Farming the Countryside with Andrew McCrea

Most of this year’s crop is out of the field and in the bin. What did we learn in 2024 to help us for the future? What are the challenges and opportunities as we look to next year? We talk with two farmers in national leadership positions who discuss what they see on the horizon. 

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The strategy for crop farmers in 2025 may not be how to make a profit, but rather how to lose less money? What can we do to protect the cash and assets we have? What are some of the costs that we can reduce and are there preferred tactics to implement in our current market situation?

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Paul Neiffer provides some of the tax strategies we need to keep in mind before year-end. Learn what things can we do to benefit our personal and business bottom line both now and for the future.

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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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