The Cash Cow Farmer Podcast

By Scott Anderson: Farming and Finance Expert

What's The Cash Cow Farmer Podcast about?

Insight into farm financial management strategies, techniques and best practices. Become a top notch financial manager and planner for your farming operation. Implement time saving farm software tools and strategies. Maximize your farm's financial potential.

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The Cash Cow Farmer Podcast episodes:

02.14.2017
60: 3 Steps to Farming Success
Noa Schecter came from what used to be a farming country: Israel. Now Israel has “changed their wardrobe,” becoming more entrepreneurial than agricultural, but she remembers field trips to the farm and helping farmers during harvest. Now she lives in...
02.07.2017
59: 7 Questions to Ask Your Grain Marketing Advisor
Every time we talk to a farmer, we ask, “What’s the number one challenge on your farming operation.” About 99% of them say grain marketing. Usually our next question is, “Are you working with a grain marketing advisor?” Basically, what...
01.31.2017
58: Commodity Options Fundamentals
Commodity options are some of the most important tools in hedging, especially once you get to grain above and beyond your insurance guarantee. Most farmers understand what that means: you’re insured for a certain percentage of your crop that you’ve...
01.17.2017
57: 3 Low-Risk Off Farm Investments
Sometimes, you shouldn’t invest in your farm. A lot of times, when commodity prices and incomes are high in agriculture, the return on investment to put your money back into farmland and equipment just isn’t there. All those prices are...
01.10.2017
56: Financial Push-Ups - 7 Exercises To Grow Wealth
Exercises have different rhythms. Some you’re supposed to do every day, some weekly. There may even be long runs or tons of push-ups that you reserve for one day a month. Handling your finances has different rhythms to it as...
01.03.2017
Ep 55: 3 Ways to Manage Income With Real Estate
Last week, we talked about managing income. We’re revisiting that topic, but this time specifically around real estate. Today, we’ll be focusing on the tax advantages of real estate, which I learned from Paul Moore’s book The Perfect Investment, as...
12.27.2016
Ep 54: 3 Simple Income Tax Management Strategies
Income tax is a huge cost on any farming operation, because as farmers we can't depreciate land purchases. Since tax season is coming up, it’s time to talk about some of the best income tax management strategies for farmers. Here...
12.20.2016
Ep 53: Improving Success with Escapism
Every truly successful person I've ever meet or read about has a hobby that provides him or her with escapism. The opportunity to escape somewhere at some time in our daily lives to free our mind and improve personal happiness...
12.13.2016
Ep 52: Real Estate Valuation Strategy for Farmland - Cap Rate
It’s always a challenge to value real estate, especially when it comes to farmland. After reading Paul Moore's book The Perfect Investment, my perspective on valuing real estate at a professional and investment level was changed dramatically. So many farmers...
12.06.2016
Ep 51: US Special Forces Army Ranger to Rancher: Reinventing Ranching With Wagyu Beef
Patrick Montgomery went from U.S. Special Forces Army Ranger to cattle rancher in the span of a few short months. His story is unlikely, but inspiring. I had the privilege of interviewing him and hearing his story in this episode.
11.29.2016
Ep 50: 7 Sources of Off Farm Income
Let’s set the stage: you’re a farmer with a can-do attitude, but unfortunately you’re on the brink of having to give up the farm. Your main operation just isn’t making what you need. But there’s a wonderful reality working in...
11.22.2016
Ep 49: Financial Principles of Ancient Babylon (Part 4): Inheritance
At least on paper (though that may not translate to cash), farmers are wealthy. Many are understandably concerned about passing those assets down and not having the next generation ruin the business. Some don’t even let their kids make business...
11.15.2016
Ep 48: Financial Principles of Ancient Babylon (Part 3): Debt Management
One thing is clear in my conversations with farmers: the biggest challenge they face is making their debt payments. Part three of our series on the financial principles of ancient Babylon pulls from The Richest Man in Babylon. Today’s lesson...
11.08.2016
Ep 47: Financial Principles of Ancient Babylon (Part 2): The 5 Laws of Gold
One weekend, my son and I went to Minneapolis, and I had him listen to The Richest Man in Babylon. I wanted him to hear it, since it’s had such an impact on me. Then I found that the one...
11.01.2016
Ep 46: Financial Principles of Ancient Babylon (Part 1): The 7 Cures For A Lean Purse
The Richest Man in Babylon is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s so good, I read it twice in one weekend. Babylon was one of the wealthiest cities of ancient times, because of the financial principles of...
10.18.2016
Ep 45: 5 of Genghis Khan's Strategies To Conquer Modern Farming
