“The farmer is struggling because they’re really dying the death of a thousand apps.”  On this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies, Tracey Wiedmeyer joins hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama in the podcast room!  He grew up on a farm, and now Tracey is the co-founder and CEO of Gripp Ag, a company that creates mobile software to help growers scale their agriculture operations because of their operational data tracking.

Tracey will share about his career path and how he ended up connecting with Purdue University and DIAL Ventures.  You’ll learn what the acronym stands for and how a traditional venture fund differs from a venture studio and what their relationship is to venture fellows.  He’ll share how Gripp offers the ability to track operations, how growers are able to create training videos for their farming operation, and how the app has even been used to track diseases on apple trees.  

We think all our guests are special, but this one is extra special!  Harold Cooper rejoins hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett in the podcast room for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies.  You may already know Harold is the CEO of Premier Companies, but did you know he used to aspire to run for governor?  

Buckle up as Harold shares the story of how cooperatives were formed in Indiana, some of his leadership philosophies, and how being a student of military history has formed those philosophies.  You’ll learn about how Harold views the cooperative system and what it means that Premier is farmer-owned and farmer-controlled.  You’ll hear about the challenges of dealing with rapid changes and how, through the use of partnerships with groups like DIAL Ventures, Premier works to find new ways to make improvements for all stakeholders.  “When I think about what happens here and how do you guide and lead Premier, I first look back.  What was the character and the makeup of those that formed us?  …That should be enduring in my mind.”

Should biological biostimulants be used to replace mineral nutrition and pesticides?  Premier’s Prince of Corn, Glenn Longabaugh, is back!  Glenn joins hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett in the podcast room for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies and is a fan favorite as the Agronomist at Premier Companies.

On today’s episode, we’ll dive into current events in agronomy including changes that may occur in agriculture due to the presidential change and why Glenn sees some parallels to what was experienced in the past.  Glenn will share his thoughts regarding what inputs you should prioritize first and what is most important to do to the crop to increase the yield and make a grower a better steward of the environment and crop.  We’ll learn more about what biological biostimulants are, what they do, and why they have become the wild west of agriculture.  “I can’t think of anything that is harder on the environment, really, than organic farming.”

What might the administration changes in the new year do for the grain industry?  To provide his insight, Aaron Bledsoe joins hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama for another episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies.  Aaron is the Grain Merchandiser for Premier Companies, and though he says he doesn’t have groupies, he’s certainly no stranger to the podcast!

Aaron will share the updates from the November WASDE report including yield, demand, and the stocks-to-use ratio.  You’ll take a look at what’s happened in the past and how our corn is used domestically and globally and the types of events that could impact overall demand.  In addition to discussing the overall outlook for the grain industry in light of the presidential election, he’ll also show why it’s important to keep an eye on the oil prices and the correlation to corn usage.  “The market is an emotionless animal.  It doesn’t care how you feel…  We get caught up in projecting our own emotions, our own thoughts, onto a free market that only cares about the numbers or geopolitical headline news.” 

What is artificial intelligence, and how can it benefit growers?  To answer this question, brand new guest Taylor Wetli joins hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett in the podcast room for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies.  Taylor is the US Commercial and Business Development Manager for Solinftec, a company that specializes in AI and SaaS (software as a service) for agribusiness.  

In addition to sharing about growing up on a farm and how he ended up in ag technology, Taylor will share a bit about Solinftec and what it’s like to work for a cutting-edge company that’s working closely with growers and ag retailers.  You’ll learn how the robot can not just help make applications in the field, but how it can also help understand issues that exist in the field and make informed decisions regarding how to move forward.  You’ll learn how the technology has evolved over the last couple of years and what possibilities may exist in the future.  “This is leading edge technology, and we want to be part of it for our customers.”

We’ve got a dignitary visiting us!  That might be a bit of a stretch, but not by much!  Special guest, Bruce Kettler, joins hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama on this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies.  Bruce is the CEO and President of the Agribusiness Council of Indiana.

In addition to learning about his background in agronomy and agriculture, you’ll hear how he ended up in the Department of Agriculture and ultimately the Agribusiness Council of Indiana.  Bruce will explain how the ag retail industry has the same concerns as the growers, what’s been done in 2024, and what’s top of mind for the Agribusiness Council as we head into 2025.  You’ll learn how the council has worked in education around pesticides and how they’ve weighed in on the legislature in Indiana.  From the opportunity to learn about the Emerging Professionals Leadership Program and land usage with the LEAP District to how the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) can assess the trade offs for moving farm land to solar farms or warehouses, this episode packs a punch.  “A farm is a business…  That farmland is not just waiting to be developed!”

What is the TRAX program, and how can that help growers?  Your hosts, Jeff and Sal, are joined in the podcast room by Joe Zimmerman and Glenn Longabaugh for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies.  Joe is the TRAX Agronomy Lead, and Glenn is a frequent guest and the Agronomist for Premier Companies.

On today’s episode, you’ll learn more about Glenn and Joe’s background, education, and career history.  You’ll learn about the soil sampling process, the nutrients that are tested, and how the results are analyzed.  They’ll also share how the system knows where each sample came from, how that informs the nutrient applications, and how the CropLink platform can provide data from current and previous years to help growers maximize their yield.  When it comes to utilizing TRAX and Croplink to make sure growers are planting and fertilizing in the appropriate amounts and locations, perhaps Glenn says it best.  “If Joe had more hair, they’d call him Goldilocks.  They don’t put on too much, they don’t put on too little, it’s just right.”    

Knock, knock.  Who’s there?  Caroline and Emily!  Hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett are joined by special guests Caroline Meer and Emily Welch for today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies.  Emily and Caroline are both agronomy account managers for Premier Companies, and they’re here to share about the internship opportunities that exist within the company!

In addition to some stellar knock knock jokes, you’ll learn about the account manager role at Premier including the products and services they sell.  Emily will also share about the variety of internships that exist with Premier including agronomy, operations, and agronomy sales.  As a former intern, Caroline shares insight into her experience and how it impacted her educational and professional journey.  You’ll hear about the training interns receive during their time at Premier, and you’ll also learn about Purdue University’s Job Fairs and how the recruiting process works. From the knock knock jokes to the weigh wagon woes, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

A kernel is a kernel is a kernel…  right?  Returning but still special guest Glenn Longabaugh joins hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett in the podcast room for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies.  Glenn is the Agronomist for Premier Companies, and in addition to being a wealth of knowledge and large words, he’s a fan favorite!

Glenn will share some of the surprises growers in the Midwest saw with the late-planted corn and how kernel depth and weight have been impacted by the growing conditions.  He’ll also share his thoughts on whether growers should plant soybeans before or after corn and what that will mean for overall management.  Sal, Jeff, and Glenn will talk through some of the reasons why there has been such a dramatic variability in yield across the area and the damage charcoal rot can do to a soybean field.  “If you have fields that are disappointing and all you hear from the neighbors is, ‘Oh, this is the best crop I ever had,’ trust me, it is not just you!”  

“Without our customers, we don’t have jobs!”  Special guest, Ben Schutte, joins hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama for this employee spotlight on The High Ground powered by Premier Companies.  Ben is the Agronomy Accounts Manager, and he’s here to share with us about his career path at Premier.

Ben will share about life growing up on a dairy farm and how that helped shape his work ethic even today.  From working on family farms to working as an account manager, you’ll hear how Ben has solved problems and built relationships in every role he’s had.  He’ll also share about the most rewarding parts of his role and share about some of his greatest successes.  “Outside of their immediate family, you have as much stake in their farm and their success as anyone else.”