If you work in the Business of Agriculture, you likely know of a dysfunctional family farming operation. Contrary to the pastoral vision of farming portrayed in children’s books, many farms are stress-filled places to work with family members in conflict, run by narcissistic owners. So says Andy Junkin who works as a farm mediator and advisor to keep family farming operations from imploding. Andy joins Damian to discuss succession plans, working with the next generation, and the 9,000 hour rule. If you’re a farmer in that 77%, you may not like what you hear in this episode. Which is exactly wh ..read more

Drone technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Will we see a future where unmanned aerial vehicles replace the traditional crop duster? Likely not for a number of practical reasons as well as the technology advancements being made in manned agricultural aviation. A more likely scenario is where drones compliment airplanes (as well as terrestrial application units) for greater precision, reduced product application, and improved production. In this forward looking episode Damian sits down with Bill Reynolds of Leading Edge Aerial Technology, Andrew Moore with National Ag Aviation Association, an ..read more

“Our industry is going to require 60,000 4-year college graduates and we’re around 38,000 students graduating from the Ag curriculum currently.” So says Dr. Tom Paulson, department head at Morningside U’s Applied Agricultural and Food Studies. Dr. Paulson is joined by Tom Moss and Liz Zoebel, two of 75 students studying Agriculture at the Sioux City, Iowa college. They discuss what they’re learning, what they’re not learning, where we can help them develop professionally, and much more. Tune in to this spotlight on tomorrow’s Ag leaders. Sponsored by:
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Every five years congress hashes out, argues about, and then releases a new and revised Farm Bill. At least that is what’s supposed to happen, although it may not happen for the 2023 version. Paul Neiffer, the Farm CPA, joins Damian to explain the current Farm Bill, predict what’s in the new version, and discuss proposed changes. The new Farm Bill’s spending is set to grow by 60% -- much of it for nutrition programs — but where else will this money end up? Listen and find out! Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterraag.com ..read more

When you think of buying a piece of farm ground, you probably think of the very real possibility that the soil is depleted. But what if it’s got more than enough fertility and what if you can actually use that banked fertility to lower your taxes? Turns out, per IRS Section 180, you can depreciate excess fertility on newly acquired farm land (purchased, not rented). Alec Bean with Agricultural Soil Management explains this crinkle in the tax code that might make your next farm land purchase a bit better for your tax plan. Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterr ..read more

Much of American Agriculture is predicted to have a prosperous 2023. But there are concerns. Commodity prices are high but so are inputs. Exports set a record last year but geopolitical strife is simmering on the verge of boiling over. What’s the future hold for Ag? Arlan Suderman, Chief Commodities Economist with StoneX Financial and a self-proclaimed “glass half-full” guy discusses farm economics, trade, domestic consumption, burning through over-production, and why the USDA is wrong about China among other things ..read more

The Amazon effect is coming to Agriculture. In fact, it’s already here. If you need something on your farm, chances are you can order it up on your smart phone and have it by the end of the week. Even chemicals, seed, and fertilizer. But will Ag retail go away? Not likely, given the proximity, relationship, and handling capacity. Lance Ramthun, founder of Farmerce, discusses his company’s incarnation, growth curve, and value proposition. This is a fun and moving discussion about the future of Ag input allocation! Sponsored by: Pattern Ag pattern.ag AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com Truterra truterr ..read more

If you’ve worked in the Business of Agriculture for one year or the past 50 years, all you’ve known is increased globalization of our industry. That’s changing and the pace of change will likely accelerate during the next decade. Todd Thurman, co-host of The Business of Ag Success Group discusses the rise of globalization as we examine American Ag exports past, present, and future and what tomorrow's global markets might look like. Sponsored by Pattern Ag pattern.ag, AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com, and Truterra truterraag.com ..read more

North American Agriculture has benefited greatly by China’s rise during the last couple decades. But, as you’ve heard, all good things must come to an end and in this case, the end might not end well. Tensions between China and the west — particularly the United States — have ramped up. And frankly, those tensions aren’t likely to subside. In this episode we discuss trade, numbers, and the reasons it’s time to start weaning North American Agriculture off the adversarial customer that is China. Sponsored by Pattern Ag pattern.ag, AGvisorPRO getagvisorpro.com, and Truterra truterraag.com ..read more

American Agriculture often times suffers from a disorder I’ve termed Acute Commodity Mindset. Symptoms of this disorder include thinking customers should purchase what we produce — regardless of what they actually want — and resisting opportunities to up-sell higher profit margin products. We saw both of these behaviors in the recent “spat” with Mexico, who initiated a ban on GMO corn beginning in 2024. Mexico softened their stance on Genetically engineered corn after being threatened by American Ag. Unfortunately, we’ll take the wrong lesson from this “victory” over our number two Ag customer ..read more