The Business of Agriculture Podcast
Episodes
143 - Bayer Settles for $10.9 Billion — What's That Mean For Ag?
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 spe...
142 - Tactics Of The Conflict Industry — What Agriculture Can Learn From Protests
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
141 - What High Grocery (& Meat!) Prices Could Result In
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Groceries — particularly meat — have been in the news a lot lately. From meat plant closures to produce being destroyed to food bank demand spikes...
140 - Agricultural Aviation — More Than Mere Cropdusting
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
139 - Tell Your Story (But Tell It To Our Customers & Make It About Them!)
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 encourage...
138 - Shrimp Farming... in the Midwest?
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 far...
137 - Farming Without The Bank - with Mary Jo Irmen
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 presentatio...
136 - Quitting Isn't Failing — The Business End Of Farming
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
135 - Ethanol, Corn, Carbon Dioxide? The Ripple Effect and Why You Might Hoard Carbonated Beverages
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 Sa...
134 - Will Coronavirus Be The Catalyst For De-coupling From China?
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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-...
133 - Will There Be Shortages? The Impact of Coronavirus on the Pork Supply Chain
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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, bu...
132 - Hands On Expertise In A World of Social Distancing? It's Possible!
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
131 - Will Agriculture Have The Labor It Needs To Keep The Produce Aisle Stocked?
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The media sells advertising by perpetuating fear. One fear story that's resonating in the coronavirus era is that there may be food shortages — part...
130 - Will Agriculture Have The Inputs It Needs To Keep Producing?
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 w...
129 - The Coronavirus Stimulus Plan Explained & How You & Agriculture Can Benefit
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government just passed a $2 trillion relief package in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 23.5 billion of those dollars are specificall...
128 - Coronavirus: What Society Can Learn From American Animal Agriculture
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
127 - Don't Panic, Agriculture Won't Stop Working Due To Coronavirus
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As consumers hoard toilet paper and hand sanitizer in response to coronavirus, it appears there is more panic than pandemic. Luckily for American shop...
126 - BONUS: Fake Meat's Reality
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Damian Mason responds to plant-based meat's claims of: "better for you" eating, "better for the environment," and livestock production and meat eating...
125 - China: Bad for Our Health
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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,"...
124 - Telling Ag's Story (The Right and Wrong Way) and Other Topics With Delaney Howell
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 abo...
123 - Responding to Bloomberg — With Gray Matter
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Video surfaced recently showing presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg making statements that created a firestorm among the people of Agriculture. L...
122 - ReInventing the Business of Ag Retailing with Sioux Nation
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I push the need to constantly ReInvent to remain relevant in a constantly evolving marketplace. Ag retail is just such a marketplace. With consolidati...
121 - Hardwoods — Indiana's Largest Agricultural Industry (Believe it or Not)
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Per the Indiana Department of Agriculture, hardwoods are my home state's largest agricultural industry in terms of economic impact. That's why I thoug...
120 - From Onions to Bagged Alfalfa - an Agricultural Entrepreneur's Tale
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jay Hill wasn't a farm kid but at age 16 he decided he wanted to be a farmer. He went about pursuing his professional vision by joining forces with hi...
119 - Starbucks Uses P.R. to Make Milk Its Sacrificial Cow and Appease Enviros
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Starbucks made an announcement pledging to do its part to save the world. The coffee chain, with 31,000 stores worldwide, will "encourage" customers t...
118 - Selling Fruit, Specialization, and Way More with The FruitGuys Founder Chris Mittelstaedt
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Mittelstaedt isn't from a farming background but he became an Agricultural entrepreneur at an early age — he sold vegetables from his mom's ga...
117 - Walmart Didn't Bankrupt Borden Dairy (or Dean Foods!)
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On January 6th, 2020, Borden Dairy filed for bankruptcy protection. The 163 year old milk processor's announcement comes just 2 months after Dean Food...
116 - Meat vs. Veganism: The Battle is on in 2020
06 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's Golden Globe Awards is the first (of way too many) Hollywood awards shows for the year. It's also the first award show to distinguish itse...
115 - Grass Fed Beef - with Rich Bradbury
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rich Bradbury is an Oregon rancher with an eye on the future. Along with other cattlemen, he started a cooperative to process and market their brands ...
114 - Food Fear
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I'm so excited to announce the release of my new book, Food Fear — How Fear is Ruining Your Dinner and Why You Should Celebrate Eating. It's straigh...
113 - Regenerative Agriculture with Gabe Brown
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I first heard of Regenerative Agriculture this spring via congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's televised town hall meeting. Given Ms. Cortez's sta...
