The Vance Crowe Podcast

In this Christmas special of The Ag Tribes Report, I pause the weekly news breakdown to share a chapter-in-progress from my upcoming book on interest-based communicating—practical ways to create deeper, more meaningful conversations over the holidays and beyond. I tell the story of a second mate who taught me it’s better to be interested than interesting, then walk through how presence turns conversations into a kind of meditation: put the phone away, make eye contact, breathe, and really listen. I cover common pitfalls like fast matching and internal tripping, why mirroring has its place, and simple tools that change everything—body-language feedback, the three-word prompt “tell me more,” and question types that draw people out, like “beautiful questions,” contrast questions, and spotting “tiny choices” in a story. I also explain why “how” beats “why” for uncovering real motivations, and close with a reminder about the law of mutual self-disclosure: don’t ask questions you wouldn’t answer yourself. Whether you’re talking with grandparents, welcoming a new in-law, or trying to better connect with employees and vendors, this episode offers specific, repeatable techniques to help you listen with attention, ask with intention, and discover the kind of shared insight that makes conversations memorable—and relationships stronger.For more on Interest Based Communication: https://www.vancecrowe.com/interest-based-communicationFor a Legacy Interview: https://www.legacyinterviews.com/ 

In this week’s Ag Tribes Report on The Vance Crowe Podcast, host Vance Crowe tosses the script and sits down with returning guest “NNZP,” a veteran CEO and global manufacturer who joins anonymously to speak candidly about the world economy. They dig into Europe’s rapid de-industrialization, energy policy missteps, and why cheaper Chinese imports may be a short-term fix with long-term strategic risks. NNZP explains China’s deflationary “involution,” the chasm between commanded capacity and real demand, and how that excess is being exported—pressuring Western industry and defense resilience. They explore supply-chain fragility from chips to pharma inputs, the knock-on effects for agriculture, and why abundant, affordable energy (including nuclear) underpins everything. They also discuss the “debasement trade,” hard assets, and what investors might consider in a world of persistent inflation and policy intervention. NNZP offers a contrarian ag take on when solar can be the highest-and-best use of certain lands, the future of ethanol in an EV world, and why nuclear may arrive first for data centers, not households. Despite near-term turbulence, they end on pragmatic optimism about America’s capacity to adapt once incentives and priorities realign. Resources: Find NNZP on X/Twitter at @nnzp1730for more on Legacy Interviews: https://www.legacyinterviews.com/for more on Vance Speaking: https://www.vancecrowe.com/ To buy Bitcoin and support the show: https://river.com/invite?r=OAB5SKTP 

Dennis Raymond, a veteran farm manager and rural appraiser with Stalcup Ag Service, shares his extensive experience in farm management and appraisals. He discusses the risks of taxing absentee landowners, highlights the importance of tracking fertilizer costs, and explains how appraisers navigate market fluctuations. Dennis emphasizes the need for interpersonal skills in the industry and the role of AI as a supportive tool, not a replacement. He also predicts a shift towards fractional farming operations and offers insights on fostering strong client relationships.

In a lively discussion, Elliot Henderson, an entrepreneur and Iowa Corn Growers director, dives into hot topics shaping agriculture. He analyzes USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins' media message, debating its authenticity amidst trade and agriculture concerns. Elliot discusses California's Prop 50 and its potential to dilute rural voices. They also tackle claims about cow deaths linked to a methane-reducing additive and dissect NYC's proposal for city-run grocery stores against a backdrop of economic fear. The conversation wraps up with a Bitcoin versus land debate and calls for reform in ag policies.

Casey Kimbrell, a fifth-generation Texas Panhandle farmer and CEO of Casey and Annie Kimbrell Farms, discusses the complexities of agricultural trade and labeling. He critiques the recent Trump-Xi soybean deal, viewing it as merely a return to previous levels rather than progress. Kimbrell advocates for mandatory country-of-origin labeling, emphasizing transparency for ranchers versus packers. He also shares insights on Bitcoin's role in agriculture, the necessity of optimism for success in farming, and names Donald Trump as a respected adversary.

