XtremeAg: Cutting The Curve Podcast

When is it time to hand over the keys—and when does experience make you too valuable to quit? Damian Mason sits down with Matt Miles, Chad Henderson, and Todd Kimbrell to tackle a touchy subject in agriculture: Do farmers stay in the game too long? The guys dig into farm succession, giving the next generation room to make decisions (and mistakes), and finding the balance between staying involved a...

“Cover crops won't work on my farm.” Kelly Garrett has heard that one plenty of times. After more than a decade of growing cover crops, he knows there's usually more to the story. In this episode of Cover Crop Conversations, Kelly joins TJ Kartes of Bio-Till in a newly seeded field to tackle five of the biggest myths farmers have about cover crops. Do they steal moisture? Hurt corn and soybean yie...

What does it take for a farmer to ditch the familiar and give a new product, practice, or technology a shot? Damian Mason sits down with Kelly Garrett, Adam Ullrich, and Trey Cutts of Tidal Grow to debate what really drives innovation on the farm. Is it university research? On-farm trials? ROI? A recommendation from a trusted farmer? Or does seeing the neighbor make it work carry more weight than...

Why would you spend money planting a crop you can't sell? That's the question Kelly Garrett is asking as he kicks off XtremeAg's new Cover Crop Series with TJ Kartes of Bio-Till . Standing in a five-way cover crop mix on Kelly's western Iowa farm, the two get into what these plants are actually doing below ground and whether the benefits justify the cost. Kelly's got cattle to graze his covers, bu...

Agriculture has plenty to worry about—but are we focused on the right things? Damian Mason sits down with Chad Henderson, Matt Miles, and Tommy Roach for a wide-ranging conversation about the issues that could have a lasting impact on American agriculture. They dig into agriculture’s shrinking political influence, the growing disconnect between farmers and consumers, fragmentation within the indus...

Calls for American agriculture to diversify sound great—but what exactly are farmers supposed to grow instead? Damian Mason sits down with Kelly Garrett, Adam Ullrich, and Galynn Beer (Tidal Grow) to dig into the economics and realities of moving acres away from corn and soybeans. From wheat, oats, rye, and sorghum to sweet corn and even a little talk about flax and buffalo, the group explores whe...

“That won’t work here.” It might be one of the most common phrases in farming—and one of the most dangerous. Damian Mason joins Matt Miles, Chad Henderson, and Todd Kimbrell to talk about what happens when farmers challenge conventional wisdom and try something anyway. From Y-drops and liquid fertility to cover crops, strip-till, planter setups, and pushing planting dates, they’ve all seen ideas d...

Are nutrient regulations headed for American agriculture? Damian Mason sits down at The Granary table with Kelly Garrett, Todd Kimbrell, and Tommy Roach to dig into a topic farmers may want to get ahead of. From nitrate concerns in Iowa and Nebraska to phosphorus issues around Lake Erie and the Chesapeake Bay, the guys discuss why nutrient management is attracting more attention—and what future re...

Kelly Garrett is joined by Iowa's Lobe Rangers —Matt Bormann, Zack Smith, and James Hepp—to discuss what they call regenerative farming's third iteration: dramatically reducing synthetic nitrogen and phosphorus while maintaining yield and improving profitability. Moving beyond cover crops and no-till, the conversation explores on-farm nitrogen trials, nutrient management strategies, Iowa State res...

Reducing synthetic nitrogen is becoming increasingly important as the USDA's updated 45Z carbon intensity calculator places greater weight on nitrogen use. XtremeAg is testing how far nitrogen rates can be reduced while maintaining yield through on-farm trials featuring Agricen's N-FINITY. Kelly Garrett is evaluating nitrogen programs ranging from 140 to 45 pounds per acre. The combination of lowe...

Many farmers focus on maximizing crop yields, but far fewer realize their farm business structure could affect how much they receive from USDA safety net programs. In this episode, Kelly Garrett sits down with Jared Creed of JC Ag Financial Services to discuss the changes made by the One Big Beautiful Bill, including the new $155,000 payment limitation per eligible individual for ARC and PLC progr...

In this episode of XtremeAg’s Cutting the Curve, Damian Mason interviews agronomist Mike Evans of Calibrated Agronomy about the importance of R-stage fertility management in corn and soybeans. The discussion focuses on why growers should reserve part of their fertility budget for reproductive growth stages, when nutrient demand is highest and yield potential can still be influenced. Evans explains...

