Farming the Countryside with Andrew McCrea

The presidential election is upon us and most consider the outcome to be a toss-up. In a moment I’ll take you to a time when the outcome of the race was considered wrapped up and the public awoke to find a very different outcome. 

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Many of us live in rural and agricultural America and the success of our small towns ultimately spells the success of our schools, local businesses and civic organizations. But what do you do to help a town that seems to be vanishing, taking all of those important pieces of the community with it? I’ll take you to a place that perhaps looks at economic development a little differently and all of us could learn from their example. 

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How will equipment change to meet the demands of farming in the future? Two young researchers based in Illinois known as the “Soil Sisters” are helping shape those changes and supplying farmers with the data they need to stay ahead on their operations. We’ll meet them and their important research. 

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Jason Clay is back and brings with him many thought provoking ideas that can have an impact locally and globally. We discuss the push to grow more with less and how we get there. We discuss everything from school bonds vs. food bonds to potential changes in the farm bill of the future.

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Many acres of pasture ground have been converted to row crops. Is there a future for grazing cattle? What could you do to make those pastures more profitable so that raising livestock makes sense? We explore technology that helps ranchers better evaluate the decisions they make and how to get more out of the acres that are grazed.

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Most cattle producers put up hay to feed during the year, but do you really need to do so? Eric Bailey says there’s a better way to feed cattle that can increase profitability and better utilize forages. We discuss the changes we should consider to run a more efficient operation.

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Crop margins are tight and every bushel counts. How do you make sure you get every kernel possible out of the field? We talk about pro harvest tips that will help us get the maximum out of our fields. 

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Higher interest rates and lower commodity prices have put pressure on machinery prices. So is the time to make a deal? Machinery Pete is tracking the data and he says this may be the sweet spot to make a trade. We discuss what segments of the market are falling the fastest and where prices remain strong. 

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Parts of northern Iowa and southern Minnesota were hard hit with too much rain early this season. We talk with farmer Lisa Peterson about her crop and where she’s seeing people tightening their budgets. Plus we talk about what it takes to come back to the farm, especially when no one expects you to make the move. How do you navigate conversations with your siblings so you maintain harmony maintain the farm acres to make a living?

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Pro Farmer Crop Tour recently concluded and it appears a record harvest may be on the way. With lower commodity prices this fall, how should we look to market our grain? Is it the time to sell, store, or take another position in the market. We take a look at the big crop and what to do with it.

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