112 - Food 5.0 and The Future of Food Production
25 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Friend of show, Rob Saik, joins me to discuss his new book, Food 5.0 and the future of food production. He explains the 5 iterations of Agricultural a...
111 - 35 Years in the Machinery Business, Trends and Predictions with Machinery Pete
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Greg Peterson began his business of reporting on used farm equipment sales prices in 1989. After a decade of hand written figures and entering data in...
110 - Organic and Conventional in the Same Room
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Friend of Show, Andy Ambriole joins me to discuss the positives and negatives of both conventional and organic farming practices. He is the owner of B...
109 - An Initiative to Revive Rural America with Tennessee Department of Agriculture
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you work in the Business of Agriculture, you understand the reality of what's happening in rural America. Many small towns that once supported a gr...
108 - Farm Machinery, The Future, and More with Casey Seymour
25 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Past client and host of the Moving Iron podcast, Casey Seymour, joins me for my first ever "Swap Cast." In this episode we discuss the future of farmi...
107 - Food Fear & Baby Food
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A recent study found 95% of baby food contains toxic metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. As an Ag & Food person, I naturally assumed the ...
106 - Making Hay — the Business of Forage
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know hay and forage are the third largest use of Ag land in the U.S.? We've never talked about hay on the Business of Agriculture podcast but ...
105 - County Agent: Past, Present, and What's the Future Look Like?
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
105 years ago the Smith-Lever Act created the Cooperative Extension Service. The county Agent's role was to extend information and education from each...
104 - Meat: A Conversation - with Joe Harris
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Harris is the CEO and President of Southwest Meat Association. His membership is mostly in Texas but spans a total of 34 states. He joins me to di...
103 - Alberta Agriculture 101 - with Steve Cowan
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Over the years I've spoken to a lot of Agricultural audiences in the Canadian province of Alberta. For this episode I thought it would be fun to bring...
102 - Sugary Drinks, Plant Based "Meat," and a Cookie for Every Diet — Food Trends
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Agriculture is a consumer business that's impacted by consumer trends. (By the way, so are ALL businesses!) Jim Dudlicek, Editorial Director for Progr...
101 - Hemp: A Growth Category for Agriculture
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David Hasenauer is the founder of Greenpoint Research, a Florida based hemp company. This young Ag entrepreneur is looking to do some big things with ...
100 - Meat and the Marketplace with CattleFax Analyst Troy Bockelmann
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Troy Bockelmann is an analyst with CattleFax. He joins me to discuss beef, of course, along with a whole bunch of other stuff. We talk consumption num...
99 - Banking Tips for Producers, Agribusiness People, and even Bankers!
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you're a Farmer, Agribusiness person, or an Ag Banker, this episode is for you! John Blanchfield is a former Ag lender who then worked with th...
98 - Interpreting the USDA's August Crop Report - with AFBF Economist John Newton
12 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Friend of show and chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, John Newton joins me to break down this week's USDA crop report. The immed...
97 - Crop Insurance Explained
06 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We've heard a LOT about crop insurance this year — especially in the Midwest and Plains states. But do you truly understand crop insurance and how i...
96 - Purposefully Grown Grain - Connecting Special Crops with Special Processing Needs
30 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We in the Business of Agriculture are amazing at producing grain. But the world of food — especially in developed countries like ours — continues ...
95 - The Present & Future of Corn & Soy
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Ebert is the Senior Director of Grain Production and Utilization with the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the Indiana Soybean Alliance. He joins...
94 - Washington Wheat, Politics, and Environmentalism - with Randy Suess
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Randy Suess is a recently retired Washington wheat farmer and former chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates. Randy is still involved in Agriculture through...
93 - The Reality of Food Trends and How to Navigate Them
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For most of the 10,000 years since humans invented Agriculture, scarcity has been the norm. Food was difficult to produce, store, transport, and in ma...
92 - Lessons for Small & Niche Agriculture
02 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Young chucked his corporate job to become an entrepreneur in his mid 30s. What he built was a marketing company that grew to employ 450 people. Th...
91 - Pork & World Affairs - with the CEO of National Pork Board, Bill Even
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Pork is the world's most consumed meat. It's also increasingly a news item due to global trade tensions and a nasty virus that's currently eradicating...
90 - Protein, Pork, Prices, and Prognostication
18 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You've likely not heard of Urner Barry but the company does a lot of behind the scenes work in the Business of Agriculture. Specifically, they report ...
89 - Animal Rights Activism, Ag Gag Laws & the Reality for Ag Following Fair Oaks Farms
13 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
By now you've likely seen the video and heard about the animal mistreatment at Fair Oaks Farms. Sadly, for the Business of Agriculture, this isn't goi...
