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In this episode, Mark sits down with Wesley Davis, Partner and Chief Agricultural Economist at Meridian Ag Advisors, for a sharp conversation about cutting through the noise in agriculture — and building a business worth building.

Wes defines intentionality simply: shut out the distractions and be fully present with the person or problem in front of you. Just be here. Be now.

Signal vs. Noise in the Ag Economy

Wes has built his career around one skill: separating signal from noise. Three things he's watching closely right now:

Farmer P&L at the acre level. Not the headline — what does a specific commodity pencil out to on a specific acre? That's the number that tells the real story.

Trade policy — the tail that wags the dog. Major trade flows are rerouting away from China toward Europe and Southeast Asia. The picture isn't great. But it's not dire. Our stuff is moving.

Farmer financial health — the whole picture. About 70–80% of farmers have strong balance sheets. There's a stressed pocket — 10–20%, higher in small grains and row crops — and a critical 5% in real trouble. That's a very different story than "all farmers are failing." Know your numbers. That's not optional.

Why Wes Started Meridian — and What Entrepreneurship Actually Costs

Wes left his previous consultancy not because something went wrong, but because he got clear on what he wanted to build: truly independent economic research in ag. Not tracking every USDA amendment, but answering the real question — what does this actually mean for farmers?

The deeper driver? He wanted the freedom of entrepreneurship again. But freedom and uncertainty are a package deal. And the way you get your certainty back isn't by playing it safe — it's through structure. Maker time. Manager time. Knowing the difference and protecting both. That's where Jericho was born, and it's what keeps the wheels on.

AI in Ag: Skeptic Turned Advocate

Three years ago, Wes thought AI was mostly noise. Today he's a strong advocate. He's seeing real traction in agri-chem and seed research, commodity trading, and sales intelligence. The most underutilized opportunity? Using AI to understand your growers better and show up more prepared to every conversation.

His challenge: go to any AI tool, tell it what you do, and ask for five ways it can help you today. You'll find something you hadn't thought of. Head to askjericho.com to see how Jericho is doing exactly that for ag sales teams.

What the Chicken Farm Taught Him

Two lessons from growing up on a free-range egg operation in West Virginia:

You are what you feed yourself. Egg quality tracked directly to what the birds were fed. Same goes for your mind. Lumpy inputs, lumpy outputs.

Customer first — but it's still a business. His grandmother's flower shop ran on fierce customer loyalty. But she never forgot that going out on a limb for a customer is an investment, not a free favor. Don't forget why the tree needs to stay standing.

Listen if you are:

1. Chasing ag headlines instead of the data underneath them
2. Not clear on your numbers at the acre level
3. Navigating the freedom and uncertainty of entrepreneurship
4. On the fence about whether AI is worth your time
5. Building an ag sales team and want to show up more prepared