The Business of Agriculture Podcast
Episodes
343 - Technology to Mitigate Crop Loss Risk
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In production Agriculture we tend to over manage for some pathogens — corn root worm for instance — while under managing for others such as Fusa...
342 - Money, Mergers & Cage Free Eggs — The Investment Climate in Ag
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Money was pouring into Agricultural startups a few years ago. What's the investment climate look like now? Damian Mason is joined by Business Transact...
341 - Exchange Traded Funds for Agricultural Commodities
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most people don't hold investment money in the Ag commodity space. That may be changing as investing in things like corn is made easier via ETFs — e...
340 - Purple Tomatoes, Taste, Waste, Nutritive Value & Much More
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fruits and vegetables have been bred over the past half century for the primary objective of transportability and shelf life. The tradeoff: taste and ...
339 - Technology to Maximize (Rather than Waste) Your Crop Input Investment
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most of the fertilizer applied to fields, doesn't actually get absorbed by the plant. That's an economic as well as environmental liability for Agricu...
338 - Talking Taters (and Much More!) with Oregon Potato Company
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Tiegs started farming in the Columbia basin region of Washington in 1975. Then he bought an apple packing facility. From there, the operation ha...
337 - Is It Time for Legislation Restricting Foreign Ownership of American Farm Land? 25 States Think So!
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Indiana appears poised to become the twenty-fifth state to restrict — or outright ban — ownership of Agricultural real estate by foreign entities....
336 - Is The Migrant Crisis a Crisis for Agriculture or a Net Benefit?
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A full three quarters of farmworkers in the U.S. are migrants and many are here illegally. Add in food service, meat processing, and the ancillary ind...
335 - Are We Wrong About Oversupply?
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the last episode Todd Thurman joined Damian to cover a topic most in Agriculture have never considered: Are we permanently over supplied with Agric...
334 - Oversupplied: What Happens When Ag Keeps Increasing Production While Demand Slides?
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We in Agriculture love production! For example, we're producing about 50% more corn, soy, and pork than we did just a quarter century ago here in the ...
333 - Farm Policy, Farm Income and Farm Bill With Jim Wiesemeyer
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's setting up to be a challenging year for farm economics. Add to that: it's an election year, Washington DC is as dysfunctional as ever, and we sti...
332 - Cash Rent: Are You Paying Too Much? Charging Too Little?
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nationally, between 30 and 40% of farmland is rented to an operator from a land owner. But how are rental rates for this hugely valuable asset class d...
331 - From $300 and A Google Search to a Mushroom Entrepreneur
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kyle Beaver is a self-admitted Jack-of-all-Trades who, at age 25, turned a Google search into a mushroom business. Six years later he's refining Ten M...
330 - Traits of a Successful Farm Trade Show
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Agricultural trade events can be a lot of fun, but are they always valuable? And who are they valuable to? Brandon Wipf, South Dakota farmer and co-ch...
329 - Bio-nutrients To Reduce Fungicide, Insecticide & Synthetic Fertilizer
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Blake Matthews returned to the Idaho family farming operation twenty years ago. Upon his return, he began experimenting with a new array of products a...
328 - Farming In 2 Hemispheres
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
22 years ago, immediately after graduating from college AND getting married, John Carroll and his new bride flew to Brazil to start farming. John's fa...
327 - "Middle Man" vs. Value-Added
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Agriculture we generally have the perception that farmers as price takers are being short-changed as "middle men" make all the margin. While it's p...
326 - It's Time To Simplify Your Grain Marketing
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ag commodity marketing is too complex, largely misunderstood, and the industry is full of products and services you probably don't even need to profit...
325 - The U.S. Economy and What It Means for Ag in 2024
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Interest rates appear to be stabilizing, wage and food inflation are still worsening, and predictions for America's Ag sector are a bit dour for 2024....