88 - Biblical Weather, Trade Disputes, Prevented Planting, MFP….Ag's Perfect Storm
04 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Farm folks, as I always joke, are obsessed with the weather. This Spring they have good reason to be, with the vast swath of Agriculturally productive...
87 - Organic Agriculture and the Future with BioSteward Farms - Andy Ambriole
29 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Andy Ambriole, proprietor of BioSteward Farms, rejoins me on the Business of Agriculture podcast. Andy was a guest way back in episode 6! Andy is a bu...
86 - Ag Infighting, Professionalism, the Future, and Other Opinions From An Ag Millennial
20 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Katherine Lotspeich is a 27 year old dairy farm girl from Utah (via Connecticut). She's now an Ag professional married to a Vo-Ag school teacher in Co...
85 - Activists Against Agriculture - When It Comes To Chemicals, They're Winning
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Things aren't good at Bayer, and that's just how the activist groups dead set on destroying the chemical company like it. At this week's shareholder m...
84 - Intercropping, Manure, and More with Jason Mauck
09 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You're gonna like this guy, although I'll warn you ahead of time, at times he's tough to keep up with. Jason Mauck is an Indiana farmer who thinks - a...
83 - Why "Feed The World" is Outdated - with Dr. Darrell Bricker, Author of Empty Planet
30 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I've been telling my Ag audiences for several years that "Feed The World" is outdated, much as we in Ag might love the mantra. We love it, because it'...
82 - Colorado: Agriculture, Hemp, and the Future
23 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Colorado Agriculture is either a crucible to predict what's coming for the rest of us, or an anomaly we'll all just witness from afar. The state has w...
81 - Using Data Insights to Improve Farming Decisions
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You're likely familiar with the various technology platforms being marketed to farmers. The Climate Corporation's Climate FieldView™ digital ag plat...
80 - Managing the Farm's Business with Nick Horob of Harvest Profit
08 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Horob started Harvest Profit in 2015. As an Ag consultant with a finance background, he saw a need for better farm business management through te...
79 - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cow Farts, & Why You Should Be Scared
02 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the new shining star of the Democratic party. In February she rolled out her proposal for a Green New Deal....
78 - The Downstream Impact of Devastating Floods in The Midwest
26 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Catastrophic weather events in Nebraska and Iowa, as well as Missouri, South Dakota, Kansas, and Minnesota are in the news. Our hearts go out to those...
77 - Roundup & AR-15 Rifles: How Cause Groups Use Courts To Win What They Otherwise Can't
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On March 19th, 2019 a San Francisco jury ruled that Roundup herbicide causes cancer. This is the second court ruling against Bayer (Monsanto). In this...
76 - Beef, Ag Economics, Feuds, and Lab Meat with Jerod McDaniel
12 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The host of Ag Uncensored and western Oklahoma farmer / rancher joins me to dig a little deeper on the subject of beef. Are those within the cattle in...
75 - Why There'll Be Less Corn
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As farmers head to the field to plant corn this spring, it's time to discuss something North American Agriculture doesn't want to hear: The world is g...
74 - What Farm Managers & Appraisers Do, See & Think
26 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Real estate is the foundation of everything we do in Agriculture. Sometimes that real estate requires outside management or a professional to determin...
73 - The Business of Crop Inputs & Innovation with Helena
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you earn your living in the Business of Agriculture you likely are familiar with crop inputs. That's all the stuff we use to produce an actual crop...
72 - Farming, Ranching & Western Oklahoma with Jerod McDaniel
12 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jerod McDaniel is a farmer, rancher, and podcaster from Texhoma, Oklahoma. He joins me to discuss his operation, the challenges of rural western Oklah...
71 - Business, Agriculture, And Beer Commercials
06 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
By now you've heard about and most likely seen the Bud Light Super Bowl commercial. The spot proudly proclaims Bud Light doesn't contain corn syrup wh...
70 - Business Lessons from Simplot
29 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
J.R. Simplot started as an eighth grade dropout and hit his first entrepreneurial home run with hogs in the 1920s. Mr. Simplot went on to build an emp...
69 - The Business of Grain Elevators
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you're in the business of Agriculture you are probably familiar with country grain elevators. You may even think the grain elevator is dying. But i...
68 - Autonomous Farm Equipment
14 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Friend of show, Rob Saik, joins me to discuss his latest initiative. Rob is the founder of Agri-Trend, a company he sold to Trimble, and is the new C....
