The Business of Agriculture Podcast

The Business of Agriculture is constantly creating and employing new technology to improve how we produce food. The pace of innovation has quickened immensely over the last couple decades, and it's not slowing down. Enter robots and drones, with us for the past few years, but becoming more and more a reality. Clint Brauer, a Kansas-based entrepreneur joins me to discuss his nascent company, Greenf...

Everyone is a little uncertain at the moment about the economic outlook in a coronavirus world. One thing we know for sure is that humans are going to continue to eat. But what does Main Street's economic reality mean for us in Ag moving forward? Chris Kuehl of Armada Corporate Intelligence joins me to discuss wages, inflation, food shifts, globalization, and much more. The best part: he (and I) s...

Bayer announced on June 24th the company would settle 95,000 lawsuits over its Roundup product for $10.9 billion. The company also stated it would spend $1.25 billion on resolving future claims. What does this mean for Agriculture and the future of crop protection? Darren Coppock, CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association joins me to discuss an industry that relies on science but is dictated b...

We in Agriculture are fairly isolated from the current protests raging across the nation, but we would do well to watch and learn. Because the tactics being employed by activist organizations to create chaos in our cities are the exact same tactics employed by anti-Ag groups. We discuss the very profitable, yet "non-profit" conflict industry, and the methods these organizations use to attain their...

Groceries — particularly meat — have been in the news a lot lately. From meat plant closures to produce being destroyed to food bank demand spikes, food is a hot topic in the coronavirus era. But it's about to "get real" because the consumer is seeing the biggest jump in food prices since 1974. Food prices jump 5.8% just from March 1 to May 30. Most of that increase was in meat. So what does this...

Did you know that over 120 million American cropland acres are treated aerially each year? In addition to treating nearly one third of our crop acres, aerial applicators also fight forest fires, treat timberland, enhance pasture and rangeland, and spray for bugs harmful to human health (think mosquitoes). Aerial application of crop inputs is an important part of Agricultural production that most p...

On my cross country drive back to the farm last week I heard multiple references on the radio to Ag people "Telling Their Story." We've been encouraged for several years now as Ag people to "tell our story." And we should. However, there are a couple issues when it comes to us telling our story. In this episode we discuss how to make our story relevant to and more about the customer, not just ours...

Karlanea Brown intended to be a fashion designer. That's what she studied in college and had dreamed of doing since age 12. Then she married a hog farmer and everything changed. Karlanea worked off the farm for years then joined the farm enterprise after her husband, Darryl's, father passed away. The Browns had already departed the hog business and were looking for a replacement when they decided...

Agriculture IS a business. That's a point I make in my book, Food Fear, and a point I make repeatedly in discussions with consumers and in presentations to Ag industry folks. Ag is a business. Which means production Agriculture is supposed to be profitable and should be run like a business. Mary Jo Irmen, author of Farming Without the Bank joins me to discuss financial strategy, mistakes, and oppo...

Lyle Benjamin farmed for 17 years with his business partner wife in Montana's Golden Triangle region. He's from there. He returned there after stints away from the farm so he could be a farmer. This winter — on the heels of several bad years — he made the decision to quit farming. Lyle joins me to discuss the difficult decision when the emotional and tradition-laden side of the family farming oper...

Nearly half the nation's ethanol facilities are closed at the moment. No, it's not directly due to coronavirus, it's due to the oil glut created by Saudi Arabia and what that's done to ethanol prices. These closures, like every action, have a reaction. For the Business of Agriculture, the ripple effect is oftentimes misunderstood by the non farming consumer. Take meat plant closures as an example...

With the world economy now in turmoil due to coronavirus, changes are coming fast to the global marketplace. Will the U.S. and China experience a "de-coupling?" Todd Thurman of Swinetex Consulting Services joins me to discuss the realities and complexities of US - China relations. Todd's business took him to China for 130 days last year. He provides perspective from his time and involvement in the...

