The Business of Agriculture Podcast

We've been hearing about carbon credits as a possible revenue source for farmers for a couple years now. In fact, we've covered the subject here on The Business of Agriculture podcast a couple times. But how do you go about qualifying, what paperwork and approvals are required, must you change your farming practices, and who sets the price for your farm's carbon sequestration? Those and other questions are addressed in this panel discussion between Iowa farmer, Kyle Mehmen and Nori - The Carbon Removal Marketplace's Rebekah Carlson and Giovanni Sornatale. If you're not making money off of carbon credits now, you very likely can be (and should be!) soon. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

As farming changes, who will survive, who will thrive, and who will exit the business? What sort of traits and habits will provide a competitive edge? How much of an industry shake up will consolidation bring? Brett Sciotto, CEO of Aimpoint Research explains farmer psychographics and the research and outlook his firm does on behalf of Agricultural organizations. From Leveraged Lifestylers to Enterprising Business Builders to Self-Reliant Traditionalists, Brett outlines the five farmer personalities while predicting who'll be operating our farms in another decade. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

Wheat is up 70% with other commodities up substantially as well. Farm land sale prices are setting records. To say things are frothy is an understatement, and it's not just in Ag. So what does all this mean at the farm level? What impact does a half to one percent raise in interest rates have on our industry? Curt Covington, Senior Director of Institutional Credit at AgAmerica joins me to discuss all this and more. He explains the 10-7-3-1 Rule of Ag lending, how things resemble the '80's, and how labor shortages are driving innovation in production Ag quickly. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

In February of 2022 a "study" caught wide media attention (as it was designed by its sponsors to specifically do). The study, commissioned by National Wildlife Fund, found that corn ethanol is worse for the environment than fuel derived from oil. Groups ranging from the fossil fuel industry to readers of Mother Jones embraced the study, flawed as it was. Turns out, the analysis of environmental impact assumed that corn production entailed bulldozing forests and breaking virgin prairie, among other carbon emitting activities that really don't resemble modern American corn production. The attacks on ethanol ramped up with media pieces such as The Atlantic blaming ethanol for global starvation. Geoff Cooper, CEO of Renewable Fuels Association joins me to discuss ethanol reality while looking at the strange bedfellows of activists against bio fuel. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

Avian Influenza, or Bird Flu, is whipping through the American poultry industry. Spread by migratory fowl, the disease has, so far, had an outsized impact on backyard flocks. But its negative effect on commercial poultry production is an ongoing concern. As of April 4, 2022, 13 million commercial layers have been euthanized to prevent disease spread. The virus appears to hit turkeys and layers harder than broilers (chickens we eat). Kevin McDaniel, COO of Wayne Farms joins me to explain bird flu and its effects on poultry. Sponsored by Nori nori.com

7,600 California farming operations produce 80% of the world's almonds, which is California's number two crop by revenue. Unfortunately, because of weather problems — a freeze at bloom stage— and water rationing, almonds are going to be in shorter supply and more expensive very soon. Aubrey Bettencourt, a fourth generation farmer and president of the Almond Alliance of California explains almond production, the regulatory environment impacting California Ag, and how environmentalism will take a million acres of California farm land out of production. Sponsored by Nori nori.com

Ori Ben Ner's father is an agronomist and serial entrepreneur, with 5 Ag tech companies to his credit. The Israeli farm family — 91 year old grandpa still operates a small farm — has an environmental proposal to reduce water consumption, packaged with a business proposal to make farmers more money. The company — SupPlant — uses plant sensing technology, AI, and data to achieve their goal of digitally informed irrigation decisions. With Ag's natural resource "footprint" increasingly scrutinized, Ag tech's role in farming is increasing rapidly. Listen to this! Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

On March 22, 2022 we celebrate the 49th annual National Ag Day. In this episode Damian shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about what the Business of Agriculture is and does. Some great stuff here — share it with your Ag and non-Ag friends. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

In March of 2020, all Hell broke loose for businesses and citizens alike, amid government-imposed shutdowns of the economy. Agriculture — as essential a business as any — was "allowed" to operate but it was hardly business as usual. The Agricultural input industry flexed to keep farms running with the supplies necessary to produce crops. Brandon Byington and Ryan Thompson with Helena Agra Enterprises join Brad and Kristen Seidel of Bison Ag to explain the adaptations made and lessons learned over the last two years. They also provide outlook on what long-terms effects they see in Ag inputs as a result of the pandemic. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

Jarod Creed is not an insurance agent, commodity broker, or banker. Yet, his job involves oversight of farmers' commodity marketing, capitalizing on government insurance programs, and keeping the balance sheet positive. Essentially, Jarod sees his company's role serving the 50 farming operations he works with as their consultant CFO. Jarod tells us what farming operations do wrong, why "manage your risk" is a misguided mantra, and why complacency is every farms biggest risk. From inflation, to commodity price volatility, to admitting Agriculture's amazing profit possibilities, Jarod and I cover it all in this spirited conversation. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com