USDA has released key guidance for the 45Z Clean Fuel Tax Credit, bringing farmers closer to receiving payments for regenerative farming practices. Ryan Pearcy of ARVA joins XtremeAg founder Kelly Garrett to explain how ethanol and biodiesel plants can reduce their carbon intensity (CI) scores by sourcing grain from farmers using practices such as no-till, cover crops, and reduced synthetic fertil...

Damian Mason and Art Graves of Vive Crop Protection discuss how farmers can manage fungicide , fertilizer, fuel, and financial pressure without sacrificing crop performance. The episode covers fungicide timing, planting-time decisions, V5 applications, disease risk from residue and soil pathogen load, and ways to reduce input costs while protecting yield potential.

This episode explains how Section 180 of the tax code may allow farmers and landowners to deduct a portion of soil fertility value from taxable income after buying or inheriting farm ground. Gunnar Bodvarsson and Austin Koch of Earth Optics join Damian Mason to outline the information required, including soil data, purchase details, and agronomic analysis, and explain how a report can be used by a...

Agronomist Jared Cook of Calibrated Agronomy discusses why profitable crop production starts with healthy plants rather than reactive crop treatments. He explains that strong soil biology, balanced fertility, and proper water management allow crops to resist stress and disease naturally, reducing the need for costly inputs. Cook emphasizes that farmers should move beyond symptom-based agronomy and...

Soybean nematodes remain a major and often underdiagnosed source of yield loss, especially in fields with heavy Root-Knot Nematode pressure . In this episode, Matt Miles discusses the scale of the problem in Arkansas, the limits and costs of traditional nematicides, and why he is now applying Averland FC in-furrow on all at-risk soybean acres after using it on corn and soybeans the past two years....

This episode of Cutting the Curve examines how farmers are approaching 2026 planting decisions amid shifting acreage trends highlighted in the USDA Prospective Plantings report. Damian Mason, Iowa farmer Adam Ullrich, and consultant Jarod Creed discuss five key decision areas: labor availability, machinery investment, grain marketing strategy, overall farm management, and financial discipline. Rat...

In this episode, Damian Mason talks with Jared Cook of Calibrated Agronomy about “knowledge extinction” in agriculture: the idea that farmers are receiving less meaningful agronomic guidance as input decisions become more price-driven. They discuss how retail consolidation, sales-focused advisory models, and resistance to continued learning can reduce the quality of agronomic decision-making. The...

In this episode of XtremeAg’s Cutting the Curve podcast, Damian Mason talks with Jared Cook of Calibrated Agronomy about why water quality matters far beyond simple H2O. The discussion explains how irrigation water, spray water, and even rainwater can carry mineral and biological “baggage” that affects soil balance, nutrient availability, herbicide performance, and crop management decisions. Jared...

At Commodity Classic, Damian Mason speaks with Kansas farmer and Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission chairman Brant Peterson and Texas Panhandle producer Jason Birkenfeld about the future of grain sorghum . The discussion focuses on sorghum’s drought tolerance, lower water requirements compared to corn, and expanding opportunities in livestock feed, forage silage, ethanol, exports, and food-grade mark...

Are farmers actually reducing crop stress… or just reacting to it after the damage is already done? That’s the question Damian Mason throws out during this live panel at the Nachurs booth at Commodity Classic with Matt Miles, Johnny Verell, Temple Rhodes, and Tommy Roach. The conversation covers everything farmers deal with every season—too much rain, not enough rain, weak roots, high nighttime te...

At Commodity Classic, a panel featuring Kelly Garrett, Chad Henderson, and Kevin Matthews digs into one of the most overlooked problems in crop production— nutrient imbalance . The conversation goes beyond the usual N-P-K talk and gets into the real challenge farmers face: how micronutrients, timing, and plant demand all work together to determine whether fertilizer actually turns into yield. From...

In this episode, Damian Mason speaks with Texas farmer Todd Kimbrell, who operates 70 miles south of Dallas and grows corn, wheat, cotton, and double-crop sesame—all without irrigation. Todd outlines the unique production calendar and environmental challenges he faces compared to farmers in the Midwest, including early planting windows, reliance on rainfall, and crop marketing strategies influence...

Using Carbon Technology to Improve Nutrient Uptake and Reduce Inputs With increasing economic and environmental pressure, American farmers are seeking ways to improve crop nutrition without increasing reliance on synthetic inputs. One promising solution? Carbon-based soil amendments . In a recent episode of Cutting the Curve, Arkansas farmer Matt Miles joined host Damian Mason, alongside Brad Bens...