The Little Red Barn

This week after getting an update on Charlie's harvest bingo card (which inexplicably now has a 5 way bingo and is heading toward "blackout"), we dive into the latest merger and acquisition in the ag space with Keystone Coop's latest potential "gobbling up" of another competitor. When is enough enough? Who gains from this vertical integration and who loses? The local farm economy continues to get...

Jason Harrold guest hosts this week as Charlie is out is working his way through a challenging harvest so far. Multiple squares have hit on his harvest bingo card. We talk USDA mulligans on the corn crop size, which leads to another episode of "Ryan's Rants",  harvest progress and the 2027 Red Power Round-up. 

This week we learn the real reason why Charlie could not make it to the studio for last week's podcast. Of course, this time of year there is a lot going on, but Charlie seems to have had a bit of "extra" on his operation. We discuss harvest conditions, harvest progress, our frenemies at USDA and pick up some tips on rehabbing muck messes. 

This week the guys dive into the true impact of fuel costs on harvest operations and what the Indiana Governors relaxation of off road diesel use really means on the farm as well. Additionally, we recap the Quarterly Grain Stocks report and look toward a great set up for harvest to hit full swing EVERYWHERE this week.

The Little Red Barn Road Show comes back this week as we travel to Bourbon, IN and chat with the multi-generational Bates Corp crew. Whether its new parts, used parts, rebuilt parts, or even a few toys...these guys have their hands in any part of it if its vintage Red power. We tour the warehouse and talk though the parts biz when it comes to keeping Vintage IH tractors humming in the field or on...

Energy prices pushed to new recent highs this past week, just in time for harvest. But harvest means planting decisions are right around the corner and along with those, thoughts of fertilizer programs.  This week we chat with one of the main BUYERS of fertilizer for Keystone Cooperative in his Indianapolis office. We chat nitrogen, phosphates, current market conditions, the future oulooks and the...

Charlie has the run of the shop while Dad's out of town showing off a pretty rare antique auto. He brings a shopping list to this weeks episode, and it begs the question: where do dealers get off charging these kinds of prices for planters? We compare and contrast different quotes and Ryan asks the question we all have: how does it pencil to write these kinds of checks in this farm economy for som...

It was a relatively benign week as we flipped the calendar into September.  News was sparse this week, but there is always something to chat about in the Little Red Barn. Harvest is trickling to a start, the Boilers are undefeated (for now) and our summer weather remains. 

This week Charlie reports on what he found interesting at Becknology Days, while Ryan plays the role of antagonist. Markets are giving opportunities, and there are plenty of attempts to draw out a new installment of "Ryan's Rants"...but alas, no go this week. 

This past week we heard ad nauseum about the Pro Farmer Crop tour. Ryan and Charlie have a few bones to pick. We chat through all aspects of the crop tour complete with our ring side seats at the Day 1 rehash dinner with tour scouts down in Noblesville. We talk about our own windshield tour, the mechanics of crop tours, and plenty of other things. Pro Farmer's results?  Well, we call those on the...

The Red Barn Road Show heads to Plymouth, IN this week to get an update on Marian University - Plymouth and their relatively new Ag Program. Concentrating on Animal Science, Vet Nursing and Agribusiness, the school has dipped its toe into several projects that surround food production. We sit down with Dr Nate Kneep who oversees the program to learn more about this option for wanna be ag majors ac...

The upcoming WASDE has Charlie all choked up this week, and this episode proves that the Little Red Barn podcast is a "live in one take" event as you hear Charlie's lungs get up close and personal with something they want to get rid of!  Still, we manage to HACK our way through weather and market talk, including damp weather disease pressures and the China buying progress. Also, with the growing m...

This week, plans had to change as we get chased inside the studio for the podcast after planning to be on location at the Echoes of the Past Summer Fest in southern Kosciusko County. Still, the event was awesome, even though we could not have our recoding equipment out in the rain. After a radio history lesson to start, we have some updates this week on Charlie's chemical mystery. We talk tar-spot...

