The Business of Agriculture Podcast

You're gonna like this guy, although I'll warn you ahead of time, at times he's tough to keep up with. Jason Mauck is an Indiana farmer who thinks - and works - differently. Jason came back to his family's 3,100 acre crop and hog operation after his father was diagnosed with cancer. Jason's years away from the farm taught him about business and landscaping methods (he owned a landscaping company). He began experimenting with ideas he'd gleaned as a landscaper to improve the business of the farm. Listen to this high energy discussion, and you'll hear about manure usage, intercropping, relay cropping, how to harvest wheat that's interspersed with soybeans, and why sunlight is more valuable than seeding population. This was a fun interview (and this guy makes me look calm!).

I've been telling my Ag audiences for several years that "Feed The World" is outdated, much as we in Ag might love the mantra. We love it, because it's what we've always been told: that global populations are increasing rapidly and Ag needs to pump out massive amounts of food. We also love it because the slogan plays to our strength: commodity production in mass quantity. Only problem is, the population is about to start declining. As economics and education improve in the developing world, those countries are producing fewer babies. Two dozen countries are already losing population, and more countries are joining in the baby bust. What does this mean for the Business of Agriculture? Dr. Darrell Bricker joins me to explain.

Colorado Agriculture is either a crucible to predict what's coming for the rest of us, or an anomaly we'll all just witness from afar. The state has water issues, lots of suburban anti-Agriculture sentiment, and a burgeoning hemp industry. (Remember, Colorado was fast out of the chute on marijuana legalization.) I sat down with Justin Lewton of Lewton Farms, and Joe Rasnic of Agroplasma, Inc. to discuss all those issues and more. Justin and Joe are two young Ag professionals enrolled in the Colorado Ag Leadership Program. They explain the Ag Leadership Program, then we talk business. Join the conversation, and you'll learn about large scale farming in Denver's shadow, organic Ag, and the growth of hemp.

You're likely familiar with the various technology platforms being marketed to farmers. The Climate Corporation's Climate FieldView™ digital ag platform is one of them. The platform offers many options for farmers to collect, store, and view current and historical field data to uncover valuable field insights. What sort of data are we talking about, and how does it impact agronomic decisions for improved crop performance? Climate's Eastern Regional Sales Manager, Ken Harris and Product Marketing Director, Rick Myroup joined me to answer these questions. They explained how the platform works, and how digital agriculture can be beneficial for a farmer's bottom line.

Nick Horob started Harvest Profit in 2015. As an Ag consultant with a finance background, he saw a need for better farm business management through technology. Harvest Profit now has 440 customers in 28 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Nick joins me to discuss what he sees from his perspective in Ag. What are farmers doing right and wrong, how can we improve our businesses and minimize risk, and what does the future of the Business of Agriculture look like? You'll enjoy this conversation and you'll pick up a few nuggets you can use!

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the new shining star of the Democratic party. In February she rolled out her proposal for a Green New Deal. In two interviews since then, she's expanded on her vision for a changed Agriculture to combat climate change as she sees it. When socialists talk about "doing something about factory farms," what exactly do they mean? More importantly, who defines what constitutes a "factory farm?" She's called for diet changes, particularly as it pertains to meat consumption. She gets applause using terms like "cow grain" and "regenerative agriculture" - even though lifelong farm guys like me can't define either. There's plenty to be concerned about when political media stars target your industry. In this episode, we'll discuss a few things you should be concerned about that you may not have even considered.

Catastrophic weather events in Nebraska and Iowa, as well as Missouri, South Dakota, Kansas, and Minnesota are in the news. Our hearts go out to those affected by the floodwaters. But what's the "downstream" impact of these floods? Dennis Haugen, North Dakota farmer, owner of General Grain grain salvage, and friend of the show joins me to discuss that. Railroads are unable to operate as track lies compromised from floodwaters. Trucks can't roll, and barges can't navigate. All this puts grain processors and end users using JIT production models in a pickle. Then there are the farmers and farmsteads — will they be ready to roll this spring? And what about their infrastructure and equipment — will insurance get them back to whole? When catastrophic events happen in that geographical area, the entire Business of Agriculture is affected. Tune in for an interesting discussion.

On March 19th, 2019 a San Francisco jury ruled that Roundup herbicide causes cancer. This is the second court ruling against Bayer (Monsanto). In this episode we look at the similarity between firearm lawsuits and chemical litigation. Ag chemicals and firearms have a lot in common: They're both legal products, they both evoke tremendous emotion, and they're both increasingly targeted by cause groups who use lawsuits to destroy their enemy. The strategy executed by anti - gun and anti- chemical organizations is remarkably similar. Yet we in the business of Agriculture still go to court arguing with facts. And that's why we lose. Our opposition uses propaganda, willing media partners, emotion, and trial lawyers appeal to greed.

The host of Ag Uncensored and western Oklahoma farmer / rancher joins me to dig a little deeper on the subject of beef. Are those within the cattle industry dysfunctional, unable to get along, or is that just your perception? Is the checkoff program being funded fairly? Who's making money off beef? And, my favorite back and forth to date on Lab Meat. If you're looking for an episode with some "red meat," you just found it. Be sure to stay tuned to hear Jerod's closing advice.

As farmers head to the field to plant corn this spring, it's time to discuss something North American Agriculture doesn't want to hear: The world is going to require less corn someday. And that someday might be sooner than you think. At the risk of being run out of Indiana - the fifth most corn producing state - I share in this episode the fundamentals working against corn. Ethanol, processed food, and livestock feed are big users of corn. Each of those categories faces headwinds, such as: electric cars, consumer tastes, environmentally pushed political agendas, plant-based protein, and the reality of economics. Telling Agriculture we need less corn is akin to standing up at Sunday School and proclaiming there is no God, I realize. But you don't tune into this podcast to hear the same nonsense you get on Ag radio. Because we discuss issues shaping the evolution of the Business of Agriculture.