Meat plants are being shut down due to concern over employee coronavirus infections. At first, the average consumer might see this as a good thing, but what's the effect at the grocery store? Potentially very bad. Rob Brenneman and his wife Char are the founders of Brenneman Pork, a large Iowa hog farming operation. Mr. Brenneman joins me to explain the entire pork industry, from breeding the sow...

Rob Saik joins me to discuss technology that will allow farmers and Ag professionals to seek and share information. Rob is the founder of AgVisorPro, an app bringing together those who need answers with those possessing expertise. Knowledgeable experts load up their profile and make themselves available for consultation. Those seeking a solution from an experienced person find said person online....

The media sells advertising by perpetuating fear. One fear story that's resonating in the coronavirus era is that there may be food shortages — particularly in the produce aisle, due to labor shortages. Steve Scaroni with Fresh Harvest, Inc. joins me to give the straight scoop about produce and labor shortages. His company is the nation's largest H2A labor user. He explains to us the unique challe...

Agriculture is the basis of our prosperous nation but to have a thriving Agriculture you need inputs. Amid the global pandemic and disruption to the world economy and trade, will we have adequate supplies to keep on producing? Joanie Grimes with Premium Agricultural Commodities, Inc. (PACI) joins me to discuss supply issues and the future of Ag. PACI is an Ohio-based buying cooperative that acts a...

The federal government just passed a $2 trillion relief package in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 23.5 billion of those dollars are specifically oriented to production Agriculture with another $359 billion devoted to small business loans. What does this mean for you and the business of Ag? Jim Wiesemeyer, Washington DC policy analyst for Pro Farmer joins me to share insights and information...

Amidst all the runs on groceries and panic buying of food there is a lesson for society: American Agriculture produces abundant food and it's among the safest food supply on Earth. The American livestock production and processing system faces disease threats every day and does an amazing job of fending off those threats. That's why the coronavirus crisis isn't made worse by an accompanying shortag...

As consumers hoard toilet paper and hand sanitizer in response to coronavirus, it appears there is more panic than pandemic. Luckily for American shoppers, the grocery shelves are still stocked even as consumers load up on copious amounts of canned goods. While the Covid19 virus presents many challenges for the global economy, it also presents an opportunity for Agriculture — we're not taking time...

Damian Mason responds to plant-based meat's claims of: "better for you" eating, "better for the environment," and livestock production and meat eating as "a prehistoric industry."

What do SARS, H1N1, the Influenza epidemic of 1917-18, and Coronavirus have in common? If you guessed, "They're all viruses that originated in China," you'd be right. But that's not all. China also has given the world the latest outbreak of African Swine Fever — which threatens the global hog herd and pork supply — and the Emerald Ash Borer, which by some estimates has had an economic impact in ex...

Delaney Howell is an Ag broadcaster and communicator. She joins us to discuss Agricultural communication and how we can do it better. We also talk about the reality of "us versus them" mentality in our industry, and the reality of infighting between and within commodity groups. Delaney and I admit we sometimes point out what Ag gets wrong as an industry, so we take time to highlight a few of the a...

Video surfaced recently showing presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg making statements that created a firestorm among the people of Agriculture. Like everyone in the world's most important industry, I found Bloomberg's statements to be Agriculturally ignorant. But unlike some in Ag, I didn't respond emotionally. Rather, I thought we should take this as a moment to demonstrate the role Agricult...

I push the need to constantly ReInvent to remain relevant in a constantly evolving marketplace. Ag retail is just such a marketplace. With consolidation at the manufacturing and retail level combined with a decreasing farmer base, retailing Agricultural products is a real challenge. It's a challenge Cody Hostler is up for. He worked for Sioux Nation — a South Dakota independent Ag retailer — for 8...

Per the Indiana Department of Agriculture, hardwoods are my home state's largest agricultural industry in terms of economic impact. That's why I thought it was time to give timber it's due credit. Ray Moistner, Executive Director of the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association and Brett Franklin of Tri-State Timber sit down with me to talk wood. You'll learn some things you didn't know about the l...