324 - Farm Finances — The Wrap on 2023 and A Look at 2024
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cost of production set a record in 2023 as the most expensive crops ever planted. How things turned out for the P&L statement depended on weather, yie...
323 - All About Oats with 2 Canadian Producers
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Canada is the world's number one exporter of oats — a commodity enjoying an upswing in demand thanks to snack bars and oat milk. Did you know almost...
322 - Eminent Domain, Green Policy, Electric Grid Expansion and Your Farm
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Calvin Koeller's Illinois farm operation is about to lose a couple miles worth of farm land to an electrical grid expansion. This new electric line pr...
321 - Pork: Production, Profitability, Pathogens, Proposition 12 & More!
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Currently, pork profitability (or lack thereof) has certain observers comparing the industry to the late '90s when pork was in turmoil. It was that er...
320 - Agricultural Selling & Understanding The Buyer's Mind
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're in business, at some level, you're in sales. So, how exactly would you rate your sales game? Do you ask the right questions? Is your product...
319 - Will Problems on the Mississippi Create Fertilizer Shortfalls?
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Mississippi River is low and that's causing shipping problems for Agriculture. Mark Milam with Independent Commodity Intelligence Services joins D...
318 - Beef On Dairy — A Trend That's Changing The Meat Marketplace
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The chasm between beef and dairy is being bridged as the two industries fuse in a trend that could be good for beef, dairy, consumers, the marketplace...
317 - Reversing Sins Against Soil
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As it turns out, we've not always been good to our soil. Fortunately we're starting to better understand the living organism beneath our feet. However...
316 - Will The Marketplace Pay a Premium for "Grown Climate Smart" Designation?
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Using a $40 million federal grant paid over five years via USDA's climate initiative, DeLong company created the "Grown Climate Smart" program. A 38 b...
315 - Is Ag Real Estate At A Peak?
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Farmland prices have been on fire the last couple years. But are those prices peaking? Beyond the huge sale numbers seen on social media, Ag property ...
314 - A SWOT Analysis for American Agriculture
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Businesses are encouraged to conduct assessments of their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. In short: What are you good at, what do yo...
313 - Machinery Market: Trends, Technology & Tomorrow
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Used machinery markets are heating up earlier than normal. Is this because farmers in need of equipment recall getting shut out during the supply chai...
312 - Turning Wheat Straw Into A Value-Added Human Food Ingredient
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Comet Bio is a technology-enabled food ingredient company that, after eight years, is finally ready to churn out food ingredients. The company extract...
311 - Organic Poultry—at Scale—with Farmer Focus
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Organic food sales growth still outpaces conventional, despite food inflation and even after nearly two decades of "organic" being a thing. Additional...
310 - If I Had a Billion Dollars, Where In Ag Would I Invest It? Or, Would I?
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I was recently asked by two investor friends of mine, "Damian, if I handed you a billion dollars, where in Ag would you invest it?" The question, as w...
309 - Is The Future of Silage Bagged for Efficiency & Environment?
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Silage — in case you're unfamiliar— is high moisture forage chopped and stored for cattle feed, principally dairy animals. It derives its name fro...
308 - Regenerative Ranching — For Environment AND Economics
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Regenerative practices have become a new area of focus in production Agriculture. But what about our grazing lands — are we managing those lands for...
307 - What Happened to the Indoor Ag Revolution?
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago there was a great deal of hype surrounding Controlled Environment Ag (indoor farming). Money was pouring into the space from outside i...
306 - Is Your Field Infected?
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My farmer friends at XtremeAg say, "The limiting yield factor isn't the seed, it's probably us." Well, that's not necessarily the case — another hug...
305 - Who's Paying Farmers To Adopt Regenerative Ag, Why & For How Long? Your Questions Answered
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're several years into various programs looking to sign up acres for such things as carbon sequestration, nitrogen reduction, cover crops, and other...
304 - Bridging The Farmer/Entrepreneur Mindset
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're in modern day production Agriculture, you are in business. Probably to the tune of millions of dollars of allocated capital. Yet, many farme...
