The Business of Agriculture Podcast

Did you know that over 120 million American cropland acres are treated aerially each year? In addition to treating nearly one third of our crop acres, aerial applicators also fight forest fires, treat timberland, enhance pasture and rangeland, and spray for bugs harmful to human health (think mosquitoes). Aerial application of crop inputs is an important part of Agricultural production that most people don't think much about. That's why I brought on Andrew Moore, CEO of the National Agricultural Aviation Association. Interesting stuff in this episode. Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

On my cross country drive back to the farm last week I heard multiple references on the radio to Ag people "Telling Their Story." We've been encouraged for several years now as Ag people to "tell our story." And we should. However, there are a couple issues when it comes to us telling our story. In this episode we discuss how to make our story relevant to and more about the customer, not just ourselves. We also discuss how to stop preaching to the choir and start communicating with non-Ag people. Agriculture is a business and businesses are customer driven…one way to keep those customers happy is by telling our story in a way that makes it their story.

Karlanea Brown intended to be a fashion designer. That's what she studied in college and had dreamed of doing since age 12. Then she married a hog farmer and everything changed. Karlanea worked off the farm for years then joined the farm enterprise after her husband, Darryl's, father passed away. The Browns had already departed the hog business and were looking for a replacement when they decided on shrimp. Today, RDM Aquaculture complements their grain farming and greenhouse business. Karlanea shares shrimp lessons learned and describes their thriving direct-to-consumer / restaurant seafood business. Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

Agriculture IS a business. That's a point I make in my book, Food Fear, and a point I make repeatedly in discussions with consumers and in presentations to Ag industry folks. Ag is a business. Which means production Agriculture is supposed to be profitable and should be run like a business. Mary Jo Irmen, author of Farming Without the Bank joins me to discuss financial strategy, mistakes, and opportunities for today's Ag professional. We cover a lot of ground in this episode on the subject too many producers avoid properly handling: money.

Lyle Benjamin farmed for 17 years with his business partner wife in Montana's Golden Triangle region. He's from there. He returned there after stints away from the farm so he could be a farmer. This winter — on the heels of several bad years — he made the decision to quit farming. Lyle joins me to discuss the difficult decision when the emotional and tradition-laden side of the family farming operation meets the business realities of production Agriculture. Lyle has no regrets. He made a business decision to preserve capital and provide for his family. Lyle offers plenty of lessons and support for farmers — or any business owner for that matter — staring down the difficult decision of closing one's business. Please share this episode with someone you know who is struggling with or stressing over a big decision. Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

Nearly half the nation's ethanol facilities are closed at the moment. No, it's not directly due to coronavirus, it's due to the oil glut created by Saudi Arabia and what that's done to ethanol prices. These closures, like every action, have a reaction. For the Business of Agriculture, the ripple effect is oftentimes misunderstood by the non farming consumer. Take meat plant closures as an example and what that's created at the grocery store. Sadly, we're seeing or about to see the downstream impact of ethanol closures. Corn prices are the first reaction (over one third of America's corn production goes to ethanol), but there are other reactions too. Geoff Cooper, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association joins me to discuss what ethanol plant closures mean for Ag and consumers. You may just want to stock up on carbonated beverages!

With the world economy now in turmoil due to coronavirus, changes are coming fast to the global marketplace. Will the U.S. and China experience a "de-coupling?" Todd Thurman of Swinetex Consulting Services joins me to discuss the realities and complexities of US - China relations. Todd's business took him to China for 130 days last year. He provides perspective from his time and involvement in the pork industry. Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

Meat plants are being shut down due to concern over employee coronavirus infections. At first, the average consumer might see this as a good thing, but what's the effect at the grocery store? Potentially very bad. Rob Brenneman and his wife Char are the founders of Brenneman Pork, a large Iowa hog farming operation. Mr. Brenneman joins me to explain the entire pork industry, from breeding the sow (female pig) to the resulting pork chop on a consumer's plate. That process, incidentally, takes roughly 10 months. Which is why a disruption at any juncture — this time at the meat processing facility — has a negative long term impact on our food supply. Please share this very informative and timely episode with your non-Agricultural friends! Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

Rob Saik joins me to discuss technology that will allow farmers and Ag professionals to seek and share information. Rob is the founder of AgVisorPro, an app bringing together those who need answers with those possessing expertise. Knowledgeable experts load up their profile and make themselves available for consultation. Those seeking a solution from an experienced person find said person online. The best part: the expert gets compensation, and the person seeking an answer saved time (most problems can be resolved in 10 minutes). If this sounds like a foreign concept that will never achieve lift off, remember: riding in a stranger's car that you hailed with your iPhone seemed crazy once too. And that's the gist of AgVisorPro. Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

The media sells advertising by perpetuating fear. One fear story that's resonating in the coronavirus era is that there may be food shortages — particularly in the produce aisle, due to labor shortages. Steve Scaroni with Fresh Harvest, Inc. joins me to give the straight scoop about produce and labor shortages. His company is the nation's largest H2A labor user. He explains to us the unique challenges of farming, harvesting, and transporting perishable products. (Sadly, produce is being plowed under or left to rot — not because of labor issues, but because of decreased demand.) Steve explains the history of migrant labor law, the current reality of farm labor, and why we need immigration reform. Put simply, Americans won't pick their own lettuce.