The Business of Agriculture Podcast

By Damian Mason

What's The Business of Agriculture Podcast about?

Damian travels all over the globe talking to audiences about trends in the business of food, fuel, and fiber. With his clever wit and down-to-earth delivery, he has turned these topics into an interesting (and sometimes controversial) podcast.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Business of Agriculture Podcast episodes:

04.22.2024
342 - Money, Mergers & Cage Free Eggs — The Investment Climate in Ag
Money was pouring into Agricultural startups a few years ago. What’s the investment climate look like now? Damian Mason is joined by Business Transaction Attorney Max Bremer on this episode of The Business of Agriculture. They discuss money flow into...
04.15.2024
341 - Exchange Traded Funds for Agricultural Commodities
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 — exchange traded funds. Jake Hanley with Teucrium explains the oftentimes complex commodities trading...
04.08.2024
340 - Purple Tomatoes, Taste, Waste, Nutritive Value & Much More
Fruits and vegetables have been bred over the past half century for the primary objective of transportability and shelf life. The tradeoff: taste and nutrient density. As marketplaces mature and consumers are afforded increasing food options in the produce section,...
04.01.2024
339 - Technology to Maximize (Rather than Waste) Your Crop Input Investment
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 Agriculture. Technological advances in adjuvants, fertilizer amendments and biologicals aim to change farming. In this episode of...
03.25.2024
338 - Talking Taters (and Much More!) with Oregon Potato Company
Frank Tiegs started farming in the Columbia basin region of Washington in 1975. Then he bought an apple packing facility. From there, the operation has expanded mightily to involve 140,000 acres of farming and 15 food processing facilities. Upon Frank’s...
03.18.2024
337 - Is It Time for Legislation Restricting Foreign Ownership of American Farm Land? 25 States Think So!
Indiana appears poised to become the twenty-fifth state to restrict — or outright ban — ownership of Agricultural real estate by foreign entities. Many people — from both within and outside of Ag — have been calling for such legislation....
03.11.2024
336 - Is The Migrant Crisis a Crisis for Agriculture or a Net Benefit?
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 industries that feed the food business and you’re talking about a LOT of foreign-born workers...
03.04.2024
335 - Are We Wrong About Oversupply?
In the last episode Todd Thurman joined Damian to cover a topic most in Agriculture have never considered: Are we permanently over supplied with Agricultural commodities? Pointing out the reasons demand won’t outpace - or even keep up with -...
02.26.2024
334 - Oversupplied: What Happens When Ag Keeps Increasing Production While Demand Slides?
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 U.S. The playbook for decades has been: find more global markets to peddle...
02.19.2024
333 - Farm Policy, Farm Income and Farm Bill With Jim Wiesemeyer
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 still don’t have a Farm Bill — which was supposed to have been...
02.12.2024
332 - Cash Rent: Are You Paying Too Much? Charging Too Little?
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 determined? Are the rental rates fair? What causes variability in values? Howard Halderman...
02.05.2024
331 - From $300 and A Google Search to a Mushroom Entrepreneur
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 Mile Mushrooms and launched a subsidiary. The business still grows some fungus for consumption but has...
01.29.2024
330 - Traits of a Successful Farm Trade Show
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-chair of Commodity Classic 2024, joins Damian Mason and XtremeAg’s Kelly Garrett to talk...
01.19.2024
329 - Bio-nutrients To Reduce Fungicide, Insecticide & Synthetic Fertilizer
Blake Matthews returned to the Idaho family farming operation twenty years ago. Upon his return, he began experimenting with a new array of products and practices, including bio-nutrients. First, he used bio-nutrients to help his sugar beets bounce back after...
01.15.2024
328 - Farming In 2 Hemispheres
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 family, with a farming operation in west central Illinois, had just purchased farm land in a...
01.08.2024
327 - "Middle Man" vs. Value-Added
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 popular to talk about “cutting out the middle man,” how realistic is it to actually happen?...
01.01.2024
326 - It’s Time To Simplify Your Grain Marketing
Ag commodity marketing is too complex, largely misunderstood, and the industry is full of products and services you probably don’t even need to profitably market your grain. That truth bomb — along with many more — is courtesy of Joe...
12.25.2023
325 - The U.S. Economy and What It Means for Ag in 2024
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. What’s going on at the macro-economic level and what does it mean for Agriculture? Compeer’s...
12.18.2023
324 - Farm Finances — The Wrap on 2023 and A Look at 2024
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, yield, and how well operators navigated the commodity markets. Prices for land, labor, fuel, machinery,...
12.11.2023
323 - All About Oats with 2 Canadian Producers
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 every bushel of oats goes straight to human consumption? With horse racing’s...
12.04.2023
322 - Eminent Domain, Green Policy, Electric Grid Expansion and Your Farm
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 project was defeated a few years ago but, with support from the Inflation Reduction Act...
11.27.2023
321 - Pork: Production, Profitability, Pathogens, Proposition 12 & More!
Currently, pork profitability (or lack thereof) has certain observers comparing the industry to the late ’90s when pork was in turmoil. It was that era, in fact, that set the stage for today’s (mostly) vertically integrated hog production model using...
11.20.2023
320 - Agricultural Selling & Understanding The Buyer’s Mind
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 knowledge keeping up? Do you understand the needs and problems of the...
11.13.2023
319 - Will Problems on the Mississippi Create Fertilizer Shortfalls?
The Mississippi River is low and that’s causing shipping problems for Agriculture. Mark Milam with Independent Commodity Intelligence Services joins Damian to discuss issues of transportation, supply, and distribution of fertilizer for crop year 2024. Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag...