303 - Is Agriculture Gonna Make Money in 2023?
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every Summer we begin to analyze crop reports, look at the markets and ask the question, "Will Ag make money this year? And if so, which sectors?" Jar...
302 - Is Supply Management in America's Ag Future?
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We produce a LOT of agricultural output here in the United States and the trend line for increased productivity isn't letting up. So what happens when...
301 - Tackling Commodity Mindset For Higher Margins in Ag
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As you've likely heard me say, we in Agriculture suffer from commodity mindset. When we think of growing margins, we think of reducing costs, getting ...
300 - What Are Biologicals, What Do They Do, and Why Do I Need Them?
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The proliferation of biological crop inputs over the last several years has been almost overwhelming. I personally believe soil biology — understand...
299 - Prime Time Pepper Production
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Way started his Ag career selling citrus upon graduating from Fresno State. A few years later, he hopped over to vegetables with a few partners. ...
298 - Technology That Reduces Waste By Capturing What You've Already Produced
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
North American farmers are losing valuable bushels of corn and soybeans at both the front and back end of their combines -- those bushels never making...
297 - Farm Finances, Pivoting Due to Interest Rates And The 5 C's of Credit
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a year's time, interest rates have more than doubled, commodity prices have declined by roughly 15 percent, while land and cash rent prices are in ...
296 - Stubbornness: Why 77% of Farms Don't Have A Succession Plan
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you work in the Business of Agriculture, you likely know of a dysfunctional family farming operation. Contrary to the pastoral vision of farming po...
295 - Are Outsiders Really Buying Up Farms? Trends And Truths About Farmland Investing
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Farmland values have been on a tear the last couple years. Who's buying America's farms and why are they doing so? Is it true that institutional inves...
294 - Aerial Agriculture — A Bird's Eye View of Drones, Manned Aircraft & Tomorrow
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Drone technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Will we see a future where unmanned aerial vehicles replace the traditional crop duster? Likely not for ...
293 - Ag's Next Gen — A Talk With Morningside University Ag Students And Department Head
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Our industry is going to require 60,000 4-year college graduates and we're around 38,000 students graduating from the Ag curriculum currently." So sa...
292 - Is The Meat Industry Listening To Consumers?
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you noticed steaks and chicken breasts are considerably larger than they were just a couple decades ago? Switching to pork, have you noticed your...
291 - Farm Bill 2023: Will There Be One And What Will It Look Like?
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every five years congress hashes out, argues about, and then releases a new and revised Farm Bill. At least that is what's supposed to happen, althoug...
290 - Succeeding Despite A Consolidating Ag Customer Base
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fact: There will be fewer American farmers ten years from now than there are today. In no way is this meant to be fatalistic or negative, it's just re...
289 - Depreciating A Farm's Fertility To Lower Taxes? Yep, It's A Thing
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When you think of buying a piece of farm ground, you probably think of the very real possibility that the soil is depleted. But what if it's got more ...
288 - Are These Good Times For Real, And For How Long?
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Much of American Agriculture is predicted to have a prosperous 2023. But there are concerns. Commodity prices are high but so are inputs. Exports set ...
287 - Online Ag Input Retailing — Is This Where We're Headed?
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Amazon effect is coming to Agriculture. In fact, it's already here. If you need something on your farm, chances are you can order it up on your sm...
286 - Is Your Butterfly Net Ready To Catch Climate Cash?
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
All indications are, money is going to be blowing into Agriculture from a myriad of sources over the next year, largely in the form of environmentalis...
285 - The Future of Ag Is De-Globalized
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you've worked in the Business of Agriculture for one year or the past 50 years, all you've known is increased globalization of our industry. That's...
284 - Why North American Ag Must Wean Itself Off China
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
North American Agriculture has benefited greatly by China's rise during the last couple decades. But, as you've heard, all good things must come to an...
