Farm4Profit Podcast

Ag Leader's newer InCommand Go displays feature a built-in modem designed to make connectivity more seamless. Instead of relying on a phone hotspot or separate Wi-Fi connection, the display can connect directly when it powers up. Through AgFiniti, farmers can move files and prescriptions, keep displays updated, access maps, and—with additional features—transfer data between displays in real time. 

Luke also explains that connectivity isn't limited to brand-new equipment. Ag Leader offers retrofit options across different brands and ages of machinery, while newer displays can communicate with previous-generation InCommand 1200 and 800 displays. ZeeRow adds another piece of harve...

In this episode of Farm4Profit, we sit down with Devin Fuhrman, VP and Chief Agriculture Sponsor Relations Officer, and Erin Cumings, Senior Consultant, Sponsor Relations at Nationwide Insurance to discuss a free program that helps farmers identify risks, uncover vulnerabilities and build a practical plan for responding to the unexpected. 

Through a simple assessment and practical five-step planning process, Farm Risk Ready helps farmers understand the unexpected risks or disruptions that could affect their operation and create a personalized roadmap for responding to them. 

The discussion covers what it means to be Farm Risk Rea...

Kirbe Schnoor grew up in California's Central Valley, where her family raised crops ranging from cotton and corn to almonds, while Kirbe and her sisters built their own Angus cattle herd and traveled the country showing livestock. After studying mass communications and journalism at Fresno State, she headed to Fort Worth, Texas, determined to work for Superior Livestock Auction. She started by answering phones and taking out the trash before eventually hosting Superior Sunrise on RFD-TV. That opportunity launched a broadcasting career that would take her from cattle auctions to producing The American Rancher, helping launch The Cowboy Channel...

Farmers don't need perfect financial statements to qualify for financing, but they do need to understand their numbers. Erin, who brings approximately 27 years of agricultural finance experience and a background in cattle ranching, explains why preparing for next year's operating loan should begin before harvest is finished. That means updating balance sheets, profit-and-loss statements, tax information and projections while making sure lenders have a complete picture of equipment purchases, outstanding obligations, grain inventories and pre-sold bushels. Surprises halfway through the loan process can create unnecessary problems.

A central part of the conversation is the five C's of...

Pete Youngblut grew up on a corn and soybean farm near Dysart, Iowa, before studying precision agriculture at Hawkeye Community College and eventually working for Ag Leader. He later returned closer to the family farm and started Youngblut Ag, which has grown into a precision-ag and equipment business serving customers across a large portion of Iowa. Pete explains that his approach isn't simply selling technology—it's understanding a farmer's operation well enough to recommend equipment and technology that actually fit. f4p cart ace done f4p cart ace done

A major focus of the episode is Ca...

Logan and Bobby Lee grew up around the same family farming operation near Memphis, Tennessee, but eventually took different paths. Bobby Lee became a second-generation veterinarian and works primarily with dogs and cats while continuing to raise cattle. Logan left the farm for a couple of years to work as a machinist before returning, buying his first farm in 2015 and building a row-crop operation alongside—but separate from—his dad. That independence gave him room to experiment with practices such as cover crops while still working closely with the family operation. talk dirty to me talk dirty to me

Harvest isn't just about measuring what happened this year—it's an opportunity to start planning for the next crop. Dr. Sherder says changing planting dates, cover crops and tillage practices make weed-control planning increasingly important. In soybeans, his message remains consistent: start with multiple effective modes of action in the pre-emerge program, then follow with multiple post products and another residual to keep weeds from gaining a foothold.

Waterhemp is a major reason to think beyond a single season. Saving a few dollars by relying on one mode of action may look attractive today, but surviving weeds ca...

Cody Holmes grew up on a fifth-generation Idaho potato operation that also raises grain, while building his own career as an entrepreneur and heavy-equipment dealer. After years of dealing with domestic and international payments—and spending more than a decade around cryptocurrency—he saw an opportunity to make stablecoin technology usable for ordinary businesses. The result is Spud Pay, a business payment platform built around Spud USD, a stablecoin designed to maintain a one-to-one relationship with the U.S. dollar. spud coin done spud coin done

The crew spends much of the episode separating stablecoins from cryptocurrencies like...