Luke Gromen, an economist and founder of FFTT, delves into the complexities of inflation and monetary policy. He tackles the dilemma central banks face between printing money and risking social unrest. Gromen discusses how government interventions inflate land prices and argues that Bitcoin is challenging traditional asset values. He explores the growing trend of central banks stockpiling gold and how AI might influence financial systems. The conversation offers insights for farmers, investors, and everyday people navigating today's economic challenges.

In this week’s Ag Tribes Report, host Vance Crowe is joined by dairy farmer and Bitcoiner JR Burdick for a fast-paced tour through the biggest stories shaping agriculture. They unpack President Trump’s viral post urging ranchers to lower beef prices and the backlash from cattle producers who point to low herd size, packer settlements, and market volatility driven by political posts. Then they dig into the looming SNAP crunch amid the government shutdown, how an AWS outage jammed up harvest logistics and farmgate payments, and the partial reopening of FSA offices to process $3B in producer payments—plus the real-world cash flow pinch for beginning farmers. JR also delivers the Bitcoin Land Price Report, shares why he’s bullish on both land and Bitcoin, and explains practical resiliency lessons from a payments outage. We close with his Peter Thiel paradox—Gen Z’s push to rebuild rural “place” over “career”—and a candid look at rebuilding community, selling raw milk and pastured pork, and accepting Bitcoin on the farm. JR’s farm: nourishingfamilyfarm.com and @jrcowfarmer on X.Legacy Interviews - A service that records individuals and couples telling their life stories so that future generations can know their family history. https://www.legacyinterviews.com/experienceRiver.com - Invest in Bitcoin with Confidence https://river.com/signup?r=OAB5SKTPPurchase Bitcoin on River to support the show: https://river.com/invite?r=OAB5SKTP 

In this episode, Vance Crowe sits down with author Devon Erickson to explore why he calls himself a compulsive explainer and how he sees the role of an intellectual: not to end debates, but to start them with powerful metaphors and fresh lenses. They dive deep into empathy as a writer’s core skill—simultaneously inhabiting a character’s inner world and anticipating the reader’s experience—and how that practice shapes Devon’s science-fiction novel, Theft of Fire. From first-person perspective and memory palaces to the mechanics of metaphor in thought, they wander into bigger terrain: how online discourse reveals public preoccupations, why villains must believe they’re right, and what it takes to write convincingly across gender and worldview.Their conversation also ranges into contested civic ground: the difference between empathy and sympathy, the dynamics of thug mentality and civilized restraint, the risks of escalating political tribalism, and the notion of “soft off-ramps” in American politics. They talk about immigration enforcement as theater versus necessity, institutional capture, and the appeal of centralized control to academics. Then they zoom back to the personal: metabolic health and processed food, the economic pressures on families, inflation as time theft, Bitcoin as an intergenerational lifeboat, and why some boomers feel out of touch with younger realities. They close with Devon’s passion project—the cinematic, full-cast audiobook of Theft of Fire—and the promise of classic sci-fi spirit with modern tech rigor.Legacy Interviews - A service that records individuals and couples telling their life stories so that future generations can know their family history. https://www.legacyinterviews.com/experienceRiver.com - Invest in Bitcoin with Confidence https://river.com/signup?r=OAB5SKTPto support the show and buy Bitcoin use the link to our show sponsor River.com https://river.com/invite?r=OAB5SKTP(00:00:04) Opening: Sharing insights vs. repeating talking points(00:03:11) Host intro: Meeting Devon Erickson and The Theft of Fire(00:06:12) Metaphor as the engine of thought and memory(00:14:44) Empathy as a writer’s core skill—villains, readers, and realism(00:19:59) Modeling minds: conversational load, perspective taking, and audiences(00:26:06) Writing across gender and identity—finding Miranda’s voice(00:29:08) Speculative craft: writing what does not exist(00:30:04) Online discourse: empathy without sympathy and confronting hostility(00:36:55) Self‑defense mindset: lines, intent, and preparedness(00:41:49) Civility, uncivil actors, and the ‘soft off‑ramp’ in politics(00:49:31) Purpose of a military and cultural standards debate(00:51:58) Media narratives, ICE, and dealing with the uncivilized(01:02:00) Marxism, envy, and institutions—power vs. merit(01:11:55) Inflation’s danger and policy priorities ahead(01:14:16) Immigration, budget crises, and administration choices(01:14:32) Foreign influence and defining America’s interests(01:18:14) Money tech: inflation, Bitcoin, and future‑proofing exchange(01:21:15) Order vs. chaos: El Salvador, gangs, and state response(01:37:07) Feminism, industrialized food, and metabolic syndrome(01:46:33) What causes the obesity wave? Processed food vs. lifestyle(01:51:22) Inflation, two‑income households, and policy timelines(01:57:25) Cats, granaries, and guarding civilization’s value(01:57:35) Generations: anti‑boomer sentiment and being out of touch(02:02:18) Time as money: assets, risk, and financial education(02:12:06) Economics in sci‑fi: Marcus, Miranda, and post‑government markets(02:18:00) Building a cinematic audiobook: casting, direction, perfectionism(02:25:01) Closing: Why Theft of Fire and where to find it

