The Pacesetter Pod

Show Highlights:

• Glen Franzluebbers' life in ag and No Limit Ag's focus. [05:32]
• The need for synergy over size in the current co-op M&A wave. [12:05]
• Make co-op scaling objectives and strategy explicit pre-deal. [18:05]
• Problem-first strategic steps for precision ag and AI use. [24:32]
• Signs of the problem-first approach done unproductively. [29:16]
• Discover the "Success Triangle" for testing new ideas. [32:21]
• How to exit failed initiatives successfully with learnings. [36:05]
• Reserve the right to learn and pivot as agtech evolves. [37:37]
• Should co-ops even be making money? [41:40]
• No Limit Ag's advisory offerings and areas of value. [51:00]

Connect with Glen Franzluebbers on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/glen-franzluebbers-42b97132/, or email him at [email protected].

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Agribusiness strategic commercialization focus. [06:16]
• The need for cross-functional collaboration when assessing risk. [14:18]
• Ensure rigor with reciprocal quantitative and qualitative data. [17:06]
• Why opportunistic M&A must be rooted in a preexisting strategy. [21:36]
• How Apeel scales edible coatings to reduce food waste. [27:46]
• Is de-risking farming the real mission of agtech? [28:31]
• Respecting multivariable farmer decisions when solving slow tech adoption. [37:22]
• Reconcile long-term planning with market volatility. [50:29]
• "Home vs. away" game thinking in ag and when to pivot. [52:19]
• The value of dedicating time and resources to experimentation. [01:00:45]

Explore Apeel Sciences at https://www.apeel.com/.

To connect with Mac Marshall, go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/macmarshall/ on LinkedIn.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Meet Jay Shabat, industry analyst and Railroad Weekly author. [04:25]
• Overview of Class I railroads and their market power. [08:01]
• Lessons from the pros and cons of the CPKC merger. [13:48]
• What's driving Union Pacific's acquisition of NS? [18:29]
• Why Norfolk Southern is open to a strategic merger with UP. [24:39]
• Potential impacts of the UP–NS merger on ag shippers. [31:31]
• The STB's regulatory relief for captive shippers and competitive remedies. [38:38]
• UP's argument for transcontinental shipping efficiency. [44:34]
• Will BNSF and CSX respond with their own merger? [49:31]
• Scheduled UP–NS deal closing and STB review process. [57:25]

Access Railroad Weekly at https://railroadweekly.substack.com/.

To contact Jay Shabat, please email him at [email protected] or reach out to him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-shabat-6477b31/.

Click this link to find Jay's book Glory Lost and Found on Amazon.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Cascadia Capital's services, its ag practice and ag client profiles. [03:55]
• The impact of net farm income on ag market dynamics. [08:04]
• What are the drivers of supply–demand imbalance in ag? [09:50]
• M&A as an exit in downturns, and qualities of winning companies. [14:17]
• Crucial strategic considerations for opportunistic M&As. [20:21]
• The paradox of market recovery and producer distress. [26:10]
• Explore four distinct M&A "eras" identified in ag. [30:50]
• Two co-op types and long-term sustainability explained. [37:40]
• What attracts PE to ag and yet causes surging dry powder? [43:34]
• Learn about the types of private investors in ag. [47:52]
• Industry-wide implications of Bunge–Viterra scale mega-mergers. [51:47]

Explore Cascadia Capital's Food, Beverage, and Agribusiness group at https://www.cascadiacapital.com/industries/food-beverage-and-agribusiness/.

To contact Scott Porter, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-porter-93537026/ on LinkedIn, or email him at [email protected].

The WSJ article mentioned in the episode: Corn and Soybeans Rule the American Farm. Why That's a Growing Problem, in Charts

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Discover full-service design-build Keen Project Solutions. [06:22]
• Serving clients of all sizes in the agribusiness spectrum. [11:28]
• How to facilitate project-objective clarity with clients. [15:52]
• Why slow front-end planning matters for fast execution. [20:16]
• The "must-do" list for successful CapEx projects in ag. [27:54]
• The importance of appointing a dedicated project lead. [34:47]
• Minimizing gaps between operator needs and procurement strategies. [38:26]
• Keen's merit shop Millwright apprenticeship program. [44:15]

To learn more about Keen Project Solutions, visit https://thinkdifferentthinkkeen.com/.