67 - Ag Messages That Sell To Main Street Consumers
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We in Agriculture are constantly reminded of the need to "tell our story." While I agree with the need for communicating with our non-Ag brethren, oft...
66 - New Year: Time to Set Goals, Reflect, and Eliminate Clutter
05 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
At new years time each year I sit down and get reflective about business and the year that was. What things did I accomplish, what did I not accomplis...
65 - Farm Bill 2018
20 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Like it or not, the Business of Agriculture is controlled, in large part, by the federal government. This has been the case for at least a century and...
64 - Beef: Breeds, Business, Marketing and More
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Montie Soules, CEO of the American Shorthorn Association, has been a cattle guy his entire career. Although, he was raised on a Michigan turkey farm, ...
63 - Professional Opportunities In Ag
03 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Hammerich is a friend of the show who joined me way back in Episode 8. He returns to discuss career opportunities, career mistakes, and the realit...
62 - Crowd Funding Agriculture
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Business of Agriculture is capital intensive, cyclical, seasonal, and generally reliant on outside cash for expansion. For decades we've relied on...
61 - Tips To Improve Your Speaking & Communication About Ag
20 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Last week I delivered a session to a packed room of Ag women in Nebraska. The subject: How to better speak and communicate about the Business of Agric...
60 - California Prop 12 & The Real Agenda of Animal Rights Activists
14 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
California voters passed Proposition 12, requiring all eggs sold or grown in California to be from cage free hens by 2022. The law also dictates space...
59 - The World Of Wheat
06 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Darren Padget is an Oregon farmer, a friend, and the secretary / treasurer of U.S. Wheat Associates. He's also an Oregon Wheat commissioner. We sat do...
58 - The Ag Economy, Equipment, and the Future
29 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Casey Seymour from the Moving Iron podcast is my guest. The Nebraska equipment guy gives his take on the Ag economy and Ag issues through the eyes of ...
57 - Estate Planning & Legal Talk for Agriculture
23 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Too many Ag people do the hard work of running their Ag enterprise and accumulating assets, then avoid the easy work of estate planning. We often hear...
56 - Ag Headlines & Issues with Delaney Howell
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Delaney Howell from Ag News Daily joins me to discuss a myriad of issues and news items in the world of Agriculture. Among them: Trump's visit to Iowa...
55 - Selling Roundup In California
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
My guest is Alan Bishop, a rural Wisconsin kid who, after graduating from the Ag school at the University of Wisconsin, ended up in Fresno. His job: T...
54 - Distorted Reality: The Effect of Tariffs & Trade On Ag
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The media has been all abuzz over tariffs and trade negotiations, especially as it pertains to Agriculture. Well, good for us, seems the media only pa...
53 - Seed Production & Sales with Doug Hubner
19 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Doug Hubner is a third generation seedsman, farmer, and brand manager for Hubner Seed. In 2002 the company started by his father and grandfather reinv...
52 - The Biz of Talking Funny to The Business of Agriculture
10 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Biz of Talking Funny to The Business of Agriculture Tim Moffett is a Florida dairy farmer with an interesting side job: He's an Agricultural comed...
51 - Ag Finance - A Banker's Perspective
31 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
#podcast #DamianMason #BusinessOfAgriculture #AgricultureBusiness
50 - Animal Agriculture, Antibiotics, Ag Infighting, And More
26 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Smith is a Technical Swine Nutritionist with Kent Feeds. He and I met a few years back when his company hired me to speak at a national sales meet...
49 - The Media-Perpetuated March Against Monsanto Marches On
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Monsanto- now part of Bayer - doesn't event exist anymore. But that doesn't mean the March Against Monsanto will die. The protest will live on, the on...
48 - Back to School for the Business of Agriculture
13 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We in the business of agriculture must do our part to foster tomorrow's leaders and workers. With school back in session this month, I thought it'd be...
47 - Whats In The News And Damian's Head
05 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode hear my thoughts on current events in the Business of Agriculture. We revisit the "nuisance" lawsuits against pork producers in North ...
46 - A Conversation with Farm Babe
25 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Miller a.k.a. The Farm Babe is a social media star, speaker, sheep farmer, and AgDaily contributing writer. She joins me to discuss food labe...
45 - A (Great) Discussion with an Ag Entrepreneur
20 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Barry Aycock is a farmer, farm owner, cotton gin operator, nursing home owner, and founder of AgXplore. Barry was a farm boy who aspired to become a c...
44 - Gettin' Groceries (Part 2)
06 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Dudlicek of Progressive Grocer and I continue our conversation about all things grocery. In part two we talk about the future of food. What's happ...