into something that can give us cancer? Shawn agreed to sit down allow me to put these questions to him…and I tell you what…he delivered. What Shawn shares in this interview should honestly rattle every single iowan. This is the kind of interview that I have lost sleep over. Shawn is also running for office here in Iowa, links below...remember, you drink the water that you voted for.

Shownotes links for Shawn:

https://shawnforiowa.com

Deciding Iowa

To see this episode as a video: YOUTUBE

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E8 "CANCER IN IOWA" feat. ZACHARY OREN SMITH

thevideoslab@gmail.com (Charlie Morris) — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:48:52 +0000

Episode 8 is the first interview of the "Cancer in Iowa" series, where I interview someone who knows more than the average bear about what's going on with cancer here in our state. This first episodes features Zachary Oren Smith, a journalist and reporter with Iowa Starting Line.

Shownotes links:

To see this episode as a video: YOUTUBE

Iowa Starting Line
Cornhole Champions Substack

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E7 PRAIRIE ARTS WITH KELLY FROM KANSAS

Sun, 7 Dec 2025 17:41:32 +0000

S1:E7 Prairie Arts with Kelly from Kansas

Description: This interview is available as both a podcast and a video and comes to you from Manhattan…but not the one in NYC…it’s the one in Kansas! Yes you heard that right. Kelly Yarbrough is the founder of the Tallgrass Artist Residency which "seeks to create connection and conversation across the Great Plains through engagement with the prairie ecosystem." Who knew that there was even such a thing as art residencies dedicated to the prairie? I didn’t! Listen up!

Want to watch the VIDEO of this episode?

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://tallgrassartistresidency.org/

https://www.kellyyarbrough.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha_HKlNTMQA&t=3s

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E6 GETTING REAL WITH GLENN POLLOCK

Sat, 6 Dec 2025 17:37:49 +0000

S1:E6 Getting Real with Glenn Pollock

We dive into pioneer history, pioneer cemeteries, prairie species that have gone extinct, farm life in early pioneer days, MOTUS bird tracking and how we can’t let the bastards get us down.

Link to MOTUS: https://motus.org

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E5 SO MUCH GOOD WITH SCOTT KOEPKE

thevideoslab@gmail.com (Scott Koepke, Anthony Arnone, Charlie Morris) — Sat, 1 Nov 2025 23:56:50 +0000

Scott's Website: https://gardenbridgeoutreach.org

Music by: Anthony Arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://thevideoslab.com

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E4 RESTORATION WITH RUTH RABINOWITZ

Thu, 9 Oct 2025 07:00:24 +0000

Thanks for tuning in to Episode 4, of the Iowa Prairie Documentary Project where you can sit back and enjoy a really fantastic interview with Ruth Rabinowitz of Oxbow Farms. This episode is being released as a podcast and in video format. If you’d like to go straight to the video version of this episode:

https://youtu.be/-Fk1DGCN_Lk

I’d like to briefly mention why these episodes exist at all…the worst part about making a documentary film is when you interview folks that have a lot of deep knowledge…and only about 3 minutes of a 2 hour long interview ever make it into the final movie. The rest is never seen or heard again.

I decided early on with this project that i didn’t want that to happen. So as I am working on crafting the movie I will be releasing entire interviews for anyone to listen to and learn from well ahead of the movie release. This Episode with Ruth was recorded on October 6th, 2025.

Huge thanks to Ruth Rabinowitz of Oxbow Farms for her time and patience with my many questions. If you’d like to contact Ruth, here are her links:

https://www.facebook.com/Oxbowfarmsiowa

https://www.instagram.com/oxbowfarmsiowa

Music by: Anthony Arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://thevideoslab.com

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1-E3 KENNY AT THE MOTOR MILL

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 01:00:31 +0000

Thanks for tuning in to Episode 3, of the Iowa Prairie Documentary Project. This episode is being released as a podcast and in video format. There are slight variations in the two so you might want to check out both.

The video version is at: https://youtu.be/AIg57u6mdMw?si=44rrRR8Nv9GkZu_m

I’d like to briefly mention why these episodes exist at all…and that’s because the worst part about making a documentary film is when you interview folks that have a lot of deep knowledge…and only about 3 minutes of a 2 hour long interview ever make it into the final movie. The rest is never seen or heard again.

I decided early on with this project that i didn’t want that to happen. So as I am working on crafting the movie I will be releasing entire interviews, for anyone to listen to and learn from well ahead of the movie release… and sometimes I will also be releasing the video portions of those interviews. Episode 3 was recorded on a variety of cameras and mics on Saturday September 6, 2025.

Huge thanks to Kenny of Clayton County Conservation for his time and patience with my many questions. I would really encourage anyone who enjoyed this episode to make the trip to the Motor Mill. https://www.claytoncountyconservation.org/motor-mill-park

Music by: Anthony Arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://thevideoslab.com

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

S1:E2 AN INTERVIEW WITH SUE

thevideoslab@gmail.com (Sue Delost, Charlie Morris) — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 04:21:36 +0000

Hey ya'll...wanna go to Fairfield, Iowa? I love a lot about this episode. Sue's enthusiasm for the land she lives on and her commitment to helping the land restore and recover is inspiring. She helps me understand that there are different types of restoration that Iowans are working on. Spoiler Alert: There's more than one approach! We also take a close look at her three different "prairie patches" as they have different results from the Spring burns. Oh...and Iowans burn prairie to make it grow. Are they crazy or what? Let's find out...

To contact me:

https://thevideoslab.com

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog

Iowa Prairie Primer

thevideoslab@gmail.com (Charlie Morris) — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 05:31:28 +0000

Prairie + Iowa? How is that even a story? Where would that start or finish? Take a listen as I explain my point of entry into the topic of Iowa Prairie in this first installment of the Iowa Prairie Documentary Project. I chat about what inspired me to get involved and some of my past projects and the undeniable enthusiasm of the prairie restoration movement.

Website

thevideoslab@gmail.com

Music by: Anthony Arnone https://music.uiowa.edu/people/anthony-arnone
Intro Song/DAWN
Outro Song/FEELING FREE
Intro/outro Sound Mastering by: https://www.sieboldsound.com

To contact Director: https://iowaprairieproject.blog