The Business of Agriculture Podcast

Jay Hill wasn't a farm kid but at age 16 he decided he wanted to be a farmer. He went about pursuing his professional vision by joining forces with his father — who wanted Jay to attend college — by producing onions on the ten acres his father owned. Jay also worked for a produce company for 14 years, all the while learning the ins and outs of Agribusiness. Today, Jay operates or is partnered on a few different ventures. He's mostly a grower and marketer of produce but he's also into packaged alfalfa with his latest endeavor, Chaffhaye. You'll enjoy this discussion with an entrepreneur in the Business of Agriculture.

Starbucks made an announcement pledging to do its part to save the world. The coffee chain, with 31,000 stores worldwide, will "encourage" customers to opt for dairy alternatives rather than cow's milk to accent their over-priced beverages. I explain why Starbucks chose milk as its sacrificial cow (because the industry won't fight back), and the coffee company's real motivation (hint, it's money). We also discuss the reality that this move will be replicated by other large companies as they see how well the environmental smoke screen worked for Starbucks. Grab a coffee and enjoy this talk!

Chris Mittelstaedt isn't from a farming background but he became an Agricultural entrepreneur at an early age — he sold vegetables from his mom's garden around his suburban Philadelphia neighborhood out of a radio flyer wagon. Today, Mr. Mittelstaedt owns and runs The FruitGuys, a fruit business specializing in delivery to corporate offices. Chris started The FruitGuys in 1998. The company now delivers throughout the United States. The FruitGuys makes a concerted effort to source product from local and smaller producers. Chris joins me to discuss how his business operates and where he sees opportunity in Ag's future. You'll like his perspective and you'll enjoy the conversation. Bonus: if you have a great idea in need of funding for your own farming operation, you might even want to apply for a grant through the The FruitGuys Community Fund. I'll let Chris explain...

On January 6th, 2020, Borden Dairy filed for bankruptcy protection. The 163 year old milk processor's announcement comes just 2 months after Dean Foods - the nation's largest milk processor - filed for bankruptcy. Within minutes of the Borden news breaking, social media warriors were blaming Walmart for the company's demise. Friend of show and dairy woman, Katharine Lotspeich joins me to sort out the reality of milk, the marketplace and why we in agriculture can't keep blaming Walmart for a changing landscape. Consumer tastes are changing while large scale companies seem content to sit on their commodity business model. What does this mean for the future of food production and processing? Listen and find out!

This week's Golden Globe Awards is the first (of way too many) Hollywood awards shows for the year. It's also the first award show to distinguish itself by serving an all-vegan menu. This, along with increasing media hit pieces on the meat industry's safety and environmental impact, have me convinced 2020 will be a flash point in the argument against livestock farming and meat consumption. In this episode we'll discuss Hollywood hypocrisy, Time Magazine's person of the year Greta Thunberg, political food police, the U.N., and how all those forces are out to dictate food choice.

Rich Bradbury is an Oregon rancher with an eye on the future. Along with other cattlemen, he started a cooperative to process and market their brands of beef. Country Natural is their conventional beef product but he's most excited about their other brand, Desert Mountain Grass Fed Beef. And that's where the growth has been. Rich talks to us about ranching in the desolate drylands, the potential for selling carbon offsets, and the business of producing and marketing grass fed protein. You may prefer your beef grain-fed, but the current trends point to a future of more grass finished bovine.

I'm so excited to announce the release of my new book, Food Fear — How Fear is Ruining Your Dinner and Why You Should Celebrate Eating. It's straight talk about food, foodies, farming, food fights, food police, food myths, and the future of food and food production. Nicole Hahn joins me in this episode to discuss the memorable and intriguing content in Food Fear. She should know, she was the book's "first read." You'll like the conversation as we discuss the very real issues the Business of Agriculture faces from a consumer who is too often fearful of their food.

I first heard of Regenerative Agriculture this spring via congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's televised town hall meeting. Given Ms. Cortez's stance and multiple comments on the evils of cheeseburger consumption and cow farts, I assumed this thing she was talking about was as outlandish as her other views. Then I was introduced to Gabe Brown's book, Dirt to Soil — One Family's Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture. Mr. Brown is a Regenerative Ag pioneer and promoter. He came to this style of food production out of economic necessity 20 years ago. The results have been quite positive. Gabe joins me to explain his business practices and tell his story.

Friend of show, Rob Saik, joins me to discuss his new book, Food 5.0 and the future of food production. He explains the 5 iterations of Agricultural advancement then tells us what will change moving forward. We share our predictions (some of which you may agree with and some of which you won't!). What if the world's most used herbicide is pulled from the marketplace? What sort of technology will enable us to be productive in rural North America even as the population declines? What changes are coming to Ag based on the demands of affluent consumers? This is a fun conversation about the future of food and food production! Discussion

Greg Peterson began his business of reporting on used farm equipment sales prices in 1989. After a decade of hand written figures and entering data into desktop computers, then sending out floppy discs, his business flourished. Today his company, "Machinery Pete," compiles sales information from around North America on the value of Ag equipment. His business is a resource as well as a selling forum. "Pete" joins me to discuss history, present, and future of farm equipment. Pull up a chair, or better yet, go sit in your old tractor for this one!