The Business of Agriculture Podcast

Pork is the world's most consumed meat. It's also increasingly a news item due to global trade tensions and a nasty virus that's currently eradicating China's hog herd. Before 2018, China produced five times the number of pigs as the United States. Before 2018, China had half the world's pig supply. Today, some estimates show China's hog herd will be cut in half by end of year due to African Swine Fever. Bill Even, CEO of National Pork Board, joins me to discuss hog production in the United States and how it's shaping or being shaped by world affairs. We expand on: the trade war between the U.S. and China, the reality of supply and demand, and whether or not China would like African Swine Fever to come to U.S. shores. If you're looking for insight on pork as it pertains to today's news, this is it.

You've likely not heard of Urner Barry but the company does a lot of behind the scenes work in the Business of Agriculture. Specifically, they report data and analytics on global protein production, consumption, and pricing. They've been doing this for 160 years, when Mr. Urner began a poultry pricing report on America's docks. In this episode, I talk to two Urner Barry specialists about the world of meat, eggs, fish, and other protein. What does the wet farm belt mean for meat? How did the rainy Spring impact steak sales? And – the biggie – what does China's African Swine Fever epidemic mean for global meat prices and consumption? Listen and you'll find out all that and more. If you want to know about the "prognostication" part of this episode, China's pork problems are going to be impacting food for a while!

By now you've likely seen the video and heard about the animal mistreatment at Fair Oaks Farms. Sadly, for the Business of Agriculture, this isn't going away any time soon. In fact, I see animal activists increasing their attacks on livestock production and processing based on the response to the Fair Oaks video. Katharine Lotspeich is a partner in her family's large scale Utah dairy operation and an Ag professional. She joins me to discuss Ag's poor handling of this incident, the real agenda of animal activists, and the reality for Agriculture moving forward. Make no mistake, this incident hurts Agriculture, strains relating with our customers, and strengthens the radical animal rights cause groups who paint this as the norm. Our industry needs to do a better job of addressing this — we'll tell you how.

Farm folks, as I always joke, are obsessed with the weather. This Spring they have good reason to be, with the vast swath of Agriculturally productive area impacted by storms, floods, and incessant rains. At the time of this recording (May 31, 2019), record levels of unplanted corn and soybean acres sit idle. Combined with the weather issues are trade disputes with China, and now Mexico, the US's second biggest Ag customer. On top of weather and trade disputes, farmers have crop insurance dictates to work around, and a USDA "trade aid" program that was announced—but completely void of details. What does all this mean for the Business of Agriculture? John Newton, chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation joins me to discuss Ag's perfect storm. Will we see $6 corn, trade deals finalized, higher food prices, and how many acres will remain idle? Join the conversation for our take.

Andy Ambriole, proprietor of BioSteward Farms, rejoins me on the Business of Agriculture podcast. Andy was a guest way back in episode 6! Andy is a business-minded 30 year old who always wanted to farm. He had his first Ag enterprise at age 9 with a pumpkin patch. As a teenager, he operated his own tomato business and greenhouse. Today he farms 1,300 acres of certified organic wheat, oats, barley, corn, and soybeans. Andy didn't opt for organic farming because he's an organic food zealot. He took the organic route as it was his best business option as an aspiring farmer with limited resources. If you follow me, you know I bristle at fear-based organic marketing. You'll hear none of that in this episode — just a frank discussion about the Business of Agriculture from an organic perspective.

Katherine Lotspeich is a 27 year old dairy farm girl from Utah (via Connecticut). She's now an Ag professional married to a Vo-Ag school teacher in Colorado. She's also a blogger with plenty to say. Which is why she joins me to discuss a whole host of Ag topics such as: the problem with "Thank a Farmer," why Ag groups should stop "going along to get along," and the damage caused by infighting among Agriculture. She and I both agree on the power of professionalism in our industry, then we discuss what Ag does right and why she's excited about the future. This is a fun discussion. Pull up a chair!

Things aren't good at Bayer, and that's just how the activist groups dead set on destroying the chemical company like it. At this week's shareholder meeting, 55% of Bayer shareholders refused to endorse the management. Chiefly, the shareholders were reacting to Bayer's acquisition of Monsanto, a deal that closed in June 2018. Since the Monsanto purchase, Bayer's stock value has dropped 38%. The reason, of course, is litigation against Roundup herbicide. With 13,400 lawsuits filed (at this point in time), and Bayer going 0 for 2 in their first two lawsuits, things are a little dicey. The activist groups are winning. In this episode I'll explain why they're winning, and what the future might hold. Hint: It'll be more lawsuits with a different target.

You're gonna like this guy, although I'll warn you ahead of time, at times he's tough to keep up with. Jason Mauck is an Indiana farmer who thinks - and works - differently. Jason came back to his family's 3,100 acre crop and hog operation after his father was diagnosed with cancer. Jason's years away from the farm taught him about business and landscaping methods (he owned a landscaping company). He began experimenting with ideas he'd gleaned as a landscaper to improve the business of the farm. Listen to this high energy discussion, and you'll hear about manure usage, intercropping, relay cropping, how to harvest wheat that's interspersed with soybeans, and why sunlight is more valuable than seeding population. This was a fun interview (and this guy makes me look calm!).

I've been telling my Ag audiences for several years that "Feed The World" is outdated, much as we in Ag might love the mantra. We love it, because it's what we've always been told: that global populations are increasing rapidly and Ag needs to pump out massive amounts of food. We also love it because the slogan plays to our strength: commodity production in mass quantity. Only problem is, the population is about to start declining. As economics and education improve in the developing world, those countries are producing fewer babies. Two dozen countries are already losing population, and more countries are joining in the baby bust. What does this mean for the Business of Agriculture? Dr. Darrell Bricker joins me to explain.

Colorado Agriculture is either a crucible to predict what's coming for the rest of us, or an anomaly we'll all just witness from afar. The state has water issues, lots of suburban anti-Agriculture sentiment, and a burgeoning hemp industry. (Remember, Colorado was fast out of the chute on marijuana legalization.) I sat down with Justin Lewton of Lewton Farms, and Joe Rasnic of Agroplasma, Inc. to discuss all those issues and more. Justin and Joe are two young Ag professionals enrolled in the Colorado Ag Leadership Program. They explain the Ag Leadership Program, then we talk business. Join the conversation, and you'll learn about large scale farming in Denver's shadow, organic Ag, and the growth of hemp.