The Mongol dynasty made Alexander the Great’s look pitiful. Genghis Khan reorganized the world: he connected China to the west and developed gunpowder. For around 100 years in the 12th and 13th centuries the Mongols dominated from Italy to China,...
10.11.2016
Ep 44: 7 Strategies to Farm Like Famed Investor John Templeton
John Templeton is one of the most famed investors of all time. This is a guy who in 1939 bought $100 worth of all stocks traded under $1, and by 1943 he had four times his money. He’s up there...
10.04.2016
Ep 43: Top 2 Government Programs for Low Prices
On some commodities, we’ve hit some pretty interesting times. This is especially true with wheat. Sometimes we just have to be patient for something bad to happen to put prices up. In the meantime, I want to talk about two...
09.27.2016
Ep 42: 5 Tips to Decide Whether or Not to Store Grain
We’re getting close to harvest time. By the time this goes live, we might even be in it. It’s important to think about where commodity prices are right now and what to do with grain that you haven’t sold. So...
09.20.2016
Ep 41: Do You Run Your Farm Like John DeLorean or General Motors?
John DeLorean was a designer at GM who wanted to produce futuristic cars. He was convinced that the culture of order and structure at GM was holding back creative geniuses like himself. Since he was a very good salesman, he...
09.13.2016
Ep 40: Why Most Farmers Fear Grain Marketing
In my mind I have a job, separate from my farming operation. It goes something like this: learn as much as I can, try to relate it to farming, and write or share content that relates to farmers. That’s what...
09.06.2016
Ep 39: Is Ag Retail the Enemy?
Is ag retail the enemy? The really depends on what you mean. I had the pleasure of recently interviewing Andy Wuebben, partner at Vertical Exchange, in this episode. Andy helped answer that all-important question.
08.30.2016
Ep 38: 5 Key Steps To Run Your Farm Like A Fortune 500 Company
Something like 90% of businesses fail within the first two years. The main reasons? Structure, strategy, and accountability. When you’ve got millions of shareholders you have to report to (like Apple, for example), Wall Street analysts break down your company...
08.23.2016
Ep 37: 7 Reasons You Should Kiss Your American Soil - Ukraine Farming
A few months ago Scott spent five days in Ukraine—a spur-of-the-moment trip. He visited a company called Agro-Soyuz in eastern Ukraine, not too far off from where the war’s going on with Russia. He learned a lot about their company....
08.16.2016
Ep 36: 3 Tips To Successfully Hire Farm Workers
It's tough to find good help, isn’t it? Scott’s made a lot of mistakes hiring farm workers, from hiring really close friends to not properly interviewing people, to not setting expectations. But successful hiring is extremely important, especially in something...
08.09.2016
Ep 35: Examining the Complex Issues for Farmers in California Today
Scott does his farming over here in the Dakotas, and sometimes this podcast is guilty of focusing only on the type of farming that happens out that way. But of course, there’s a whole country (and world) of farming out...
08.02.2016
Ep 34: 4 Key Skills to Farm Like a Navy Seal
In most categories of life, there’s that one elite group. In business, there’s the Fortune 500. In the military, there are the Navy Seals. Scott just read a book called Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine, who was not only a...
07.26.2016
Ep 33: 6 Paths to Strategic Farm Growth in 2016
If you’re in farming for the money . . . it’s gonna be a tough life for ya. However, there is a lot of money to be made when you’re really good at it. The worst markets provide the best...
07.19.2016
Ep 32: Top 3 Grain Marketing Mistakes
The hardest part of farming by far is navigating the grain markets and making grain sales. At the end of the day, "Bulls make money, bears make money, but pigs get slaughtered." Choose a side—if you don’t, you’ll be making...
07.12.2016
Ep 31: 5 Ways to Preserve Working Capital
Capital is the lifeblood of business. A business can't grow without access to capital through debt and equity. Most farms grow and prosper through partnerships with banks and their own wealth, built up over time. Use the strategies in this...
07.08.2016
EP 30: 3 Ways to Print Money With Grain Bins
Farmers have mixed perspectives on grain bins. So many bins have actually cost farmers money, allowing them to make bad decisions in their marketing. But those big tin cans should actually be huge profit centers for the farmer, if used...
07.04.2016
EP 29: 5 Ways to Print Money With Excess Machinery
Sometimes, even good seasons hide pitfalls. During the boom times of $8 corn and $16 soybeans three or four years ago, many farmers offset tax burdens by purchasing machinery and using the section 179 accelerated depreciation. A few of us...
06.29.2016
EP 28: Goal Tree Strategy for a Successful Farm Business
