The Business of Agriculture Podcast

J.R. Simplot started as an eighth grade dropout and hit his first entrepreneurial home run with hogs in the 1920s. Mr. Simplot went on to build an empire, mostly with potatoes (If you've eaten a McDonald's French fry, you've had their spuds!). Today Simplot employs 12,000 people worldwide, and is still family owned. The company's Agribusiness division has 93 Ag retail facilities, cattle feeding op...

If you're in the business of Agriculture you are probably familiar with country grain elevators. You may even think the grain elevator is dying. But it's not. It's just evolving, like everything else in Ag. In this episode I sit down with two grain elevator owners - an Iowan and an Ontarian - and a representative with White Commercial Corporation, a grain brokerage. We talk about the past, present...

Friend of show, Rob Saik, joins me to discuss his latest initiative. Rob is the founder of Agri-Trend, a company he sold to Trimble, and is the new C.E.O of DOT - a Canadian based autonomous machinery manufacturer. We discuss autonomous machinery's application and future in farming. When and why will we see this new technology? What are the benefits (and downside) of autonomous farm implements? An...

We in Agriculture are constantly reminded of the need to "tell our story." While I agree with the need for communicating with our non-Ag brethren, oftentimes the story we tell doesn't stick. Why? Because it's about us. And while suburban North Americans might like some behind the scenes peaks into our lives and how we earn our living while producing their food, the message that sells must be All A...

At new years time each year I sit down and get reflective about business and the year that was. What things did I accomplish, what did I not accomplish, and how can I improve upon those things for the new year. In this episode I give you an outline for goal setting that'll help you achieve a life and business by choice. More importantly, I discuss the "ah has" one finds when critically looking bac...

Like it or not, the Business of Agriculture is controlled, in large part, by the federal government. This has been the case for at least a century and became more pronounced with the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933. Since then the Farm Bill has been a package of ever-expanding legislation, adjusted and released about every 5 years. John Newton, Chief Economist with American Farm Bureau Federat...

Montie Soules, CEO of the American Shorthorn Association, has been a cattle guy his entire career. Although, he was raised on a Michigan turkey farm, he's all about the beef. Montie joins me to discuss the history of beef, genetics, cattle breeds, why breeds won't matter as much in a decade, what the beef industry does right (and wrong!), and where the industry is headed. Be sure to stay tuned til...

Tim Hammerich is a friend of the show who joined me way back in Episode 8. He returns to discuss career opportunities, career mistakes, and the reality of Ag mergers and consolidations as it relates to employees. Hint: where one door closes, another often opens! Turns out there are plenty of openings for people who know the industry of Food and Ag - especially if they're willing to adapt and MOVE....

The Business of Agriculture is capital intensive, cyclical, seasonal, and generally reliant on outside cash for expansion. For decades we've relied on Ag lenders to finance our industry, but is that all changing? Austin Maness, Chief Operating Officer of Harvest Returns is my guest. His company connects Ag entities in need of capital with outside investors seeking diversification. Agriculture has...

Last week I delivered a session to a packed room of Ag women in Nebraska. The subject: How to better speak and communicate about the Business of Agriculture. It was so well received I wanted to share some of the program with you. Why do you need to be an effective communicator? Because we in Ag are completely outnumbered and much of what we do is misunderstood. Because everyone of us is a spokespe...

California voters passed Proposition 12, requiring all eggs sold or grown in California to be from cage free hens by 2022. The law also dictates space requirements for veal and pork grown or sold in California. Humane Society of the United States was the major pusher of this legislation. Interestingly, HSUS's cohort and occasional rival in animal rights wackiness — PETA— disapproves of the measure...

Darren Padget is an Oregon farmer, a friend, and the secretary / treasurer of U.S. Wheat Associates. He's also an Oregon Wheat commissioner. We sat down to discuss wheat production, his operation, and the world of wheat. Who's eating wheat? Is the gluten-free craze impacting business? What's the difference between hard red and soft white wheat? And, most importantly, does sending a 6 foot 10 inch...

