Longtime Midwest land broker Dennis Reyman of Stalcup Agricultural Services, examines who is really buying farmland in 2026 and why 70 to 80 percent of purchases still come from farmers within a 6 to 10 mile radius. Reyman also breaks down why livestock-intensive areas are driving $20,000-plus per acre sales, how quality differences are widening price gaps, and what renewable diesel, E15, and South American crop competition could mean for land values going forward.

Waylon Brown, Regional Policy Manager for Clean Grid Alliance, outlines both the economic opportunities and political tensions surrounding wind, solar, and battery storage development in rural America. As electricity demand accelerates and states like Iowa produce more energy than they consume, Brown argues that permitting reform, grid upgrades, and local decision-making will determine whether rural communities capture long-term economic benefits.

Wyoming State Rep. Jacob Wasserburger is proposing a modern Homestead Act that would allow Wyoming residents to buy 10-acre parcels of state land for just $1 per acre if they build a home. The plan could open up as much as 16,000 acres for rural housing, aiming to expand supply without fueling boom-and-bust growth or private equity ownership.

UK farmland adviser Ed Blundy discusses how emerging technologies from artificial intelligence to advanced energy systems could reshape where and how food is grown by easing constraints around power and water. He also emphasizes that despite rapid innovation, long term farming success still depends on land stewardship, policy, and sound farm economics.

Charles Whitaker, a founding equity partner at UK-based Brown&Co, says institutional investors have historically helped stabilize agriculture during periods of financial stress by providing long-term capital while keeping farmers on the land. Drawing on more than 35 years of experience, Whitaker says rising operating costs, consolidation, and succession challenges are again increasing the need for “patient capital” to support farmers without forcing displacement.

Farm entrepreneur Sharon Krause is reshaping local agriculture through In Harmony Farm, her 223-acre agricultural farm and training ground near Earlham, Iowa. She donated 70 acres of her own land to support beginning farmers and convened roughly 60 stakeholders across central Iowa to identify gaps between agriculture, healthy eating, and opportunities for underserved communities. Her work highlights a model of farming focused less on scale and more on intention, stewardship, and community impact.

Virginia farmer and author Joel Salatin brings a nontraditional lens to farm growth, resilience, and transition, shaped by his work at the 550-acre Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. A self-described “Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer,” Salatin argues that resilience comes from creativity and duplication rather than consolidation, using incremental change, diversified enterprises, and reimagined infrastructure to adapt to volatile markets andrising costs.

Veteran economist Ed Yardeni says one of the most overlooked forces shaping today’s economy is America’s aging population. While inflation and interest rates dominate headlines, Yardeni argues demographics are quietly influencing labor markets, wealth, and long-term growth. He also pushed back on pessimism, noting strong GDP and stock market performance that support his view of a resilient economy. The aging trend, he says, will carry lasting implications for land ownership and rural America.

The largest wealth transfer in history is underway, and its impact on agriculture may be just beginning. Ron Diamond, Founder and Chairman of Diamond Wealth, explains how family offices are navigating markets, interest rates, and long term opportunity across rural America.

In this week’s podcast, we sit down with USDA Deputy Secretary Judge Stephen Vaden to discuss a major reorganization bringing USDA closer to rural America through five regional hubs. The plan shrinks Washington, D.C.’s footprint while aiming to improve efficiency, cutting costs, and strengthening the workforce. Vaden stresses that county offices and farmer-facing services will remain unchanged, with regional hubs designed to speed decisions and better align expertise with geography.