Last week we went over how to set smart goals. This week we will build what I like to call goal trees in order to build and maintain momentum in achieving our "Health, Wealth, Love, and Happiness" goals. The success...
06.28.2016
EP 27: 5 Strategies to Set Goals for 2016
Setting goals is crucial to keeping motivated and focused—focused on what needs to be done on a daily basis in order to be successful in your farming business. But aren’t goals only for the beginning of the year? No way....
06.07.2016
EP 26: 7 Things I Learned From Warren Buffett That Can Be Applied to Farming
This year I attended the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, which means I heard six hours of Q & A with Warren Buffett. As a farmer, I was listening from a very interesting perspective, to see if I could transfer the...
05.24.2016
EP 25: Building a Grain Marketing Plan (Part 4): Price Targets
Here it is: the grand finale of our series on building a grain marketing plan! This last topic is the most challenging and technical part of the grain marketing plan: producing price targets. That is, trying to figure out what’s...
05.17.2016
EP 24: Building a Grain Marketing Plan (Part 3): Tools
James and Scott have been talking about building a grain marketing plan these last few weeks. So far, they’ve covered the need to quantify your grain and to handle logistics. Today, they’re going to talk about all the tools at...
05.10.2016
EP 23: Building a Grain Marketing Plan (Part 2): Logistics
If a grain marketing opportunity comes your way, you have to be able to pull the trigger. That’s the theme of this month’s episodes: how to build a grain marketing plan that works. This week is logistics, or in other...
05.03.2016
EP 22: Building a Grain Marketing Plan (Part 1): Quantify
Dwight Eisenhower used to say, "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable." It’s an interesting quotation. He didn’t know where the Germans were going to be at, but he had a...
04.26.2016
EP 21: 5 Strategies for Conquering the Grain Markets
Swinging for the fences in the grain markets and striking out can result in bankruptcy. We have all heard of the neighbor who lost the farm in the futures market. Can you make enough on that one swing to make...
04.19.2016
EP 20: Managing Fuel and Fertilizer Price Risk for the Next 5 Years
Farmers have various prices that greatly fluctuate on their farming operation. Most of them can be hedged using various strategies and programs. You may not realize it, but fuel and fertilizers are part of that group: they can be hedged...
04.12.2016
EP 19: 3 Ways to Combine Your Grain Marketing Plan With Your Cash Flow Needs
Farmers only get about 30 paychecks in their lifetimes. Scary thought, huh? The most important factor in each of those paychecks is grain marketing. In this episode, Scott lays out three components of a grain marketing plan that will make...
04.09.2016
EP 18: 3 Ways to Determine the ROI on Starter Fertilizer
Spring is now yawning and waking up from its slumber, and most farmers are just about to start planting corn. Figuring out the return on investment for every input on your farm is crucial to making sure you’re the lowest-cost...
04.05.2016
EP 17: Overwhelmed with Debt: 6 Must-Do Steps to Ease the Burden
During the boom years of farming, many operations bought lots of equipment and built shops. Now, in these tough times, plenty of farmers are being choked by debt. Luckily, there are tricks to get out from under it. Join Scott...
04.01.2016
EP 16: 10 Strategies to Manage and Motivate Farm Employees
The default training system of many farmers is to throw an employee in a tractor and tell them to go. But that doesn’t make the employee successful, confident, or motivated. Believe it or not, it’s easy to motivate people—if you...
03.28.2016
EP 15: 6 Ways To Show Dad You Have What It Takes To Farm
Scott knows what it’s like to take over a farming operation from his dad. And no, it’s not easy. If you’re trying to prove to your father that you’re ready to take the keys to the farm, you have to...
03.02.2016
EP 14 - 5 Strategies to Swallow the Losses of 2014 & 2015
2015 was a tough year for farmers, and 2014 was even worse. To make up for the losses you experienced in those years, you’ll have to have a clear financial strategy. Join Scott and James as they discuss how you...
02.16.2016
EP 13- The #1 Farm Management Challenge
How do farmers manage and organize all of their data into an actionable format? That’s the million dollar question. What the heck do we do with all this data we collect? Today, we unpack just how the right type of...
01.20.2016
EP 12- 4 Ways to Make Win-Win Deals in Farming
Competition is a beautiful thing. At least, it is in the marketplace. Competition is what allows farmers to shop around and find the best deals. Since farmers are buyers of a lot of expensive inputs, shopping around is crucial. Listen as...
01.19.2016
EP 11- 5 Tips for Cash Crop Selection
We’re at a low point in the cycle of agriculture. Commodity prices are low, and margins are razor thin. So we need to strategically plan each field like our whole farm depends on it. You will probably be able to...

