The Business of Agriculture Podcast

Agriculture begins with and depends on soil. If you farm, your most valuable asset is likely land. So what is that land worth? Are values up, down, or stable this year? What's the outlook for 2021? How much farm land is owned by investors? Is it true that farmers are going bankrupt and liquidating their land in large numbers? What impact are farm programs having on property prices? If they're not...

It's helpful to gain perspective from other Ag professionals. I taped this episode from the National Ag Aviation Association convention and trade show. My guests are Mark Kimmel and Darrin Pluhar, owners of aerial application businesses in Mississippi and Montana, respectively. We discuss: The future of Ag input application via air, drone, and otherwise, the impact of consolidation, regulation, cr...

The pandemic has been good for Christmas tree farmers. Customers seeking an "authentic" holiday have bid up demand for real trees. After reading two articles about tree shortages, I decided to get the straight scoop from those in the know. Oregon tree farmer Casey Grogan joins me, along with National Christmas Tree Association Executive Director Tim O'Connor. This is a festive and informative epis...

Farming is a multi-variant problem. Meaning, from geography to weather to inputs, there are as many as 70 different multiples that factor into on-farm profitability. Nick Horob, founder of Harvest Profit, Inc. joins me to discuss technology, farm accounting, acre management, business practices, and the future of production Agriculture. This is a fun and moving conversation with an entrepreneurial...

Take a drive through rural America, and you're sure to see windmills. Not the old fashioned metal blades and structure pumping water from yesteryear, but modern 300 foot monoliths. They're big, they pay landowners a nice lease payment, and if you talk to enough rural people you'll find they're controversial. North Dakota farmer, agri-entrepreneur, friend of show, and wind energy proponent, Dennis...

Jason Mauck came back to the farm ten years ago from his role a landscape owner. Being a small business owner taught him the value of having many customers. He also learned the importance of maximizing revenue from each customer. He now brings that approach to Agriculture. Jason and I discuss his latest ventures — Munsee Meats, pasture pork, and an Automated Farmers Market. Sponsored by Harvest Pr...

Production Agriculture, at the commodity level, favors the low cost producer. So where can costs be shaved? Mitch Eviston asked that very question. His answer: through reducing redundancies in the channel — from manufacturer to distribution to retail to, eventually the farm. Call it the Amazon effect of Ag inputs — Mitch and his company, Meristem, believe it is imminent. Beyond the cost savings, a...

At the time this episode was recorded, we hadn't officially declared Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election. Assuming he is, here are thoughts considerations, and some outlook on what Ag can expect under a Biden administration. Sponsored by Harvest Profit harvestprofit.com

This spring, large meat processing facilities closed as workers tested positive for coronavirus. The shutdowns resulted in meat shortages and retailer-enforced rationing which left many questioning our meat supply chain. Are we too dependent on the four big meat processors? Is there room (and profit) for a proliferation of tier 2, medium or specialty meat processors? Oklahoma rancher and CPA, Gary...

Tight margins and environmental pressure make it important to get the most out of every acre of farm land. Precision Ag helps us do that. But what's on the horizon for applied technology in farming and what exactly is data analysis and why do we need it? Dan Frieberg of Premier Crop Services joins me to discuss how livestock producers and dairy farmers are ahead of crop producers — they've been ma...

40% of farm land is expected to change hands in the next decade. Consolidation of farming operations - at the commodity level - is going to continue, which means bigger acres in the operation. These trends are real and they are coming at a time of great technological change to how we live and work. Enter CashRent.com, the online method of leasing farm land for both landowner and farmer. It was fou...

The state just north of my home state has an interesting array of Agricultural production. From cherries to wine grapes to hops and hemp, Michigan's micro climates make for some interesting Agriculture. Christie Apple - known online to her fans and followers as Crop Scout Christie - consults for producers of 18 different Ag commodities. And, even more interesting, she advises more than 30 hemp pro...

