The Business of Agriculture Podcast

Jon Kinzebaw and his company, Kinze Manufacturing, lay claim to being the inventor of the grain cart — in an Iowa welding shop — 51 years ago. Today, Kinze Manufacturing is a global short-line Ag implement company whose 650 employees make and sell grain carts, planters, and tillage equipment. Jon's daughter, Susie, company president, joins me for a wide ranging discussion about business and Agricu...

In general, the corn belt has had a good and prosperous last couple of years. But what lies ahead for grain farms in 2022? Of note, cost of production is spiking! Chris Barron and Shay Foulk of Ag View Solutions predict a $166 increased price of production per acre of corn and $64 increase per acre of soybeans. Chris and Shay join me to discuss issues, financials, and decisions facing farming oper...

Americans consume approximately 10 pounds of fresh apples per person per year, not to mention applesauce, apple juice, and all the other places apples go. But do you know how apples are produced, treated, and sold? Washington apple producer, Dave Robison and Wilbur Ellis horticultural specialist Nate Squires join me for an informative discussion about America's favorite fruit. Move over Granny Smi...

We've been hearing about supply chain squeezes for months now, but what will be the impact at the farm level on availability and pricing? Jim Sprowl, Regional Sales Manager for Ceres Co-Op explains the Ag input market from his perspective. He also shares outlook and a few predictions. In a nutshell: Product availability issues vary by the day and by the product line, unlike toilet paper - hoarding...

In production Agriculture, you generally play the role of price taker. As commodity production specialization has evolved with modern Agriculture, this puts farmers in a situation to be a victim. At least, that's how Jason Mauck sees it. Jason is an entrepreneurial farmer with a lot going on. He farms with his family operation, bought and expanded a local meat company, and is now endeavoring on a...

Regenerative Agriculture is getting a lot of buzz these days. What is regenerative farming? What are the benefits and detriments? Do you need certified to begin regenerative practices? And what will we see in way of government and / or corporate standards around adoption of regenerative farming practices? Christie Apple — "CropScout Christie" — joins me to discuss the reality and future of regener...

Last week the federal government unveiled a round of "green" initiatives for Agriculture. Some of the proposals were new, some were recycled old programs, and some touched more heavily on the issue of carbon. This cycle of green talk coincides with the COP26 climate summit in Scotland where countries like the U.S. are making bold pledges about climate change commitments. So, how will this impact A...

Producing bountiful crops or earning a lot of income won't guarantee success. In fact, big yields or big gross income won't even guarantee a net profit. Whether you're a farm owner or have a job in the Ag industry, your success will be accentuated with good money habits and tax management. Paul Neiffer, the Farm CPA joins me to explain tax changes in DC and what you need to know (or do!). Paul Nei...

Tillable — the online farm land rental site — came on the Ag scene in 2017. Since then, the company has made some waves. From farm land rental, the company moved into farm land sales, and is now morphing into farm financing. Tillable CEO and founder, Corbett Kull, joins me to discuss his company's beginnings, movements in the Ag land marketplace, the future and much more. Sponsored by LandTrust la...

The 2021 U.S. soybean crop is projected to yield 4.45 billion bushels on just less than 88 million acres. Not bad considering a century ago we devoted only about 100,000 American acres to soybean production. So where do all those soybeans go and what happens to them once they leave the field? Mac Marshall, VP of Market Intelligence with the United Soybean Board explains all things soy - from expor...

You probably don't think much about duration of milking time for a cow or how protein content might vary from one cow's milk to another. But if you're a dairy farmer, these are the sort of things that can keep you profitable. Technological application along with rapid increases in data analysis is happening on modern dairy farms. Dr. Jeffrey Bewley of U.S. Registered Holsteins explains the cool st...

When Tyrel Obrecht left his banking job to return to the family ranch in Turner, Montana, he knew he needed to increase the ranch's revenue. Could selling carbon credits to improve the ranch's infrastructure be the answer? Tyrel and his father, Sam, are about to find out. They've teamed up with the Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) to make grazing changes and add improvements which helped them...

