Smoke & Mirrors: Ag Policy Unfiltered
Welcome to the Smoke & Mirrors Podcast, the podcast for ag policy unfiltered. We make sense of the many policies affecting farms, ranches, and rural communities. Each week, we peel back the layers—economic, cultural, political, or personal—to uncover what matters. Hosted by Jennifer Ifft, Agricultural Economics Professor at Kansas State University, Smoke & Mirrors is for anyone who works in the food or agricultural industry or cares how the system works. Over time, we'll explore different perspectives on various policy topics and cover policy issues from across the nation. Nothing is off limits as long as it matters for farm and rural viability. What’s real? What’s just smoke and mirrors? Subscribe and pull back the curtain with us.
Smoke & Mirrors
| Title | Author | Date |
|---|---|---|
|
The Food Assistance Landscape | Charlotte Ambrozek
|
February 5, 2026 | |
|
Conservation Policy: How did we get here? | Jonathan Coppess
Conservation policy didn’t appear overnight—it emerged in response to crisis and was built on the foundation of the land-grant research and extension system. In this episode of Smoke and Mirrors, Jonathan Coppess joins host Jennifer Ifft to explore the evolution of U.S. agricultural conservation policy, from the Dust Bowl to modern programs like the Conservation Reserve Program and working-lands initiatives such as EQIP. The conversation unpacks how economic pressures, the environmental movement, and political decisions have shaped conservation efforts—and why complexity and funding challenges still limit participation today. |
January 28, 2026 | |
|
K-State Economists and the Regenerative Agriculture Program | Nathan Hendricks & Nicholas Detter
This episode of Smoke & Mirrors focuses on the economics of soil health and the adoption of conservation practices. Nicholas Detter outlines the core principles of regenerative agriculture, while Dr. Jennifer Ifft and Dr. Nathan Hendricks discuss how conservation can be both private business decision and a public or policy consideration. |
January 14, 2026 | |
|
Storytelling is Policy Power | Michael Torrey
Policy decisions aren’t made in isolation. Michael Torrey joins Smoke and Mirrors to discuss how storytelling, personal relationships and sustained engagement play a critical role in shaping food and agriculture policy. |
January 8, 2026 |