What's The Cash Cow Farmer Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Cash Cow Farmer Podcast episodes:

60: 3 Steps to Farming Success

59: 7 Questions to Ask Your Grain Marketing Advisor

58: Commodity Options Fundamentals

57: 3 Low-Risk Off Farm Investments

56: Financial Push-Ups - 7 Exercises To Grow Wealth

Ep 55: 3 Ways to Manage Income With Real Estate

Ep 54: 3 Simple Income Tax Management Strategies

Ep 53: Improving Success with Escapism

Ep 52: Real Estate Valuation Strategy for Farmland - Cap Rate

Ep 51: US Special Forces Army Ranger to Rancher: Reinventing Ranching With Wagyu Beef

Ep 50: 7 Sources of Off Farm Income

Ep 49: Financial Principles of Ancient Babylon (Part 4): Inheritance

Ep 48: Financial Principles of Ancient Babylon (Part 3): Debt Management

Ep 47: Financial Principles of Ancient Babylon (Part 2): The 5 Laws of Gold

Ep 46: Financial Principles of Ancient Babylon (Part 1): The 7 Cures For A Lean Purse

Ep 45: 5 of Genghis Khan's Strategies To Conquer Modern Farming

Ep 44: 7 Strategies to Farm Like Famed Investor John Templeton

Ep 43: Top 2 Government Programs for Low Prices

Ep 42: 5 Tips to Decide Whether or Not to Store Grain

Ep 41: Do You Run Your Farm Like John DeLorean or General Motors?

Ep 40: Why Most Farmers Fear Grain Marketing

Ep 39: Is Ag Retail the Enemy?

Ep 38: 5 Key Steps To Run Your Farm Like A Fortune 500 Company

Ep 37: 7 Reasons You Should Kiss Your American Soil - Ukraine Farming

Ep 36: 3 Tips To Successfully Hire Farm Workers

Ep 35: Examining the Complex Issues for Farmers in California Today

Ep 34: 4 Key Skills to Farm Like a Navy Seal

Ep 33: 6 Paths to Strategic Farm Growth in 2016

Ep 32: Top 3 Grain Marketing Mistakes

Ep 31: 5 Ways to Preserve Working Capital

EP 30: 3 Ways to Print Money With Grain Bins

EP 29: 5 Ways to Print Money With Excess Machinery

EP 28: Goal Tree Strategy for a Successful Farm Business

EP 27: 5 Strategies to Set Goals for 2016

EP 26: 7 Things I Learned From Warren Buffett That Can Be Applied to Farming

EP 25: Building a Grain Marketing Plan (Part 4): Price Targets

EP 24: Building a Grain Marketing Plan (Part 3): Tools

EP 23: Building a Grain Marketing Plan (Part 2): Logistics

EP 22: Building a Grain Marketing Plan (Part 1): Quantify

EP 21: 5 Strategies for Conquering the Grain Markets

EP 20: Managing Fuel and Fertilizer Price Risk for the Next 5 Years

EP 19: 3 Ways to Combine Your Grain Marketing Plan With Your Cash Flow Needs

EP 18: 3 Ways to Determine the ROI on Starter Fertilizer

EP 17: Overwhelmed with Debt: 6 Must-Do Steps to Ease the Burden

EP 16: 10 Strategies to Manage and Motivate Farm Employees

EP 15: 6 Ways To Show Dad You Have What It Takes To Farm

EP 14 - 5 Strategies to Swallow the Losses of 2014 & 2015

EP 13- The #1 Farm Management Challenge

EP 12- 4 Ways to Make Win-Win Deals in Farming

EP 11- 5 Tips for Cash Crop Selection