11.06.2023
318 - Beef On Dairy — A Trend That’s Changing The Meat Marketplace
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, and maybe the environment. The advent of sex-specific semen made a whole lot...
10.30.2023
317 - Reversing Sins Against Soil
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, we’re still mistreating this valuable asset that’s selling for $15,000 to $20,000 per acre in...
10.23.2023
316 - Will The Marketplace Pay a Premium for “Grown Climate Smart” Designation?
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 branch Ag retailer and grain elevator, DeLong has roughly 250,000 customer acres enrolled in the program...
10.16.2023
315 - Is Ag Real Estate At A Peak?
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 has been selling well but…there are signs of a cooling off. What can we...
10.09.2023
314 - A SWOT Analysis for American Agriculture
Businesses are encouraged to conduct assessments of their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. In short: What are you good at, what do you suck at, where will tomorrow’s money be made, and what things could put you out of business?...
10.02.2023
313 - Machinery Market: Trends, Technology & Tomorrow
Used machinery markets are heating up earlier than normal. Is this because farmers in need of equipment recall getting shut out during the supply chain disruptions of Covid or is there a used equipment shortage? What are interest rates —...
09.25.2023
312 - Turning Wheat Straw Into A Value-Added Human Food Ingredient
Comet Bio is a technology-enabled food ingredient company that, after eight years, is finally ready to churn out food ingredients. The company extracts fiber — arabinoxylan to be specific — from wheat straw and turns it into an ingredient for...
09.18.2023
311 - Organic Poultry—at Scale—with Farmer Focus
Organic food sales growth still outpaces conventional, despite food inflation and even after nearly two decades of “organic” being a thing. Additionally, the margins are better for organic. So, how much longer can “organic” grow organically? How do organic chicken...
09.11.2023
310 - If I Had a Billion Dollars, Where In Ag Would I Invest It? Or, Would I?
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 well as the six weeks of pondering it inspired in my head,...
09.04.2023
309 - Is The Future of Silage Bagged for Efficiency & Environment?
Silage — in case you’re unfamiliar— is high moisture forage chopped and stored for cattle feed, principally dairy animals. It derives its name from the fact we used to blow this forage into silos. That’s not done much anymore for...
08.28.2023
308 - Regenerative Ranching — For Environment AND Economics
Regenerative practices have become a new area of focus in production Agriculture. But what about our grazing lands — are we managing those lands for healthier soil, a healthier environment AND a healthier bottom line? Hugh Aljoe and Jim Johnson...
08.21.2023
307 - What Happened to the Indoor Ag Revolution?
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 investors. Along with the money came the media coverage, which brought more money and more...
08.14.2023
306 - Is Your Field Infected?
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 huge limiting yield factor is loss due to pathogens. With so many nasty diseases out there,...
08.07.2023
305 - Who’s Paying Farmers To Adopt Regenerative Ag, Why & For How Long? Your Questions Answered
We’re several years into various programs looking to sign up acres for such things as carbon sequestration, nitrogen reduction, cover crops, and other regenerative practices. Yet, there are still not very many acres signed up. Why is that and what...
07.31.2023
304 - Bridging The Farmer/Entrepreneur Mindset
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 farmers don’t flex their money mindset or think like entrepreneurs. This could make for real on-farm...
07.24.2023
303 - Is Agriculture Gonna Make Money in 2023?
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?” Jarod Creed of JC Marketing & Ag Financial Services joins Damian to discuss...
07.17.2023
302 - Is Supply Management in America’s Ag Future?
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 we run out of places to sell our output or creative ways to burn...
07.10.2023
301 - Tackling Commodity Mindset For Higher Margins in Ag
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 bigger, and making more with less. But what happens when there’s almost no efficiencies to...
07.03.2023
300 - What Are Biologicals, What Do They Do, and Why Do I Need Them?
The proliferation of biological crop inputs over the last several years has been almost overwhelming. I personally believe soil biology — understanding it and working with the soil versus against it — is the next frontier for production Agriculture. That...
06.26.2023
299 - Prime Time Pepper Production
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. Today he is the CEO and half owner of Prime Time — a California-based...
06.19.2023
298 - Technology That Reduces Waste By Capturing What You’ve Already Produced
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 it to the grain bin. We in Agriculture have been conditioned to focus on...
06.12.2023
297 - Farm Finances, Pivoting Due to Interest Rates And The 5 C's of Credit
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 record territory. So, is everything alright with farm financials? John Maman with Nutrien Financial...
06.05.2023
296 - Stubbornness: Why 77% of Farms Don’t Have A Succession Plan
If you work in the Business of Agriculture, you likely know of a dysfunctional family farming operation. Contrary to the pastoral vision of farming portrayed in children’s books, many farms are stress-filled places to work with family members in conflict,...
05.29.2023
295 - Are Outsiders Really Buying Up Farms? Trends And Truths About Farmland Investing
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 investors are keeping farmers from expanding ownership? Will interest rate hikes cause farm ground...
05.22.2023
294 - Aerial Agriculture — A Bird’s Eye View of Drones, Manned Aircraft & Tomorrow
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 a number of practical reasons as well as the technology advancements being made in manned...
05.15.2023
293 - Ag's Next Gen — A Talk With Morningside University Ag Students And Department Head
“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 says Dr. Tom Paulson, department head at Morningside U’s Applied Agricultural and Food Studies. Dr. Paulson is joined...