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The Dryshod story starts well before the Dryshod name. Brad Hahn explains that he and his business partners had previously worked with the Muck Boot product line, while their partner Jim Donahue was the original creator behind Muck Boots. After their relationship with the brand ended in 2017, they called Jim about designing a new product. His response? He had been waiting years for the opportunity and already knew what he wanted to do differently. Dryshod launched with roughly 20–25 products and has since expanded to around 100 SK...

Maya's U.S. story began when co-owner Justin Bruch discovered the corn head while farming in Ukraine and brought one back to Iowa. Rick Nelson eventually tried the head on his own family farm, became impressed with its construction and harvesting performance, and bought into the business around 2014. More than a decade later, Rick says the basic row-unit design has remained largely unchanged because the fundamentals were already right. 

One of the biggest differences is the longer row unit. Maya can run the head flatter—around a 15- to 17-degree angle—and use longer snapping rolls operating aroun...

FBN Finance was built around the idea that agricultural borrowers should have more of the transparency and convenience consumers have when shopping for financing. Dan explains that FBN combines a digital application process and visible pricing with agricultural credit professionals who understand the complexities of farm operations. That becomes increasingly important as farmers navigate higher borrowing costs and become more cautious about how much debt their operations can sustainably support. 

For farmers with a farmland loan approaching a rate reset or balloon, Dan's advice starts before shopping for another lender: read the documents you already signed. Understand w...

Dan takes the guys inside his Northeast Iowa dairy, where his family milks nearly 200 Holsteins with three Lely A5 robots, an automated Lely Vector feeding system, and a Lely Calm calf feeder. Dan explains why automation isn't simply about replacing labor—it's about efficiency, lifestyle and allowing a relatively small dairy to produce millions of pounds of milk with very few employees. His philosophy is simple: technology won't turn a bad manager into a good one, but it can help turn a good manager into a great one. 

They also discuss dairy genetics, beef-on-dairy calves, profitability and Dan...

Farm margins are tight, but there are still programs designed to help producers invest in energy efficiency and infrastructure. Bethany from GDS Associates says EQIP continues to fund projects, while REAP had been paused as changes were made under the new administration. At the time of the interview, GDS said they were hearing REAP was expected to reopen in the fall.

One of the biggest takeaways is understanding the difference between the programs—and not starting too soon. With EQIP, Bethany advises producers not to change anything until they've received approval. REAP can offer more flexibility once a...

Why can mental health be so difficult to talk about in agriculture? Sam and Easton explore the unique pressures farmers carry—from finances and isolation to the responsibility of keeping land and a family legacy alive. Rather than blaming farmers for being unwilling to talk, they challenge agriculture to create better opportunities for conversations to happen naturally and earlier.

Sam shares the story behind Perfect Sundays, a six-episode fictional drama created after farmers repeatedly encouraged him to address farmer suicide following the success of his film Silo. The series follows a dairy family rebuilding after losing its pa...

Tom Brown didn't grow up farming. After studying anthropology and horticulture at Kansas State, he spent roughly 15 years living and working in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he gained experience in agribusiness development, seed production, horticulture, and helping farmers improve their operations. When he eventually returned to the United States, the desire to build a farm of his own was still there.

Instead of starting with what he wanted to grow, Tom started by asking potential customers what they wanted to buy. The answer was fresh, pick-your-own peaches. He intentionally searched within a 30-minute drive of Wichita and...

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Potassium is a macronutrient crops need throughout the growing season, but simply having adequate soil levels doesn't guarantee the plant can access it. The AgXplore team explains that roots only explore a portion of the soil profile and potassium movement is heavily tied to water—creating a challenge during dry late-season conditions when crop demand can still be sig...

Does tillage make money? The answer isn't simply yes or no. The KUHN team explains why the industry is moving away from “recreational tillage” toward more calculated, specialized passes designed to solve specific problems. From managing heavy residue and correcting compaction to creating a seedbed, the goal is to understand what the field needs and then determine whether the fuel, labor, equipment, and time required can generate a return.

