The Business of Agriculture Podcast

Bee populations are declining, as you’ve likely heard. Is the decline a problem for Agriculture? Yes, says Itai Kanot, co-founder of BeeHero. With 75% of food crops requiring pollination, humanity needs bees. We need both wild honeybees — and perhaps more importantly — the kind kept by professional beekeepers. Professional beekeepers are hired by farmers to pollinate specialty crops. Bee keepers are struggling with Bee Colony Collapse, which is not an actual disease, but a phenomenon due to humans, monoculture, insecticide usage, and global movement of products harmful to bees. Mr. Kanot believes technology, along with addressing those four issues, can address Agriculture's bee problem.

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

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The global Agriculture drone market is predicted to grow by 31.5% annually over the next four years. That’s good for Ag innovation but bad for American national security. Why? Because the dominant global manufacturer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) for Agriculture, is directly linked to the Chinese Communist Party. That company — DJI — currently controls about 3/4 of the Ag drone market, including here in North America. Besides spraying product on our fields, there is compelling evidence the company is gathering data and providing it to the Chinese government. Arthur Erickson, CEO of Texas-based Ag drone maker Hylio, joins Damian for this important discussion.

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

Historically, investment in Africa has been extractive, as in, spend money to build mines or infrastructure to extract resources from the continent. Jeff Bordes with Acres Club says his company is changing that by deploying capital investment into Africa to build farms to nourish the local population. Developing farms in other countries is nothing new (see Brazil for example), but why Africa and why the nation of Zambia in particular? Damian asks all those questions and more with the guys from Acres Club.

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

Recycled freight containers turned into backyard hydroponic farms for suburbanites? Space farming to combat the perils of Earth-bound climate crisis? These are just two of the multitude of Agriculture-themed business ventures being pitched by their founders, investors and public relations consultants. The problem with these ventures: They seek to solve a problem that isn’t really a problem, while the real problems Agriculture faces are left unaddressed. Damian Mason shares his thoughts on what Agricultural problems investment and innovation should tackle versus the ideas we should lose.

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

The U.S. is staring down its largest Agricultural trade deficit in history. One factor in that is the amount of off-shore produce and specialty crop imports from nations with significantly lower labor costs. Jamie Clover Adams, Executive Director of Michigan Asparagus joins Damian Mason to explain why American farmers are losing out to other countries. The benefit of low prices is good for the consumer. The downside: potential loss of an industry and loss of food security.

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

The demographics are actually quite staggering — we are getting old, fast. Which means our customer’s dietary choices and demands are changing. Is Agriculture changing with its customers? What about the food inflation situation, with grocery prices up 25% since 2020? Todd Thurman, of Swine Insights International joins Damian to discuss economics, demographics, and opportunities shaping up amid an older customer base facing persistent food inflation.

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

For six decades, American Agriculture ran a trade surplus — meaning, we sold more dollars worth of Ag products to other countries than we bought. That’s changed. American Ag has run a trade deficit (bought more than we sold) four of the last six years. A record trade imbalance of $32 Billion is projected for 2024. Why is American Agriculture at a trade imbalance? Hint: Low corn and soybean prices combined with Americans' love of coffee, sugar, tequila, and avocados is part of the problem. John Newton, Chief Economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry talks trade with Damian Mason!

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

Farming is a business. Complete with a lot of moving parts, huge capital investment, and low margins. Adding in the trend toward farm consolidation, those larger farms that remain are left feeling a bit isolated. What’s a forward-looking farmer to do? Join a professional peer group where you get business advice, information, and feedback from other farming operations similar to yours. Chris Barron with Ag View Solutions explains how his Ag peer groups function to benefit farmers. Chris is joined by farmer, ag business owner, and peer group member Brad Downing.

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

Agriculture has been consolidating for almost a century. There were 6.8 million American farms in 1935, today, less than 2 million. About 160,000 of those two million American farms do the bulk of the heavy lifting, production wise, with more than 90% of farm revenue. Consolidation has been the norm in not only production Agriculture but also on the business side. From farm machinery, to genetics, chemistry, and retail, there are fewer players today than in past decades. As we head into a declining Ag income cycle, consolidations will increase, based on historical precedent. But what are the limitations of consolidation? Landus CEO Matt Carstens joins Damian Mason for a lively Business of Agriculture episode!

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com

Big companies have gotten bigger in Agriculture, generally by acquiring, or merging with, other companies. Consolidation in the Business of Agriculture has been going on for decades and it’s likely to continue. The question is: Who benefits from consolidation in the Agriculture industry? Damian Mason asks Corteva’s Jim Davis that question, amid many other frank inquiries in this very interesting discussion. This is the first release in a two part series digging into consolidation in Agriculture.

The Business of Agriculture Podcast with Damian Mason is Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag Redox Bio-Nutrients redoxgrows.com Truterra truterraag.com