The Business of Agriculture Podcast

With the world economy now in turmoil due to coronavirus, changes are coming fast to the global marketplace. Will the U.S. and China experience a "de-coupling?" Todd Thurman of Swinetex Consulting Services joins me to discuss the realities and complexities of US - China relations. Todd's business took him to China for 130 days last year. He provides perspective from his time and involvement in the pork industry. Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

Meat plants are being shut down due to concern over employee coronavirus infections. At first, the average consumer might see this as a good thing, but what's the effect at the grocery store? Potentially very bad. Rob Brenneman and his wife Char are the founders of Brenneman Pork, a large Iowa hog farming operation. Mr. Brenneman joins me to explain the entire pork industry, from breeding the sow (female pig) to the resulting pork chop on a consumer's plate. That process, incidentally, takes roughly 10 months. Which is why a disruption at any juncture — this time at the meat processing facility — has a negative long term impact on our food supply. Please share this very informative and timely episode with your non-Agricultural friends! Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

Rob Saik joins me to discuss technology that will allow farmers and Ag professionals to seek and share information. Rob is the founder of AgVisorPro, an app bringing together those who need answers with those possessing expertise. Knowledgeable experts load up their profile and make themselves available for consultation. Those seeking a solution from an experienced person find said person online. The best part: the expert gets compensation, and the person seeking an answer saved time (most problems can be resolved in 10 minutes). If this sounds like a foreign concept that will never achieve lift off, remember: riding in a stranger's car that you hailed with your iPhone seemed crazy once too. And that's the gist of AgVisorPro. Sponsored by Harvest Profit HarvestProfit.com

The media sells advertising by perpetuating fear. One fear story that's resonating in the coronavirus era is that there may be food shortages — particularly in the produce aisle, due to labor shortages. Steve Scaroni with Fresh Harvest, Inc. joins me to give the straight scoop about produce and labor shortages. His company is the nation's largest H2A labor user. He explains to us the unique challenges of farming, harvesting, and transporting perishable products. (Sadly, produce is being plowed under or left to rot — not because of labor issues, but because of decreased demand.) Steve explains the history of migrant labor law, the current reality of farm labor, and why we need immigration reform. Put simply, Americans won't pick their own lettuce.

Agriculture is the basis of our prosperous nation but to have a thriving Agriculture you need inputs. Amid the global pandemic and disruption to the world economy and trade, will we have adequate supplies to keep on producing? Joanie Grimes with Premium Agricultural Commodities, Inc. (PACI) joins me to discuss supply issues and the future of Ag. PACI is an Ohio-based buying cooperative that acts as Ag retailer. Its 34 farmer members operate 175,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat.

The federal government just passed a $2 trillion relief package in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 23.5 billion of those dollars are specifically oriented to production Agriculture with another $359 billion devoted to small business loans. What does this mean for you and the business of Ag? Jim Wiesemeyer, Washington DC policy analyst for Pro Farmer joins me to share insights and information about the programs. This episode is a bit long, but the information is timely and important. As rural America suffers economic setback there is an opportunity to utilize SBA backed loans to boost our economy and - if used for certain applications - the loans become grants. Hope you find value in this podcast!

Amidst all the runs on groceries and panic buying of food there is a lesson for society: American Agriculture produces abundant food and it's among the safest food supply on Earth. The American livestock production and processing system faces disease threats every day and does an amazing job of fending off those threats. That's why the coronavirus crisis isn't made worse by an accompanying shortage of meat, milk, or eggs. Michelle Ganci, Animal Science Professor at California State University Fresno joins me to explain what society can learn from Agriculture. The lesson is summed up with: Practices, Reaction, Information, Collaboration, Productivity despite problems. You're going to like this episode and PLEASE share it with your non-Agricultural friends to provide some perspective.

As consumers hoard toilet paper and hand sanitizer in response to coronavirus, it appears there is more panic than pandemic. Luckily for American shoppers, the grocery shelves are still stocked even as consumers load up on copious amounts of canned goods. While the Covid19 virus presents many challenges for the global economy, it also presents an opportunity for Agriculture — we're not taking time off and you needn't panic over food shortages. Eric Bream is a California citrus farmer and politically active Agriculturalist. Eric joins me to discuss the Business of Agriculture and how we can use the current crisis to illustrate Ag's value and the peril of over regulation.

Damian Mason responds to plant-based meat's claims of: "better for you" eating, "better for the environment," and livestock production and meat eating as "a prehistoric industry."

What do SARS, H1N1, the Influenza epidemic of 1917-18, and Coronavirus have in common? If you guessed, "They're all viruses that originated in China," you'd be right. But that's not all. China also has given the world the latest outbreak of African Swine Fever — which threatens the global hog herd and pork supply — and the Emerald Ash Borer, which by some estimates has had an economic impact in excess of 100 billion dollars. At the same time China is upending global economies, the communist country is also on a $1.3 trillion mission of global dominance. In this episode we discuss the problem(s) with China, and why Damian believes the Business of Agriculture would do well to stop viewing China as a trading partner to be coddled, and instead view the country as an adversary.