The Business of Agriculture Podcast

In March of 2020, all Hell broke loose for businesses and citizens alike, amid government-imposed shutdowns of the economy. Agriculture — as essential a business as any — was "allowed" to operate but it was hardly business as usual. The Agricultural input industry flexed to keep farms running with the supplies necessary to produce crops. Brandon Byington and Ryan Thompson with Helena Agra Enterpri...

Jarod Creed is not an insurance agent, commodity broker, or banker. Yet, his job involves oversight of farmers' commodity marketing, capitalizing on government insurance programs, and keeping the balance sheet positive. Essentially, Jarod sees his company's role serving the 50 farming operations he works with as their consultant CFO. Jarod tells us what farming operations do wrong, why "manage you...

We've seen what Russia's invasion of Ukraine has done to roil commodity markets but what else does this mean for American Ag? Todd Thurman and Ryan Moe join me for a discussion about the contagion of military conflict in the Black Sea region. Is this the beginning of a global power reset? What will China do in the aftermath of Ukraine? Most importantly, if this is a wake up call to North American...

Record amounts of capital are sitting on the sideline looking for somewhere to go. Inflation is at a 40 year high. Interest rates are poised to jump multiple times in the next year. Asset values — from soybeans to farm land to cars and equipment — are up by record percentages. What does all this mean for the Business of Agriculture? Bill Conerly, economist and business consultant provides context...

Logan Lyon has a corporate job, two children, and a wife with farm ties. He uses those ties for access to machinery to farm his own 200 acres himself. Logan provides his perspective and predictions on the future of Ag. Among them: There will be farmers like him who work in town and farm 1,000 or fewer acres then there will be large-scale operators. The future will employ smaller, less expensive fa...

The "Joe Rogan Crisis," as one media outlet is calling it, began with activist musician Neil Young's ultimatum that Spotify stop streaming Rogan's podcast or pull Neil's music from its service. Spotify stuck with Rogan, the media is still talking about the incident two weeks later, and 76 year old Neil Young's career got a shot in the arm with weeks of free promotion. So what does any of this have...

Agriculture's mentality and unstated business model has forever been: Make more food because population growth is going to exceed our ability to produce. But what happens when we have adequate production to feed humanity (which we already do) and the population begins to decline (which is about to happen in a couple decades)? Demographic changes are happening fast. Developed nations are getting ol...

Sustainability has been a buzzphrase for the past decade but how do you define it? That was a major subject at the recent Vision Conference with sessions devoted to accurately measuring emissions and how to compensate Ag for Earth-friendly practices. Also discussed at the conference: Tech's advance via autonomous machinery (there are 130 robotic orchard sprayers already deployed in the west) and t...

In January of 2022 the Biden administration announced that one billion dollars of government money would be deployed to make meat less expensive. This, in response to the recent (and rapid!) run-up in protein prices. Details of the plan are still a bit unclear. One major objective of the spending is to expand slaughter capacity among smaller scale meat processors. Will this make meat less expensiv...

The Biden administration kicked off the new year by doubling down on its spending to change the meat processing industry. Their proposal calls for $1 billion to be dedicated to expanding independent meat processing. Expanding local and regional meat processing away from the oligopolistic packers is a fine concept, especially for us who rely on small, independent butchering facilities in rural Amer...

Running south of Portland, Oregon, the Willamette Valley runs about 120 miles and the farmers there produce some 300-plus crops. One major crop is grass seed. If you've bought a bag of grass seed at your nursery or home improvement store, there's a very good chance it came from Oregon. While speaking to the Oregon Seed League conference, I ran across Brenda, Macey, and Shelly — three women with fa...

Like most things in production Ag, there's a whole lot going on before the burger hits your plate. How has beef production changed, what cattle genetics are sought after, where has beef steered its ship wrong in the past, will we see vertically integrated beef the way the pork and poultry industry have gone, what's in the future for American beef? I sit down with Kim Ford of Cross Diamond Cattle C...

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...