Steve Alexander reports on the agriculture industry with stories of how what we eat goes from farm to plate and profiles of the people and companies who make it all happen.
Latest episodes
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Those avocado oil chips you’re paying more for may not have a drop of avocado oil in them
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8618013/8618013_2026-08-25-195413.64kmono.mp3 The “Made with Avocado Oil” label has been showing up more and more in supermarket aisles. You find i…
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Women farmers: The cream of the crop
Three families of women farmers are being honored by Illinois Agri-Women as Legacy Farm Family winners for 2026. At a ceremony in Bloomington-Normal on August 21st, the Schultz/Mil…
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August is the time to fix or replace your lawn
Our gardening guru Jim Fizzell has plenty to say in this extended version of “Mr. Fizz Friday” about things to do during August to repair damage to your lawn, or start over. https:…
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Garden sex
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8521656/8521656_2026-07-17-184456.64kmono.mp3 Gardening guru Jim Fizzell, aka “Mr. Fizz,” has the birds and bees and the flower and the trees on hi…
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Pretty Cool Ice Cream
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8496002/8496002_2026-07-07-201202.64kmono.mp3 When Dana Cree decided to open an ice cream shop, she went on Kickstarter and immediately had to make…
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Cereal. It’s what’s for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner.
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8484188/8484188_2026-06-30-164128.64kmono.mp3 Whether you eat it for breakfast or another meal, cereal is arguably the most popular item in the gro…
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Mr. Fizz wants you to write it down
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8478625/8478625_2026-06-26-170425.64kmono.mp3 In the audio clip above, Jim Fizzell, our WGN gardening guru of more than 60 years, tells Steve Alexa…
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Going on vacation? Jim Fizzell has advice to make sure your garden, houseplants and pets are ready
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8464694/8464694_2026-06-19-134134.64kmono.mp3 It’s vacation season for a lot of us, and in the audio clip above, Mr. Fizz, gardening guru Jim Fizze…
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Want to drive a forklift? Here’s how
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8446811/8446811_2026-06-11-230911.64kmono.mp3 College isn’t for everyone, and some Chicago high school students are now getting the opportunity to…
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How farmers are involved in the FIFA World Cup
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8446732/8446732_2026-06-11-224332.64kmono.mp3 Without agriculture, there’d be no FIFA World Cup games at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The natural g…
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Are those plastic food pouches safe?
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8434203/8434203_2026-06-05-144703.64kmono.mp3 If you’re a parent or grandparent, you may consider those plastic pouches of food your toddler sucks…
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Wascally Wabbits in your garden
Our gardening guru Mr. Fizz, Jim Fizzell, talks about how to keep those “wascally wabbits” out of your garden without resorting to the way Elmer Fudd tried to deal with bugs. Jim a…
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It’s National Italian Beef Day, and don’t forget the giardiniera!
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8399412/8399412_2026-05-20-164212.64kmono.mp3 If you like your Italian Beef “dragged through the garden,” you can thank Vincent Formusa. More than…
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Is it too early to plant? It depends. Are you feeling lucky?
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8383204/8383204_2026-05-14-210004.64kmono.mp3 For those of us who love to raise food and flowers and anything else that we can grow, this is a diff…
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Did you remember to eat today?
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8372305/8372305_2026-05-11-165505.64kmono.mp3 Forgetting to eat is a real thing for people taking the GLP-1 magic weight loss drugs. But before we…
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Remember when guacamole wasn’t a thing?
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8356576/8356576_2026-05-04-171816.64kmono.mp3 Guacamole, the Cinco de Mayo (and Super Bowl, and general party of any kind) staple, wasn’t as common…
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The innovation that has prevented the most deaths in world history is… ?
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8337452/8337452_2026-04-27-164752.64kmono.mp3 Synthetic fertilizer is arguably the most important life-saving innovation of all time, credited with…
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There’s a new Nutella in town!
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8331390/8331390_2026-04-23-202030.64kmono.mp3 Whether you pronounce it “NUT-tella” or “NEW-tella” doesn’t matter. “We are very accepting of both pr…
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Her doctor told her to lose weight. She did, and found a new career
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8079514/8079514_2026-04-06-160814.64kmono.mp3 When Danielle Marshall’s doctor told her she was on the verge of pre-diabetes, it got her attention.…
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24/7 daylight? It could happen
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8030357/8030357_2026-03-12-172957.64kmono.mp3 When an email from Northwestern University landed in my inbox, I thought I was reading a very early A…