Connect with Matt Frandsen on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-frandsen-6ba3773/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• What's captive insurance, and how does it work? [05:13]
• Control over risk attracting agribusinesses to captives. [07:18]
• How captives offer an underwriting income opportunity. [08:58]
• Financial and tax benefits in captives compared to self-insurance. [12:54]
• Get to know TrueNorth Companies and their unique strengths. [16:43]
• Rural risk factors in ag and insurance market challenges. [20:20]
• Understand the real costs involved in deductibles. [28:45]
• How are evolving market cycles redefining co-op insurance? [32:29]
• Analyze your "total cost of risk" beyond premiums. [39:08]
• Why partnering with a proactive, consultative broker matters. [42:32]

Explore TrueNorth Companies at https://truenorthcompanies.com/.

Find Lane Danielsen at LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lane-danielsen-99675456/. Lane can also be reached via email at [email protected].

To connect with Jonathan Stark on LinkedIn, go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-stark-649865b7/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Defining and fostering innovation at Beck's Hybrids. [04:32]
• Balancing skunkworks for future lines within R&D. [08:37]
• Bridging the gap between internal innovation and the farm gate. [12:44]
• Why does Beck partner with startups as a customer, avoiding a CVC model? [16:26]
• Hard lessons from rejected ideas and organizational resistance. [23:22]
• The power of relationships in driving innovation. [26:12]
• How to handle risk and goal misalignment in leadership. [35:26]
• The single most important trait that startup partners cannot fake. [43:18]
• Advice for innovation leaders and change agents. [48:17]

Learn more about Beck's Hybrids at https://www.beckshybrids.com/.

To connect with Brad Fruth on LinkedIn, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-fruth-68429573/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• USSEC's formation, role, and three strategic objectives. [06:05]
• Why countries import soy, and its unique global demand growth. [14:10]
• How past U.S. trade tensions led to Brazil's soy export boom. [16:12]
• A timeline of U.S.–China soybean trade from 1995 to the 2020 "Phase One" deal. [21:03]
• Benefits of reducing export risk by diversifying markets. [25:53]
• The future of U.S. soy in China in the 2025 tariff fallout. [26:45]
• What a VT study predicts about China's soybean imports. [31:50]
• Will the 90-day tariff truce extension with China work? [38:35]
• Healing trust and trade partnerships post-disruption. [43:37]
• The U.S. brand value vs. supply dominance. [47:00]
• Can China-scale demand be created via multiple small markets? [50:46]

Visit https://ussec.org/ to learn more about the U.S. Soybean Export Council.

Reach Jim Sutter on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-sutter/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Spotlight on Platinum Crush in soybean mainstay Iowa. [05:06]
• Erik Lightner's reverse-trajectory from ADM and Haskell to startup leader. [11:36]
• Lessons in pacing business building and asset readiness. [15:48]
• Four strategic allocation categories for capital. [22:50]
• What are "must-haves" vs. "wants" in a $400M startup? [27:33]
• How regional crushers can compete with industry giants. [31:36]
• Why agility is a daily choice to prevent bureaucracy. [36:44]
• Gaining trust and market share amid local competition. [44:00]
• What Platinum Crush would do in a deficit area scenario. [48:43]
• Erik's core takeaway for leaders on the preeminent value of people. [50:20]

Find out more about Platinum Crush by visiting https://platinumcrush.net/.

To connect with Erik Lightner on LinkedIn, go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/eriklightner/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Field to Market's unique positioning in the ag value chain. [04:51]
• Why equal voices matter in a cross-sector coalition. [06:26]
• What are Field to Market's core functions and tools? [07:57]
• The value of real ag sector experience for coalition leadership. [10:42]
• Sustainability insights by agribusinesses from Field to Market's Annual Meeting. [15:00]
• M&A lessons from harnessing diversity in coalitions. [27:41]
• The role of collaborative data in the Triscuits supply chain. [31:24]
• How U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol assesses sustainability. [36:26]
• Discover what's next for Field to Market—and participate. [40:45]

To learn more about Field to Market, go to https://fieldtomarket.org/.

To check out Field to Market's membership, visit

https://fieldtomarket.org/our-members/

To learn how Field to Market defines sustainability, visit

https://fieldtomarket.org/defining-sustainability/

To join the Sustainable Agriculture Summit, visit https://fieldtomarket.org/contact-us/events/sustag-summit/.

Find Carrie on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrievollmersanders/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.