Working to change the food system can feel like a slog. Progress is slow, challenges are constant, and wins can be hard to see.
And yet, change has happened. Public understanding has shifted, and a growing movement in Iowa is pushing toward a food system that is more sustainable, more equitable, and more accessible. That progress didn’t happen by accident. It happened because people showed up.
In this episode, we reflect on the moments that inspire people to step into food systems work and to stay. Those moments come from many places: learning, frustration, love for the land, concern for future generations, or simply realizing that things don’t have to stay the way they are.
This work isn’t a sprint or a marathon. It’s a relay race. Each person carries the baton for a while, shaped by those who came before and responsible to those who come next.
When the work feels heavy, this conversation is a reminder that lasting change is built by people who keep showing up together.
Attend Advocacy Training Sessions (Fridays, February 13, 20, & 27)
Attend Iowa Food & Farm Day on the Hill (March 18, 2026)
Explore the Iowa Food System Coalition’s food and farm policy priorities for 2026
Special thanks to Threase Harms, Luke Elzinga, Giselle Bruskewitz (Iowa Valley RC&D), Mallory DeVries, Jonathan Lawrence, Kate Gilbert, Chris Jones, and Matt Russell for sharing their time, insight, and inspiration in this episode. Mallory DeVries, Anrica Deb, and Tommy Hexter edited.
Photography from Beth Hoffman, Whippoorwill Creek Farm
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