Friend of Show, Andy Ambriole joins me to discuss the positives and negatives of both conventional and organic farming practices. He is the owner of BioSteward Farms and he’s been an Ag entrepreneur since age 9. He got into organic production for business reasons — he’s not a zealot like those folks at the Non-GMO Verified Project! Andy and I discuss the attributes of both cropping systems and why they’ll eventually merge, at least somewhat. The benefit of cover crops, the reality of farm rental economics, and the future of chemistry are also covered. You’ll like this lively dialogue recorded in my Granary Beef Office.

If you work in the Business of Agriculture, you understand the reality of what’s happening in rural America. Many small towns that once supported a grain elevator, a farm store, an implement dealership, and several other businesses have been shuttered. With consolidation came a degradation of life in many parts of rural America. Some rural communities haven’t suffered from consolidation — they never even experienced a boom. Tom Womack is Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. He sits down with me to discuss what his state is doing to revive rural Tennessee. Through the Ag Enhancement Program, money is being invested to create jobs in economically distressed areas. On the list of action items are broadband and technology for “flyover country.” If you live out here, you get it. We all benefit by a thriving rural economy, which means we’re all rooting for more rural initiative.

Past client and host of the Moving Iron podcast, Casey Seymour, joins me for my first ever “Swap Cast.” In this episode we discuss the future of farming, who’s going to farm, what equipment they’ll use, and where the opportunities lie. Consolidation will continue — as they always have in the Business of Agriculture — but beyond the commodity line lies plenty of fertile ground. We discuss all this and more, with plenty of attention paid to the machinery industry. Will there be autonomous machinery (yes), will it be smaller (yes, in time), and what happens to all those pieces of used equipment? Join in the discussion and leave your own comments on the future!

A recent study found 95% of baby food contains toxic metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. As an Ag & Food person, I naturally assumed the business of food production would be maligned. So far, farming isn’t being blamed (too much) for the issue. In this episode we discuss food fear, the politicization of food, and how things like the baby food study will affect Ag moving forward.

Did you know hay and forage are the third largest use of Ag land in the U.S.? We’ve never talked about hay on the Business of Agriculture podcast but that changed after I was hired to speak for the National Hay Association. Jeff Plourd from California and Bob McDowell from Michigan are two hay professionals. Jeff’s company exports hay to Asia and the Middle East. Bob’s company produces and brokers hay from Michigan and sells it (mostly) to horse owners in Florida and the southeast. They join me to talk about the hay business and take a look to the future of Ag.

105 years ago the Smith-Lever Act created the Cooperative Extension Service. The county Agent’s role was to extend information and education from each of his or her state’s land-grant university. If you grew up in Agriculture, you probably are familiar with the concept of the county Ag agent. But a lot has changed in the Business of Agriculture in the last century. How will the county agent remain relevant? Three county agents join me to discuss just that. Henry Dorough with Auburn University, Paula Burke with University of Georgia, and Stan Moore with Michigan State. Pull up a chair, you’ll learn a lot about the history of the U.S. and the history of Agriculture.

Joe Harris is the CEO and President of Southwest Meat Association. His membership is mostly in Texas but spans a total of 34 states. He joins me to discuss industry trends and challenges facing the animal protein business. His role is sometimes political so we discuss the real need for an immigrant worker plan (you’ll be intrigued by his example of the billboard outside a member’s meat packing plant) and the Meatless Monday policy in New York City. Joe also delves into the story of food safety and why he objects to plant -based protein being able to call itself “burger.” Sit down and listen to this episode with a steak — just when we thought we were done, Mr. Harris brought up a few more topics!

Over the years I’ve spoken to a lot of Agricultural audiences in the Canadian province of Alberta. For this episode I thought it would be fun to bring in a past client to explain farming, food, and Ag in central Alberta. Steve Cowan and I discuss the history of canola, the changing dynamic of prairie crop production, how trade disputes between China and the U.S. ultimately impact Canada, and dozens of other things you may or may not have known about Alberta’s role in the Business of Agriculture.

Agriculture is a consumer business that’s impacted by consumer trends. (By the way, so are ALL businesses!) Jim Dudlicek, Editorial Director for Progressive Grocer joins me to talk about food trends. What changes are going on in food and beverage consumption? We discuss the continual decline of sweetened beverages — although not if they’re sweetened with cane sugar — that’s a growth category now. Jim tells us about other hot new beverage entrants — everything from “Smoo-bucha” to vinegar based drinks (yuck!). Then we talk meat trends. What drives people to eat plant based protein? Some of Jim’s findings will surprise you. Turns out, vegans aren’t who’s buying Beyond burgers!

David Hasenauer is the founder of Greenpoint Research, a Florida based hemp company. This young Ag entrepreneur is looking to do some big things with an old crop. He explains the history of hemp, why it went away for several decades, and why it has such potential now. If you’ve been hearing about the potential of hemp and wondering how the business works, you’ve got to listen to this episode. I see more acres of hemp in U.S. fields soon — remember, we didn’t grow soybeans en masse until the 1950s!