"It shocked the industry," says Brett Matzke, a self-avowed "fish kisser." Matzke was referring to the cattle industry and "Cowboy Unite" -- a collaboration of ranchers (like Todd Swickard, above), enviromentalists, and federal agencies. These age-old combattants agreed to work together to improve cattle management in the Plumas National Forest and bring back the fragile creek that runs through it. And they're succeeding.

Two media pros now present the compelling story of "Cowboy Unite" and other true tales of rural California via Saving the Sierra Radio. The project, led by Catherine Sifter and jesikah maria ross, lets top notch radio features prove what federal forestry officials, residents, cattlemen, and environmentalists like Matzke (a trout conservationist) all want and how many long-range interests they share.

As Sifter writes in the latest edition of Sierra Citizen, the goal is to "make downstream communities more aware of conservation issues at the top of their watersheds, and motivate greater involvement throughout the state." How do you do that? Writes Sifter, by airing "real rural voices."

Did you think bringing fish kissers and cow punchers together was impossible? Listen in for lots more shockers.

Our fast-food nation is driven by corn. A couple of recent college graduates decide to learn more about the commodity by growing an acre in Greene, Iowa, and shooting a television program. "King Corn" airs this week on public television's Independent Lens.

The Des Moines Register's Philip Brasher says the film "is a warm, playful portrayal of Greene as well as its residents and farmers. At one point the woman behind the counter at a local bakery comments on the speed at which farmers can get their planting done with modern machinery: 'Then they're back twiddling their thumbs until it's time to spray something.'"

The film perhaps missed a good bit of the changing economics that the ethanol boom brought about, but then again much of the bloom is off that rose.