The Business of Agriculture Podcast

Diseases, pathogens, and parasites rob yield from our farms and unfortunately, we usually don't know we have the problem until the damage is done. But what if a soil analysis — which you are already doing for soil nutrient monitoring — could also predict pathogens so that you could treat the problem proactively? South Dakota farmer Paul Sittig and Mike Tweedy of Pattern Ag join me to discuss the company's pioneering technology that uses advanced soil analytics to get more yield by staying in front of disease problems. Is this the future of production Agriculture? Yep.

Oftentimes, environmental organizations use modern Agriculture as a target and a tool for fundraising. Worse, some organizations use their political heft to create hurdles or even do harm to our industry. But not The Nature Conservancy, according to Jack Bobo. Jack joins me to discuss how environmental groups can work with the world's most important industry to accomplish mutual objectives. He also explains the reality of misguided Ag policy such as the EU's "Farm to Fork" initiative, which essentially offshores food production to countries with terrible environmental records. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

California's regulatory environment is prohibitive, especially for production Agriculture which uses a lot of water and works on historically slim margins. So, what's an enterprising California farm operator to do when faced with the challenge of preserving the family ranch in light of exploding regulatory costs? That's the question Eric Bream aims to answer with new ventures. His first venture: direct to consumer citrus sales with a hook. The hook: donating a matching portion of his direct sales crop to local homeless shelters and food pantries. Eric joins me to discuss California citrus and his new endeavor. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

We've been hearing about carbon credits as a possible revenue source for farmers for a couple years now. In fact, we've covered the subject here on The Business of Agriculture podcast a couple times. But how do you go about qualifying, what paperwork and approvals are required, must you change your farming practices, and who sets the price for your farm's carbon sequestration? Those and other questions are addressed in this panel discussion between Iowa farmer, Kyle Mehmen and Nori - The Carbon Removal Marketplace's Rebekah Carlson and Giovanni Sornatale. If you're not making money off of carbon credits now, you very likely can be (and should be!) soon. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

As farming changes, who will survive, who will thrive, and who will exit the business? What sort of traits and habits will provide a competitive edge? How much of an industry shake up will consolidation bring? Brett Sciotto, CEO of Aimpoint Research explains farmer psychographics and the research and outlook his firm does on behalf of Agricultural organizations. From Leveraged Lifestylers to Enterprising Business Builders to Self-Reliant Traditionalists, Brett outlines the five farmer personalities while predicting who'll be operating our farms in another decade. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

Wheat is up 70% with other commodities up substantially as well. Farm land sale prices are setting records. To say things are frothy is an understatement, and it's not just in Ag. So what does all this mean at the farm level? What impact does a half to one percent raise in interest rates have on our industry? Curt Covington, Senior Director of Institutional Credit at AgAmerica joins me to discuss all this and more. He explains the 10-7-3-1 Rule of Ag lending, how things resemble the '80's, and how labor shortages are driving innovation in production Ag quickly. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

In February of 2022 a "study" caught wide media attention (as it was designed by its sponsors to specifically do). The study, commissioned by National Wildlife Fund, found that corn ethanol is worse for the environment than fuel derived from oil. Groups ranging from the fossil fuel industry to readers of Mother Jones embraced the study, flawed as it was. Turns out, the analysis of environmental impact assumed that corn production entailed bulldozing forests and breaking virgin prairie, among other carbon emitting activities that really don't resemble modern American corn production. The attacks on ethanol ramped up with media pieces such as The Atlantic blaming ethanol for global starvation. Geoff Cooper, CEO of Renewable Fuels Association joins me to discuss ethanol reality while looking at the strange bedfellows of activists against bio fuel. Sponsored by Nori nori.com and Pattern Ag pattern.ag

Avian Influenza, or Bird Flu, is whipping through the American poultry industry. Spread by migratory fowl, the disease has, so far, had an outsized impact on backyard flocks. But its negative effect on commercial poultry production is an ongoing concern. As of April 4, 2022, 13 million commercial layers have been euthanized to prevent disease spread. The virus appears to hit turkeys and layers harder than broilers (chickens we eat). Kevin McDaniel, COO of Wayne Farms joins me to explain bird flu and its effects on poultry. Sponsored by Nori nori.com

7,600 California farming operations produce 80% of the world's almonds, which is California's number two crop by revenue. Unfortunately, because of weather problems — a freeze at bloom stage— and water rationing, almonds are going to be in shorter supply and more expensive very soon. Aubrey Bettencourt, a fourth generation farmer and president of the Almond Alliance of California explains almond production, the regulatory environment impacting California Ag, and how environmentalism will take a million acres of California farm land out of production. Sponsored by Nori nori.com

Ori Ben Ner's father is an agronomist and serial entrepreneur, with 5 Ag tech companies to his credit. The Israeli farm family — 91 year old grandpa still operates a small farm — has an environmental proposal to reduce water consumption, packaged with a business proposal to make farmers more money. The company — SupPlant — uses plant sensing technology, AI, and data to achieve their goal of digitally informed irrigation decisions. With Ag's natural resource "footprint" increasingly scrutinized, Ag tech's role in farming is increasing rapidly. Listen to this! Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com