The Business of Agriculture Podcast

Producing bountiful crops or earning a lot of income won't guarantee success. In fact, big yields or big gross income won't even guarantee a net profit. Whether you're a farm owner or have a job in the Ag industry, your success will be accentuated with good money habits and tax management. Paul Neiffer, the Farm CPA joins me to explain tax changes in DC and what you need to know (or do!). Paul Neiffer's column - The Farm CPA — is carried in Top Producer magazine and he hosts a podcast of the same name. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

Tillable — the online farm land rental site — came on the Ag scene in 2017. Since then, the company has made some waves. From farm land rental, the company moved into farm land sales, and is now morphing into farm financing. Tillable CEO and founder, Corbett Kull, joins me to discuss his company's beginnings, movements in the Ag land marketplace, the future and much more. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

The 2021 U.S. soybean crop is projected to yield 4.45 billion bushels on just less than 88 million acres. Not bad considering a century ago we devoted only about 100,000 American acres to soybean production. So where do all those soybeans go and what happens to them once they leave the field? Mac Marshall, VP of Market Intelligence with the United Soybean Board explains all things soy - from exports to human soybean consumption to grower-funded marketing and research. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

You probably don't think much about duration of milking time for a cow or how protein content might vary from one cow's milk to another. But if you're a dairy farmer, these are the sort of things that can keep you profitable. Technological application along with rapid increases in data analysis is happening on modern dairy farms. Dr. Jeffrey Bewley of U.S. Registered Holsteins explains the cool stuff his organization is working on to make cows better and the lives of dairy farmers better. The bonus: consumers get tasty dairy products and less natural resources are used to produce milk. Give this a listen! Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

When Tyrel Obrecht left his banking job to return to the family ranch in Turner, Montana, he knew he needed to increase the ranch's revenue. Could selling carbon credits to improve the ranch's infrastructure be the answer? Tyrel and his father, Sam, are about to find out. They've teamed up with the Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) to make grazing changes and add improvements which helped them secure a carbon contract with Native Energy Project. Tyrel, Sam, and Chris Mehus of WSE join me to explain how they're using carbon to grow revenue and improve the ranch. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

Inflation is upon us, now the only question is: For how long and how much will prices keep accelerating? This is a challenge for every business, especially production Agriculture, which operates on thin margins and involves the acquisition and application of a lot of expensive inputs. To successfully navigate the pricing turmoil, you need to know why prices are increasing and strategies to employ to guarantee you have the inputs you need come spring. This is a panel discussion featuring a manufacturer, retailer, and farmer — Darla Huff with Advanced Drainage Systems, Jon Gilbert with Agtegra, and Lee Lubbers of Lubbers Farms. ** This is a joint episode with XtremeAg's Cutting The Curve podcast, which I'm producing for them. Check out more farm relevant content at XtremeAg.farm! Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

If you haven't heard of the oilseed Camelina, join the club. It's reportedly similar to canola and it's pushers believe it has big potential as an ingredient in bioplastics — i.e. plastics that won't clog up our landfills for centuries or leach out as petroleum byproducts. This, combined with the plant's winter planting season, make it an option for cover cropping as well as fitting into a future of carbon capture for profit (or by regulatory decree). Dr. Oliver Peoples, cofounder of Yield10Bio, joins me to explain this new crop and discuss its potential future. Is it too good to be true or will we be planting Camelina in a few years?

John Hansen worked for Ted Turner's ranching venture long enough to see that buffalo breeding stock wasn't going to match the billionaire's TV ventures. He did see, however, the benefit for land and landowner in paying attention to the ecology of one's land resource. Now Mr. Hansen works for LandTrust. He joins me to discuss how agri-tourism can increase supplemental revenue for rural landowners. Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

Jayson Menke of Acres and Shares discusses the sugar beet business and provides a North Dakota perspective on Ag. His company brokers agricultural real estate as well as shares of stock in American Crystal Sugar. Did you know the majority of sugar consumed in America is derived from beets (not cane)? Jayson and I cover everything from land prices to canola in this episode — pull up a chair! Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com

BDA Farms, a 6,000 acre operation in Uniontown, Alabama, quit conventional row crop farming to pursue direct to consumer Agriculture. The operation has grown into other categories. The farm produces grass fed beef and lamb, and pasture raised pork and eggs. BDA also grows organic vegetables on ten acres that continues to expand and runs three lodging facilities for Agri-tourism. Mark Harris, a former farmer turned CEO and Allen Williams, a former Mississippi State professor turned farming partner explain their business. And no, BDA isn't just some rich guy's passion project — it's a for profit business. I know because I asked! Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com