IN THE FIELD

IN THE FIELD
Where Trust is Grown & Stories are Told
Exclusive Interview with Natalie Kovarik and Tara Vander Dussen
Featured in 'Innerviews'
Hosted by Allié McGuire

​Trust doesn’t come from headlines. It’s built in the field, in the work, and in the people who show up every day to feed the world. Natalie Kovarik and Tara Vander Dussen are bringing us there, inviting us to see agriculture through a new lens with Discover Ag On The Road.

ALLIÉ: Let’s talk about what you’ve built. You two have built something that feels rare in agriculture. Not just informative, but magnetic. Discover Ag on the Road doesn’t just show us where food comes from, it pulls us into the lives behind it. So, my first question for you is, what was the moment when you realized this couldn’t just be a podcast anymore, that it needed to be seen, to be felt, and experienced from the road?

TARA: Natalie and I have an interesting story. We do not live anywhere near each other. I live in New Mexico, and Natalie lives in Nebraska. There are so many pieces of our story that are just wild, that we ended up together podcasting from thousands of miles apart. But very early on in our friendship, and then ultimately our business and podcasting, we both realized how much we cared about making agriculture visual for people.

​Agriculture is very visual. It’s beautiful. It’s amazing to see the landscapes where we grow food, the families, the people, everything behind it. From the beginning, we wanted to bring that to people. Not just talking behind a mic, but actually showcasing what agriculture really looks like. That vision has been with us for a long time, and now we get to bring it to life through our YouTube series, where people can see where their food comes from, but more importantly, the people and the stories behind it.

​NATALIE: Tara and I are very much go-getter personalities. To her point, we knew this was something we eventually wanted to do, go out on the road and explore and share. But instead of waiting until we could get to that point, we took baby steps from the beginning just to get started. That’s something we both really believe in. That’s why the podcast kicked off three years ago. We’re in completely different states, different parts of the country, and this was something we could realistically do at that time. We could share our passion for agriculture from our own operations, my ranch and her dairy farm, and then work toward the bigger goal of taking it on the road and bringing everyone along with us.

ALLIÉ: It’s awesome what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. Let’s talk about trust. There is a trust gap in the food system right now. People want to understand, but they don’t always know who or what to believe. When you’re standing face to face with farmers, ranchers, producers, what do you see that the rest of the world is missing?

TARA: It’s interesting you use the word trust because a lot of what Natalie and I talk about is that if people got to know each other, there would be that trust. There is a ton of misinformation on the internet. There are reels designed to grab your attention and lock into your fears so they go viral, but they’re not always accurate and they don’t build trust. One thing we both believe is that the closer you are to your food system, the more you trust it and understand it. You’re not fearful of your food. That’s really at the heart of what we want to do. If you can get to know the people and the stories behind agriculture and how your food is grown, that trust starts to build. Then the next viral reel you see, you might not immediately take it as the whole truth. You start to recognize there is more nuance to the conversation.

NATALIE: You gain so much perspective. When Tara and I are out on the road, whether we’re on farms or even out at sea, I always leave with a deeper understanding of why things are done the way they are. Why a farmer uses a certain practice. Why food costs what it does. Everything starts to make more sense when you’re there, talking to people, asking questions, hearing the answers. That level of connection changes everything. Not everyone can go out and experience that firsthand, so we hope that by bringing people along with us, they can gain that same understanding and connection. And ultimately, that leads to greater trust in the food system.

ALLIÉ: Along with trust, I hear appreciation. The closer you get to something, the more you can appreciate it. What I love about what you’re building is that it doesn’t feel like education. It feels like connection, like curiosity over judgment. How intentional are you about using storytelling as a tool to shift perception and not just share information?
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NATALIE: I’m so glad you pointed that out, because that’s something Tara and I feel strongly about. We all should probably take time to sit down and educate ourselves more, but that’s not always how people want to engage. Storytelling is such a powerful way to connect and learn. Part of it is intentional. We want Discover Ag on the Road to feel fun and lighthearted. We want people to come into the space knowing they’ll get information, but also laughs and beautiful scenery. That part is very intentional. But the other side is that we are learning too. Yes, we’re in agriculture. I’m a cattle rancher. Tara is a dairy farmer. We grew up in this lifestyle. But my job is completely different from an oyster farmer or a fisherman or an orange grower. We’re experiencing it firsthand as well. That’s why it feels so real. We’re asking the same questions viewers would ask. We’re trying things for the first time. It’s raw, and I think that makes it more enjoyable for us and hopefully for the audience too.

ALLIÉ: That’s exactly it. We get to learn with you. You’re not talking at us, you’re talking with us. You’re not just documenting agriculture. You’re redefining what it looks like, who belongs in it, and how it shows up culturally. For the next generation watching this, maybe for the first time thinking, this could be me, what do you hope they see in you?

TARA: That’s such a good point. If you Google a farmer, the stereotypical image is an older man in overalls. And while that absolutely exists, we are two millennial women telling this story in a different way. We bring humor to it in a different way because of who we are. Even growing up in agriculture, I think there’s so much value in seeing people from different backgrounds in this space so you can see yourself in it. I hope people watch our show and think, I want to learn more about agriculture or I want to be part of it. Agriculture often gets put in a box of cows, corn, and tractors. We always say Discover Ag on the Road is agriculture off the beaten path. There are so many ways to be involved in this industry. It’s at the forefront of technology and innovation. I hope it sparks curiosity, not just about where food comes from, but about what it actually looks like to be part of agriculture.

ALLIÉ: How about you, Natalie?

NATALIE: I’ve always been drawn to the idea of pioneering. Not in the old-fashioned sense, but pioneering with innovation. That’s something Tara and I try to weave into everything we create. Agriculture can feel outdated in how people perceive it. There’s this image of a red barn and a very nostalgic version of farming, like it’s stuck in another era. But agriculture today is evolving. It has to be innovative to keep up with society. Whether you’re producing food or consuming it, innovation matters on both sides. We need to talk about agriculture in a fresh, engaging way and also embrace the technology that’s shaping it. I hope when people watch us, they feel that sense of innovation and are inspired to bring that same mindset into their own lives, whether in agriculture or in whatever field they’re in.
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​ALLIÉ: One more question for you both today. If Discover Ag on the Road is the beginning of something bigger, not just a series but a shift in how we relate to food, to land, to each other, what does success actually look like when you zoom all the way out?

TARA: I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. It’s a bit of a funny analogy, but I think about Chip and Joanna Gaines. What started as a show about flipping houses became a cultural movement. Suddenly, you saw their influence everywhere. I would love for Discover Ag to do something similar for agriculture. Not just a show, but something that influences culture. That makes people more curious. We always joke that we want to make agriculture sexy again. We want agriculture to become part of the cultural conversation. Where people are asking, where does my food come from, who are the people behind it, what does that journey look like. Food and agriculture are actually really fun. I just want people to feel more connected to it.

NATALIE: I completely agree. At one point, there was a statistic that we were three generations removed from our food. Now it’s probably even more, maybe four or five generations removed from growing it. When I think about success, it’s reversing that. It’s bringing people back to a place where they’re not so disconnected. Where they know what’s happening on farms and they care about it. Where they feel that connection again. If we can help shift that, if more people feel aware of and connected to their food, that’s success.

ALLIÉ: That would be phenomenal. Thank you both for making agriculture sexy again.

NATALIE: I bet you never thought you’d say that. ∎

Find & follow Discover Ag on Instagram:
​@discoveragtv & @discoveragpodcast