283 - Why We Should Sell Mexico Non-GMO Corn
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
American Agriculture often times suffers from a disorder I've termed Acute Commodity Mindset. Symptoms of this disorder include thinking customers sho...
282 - Private Equity Focused On Funding Agriculture
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago, it seemed that capital was on every corner looking for a place to invest. But even in those cash-rich days, not a lot of investors lo...
281 - Managing For The Future — A Candid Conversation with a 30 Year Old, 4th Gen Farmer
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Roush was just a kid when I met him, now he's managing a diversified Indiana farming operation with his father. We talk about skill sets, strengt...
280 - Predictive Agronomy Pioneering Ag's Last Frontier: Soil
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A shovel full of soil contains billions of microbes, thousands of bacteria, and a biological complexity we're only beginning to understand. With the a...
279 - Is "Right To Repair" Much Ado About Nothing?
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
More than half the states in the U.S. are considering "right-to-repair" laws according to a recent article. Legislation at the federal level is being ...
278 - "Corporate-ization," Consolidation, and the Reality of Commoditization
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I've been hearing the complaint, "it's hard / impossible for a young person to start out in farming these days" for decades. Recently, an interviewer ...
277 - Adding Margin And Diversifying Farm Income Via Direct To Consumer Ag
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kelly Garrett is an entrepreneurial farmer from western Iowa. His business interests include farming, trucking, plant food distribution, ag retail, an...
276 - A New Revenue Stream for Farm Acres Via Ecosystem Services
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've been hearing about carbon credits for several years in Agriculture. Finally, the vagueness of the ecosystem marketplace is becoming more clear. ...
275 - Connecting Customers To Markets — Behind The Scenes Look At Commodity Marketing Services
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Business of Agriculture trades commodities. We produce them, buy them, sell them, and process them to make products for our end users. But who doe...
274 - Record Farm Income 2022 — What It Means & What You Should Do
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
U.S. net farm income set a record in 2022, up 14% from 2021 to $160.5 billion. To put it mildly, things in Ag are good financially speaking. 2022's fa...
273 - Elevating Ag — One Video And One Fact At A Time
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Agriculture has a lot of battles to fight beyond the daily challenges of producing our food, fuel, and fiber. Causes against production Ag have turned...
272 - How Can We Use More Soybean Meal? Innovation Challenge
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2022 American farmers produced the fourth largest soybean crop on record at 117 million metric tons or roughly 4.4 billion bushels. The good news: ...
271 - Prophets (Profits!) of Doom — The Economics of Dire Predictions
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cow farts cause "climate crisis" and climate crisis is reducing crop yields, eating eggs causes high cholesterol, global population growth will cause ...
270 - 2023: The Most Expensive Crop Ever Planted
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Shay Foulk with Ag View Solutions predicts cost of corn production for 2023 will average $5.35 per bushel. That number is an all time high and it's du...
269 - What A 3rd La Niña Weather Pattern Means For Ag
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Farmers love to talk about the weather but in this episode we go deeper and talk about systems, climate, global weather patterns, and the year ahead. ...
268 - From Farrowing Crates in Denmark to Feed Additives in North America — A Business Discussion
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lasse Jakobsen was born in Denmark, now the Millennial heads up U.S. business development for the company his grandfather created to serve European ho...
267 - The Future of Ag, Technology, and Equipment - Perspective From 3 Machinery Guys
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Your smart phone has more technology and capability than NASA's Apollo program had 50 years ago. Think about that, then think about the technology in ...
266 - Revisionist Ag History And Rose-Colored Lenses
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two weeks ago I posted on social media a photo of an antique tractor next to a modern machine. In my post I referenced the advancements we've made sin...
265 - Renewable Diesel: Will We Really Need 18 Million More Soybean Acres?
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Renewable diesel is the new buzz talk everywhere in Agriculture. Will its take off and reality match the fervor in farm circle discussions? Will the t...