Casey Seymour from the Moving Iron podcast is my guest. The Nebraska equipment guy gives his take on the Ag economy and Ag issues through the eyes of a machinery salesperson. We discuss: what's moving, what's not, and why, and the dollars and cents of machinery purchases. We talk about the global marketplace, selling farm implements in Ukraine, and the future of the Business of Agriculture. Stay t...

Too many Ag people do the hard work of running their Ag enterprise and accumulating assets, then avoid the easy work of estate planning. We often hear the horror stories in the industry of family Agribusinesses gone awry. Much of this can be alleviated through proactive legal consultation. My guest is Dan Gordon of Gordon and Associates - a law firm specializing in Agricultural estate planning. Da...

Delaney Howell from Ag News Daily joins me to discuss a myriad of issues and news items in the world of Agriculture. Among them: Trump's visit to Iowa to announce higher blend rates of E-15 — good for political posturing, not necessarily gonna move the corn market. African swine fever's impact on soybeans (hint, dead pigs don't eat soybeans). The reality of USDA's pledge to agriculture. The sillin...

My guest is Alan Bishop, a rural Wisconsin kid who, after graduating from the Ag school at the University of Wisconsin, ended up in Fresno. His job: To sell this new miracle chemical called Roundup. Alan and I met following my presentation to the Western Plant Health Association in Monterey, CA. We discuss the craziness of environmental compliance in California and repercussions for all of Ag afte...

The media has been all abuzz over tariffs and trade negotiations, especially as it pertains to Agriculture. Well, good for us, seems the media only pays attention to Agriculture when they can paint a doom and gloom scenario. But are we in a doom and gloom scenario? What is the real impact of tariffs and trade wars on the Business of Agriculture? Dennis Haugen, North Dakota farmer and agribusinessm...

Doug Hubner is a third generation seedsman, farmer, and brand manager for Hubner Seed. In 2002 the company started by his father and grandfather reinvented itself by focusing on the eastern states. The strategy worked. In 2007 Monsanto (now Bayer) bought Hubner Seeds. But Doug and his father retain the farm and processing company. And Doug stayed on as brand lead for the new venture. He and I talk...

The Biz of Talking Funny to The Business of Agriculture Tim Moffett is a Florida dairy farmer with an interesting side job: He's an Agricultural comedian. Like me, he gets paid to speak at Ag meetings. Join our fun conversation as we take you back stage. You'll see showbiz from our perspective. We discuss material creation, open mic nights, the three shows within every show, gigs gone bad, and the...

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Jim Smith is a Technical Swine Nutritionist with Kent Feeds. He and I met a few years back when his company hired me to speak at a national sales meeting. He's also farmer, an active Ag Tweeter, and a friend of the show. We discuss the need for more animal scientists, why livestock producers can't "save their way to prosperity," and the amazing job Animal Ag is doing at cutting antibiotic usage. W...

Monsanto- now part of Bayer - doesn't event exist anymore. But that doesn't mean the March Against Monsanto will die. The protest will live on, the only thing that changes is the target. In this episode you'll hear why the movement against glyphosate and Monsanto persists (hint, it's very profitable for "non profits"). We discuss the Environmental Working Group's clever hit piece designed as news....

We in the business of agriculture must do our part to foster tomorrow's leaders and workers. With school back in session this month, I thought it'd be appropriate to bring in an example of just that. A leader and worker for tomorrow's Agriculture, Jordyn Sills is my guest. A senior studying Agribusiness Management at Purdue, Ms. Sills just completed her third Ag internship. She and I discuss what...

In this episode hear my thoughts on current events in the Business of Agriculture. We revisit the "nuisance" lawsuits against pork producers in North Carolina. Smithfield just lost it's third straight court case - and this one is reportedly gonna cost $94 million to pay off only six neighbors! What do lawsuits against Ag mean for you and what can the Business of Agriculture do to stop them? We als...

Michelle Miller a.k.a. The Farm Babe is a social media star, speaker, sheep farmer, and AgDaily contributing writer. She joins me to discuss food labeling, farming, the future, and consumer issues. We also talk about the role of communicating Ag to a non-Ag populace and whether or not the word "Agvocate" is proper terminology. This is a fun visit - join us!