Alex McKiernan, co-owner with his wife Chloe Diegel of Robinette Farms near Lincoln, Nebraska, invited me to join him in a field, surrounded by birds, grasses, and the occasional passing rain shower. We explored what it means to build a life connected to the land.

This is the first of two conversations, in which McKiernan talks about food, farming, and the challenges of reconciling what we value with what it takes to earn a living. In the following episode, dropping next week, our conversation takes a deeply personal turn as McKiernan describes a car accident that left him paralyzed, his long recovery, and how the experience challenged his understanding of who he was. We also discuss his extraordinary return to rock climbing, and what he has learned about loss, acceptance, and being present in the world.