264 - Fertilizer, Florida Agriculture and Hurricane Ian
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fertilizer markets have been tumultuous for a few years now. Just when you thought things had settled down on fertilizer price and availability, a hur...
263 - What An Aging, Shrinking Population Means For Ag (And Everyone Else!)
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The global population is getting older and fertility rates have been plummeting. Unless you follow my commentary, this is probably news to you. Most e...
262 - An Asparagus Entrepreneur
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ken Wall left his post as an attorney and moved his two sons back to the Ontario specialty crop farm he was raised on in the 1990s. Since then he's ex...
261 - Fats, Oils and Fuels
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's an industry within the world's most important industry that most folks probably don't think a lot about but it's huge and it's growing: The fa...
260 - Finding Fairness In Farm Transition
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You've likely heard the horror stories about unhealthy Agricultural family business succession. Dysfunctional relationships, favoritism, squandered we...
259 - Precision Conservation That Boosts Farm Profits
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While most farm operators quest for more acres, the real drive should be for more profitable acres. Which means, less productive acres in some cases w...
258 - Sorghum: A Crop To Answer A Future Of Water Restrictions?
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sorghum, Grain Sorghum, Milo…whatever you call it, it's a crop that's likely to expand in acres over the next decade. The reason: water. Specificall...
257 - Farming In Western Canada Amid New Environmental Regulation Push
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Trudeau administration recently announced its intention to bring (potentially stifling) environmental regulations to Canada's Ag sector. So far, t...
256 - 13 Trends Impacting The Future of Food Production - Part 2
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A new white paper produced by a team of members of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers outlines 13 trends impacting the future of production Ag...
255 - 13 Trends Impacting The Future of Food Production - Part 1
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A new white paper produced by a team of members of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers outlines 13 trends impacting the future of production Ag...
254 - How "Green" Legislation Harms Food Production And The Environment
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
During the Summer of 2022, Dutch farmers began protesting extreme environmental legislation poised to force liquidation of livestock and shut down far...
253 - The Future of Ag and The Ag Inputs Business
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Biologicals are the newest iteration in Ag inputs but they've actually been around for several decades and they still lack consistent results. Consoli...
252 - Money In Ag: A Mid 2022 Perspective
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Farm land prices are up. A lot! So are interest rates, input prices, and diesel fuel. What does all this mean heading into fall and for 2023? Should y...
251 - The Evolution of Crop Insurance to Keep American Ag Solvent
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
50 years we didn't have much in the way of crop insurance. Then came the 80's and the realization it was smarter — and more financially sound— for...
250 - Damn Those Dams! How (Misguided) Environmentalism Is Taking Food Off Our Plate
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Columbia - Snake River system consists of 465 miles of river that acts as Agricultural infrastructure. The waterways and their 8 dams allow barges...
249 - Montana Ag — It's Not Yellowstone!
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's way more to Montana than just Yellowstone — the park AND the popular television show. Montana agriculture is diverse, productive, and as big...
248 - Distorted World Markets And Record Prices…Is It Time For GMO Wheat?
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wheat prices are in record territory. Russia is reportedly seizing Ukrainian wheat and re-selling it. Africa and the Middle East might very well be st...
247 - Carbon Negative Renewable Energy That Benefits Agriculture?
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While Ag's detractors often paint Agriculture as an environmental villain, I promote Agriculture as an environmental solution. Renewable energy, carbo...
246 - The Future of Biofuel
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gas price hikes are a daily conversation and the exorbitant price of fuel is literally hyper-fueling inflation. The last time we saw conditions like t...
245 - The Scoop On Shipping And Transportation (And What It Means For Ag!)
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We began incessantly hearing the words "supply chain" a year after we'd already been feeling the brunt of its breakdown. In Agriculture it became noti...
244 - How Are Farm Finances And What Should We Expect in '22?
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
2022 started off with dire predictions for production Agriculture's financial outlook. But, by mid spring the picture was changing, and by early summe...