Market to Market - The MtoM Podcast
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176 episodes
Tanner Ehmke, the lead economist on grain and oilseed, discusses how undisciplined capital has potential to bring a boom and the factors that could go the other way.
Josie shares her work in the field of farm safety and mental health, including her role in the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center.
Bill Martin has spent most of his career around livestock. The last three are part of a leap of faith from Colorado back to his native Texas with college friends to operate Lonestar Stockyards outside of Amarillo, Texas.
Ben Riensche’s past life was in banking so his finance take now on the farm helps provide some insight on and off his Jesup, Iowa operation. His farm has been in a pocket of northeast Iowa short on water, high on prices for land and equipment while low on grain prices. We get his insight on the year ahead with the current set of circumstances and some what if’s along with a take on decade that rhymes with Hades.
Simulated farming has a life of its own for The Squad creator Grant Hilbert. What started in high school has led to a decade of taking viewers on YouTube and has provided enough revenue to purchase hundreds of acres of Iowa farmland. He’s widened his talents to the tractor and combine from the game console and headset. We get an update on that expansion pack of a dream and the cross overs that have happened IRL and online with his stardom from The Squad and his adventures in the field.
Crisis doesn’t happen on schedule - usually a heart attack, farm accident or cancer diagnosis can come when a crop is ready for planting or harvest.
Wild hogs have been found in several U.S. states and the damage can be severe. The animals that date back to DeSoto need some water, will eat almost anything from bugs, pecans or young wildlife - the population is exploding. Aaron Sumrall is in charge of outreach, education and research for Pig Brig a company that makes a live trap. We discuss non-native exotic animal feral swine.
The cattle inventory report gives confirms the smallest herd since the 1950's. Derrell Peel is Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist for Oklahoma State University and sees similarities to this cycle with others tied to drier conditions. He gives us insight on the pipeline and the layered and complex livestock market.
As politics go, the Farm Bill resorted to a broader coalition of food, fiber and commodity support. That action was decades ago but this environment - on top of an election year - is making the waters even tougher to navigate for leadership. Jonathan Coppess is an Ag Policy professor at the University of Illinois and now studies how these bills are made after working on the staff side of the street a few years ago.
He’s famous for his trombone skills and performance locations, eagle cams and other adventures on his Kansas Farm. Derek Klingenberg is ready for another season of eagle watch from his live stream of an eagle nest. We also catch up about new places he’s brought out the trombone and new players in the pasture.
Making the transition from one generation to the next can be a touchy subject. Like anything communication goes a long way and it could have started in a mentoring relationship or other exchange of ideas. Clint Fischer started Braintrust Ag as a way to help facilitate the idea sharing and transitions in farming operations.
Seven states are up against the clock to get a water deal reached over the Colorado River and who gets what allotment. As the 2026 deadline approaches, the food versus cities debate simmers over the precious resource. Kathryn Sorensen is the director of the Kyle Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University and gives us perspective on the issue.
Our two farmer profiles for 2023 wrap up in Illinois as Chad Bell gives us the report on the rain that arrived in time and helped exceed expectations while Mike Schulte in Oklahoma says he was more in a meets the lower expectations category as dry weather continued but moisture did arrive to change the end of the year.
Season three of combine karaoke discovered fun and a big crop for Franklin County, Iowa farmer April Hemmes. Her farm caught just enough rain at the right time and she was singing that tune around the world talking soybeans.
Mike Naig goes into detail on Iowa's response to the 2023 outbreak of HPAI, or High Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Millions of birds in Iowa have been killed because of the virus. Naig discusses the response this cycle compared to the 2015 outbreak.
Beth Hoffman went to the farm as a spouse, now she's published a book about her transition to farmer and author from journalist. We bring back Beth to discuss the year on the farm with changes in demand, new offerings on the property and what being a good neighbor means in Monroe County, Iowa.
We take a step back to the basics of grain marketing by reviewing terminology and the fundamental discussion of how markets work in commodities. Ashley Bettenhousen is a grain market advisor with Valiant Marketing in Wishek, North Dakota. She loves talking the basics and takes time to explain them.
Partnering solar and agriculture is under review and in the research phase in the heart of the Corn Belt. Nick Peterson is with Alliant Energy who is partnering with Iowa State University on the concept of renewables and food on the same tract of land. The concept is called agrovoltaics.
What happens to a wind turbine after the time on the tower is changing. Canvus is taking what was likely headed to the landfill and repurposing the blade in many forms and could soon be headed to a park or public space near you. Brian Donahue gives us the scope of work across the country from his Ohio office.
Trade is a complicated matter and when issues arise between two partners the answers aren't always easy. Nathan Kauffman is an economist with the Federal Reserve of Kansas City's Omaha branch. His insight on Mexico reveals the complications around GM corn, labor and products that flow between the two countries.
Jordan Fife just returned from another visit to what could be one of the next big trading partners of U.S. farmers and ranchers. India has the world's largest population and a desire for more commodities and insight. We also talk about energy stories around the world with the president of trading for Biourja.
The State Department is a large government agency handling matters around the world. One of those issues is food security and what can happen when focus drifts on the issue. Dr. Cary Fowler, a special envoy for global food security for the United States State Department, is a return guest to the Borlaug Dialogue at the World Food Prize and has connection to its founder, Dr. Norman Borlaug.
Norman Borlaug revolutionized wheat and all of food production. That was a moon shot of an idea. Raj Shah is looking for the next one from his role as president of the Rockefeller Foundation. The organization's risk capital can take chances with big thoughts he finds and inspires on his return trip to Iowa.
Ronnie Richardson has been helping clients buy and sell land since the mid-90's and the more prices rise, the more things have stayed the same. We discuss strategies for preserving generational wealth through land and his role as CEO of National Land Realty based in Mississippi.
U.S. cotton growers have been enrolling acres into the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol aimed at featuring the industry's sustainability efforts. Recently a new end user from Europe enrolled helping expand the efforts on a larger global scale. Tillman White is the Operations Manager for the Protocol and tells us about his role in working with growers, gins and end users.
Sorghum is dealing with a classic supply and demand story - trying to grow new markets while expanding acres at a balanced time. Nate Blum is the Executive Director of Sorghum United. He's been around the globe just this year for the commodity.
Russia and China combined to force the fertilizer market higher. Those two issues have subsided, but the bigger picture could change again if a couple of things happen again. We look at the weather and supply/demand tables in this chat with the VP of Fertilizer of Stone X, Josh Linville.
Dial Ventures is based at Purdue University, right in the center of the agriculture. How that location, coupled with global talent and ideas is helping the way U.S. farmers feed and clothe the world. Dr. Allan Gray discusses the flywheel he's in now with ideas turning into customers.
Automation is already in agriculture - but the full transition to driverless cabs is under study. The University of Missouri is now testing and researching on a autonomous and electric tractor. Dr. Jianfeng Zhou gives us a tour of the machine and discusses some of the topics surrounding this evolution.
The renewable energy industry has roots in agriculture. Chevron is known for its start in the petroleum side of energy. Kevin Lucke is the president of the newly formed Chevron Renewable Energy Group. We have a conversation with Lucke at the Iowa State Fair about the mixing of renewable sources with one of the old guards of energy.