County fairs roll on and so does spraying season in farm country. Fungicide seems to be the flavor of the day, but this week we talk chemistry, among other things. This week we dive into a mystery of several hundred acres of soybeans that are now dead, but shouldn't be. And some of the theories that have been provided just are a bit much to believe, at least on the surface. Some cautionary tales t...

This week we talk with Don Villwock. Don is a farmer, former state president of Farm Bureau and a retiree that is not really that good at being retired, it seems! Don has his hands in a lot of things, from red tractors, to Purdue projects to consulting. We talk about ag of the past, and present, the challenges he's seen, and where we have come. From the icebox to go pros, Don as something for almo...

This week we veer off on a slightly different track as we welcome the Langfeldt girls to the studio, Its hot, but is time for sweet corn and county fairs, farmers markets and fall planning. We dive into agro-tourism and see what it looks like to learn as you go as an entrepreneur on the farm. From pumpkins to corn mazes, hay rides, growing sweet corn, roasting sweet corn, building grain bins and r...

This week the guys dive into the June 30 USDA reports on Planted Acreage and Quarterly Grain Stocks. The report was not really all that noteworthy, except that Charlie had to eat come crow during the podcast. How did the heat impact local crops this past week, and what about moisture from here? But perhaps the biggest outcome of this week's podcast is Ryan's new purpose in life: getting cattle int...

This week we catch up with Becks Agronomist Travis Burnett to discuss the how and why of getting the right type of hybrid on the right kind of ground. Charlie says its an AI job, which means Ryan wants none of it. But, is there something to the science? Do we need to look at some different kinds of metrics on the seed in our seed catalogs? An interesting discussion, even if it does walk close to t...

The Red Barn Road Show is back again this week...but this time because Ryan is trying to catch a little R&R up in the Michigan UP. This week we talk the over-hyping of weather and how that is getting old, the mother of all farm bankruptcies, and the upcoming USDA June 30th reports. That discussion brings a bit of surprise, as Charlie's thoughts would be wildly bullish for the market. Buckle up!

This week Ryan and Charlie get a down in the weeds look at vintage power fanaticism! Rob and Kelley Meyers of the International Harvester Collectors Club Chapter 33 dropped by Red Barn Studios to talk tractors, tanks, trucks and implements...every one of them carrying the IH logo. It's a fantastic romp through the history of this brand and may give you a few trivia nuggets to tuck away. The reason...

Did you see Big Boy steam through the corn belt this week? Ryan and Charlie talk about that, the wild ride the market took us on this week and the astounding amount of local agriculture history that is increasingly lost as time goes by. Plus, go back to school with a bit of a Trade Primer on different tariffs and trade law. 

Weather has been nearly perfect this past week for drying out fields. Even those with the wettest and toughest ground were able to get after it last week. But, now the social media "weatherists" are crowing about Flash Drought?  Oh come on!  But, there are increasing voices in parts of the state saying "we could use a rain" for various reasons, including activating chemistry. Are fertilizer prices...

Adventures with Charlie returns this week, as he wrestles with breakdowns on the corn planter. Its graduation season, along with and end of Track season as planting season rolls on. Markets are not giving huge opportunities as of late, but weather will in many areas this week and next. Plus, another installment of "Ryan's Rants" in this week's episode. 

Plenty to rehash this week as USDA served up some WASDE surprises, Trump meets Xi and area farmers made more progress than perhaps we thought they could. But the big story of the week is ASA vs NCGA...or bean guys vs corn guys on the issue of E15. But this is not a new story. Farmers are notorious for not supporting fellow farmers if issues don't pertain to them, and flat out coming against fellow...

Episode 138: Anxiety! The calendar says we should be a lot farther along than we are on field work, and some folks are starting to get more nervous. Should we be? Plus, an update on Charlie's "marshmallow" crop (turns out it's not what anyone thought it could be), and a discussion on what could be a busy news headline week. We also dive into Nitrogen concerns related to our wet pattern so far this...