The Little Red Barn

This week we step into the thick of a controversial plan to sequester carbon via high pressure deep injection well underneath acres and acres of northern Indiana farmland. The community seemingly doesn't want it, the county government is trying to handle the proposals in a correct manner and the project proposers seem hellbent on forcing it through. Courts may still yet have to decide some parts of this fiasco, time will tell. Does this affect all of you? Likely not. But this sounds eerily similar to stories about data centers, solar fields, other carbon capture programs and other economic development that comes on the backs of agriculture, so we all should probably pay attention. This kind of playbook is becoming more and more commonplace.

The new Red Barn Podcast theme song brings a different sound to Episode 130, but feel good vibes are a little more rare in this podcast. Ryan is not in love with articulated boom lifts, and the winds of this past week do not help. Weather in general is bi-polar. Some farmers in other parts of the country are throwing in the towel, and it feels like we are getting price gouged on everything these days. But, we continue to try and find some nuggets to pass along your way.

The "Red Barn Road Show" is on the move again, and this week we hit Plymouth, Indiana to talk with former Indiana State Representative and current Marshall County Councilman Tim Harman. We cover a lot of bases, from data centers and solar, to property taxes and roads and his local eatery! Iran and fertilizer make an appearance when we chat markets and then we finish off strong with a brand new Little Red Barn Podcast musical single that will likely make future appearances in the rotation as intro music, bump music and who knows what else. It's "Metal Red Barn" by Ian Martin, with the help of our good friend AI (begrudgingly cited by Ryan, of course). Enjoy!

These days, "Women in Ag" is a hashtag, a movement and just plain something the industry is used to. But 40 years ago...it was not. This week we meet a trailblazer. A woman carving a path in agriculture before it was a "thing". Jane Hardesty held every position possible in SCS and NRCS during her illustrious career, and knows a think or two about soil and water conservation. Currently appointed by the Governor to the State Soil Conservation Board, she still is working to be a guiding hand to the industry even in retirement. Plus, the guys talk Iran and weather. Curious about all the rain on the way, well we "No-ah" guy.

The Little Red Barn Podcast goes on the road this week as Charlie visits the Marshall County FFA Farm Toy Show at LaVille High School. The guys chat farm toy collections, and why we have them with four Marshall County FFA members and talk FFA week which is happening this week. A light-hearted look at the "playful" side of Agriculture. How may of your old farm toys do you still have?

Ryan and Charlie take to the sky with an update on new technology in the world of Drones, and what we can look for in that space through the 2026 growing season. Brought to you by Mac America Ag Finance, Northern Indiana. 574-253-3433

This week we welcome special guest Griffin Nate from IN 2nd District Congressman Rudy Yakim's office. We get an update on the goings on in Washington around the Farm Bill, Exports, the 3 T's (Tariffs, Trade, Trump) and even ask what the Congressman may think about the fiasco that is Indiana's HB 1333. Buckle up...this one comes at you fast as we bounce from topic to topic and Griffin gives Ryan a run for his money in the stat line that covers "words spoken per minute".

Gold and Silver are hot! Our high temps are not. This is the season where there seems to not be a whole lot going on while at the same time, it seems like there is a lot going on. Sounds weird, but you know we're right! This week we tackle interest rates, skiing, currency trade, oversupply, acreage controls and being on the Purdue campus back in the day. It's everything and nothing, all at once. But it's better than talking about the damn groundhog.

This week as some of us dig out from the weekend snowstorm and others (Charlie) hit the slopes, we explore the growing movement into biological treatments. Some sound too good to be true, others just downright hokey. But is there something to all of this? What should we be looking at and what expectations of results can we have when looking at these products? We welcomed Agronomist Pat Larson to chat with us at the recent Fort Wayne Farm Show.

This week Ryan and Charlie are joined by Greg Kneubuhler, affectionately known as the "Nebulizer" by Ryan, at the Fort Wayne Farm Show. The guys discuss the abomination that was the USDA reports from last Monday, outcomes of the NCAA Football National Championships and a few other top of mind issues. However, things get really interesting on a dive into what seems like a "gray area" in the Federal tax code...one that may let you in on some tax savings on new land purchases where the acreage has excess fertility at the time of purchase.