In this solo-hosted Ag Tribes Report by Vance Crowe, Vance covers four major headlines shaping agriculture and adjacent markets after the scheduled guest drops out during harvest. The report dives into the unusual coalition of farmers and food companies backing state-level animal welfare laws like California’s Prop 12, unpacks the DOJ’s massive seizure tied to a Southeast Asian “pig butchering” crypto scam and what it could signal for government Bitcoin accumulations, assesses Nestlé’s 16,000-job global restructuring and what it may mean for supply chains and food inflation, and reacts to prosecutors seeking a prison term and restitution in the $4 million crop insurance fraud case involving Steve McBee—plus why crackdowns on fraud matter for producers who rely on transfer programs.In the Bitcoin land price segment, Vance explains recent volatility, why 24/7 liquidity makes Bitcoin the shock absorber for weekend macro news, and why dips remain opportunities compared with gold’s run-up. Vance also shares a reflection from an impromptu conversation with a Vietnamese Uber driver on managing “energy ripples” in relationships, and explores what genuine respect looks like in the Worthy Adversary segment—including how naming respect can transform high-stakes conversations. As always, listeners are invited to send in stories for future shows and feel free to disagree.Legacy Interviews - A service that records individuals and couples telling their life stories so that future generations can know their family history. https://www.legacyinterviews.com/experienceRiver.com - Invest in Bitcoin with Confidence https://river.com/signup?r=OAB5SKTP

In this solo-hosted Ag Tribes Report by Vance Crowe, Vance covers four major headlines shaping agriculture and adjacent markets after the scheduled guest drops out during harvest. The report dives into the unusual coalition of farmers and food companies backing state-level animal welfare laws like California’s Prop 12, unpacks the DOJ’s massive seizure tied to a Southeast Asian “pig butchering” crypto scam and what it could signal for government Bitcoin accumulations, assesses Nestlé’s 16,000-job global restructuring and what it may mean for supply chains and food inflation, and reacts to prosecutors seeking a prison term and restitution in the $4 million crop insurance fraud case involving Steve McBee—plus why crackdowns on fraud matter for producers who rely on transfer programs.In the Bitcoin land price segment, Vance explains recent volatility, why 24/7 liquidity makes Bitcoin the shock absorber for weekend macro news, and why dips remain opportunities compared with gold’s run-up. Vance also shares a reflection from an impromptu conversation with a Vietnamese Uber driver on managing “energy ripples” in relationships, and explores what genuine respect looks like in the Worthy Adversary segment—including how naming respect can transform high-stakes conversations. As always, listeners are invited to send in stories for future shows and feel free to disagree.