Inflation is upon us, now the only question is: For how long and how much will prices keep accelerating? This is a challenge for every business, especially production Agriculture, which operates on thin margins and involves the acquisition and application of a lot of expensive inputs. To successfully navigate the pricing turmoil, you need to know why prices are increasing and strategies to employ...

If you haven't heard of the oilseed Camelina, join the club. It's reportedly similar to canola and it's pushers believe it has big potential as an ingredient in bioplastics — i.e. plastics that won't clog up our landfills for centuries or leach out as petroleum byproducts. This, combined with the plant's winter planting season, make it an option for cover cropping as well as fitting into a future...

John Hansen worked for Ted Turner's ranching venture long enough to see that buffalo breeding stock wasn't going to match the billionaire's TV ventures. He did see, however, the benefit for land and landowner in paying attention to the ecology of one's land resource. Now Mr. Hansen works for LandTrust. He joins me to discuss how agri-tourism can increase supplemental revenue for rural landowners....

Jayson Menke of Acres and Shares discusses the sugar beet business and provides a North Dakota perspective on Ag. His company brokers agricultural real estate as well as shares of stock in American Crystal Sugar. Did you know the majority of sugar consumed in America is derived from beets (not cane)? Jayson and I cover everything from land prices to canola in this episode — pull up a chair! Spons...

BDA Farms, a 6,000 acre operation in Uniontown, Alabama, quit conventional row crop farming to pursue direct to consumer Agriculture. The operation has grown into other categories. The farm produces grass fed beef and lamb, and pasture raised pork and eggs. BDA also grows organic vegetables on ten acres that continues to expand and runs three lodging facilities for Agri-tourism. Mark Harris, a for...

When you dig into your pork chop you probably aren't thinking about the boar semen and breeding sow that made that pork chop so delicious. But if you want to know about the fascinating, behind the scenes work that goes on in Agriculture to produce tasty meat in a hugely efficient manner, listen to this. Meat starts with genetics from the sire and dam and this episode will explain it all. Sponsored...

I have long held the opinion that the United Nations is an activist organization not unlike PETA or the Environmental Working Group. The notable exception being that the U.N.'s funding comes from taxpayers of its wealthy nation members. In anticipation of this Fall's COP26 summit on climate change, the U.N. released another of its studies, which usually paint Agriculture as environmental evil doer...

We've come a long way from yesterday's tractors and farm equipment. Technologically, environmentally, and from the basis of what the machine can accomplish. Matt Ramage and Karl Huebner with Hutson, Inc — a chain of John Deere dealerships, join me to discuss the farm equipment business. We're paying roughly $1,000 per one rating of horsepower — what is the ROI and what are these machines doing now...

To grow crops, you need seed, as such seed is a big business within the business of Ag. Like all things, technology is changing how we plant and even the seed that we plant. Three seed professionals sit down with me to discuss changes they see happening in the seed biz and take a look at where genetics and seed sales may go in the future. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

Sustainability has, frankly, been mostly a marketing phrase for well over a decade. But that's changing amid increasing demands from consumers and governments to "be sustainable." Companies are pushing their ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) standards onto their producers. Meaning, farmers will be held to certain production practices to be allowed to sell their products. That's where Humm...

We waste about 35% of the food we produce. In poor countries it's more due to lack of infrastructure, in affluent countries it's because food is cheap and easy to discard. But there's an environmental cost that will increasingly become an issue. Re-Nuble is an Ag startup that seeks to prevent food waste while giving an assist to indoor Agriculture. The company harvests vegetative waste and turns i...

No, we're not talking about pretend meat in this episode. We're talking lentils, peas, and beans and their potential growth opportunity as a food and crop category. Lionel Kambeitz, CEO and co-founder of Above Food, explains his company's role in providing improved plant protein products to a hungry marketplace. He discusses food tribalism, the concept of "naturally regenerative" crops, and the fi...

Bobbi Brockmann, VP of Sales for Immucell, manages 9 field sales reps as well as the behind the scenes staff who cover the entire country calling (principally) on dairy operations. She joins me to discuss how changes in scale, size, and management of farms has changed how companies go to business. What do Ag sales people do in a world adapting to online commerce, where simply showing up with an or...