The Business of Agriculture Podcast

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 AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com

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 of dairy cow uteruses available. Meanwhile the beef industry needed calves. The result: beef bulls being bred to dairy calves creating calves intended specifically for the beef trade. This trend is upending the marketplace. Ian Wheal of meat supply chain consultancy Breedr joins Nebraska cattleman and founder of HerdDogg — a cattle biometrics company — Andrew Uden for an explanatory dialogue about Beef-on-Dairy. Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com

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 some areas. David Kleinschmidt of Progressive Agronomy and Illinois farmer Mike Imhoff discuss cover cropping, soil biology, advanced soil testing, and programs to help reverse sins against your soil.

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 that incentivizes wind breaks, cover cropping, tillage reduction, and nutrient management. Now the question is: Will consumers or downstream Ag customers pay a premium or be able to justify a premium associated with "climate smart" designation? DeLong's Dylan Vaca and Wisconsin farmer Randy Hughes join Damian Mason to discuss the challenge of fetching a premium for environmentally conscious commodities. Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com

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 expect moving forward? Will the institutional investors remain in Ag land? And what are the drivers of farm ground pricing and sales? Howard Halderman of Halderman Real Estate & Farm Management joins Damian in a webinar format. We thought it was so insightful and timely, we're bringing it to you as a Business of Agriculture podcast. Enjoy!

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? The most critical element of an effective SWOT Analysis is the ability to be critical. That's why I brought in Ryan Moe, member of The Business of Ag Success Group, Regional Director with StoneX, and unapologetic truth teller. It's a long episode but among my all-time favorites and an awesome, insightful conversation! Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com

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 — more than double what they were just a year or so ago— doing to the farm implement market? Does a farmer need the newest and shiniest machinery in an era of evolving and transportable technology? Is there a place for smaller scale farm equipment in tomorrow's Ag? Is farm machinery a barometer for the greater Ag economy. A predictor of the future? Those questions and more are addressed in this insightful discussion between Damian and Moving Iron's Casey Seymour. Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com

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 food companies to use in food for human consumption. This is a win-win for everyone involved: New demand for an Ag by-product (straw) is always good, creating a product that adds up to 100 times value is even better. Comet's CEO, Rich Troyer explains the process, the product, and the potential. The company's first processing facility is in Denmark, with plans to build and open a facility in North American wheat country in the future. Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com

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 farms operate, is it the same as vertically integrated conventional poultry production? Where does the product end up? Lorenzo Bared, VP of Strategy for Farmer Focus, the nation's largest branded organic poultry producer with a business model focusing on independent family farmers. Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com

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, made me think this was a solid and stimulating topic for The Business of Agriculture. Looking from 2023 and beyond, where within our industry will there be a need for investment capital to fuel expansion to feed new demand? Biologicals? Ag tech? Real estate? Environmental plays using Ag? Food waste? Infrastructure? Rob Saik of AGvisorPRO joins me on this fun discussion. Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com