Ambassador Kip Tom served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 2019-2020. As a seventh generation farmer, Kip has worked tirelessly as a voice for farmers in the U.S. and around the globe and is a strong advocate for technological advances in agriculture. In this episode we discuss Kip’s journey from farm boy to becoming an active influencer of ag policy in the U.S. and abroad. Listen in to hear his take on the threats facing agriculture and the need for his fellow farmers to make their voices heard by policymakers. Despite challenges fa ..read more

Congressman Brad Finstad was elected to Congress in a special election on August 9, 2022, and was sworn in three days later with his family by his side as he took the Oath of Office to proudly represent Minnesota’s First District. Brad is a fourth-generation farmer and resident of the New Ulm area. He and his wife, Jackie, met on the school bus in second grade and they are now the proud parents of seven children. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Agriculture Education and an emphasis in Rural Leadership Development, Brad and Jackie now operate an agriculture busin ..read more

John Kowalchuk is a farmer in western Canada who grows canola, malt barley, wheat, yellow peas, faba beans, and red lentils on his 2,000 acre farm.  He enjoys actively sharing the stories of his farming journey and promoting agriculture through social media.  In this conversation, we learn about John's farm and he shares tips to encourage his fellow farmers to become active in sharing their stories with consumers. You can follow John on Twitter: @kowalchukfarms1, TikTok: @kowalchukfarms, Instagram: kowalchukfarms, or through his blog: http://johnkowalchuk.blogspot.com/.  Check o ..read more

Tar Spot is a devastating disease of corn that was first identified in the upper midwestern United States in 2015.  The disease led to devastating yield losses in farmer fields in 2018 and 2021.  Dr. Matthew Helm is a research molecular biologist with the Agricultural Research Service arm of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) and is stationed at Purdue University.  Dr. Helm's current research involves understanding the molecular interactions between the tar spot pathogen and its host to ultimately develop plants that can prevent and/or tolerate infection. For ..read more

Farmers are aware of the multitude of insects and diseases that attack their crops, but consumers may be unaware of the amount of effort that goes into protecting crops from diseases.  Dr. Dean Malvick is a plant pathologist at the University of Minnesota and conducts research to support farmers in this battle. One corn disease that has attracted a lot of attention among farmers over the past several years is Tar Spot, which has traveled from Mexico and invaded the upper Midwest.  For this episode, Dr. Malvick joined Preston and Jason to discuss the latest research on the control of ..read more

Dr. Jayson Lusk is an ag economist at Purdue University, where he is a distinguished professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics.  Dr. Lusk studies what we eat and why we eat it.  He is the author of several books, including his latest, Unnaturally Delicious: How Science and Technology are Serving up Super Foods to Save the World.  In this episode, we discuss the results of consumer surveys about food, and how farmers can positively impact consumer perceptions. You can learn more about Dr. Lusk's work at: www.jaysonlusk.com.  Monthly survey results about ..read more

Our Podcast series on the Past, Present, and Future of Ag Tech continues with returning guest Jack Marck, who is managing director of the Illinois Agtech Accelerator.  Located at the University of Illinois Research Park, this program provides mentoring, funding, and office space for Agtech startups.  In today's conversation, we discuss the opportunities for new technologies to improve farmers' operations and strengthen the food supply chain.  You can contact Jack through email at jack@gener8tor.com. To learn more about the Illinois Agtech Accelerator program, please visit www.ge ..read more

This episode is the second part of our conversation with Dr. Stephen Powles, one of the world's foremost experts on herbicide resistance in weeds.  In this conversation we discuss novel methods of managing herbicide resistant weeds.  Listen for Steve's explanation of his seemingly counterintuitive advice, "When you're on a good thing, change it."  If you haven't listened to Steve tell the fascinating story of his educational and career journey, be sure to check out the previous episode. To learn more about this topic or to start a discussion with Dr. Powles, follow him on Twitte ..read more

Scott Spal is a scientist with The Climate Corporation.  In his current role, he investigates how enhancements to Climate FieldView can improve farmer profitability, as well as transparency and sustainability in agriculture.  Listen to this episode to learn how farmers benefit from the massive amounts of data that they collect in their fields. To learn more about The Climate Corporation, please visit www.climate.com ..read more

Happy 3rd anniversary to the Focus on Agriculture Podcast.  In this brief update, we discuss the 5 most downloaded episodes from the past year.  Be sure to rate and review us on your favorite podcast app ..read more