AgCulture Podcast

Artificial intelligence is dominating conversations across every industry—but what does it actually mean for farmers? In this special episode, the tables are turned as Paul joins Sarah Nolet, founder of Tenacious Ventures and host of the AgTech So What podcast, to discuss his journey from first-generation dairy farmer to one of agriculture's leading voices on AI and farm data. Paul shares how...

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, Paul takes a step back from technology and the future to look at one of the most influential agricultural leaders in American history: George Washington. Most people remember Washington as America's first president and the commander of the Continental Army. Few realize that throughout his life, he considered himself first and foremost a fa...

When farmers think about improving performance, they typically focus on genetics, nutrition, reproduction, or ventilation. Lighting rarely makes the list. But what if one of the most overlooked management tools on a farm is also one of the most influential? In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Pieter Hanssen, Global Head of Dairy & Business Development at HATO Lighting...

Agriculture is surrounded by technology. We have sensors, software, robots, satellites, AI, genetics, automation systems, sustainability platforms, traceability tools, and more data than ever before. Yet across every conference, farm visit, boardroom discussion, and industry conversation, the same challenges continue to surface. In this solo episode, Paul shares observations from dozens of convers...

Most farmers spend their time focused on production. Plant the crop, raise the yield, deliver it to the local elevator, and move on to the next task. But what happens after that may have just as much impact on profitability as anything done in the field. In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Mike Steenhoek, Executive Director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, for a fasci...

Brazil is already an agricultural powerhouse in crops, beef, and sugarcane. But could dairy be next? In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Marcelo Pereira de Carvalho, CEO of MilkPoint Ventures and one of the most influential voices in Brazilian dairy. Marcelo shares the story of how he built MilkPoint from a simple dairy website into one of the largest dairy communities in...

The dairy industry has made more genetic progress in the last 15 years than at any other point in history. But most people don’t fully understand what’s actually driving it. In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Nate Zwald — President of Progenco and former President & COO of ABS Global — for a deep dive into the data infrastructure, genomic revolution, and technologica...

In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Nebraska rancher and fellow Nuffield Scholar Jaclyn Wilson for a wide-ranging conversation on the current state of the beef industry, the future of traceability, and what ranchers around the world are facing right now. From historic lows in the U.S. beef herd to drought, global market volatility, disease threats, labor challenges, and s...

In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Bob Miller, founder of Miller Hybrids, to unpack what it really takes to build a seed company in an industry dominated by global giants. From his early days in plant breeding to launching his own company in the middle of industry consolidation, Bob shares a perspective that challenges much of how modern seed is developed, tested, and so...

In this solo episode, Paul breaks down a major USDA announcement that could reshape how farm data is collected, stored, and used across the United States. At the center of it is the “One Farm, One File” initiative—a push to digitize and centralize farm records across USDA agencies—and a $300 million contract awarded to Palantir to build the system behind it. On the surface, this sounds like long-o...

In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Dr. David Kohl, a leading agricultural economist, to explore the future of farm financials. With a history of helping farmers navigate economic cycles, Dr. Kohl shares his insights on the key economic factors that are shaping the future of agriculture and the financial strategies farmers need to adopt to stay ahead. The conversation tou...

This episode is a masterclass in what real innovation in agriculture actually looks like. In this conversation, Marcel Kringe — founder of Bushel Plus — walks through how a simple, frustrating, and overlooked problem on the farm turned into a global business serving farmers in over 45 countries. What started as trying to figure out grain loss behind a combine became a system that is now influencin...

Sustainability gets talked about a lot in agriculture—but what does it actually look like at scale? In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Jeremy Buchman, Director of Agronomy & Sustainability at McCain Foods, to break down how one of the largest food processors in the world is working directly with growers to drive real change. From regenerative agriculture adoption to...

Most companies talk about values. Very few actually use them. In this episode, Barrett Ersek breaks down how Holganix built a culture where values aren’t just words on a wall—they’re used to make real decisions, guide hiring, and shape the direction of the business. From gratitude and resilience to the concept of “flow,” this conversation dives into a different way of thinking about leadership—one...

Most businesses don’t start with a perfect plan—some start with a crisis. In this episode, Barrett Ersek shares the story behind Holganix, from building and selling a successful lawn care company to a turning point that changed everything—a warehouse fire that forced a completely new way of thinking. What followed wasn’t just a new business, but a new direction: from chemicals to biology, from law...

For decades, agriculture has followed one simple rule: bigger machines, more acres, more efficiency. But what if that model is starting to break? In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Andrew Bate, co-founder of SwarmFarm Robotics, to explore a radically different vision for the future of farming — autonomous swarm robotics. Built by farmers in the field, not engineers in an...

What if the biggest decisions shaping your farm today are actually being made a decade in advance? In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Tony Klemm (CEO) and Tom Meade (Chief Science Officer) from Enko Chem at the World AgriTech Summit to explore how the next generation of crop protection is being built. Unlike most of agriculture, where decisions are made season to season,...

Over the last three decades, the U.S. wine industry was one of agriculture’s biggest premiumization success stories. Demand grew steadily. Vineyards expanded. Wineries multiplied. Capital flowed in. Valuations rose. But today the industry is facing something very different. Consumer demographics are shifting, younger generations drink differently than boomers, new lifestyle trends are emerging, an...

What if farms could operate with the same level of automation and visibility as an Amazon warehouse — but designed around real farm life? In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with David Alpert, Co-Founder of Emergent, to explore the future of Total Farm Automation. David shares how agriculture’s biggest bottleneck isn’t data — it’s connectivity — and why solving rural digital i...

It’s tax season — which means farmers, ag business owners, and ag-tech founders are all asking the same question: Did I miss something? In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Louie Pitman and Sid Speir from RK Partners to unpack one of the most overlooked financial tools in agriculture — the R&D Tax Credit. RK Partners helps companies across agriculture and ag-tech optim...

In Part 2 of this conversation, Paul Windemuller and Todd Thurman pivot from global market forces to the tools and leadership frameworks needed to navigate what comes next. Todd explains how strategic foresight, artificial intelligence, and automation can help livestock systems manage uncertainty—if they are applied with discipline and clarity. The discussion moves beyond hype to focus on where te...

In Part 1 of this two-part episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul Windemuller sits down with international swine consultant Todd Thurman to unpack the global forces reshaping the pork industry. From China’s rapid transformation to consolidation, deconsolidation, and demographic decline, Todd explains why pork may be the clearest signal of where animal agriculture is heading next. Drawing on decade...

In this special episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul Windemuller shares his full presentation from the Milk Business Conference, where he challenges how the dairy industry thinks about data, technology, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on his experience as a dairy farmer and global agtech observer, Paul explains why more data has not automatically led to better decisions—and why that gap is...

In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Dr. Jehan Ettema, co-founder of SimHerd and animal health economist, explains how digital twins are transforming dairy farm decision-making. He discusses simulation models, data quality, economics, genetics, and the role of AI in farm management. Learn practical insight into evaluating investments, managing risk, and improving farm performance. Listen now...

In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, I share my conversation with Kimmi Devaney, communications strategist and journalist, on the Progressive Dairy Podcast. We talk about what it really takes to build and grow a dairy operation with limited capital, how to manage assets wisely, and how data, robotics, and artificial intelligence are shaping smarter day-to-day decisions. Leadership in agricult...