Expanding on episode 157's subject of commodity promotion, this episode asks the question: Can promotion keep up with production? As farmers continue to produce greater quantity of everything from shrimp to soybeans, can marketing effort keep selling the excess quantity? There are three paths to marketplace profitability in commodity production. The options are: supply management, being the lowest...

I've never actually seen the movie, Field of Dreams but I know this: We in Ag are amazing at food production, but we often think by "building it" (producing commodities), the consumer will come. Yet, for many commodities that's not been the case. Realizing this, we created the Agricultural Marketing Service and the checkoff program overseen by USDA. In this episode, I explain 5 flaws of promotion...

Bruce Vincent is the owner of Vincent Logging, a Montana timber company. He's also a timber and environmental community activist. He was forced into his second role when environmentalists put his company out of business and destroyed his timber -reliant town. Bruce joins me to discuss the reality of this "unprecedented" fire season (it's not, and in fact we've only burned about one third of the ac...

The business of Agriculture begins at the farm. With all the tumult, politics, and market disruption that 2020 has brought, what is the impact at the producer's level? What will that mean for all of us who work in the peripheral Ag industry? Chris Barron, an Iowa farmer and owner of Ag View Solutions, provides a look at the present economic situation as he sees it from his own perspective and that...

Production Agriculture's reality - increasingly - involves doing battle with groups opposed to what we do, how we do it, and even our very existence. While we (grudgingly) accept this in places like California, the movement against farming is now common in "fly over country" too. In this episode I sit down with Leah Bunkers and Jim Pinkert, two members of Families Feeding Families, an organization...

Pre-pandemic, senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren introduced legislation limiting farm size. The subject was shelved by 24/7 Covid coverage but it's sure to come back. And when it does, the infighting within Ag over big farm versus small farm will heat up. But does there really need to be a "versus" mentality? Small, niche Ag operations are experiencing big opportunities? Katharine Lotspeich...

Six months into the economic and marketplace response to coronavirus, Damian takes a look at seven things revealed about Ag and our consumers. This is a fun episode that looks back over the last few months, and takes a look at what this means for the future of the Business of Agriculture. Sponsored by Harvest Profit harvestprofit.com

The Business of Agriculture podcast has never been a forum for grain price charts…and it's still not. But with USDA's August report release coming just after Iowa got hit with 100 mph winds that damaged crops and smashed grain bins like beer cans, it's time to look ahead at grain. Matt Bennett of AgMarket.net joins me to explain fundamentals, why the USDA report of record harvest didn't tank grain...

After reading several articles about the huge investments by Silicon Valley type investors into indoor Agriculture, I thought it was time to put it on the podcast. My guest is Darynn Keiller, CEO of Autogrow – a New Zealand-based indoor Agriculture climate control technology company. He explains the value proposition of indoor farming, the different types of indoor farming, and what's going on in...

The farming part of farming can be fun and it's what most people in Ag like about the industry. The business side can be unenjoyable, however. There's the management, the family aspect, the political changes impacting your operation, and the money, of course. Ryan Moe, a financial guy from an Ag background joins me to discuss the big picture of Ag and the business side of farming. Ryan is with Sto...

Trade is a hot topic these days in American Agriculture. Truth is, it always has been - at least over the last century as our productivity skyrocketed beyond what our nation required for its own sustenance. North American Agriculture requires international trade to thrive. Particularly for Canada and the U.S., which produce multiple times the amount of food their populations require. Michelle Klie...

On July 1, 2020, USMCA went into effect. The USMCA is the updated North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. John Newton, Chief Economist of the American Farm Bureau Federation joins me to discuss what this means for American Ag. Farm Bureau says the agreement is good for an additional $2 billion of Ag sales. From a "volatile world" standpoint, a free trade deal with...

Hoosier Ag Today's Gary Truitt asked me to be a guest on his syndicated radio show. We decided the interview would make a good Business of Agriculture podcast too, so here it is! Gary and I discuss the response to Burger King's (bizarre & ridiculous) cow fart commercial and the potential effect — positive and negative — on meat consumption. Production is always an issue for us in Ag but we sometim...