Oct 2, 2026
In this episode, Michael chats with Morgan Tweet, Co-founder and CEO of IND HEMP. They discuss the trajectory of industrial hemp since the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp’s potential value to rural America beyond cannabinoids, the stakes of the current federal hemp policy debate for farmers and industrial hemp businesses, what...
Jul 9, 2026
In this episode, Michael chats with Meg Taft, Executive Director of the Rural Youth Institute. They discuss rural youth development and opportunity; the development of the Aspirations Incubator model in rural Maine; relationship-driven approaches to youth success; family and community engagement; lessons from...
Apr 29, 2026
In this episode, Michael chats with Angela Galbreath, Director of Partnerships for uFondwa USA, and Lesly Joseph, Agronomist and Statistician specializing in biostatistics. They discuss what the University of Fondwa is and what makes it unique within Haiti and globally; what rural development actually looks like in...
Apr 9, 2026
In this episode, Michael chats with Mara Tieken, Professor of Education at Bates College and former Rural Matters host. They discuss school closures, how communities respond to them, common misconceptions about school closures, what the research says about the effects of closure, and much...
Jan 19, 2026
In this episode, Michael chats with Adam Ferrari, CEO of Phoenix Energy, an oil and gas company operating in the Williston Basin. They discuss current market conditions, responsible energy development in rural communities, and how landowners can evaluate mineral rights offers. Adam also shares how his engineering...