What's The Business of Agriculture Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Business of Agriculture Podcast episodes:

342 - Money, Mergers & Cage Free Eggs — The Investment Climate in Ag

341 - Exchange Traded Funds for Agricultural Commodities

340 - Purple Tomatoes, Taste, Waste, Nutritive Value & Much More

339 - Technology to Maximize (Rather than Waste) Your Crop Input Investment

338 - Talking Taters (and Much More!) with Oregon Potato Company

337 - Is It Time for Legislation Restricting Foreign Ownership of American Farm Land? 25 States Think So!

336 - Is The Migrant Crisis a Crisis for Agriculture or a Net Benefit?

335 - Are We Wrong About Oversupply?

334 - Oversupplied: What Happens When Ag Keeps Increasing Production While Demand Slides?

333 - Farm Policy, Farm Income and Farm Bill With Jim Wiesemeyer

332 - Cash Rent: Are You Paying Too Much? Charging Too Little?

331 - From $300 and A Google Search to a Mushroom Entrepreneur

330 - Traits of a Successful Farm Trade Show

329 - Bio-nutrients To Reduce Fungicide, Insecticide & Synthetic Fertilizer

328 - Farming In 2 Hemispheres

327 - "Middle Man" vs. Value-Added

326 - It’s Time To Simplify Your Grain Marketing

325 - The U.S. Economy and What It Means for Ag in 2024

324 - Farm Finances — The Wrap on 2023 and A Look at 2024

323 - All About Oats with 2 Canadian Producers

322 - Eminent Domain, Green Policy, Electric Grid Expansion and Your Farm

321 - Pork: Production, Profitability, Pathogens, Proposition 12 & More!

320 - Agricultural Selling & Understanding The Buyer’s Mind

319 - Will Problems on the Mississippi Create Fertilizer Shortfalls?

318 - Beef On Dairy — A Trend That’s Changing The Meat Marketplace

317 - Reversing Sins Against Soil

316 - Will The Marketplace Pay a Premium for “Grown Climate Smart” Designation?

315 - Is Ag Real Estate At A Peak?

314 - A SWOT Analysis for American Agriculture

313 - Machinery Market: Trends, Technology & Tomorrow

312 - Turning Wheat Straw Into A Value-Added Human Food Ingredient

311 - Organic Poultry—at Scale—with Farmer Focus

310 - If I Had a Billion Dollars, Where In Ag Would I Invest It? Or, Would I?

309 - Is The Future of Silage Bagged for Efficiency & Environment?

308 - Regenerative Ranching — For Environment AND Economics

307 - What Happened to the Indoor Ag Revolution?

306 - Is Your Field Infected?

305 - Who’s Paying Farmers To Adopt Regenerative Ag, Why & For How Long? Your Questions Answered

304 - Bridging The Farmer/Entrepreneur Mindset

303 - Is Agriculture Gonna Make Money in 2023?

302 - Is Supply Management in America’s Ag Future?

301 - Tackling Commodity Mindset For Higher Margins in Ag

300 - What Are Biologicals, What Do They Do, and Why Do I Need Them?

299 - Prime Time Pepper Production

298 - Technology That Reduces Waste By Capturing What You’ve Already Produced

297 - Farm Finances, Pivoting Due to Interest Rates And The 5 C's of Credit

296 - Stubbornness: Why 77% of Farms Don’t Have A Succession Plan

295 - Are Outsiders Really Buying Up Farms? Trends And Truths About Farmland Investing

294 - Aerial Agriculture — A Bird’s Eye View of Drones, Manned Aircraft & Tomorrow

293 - Ag's Next Gen — A Talk With Morningside University Ag Students And Department Head