The conversation also challenges the idea that broadcast fertilizer is simply “slinging it.” Garrick explains how modern precision spreaders control drop points, spread patterns, application rates, section control, and bord...

Andrea Fleming and Regan Bieber return to Farm4Fun to share how their lives and operations have changed since their previous appearances. Regan talks about stepping back into her South Dakota family farm during the COVID era while continuing to grow The Cactus Brand, which she started in high school. Andrea shares how a plan to become a veterinarian ultimately brought her back to the Minnesota family farm, where she now combines cattle, crops, content creation, personal training, public speaking, agritourism, and a few fainting goats. 

The conversation gets deeper as they discuss the growing disconnect between f...

In this What’s Working in Ag segment, Tanner gets an up-close look at Brandt’s 16125 HP Swingaway Auger. With bins continuing to get taller and wider, Brandt says demand is growing for equipment capable of keeping up. The 16125 can move up to 23,000 bushels per hour, with Brandt recommending roughly a 300-horsepower tractor for the job.

Chance explains the engineering behind Brandt’s HP—or High Performance—design, including an oversized 17-inch intake section and hopper designed to keep the main auger full and increase capacity. The Easy Swing System also allows operators to hydraulically position the heavy swin...

Dr. Eric Scherder of Corteva Agriscience returns to Farm4Profit to look back at the 2026 growing season and help farmers start building their 2027 agronomy plan. The conversation begins with cover crops and why simply getting seed on the ground isn't enough. From erosion and nitrate management to weed suppression and soil health, Eric explains why farmers need to know their objective, establish a good stand, and have a termination strategy before spring arrives.

The discussion moves into weed management and the importance of starting clean, using multiple modes of action, and layering residuals—especially in early-planted soybeans. Er...

Calli Williams, the Millennial Rancher, joins Farm4Fun to share the story behind TW Angus and what it takes to build a first-generation cattle operation in South Dakota. Calli grew up around cattle, 4-H, and FFA, while her husband Tate grew up without a livestock background and got his start by taking out a loan to buy a couple of heifers. 

Calli explains how TW Angus balances an annual online bull sale with a growing direct-to-consumer beef business. After deciding in 2020 to stop selling calves through the sale barn, they began finishing cattle themselves and eventually expanded f...

Greg Schreiner of Quick Organics returns with some major updates, including collaboration with USDA around the Common Organic System Plan and new tools designed to simplify one of the biggest headaches in organic farming: recordkeeping. Quick Organics now combines its Organic System Plan tools with an activity tracker and digital filing cabinet, allowing producers to document field activities, seed labels, cultivation dates, and certification records from their phones. 

But this conversation isn't about convincing every farmer to go organic. It's about helping the "organic curious" understand whether it could make financial sense for a portion of their o...

How does an agricultural idea go from someone's garage or university lab to something farmers actually want to use? AgLaunch's Margaret Oldham and North Central Iowa farmer Mark take Farm4Profit behind the scenes of a startup accelerator built around putting farmers directly into the innovation process.

Through AgLaunch Farmers LLC and its partnership with AgVentures Alliance, farmers help select startups, conduct real-world trials, provide feedback, and determine whether a product actually delivers value. Instead of simply receiving a free product for their time and acres, participating farmers can earn equity tied to the startups they're helping...

What does Amazon Web Services (one of the worlds largest companies) have to do with agriculture? A lot more than most farmers probably realize. Dr. Karen Hildebrand joins Farm4Profit at Tech Hub LIVE to explain how AWS supports agricultural technology companies around the world and why she believes successful innovation has to start by working backward from the problems farmers actually need solved.

Karen brings a unique perspective as both a technologist and a fourth-generation Manitoba farmer. The conversation explores the explosion of AI tools, how farmers can avoid technology overload, and why there probably isn't...

Carbon credits. Regenerative agriculture. CI scores. 45Z.

If you've been hearing these terms but still aren't sure what they actually mean for your farm, this episode is for you.

Tanner, Corey, and Dave sit down with Kelly Garrett of XtremeAg and Mike Busing of Windy Ridge Ag to unpack one of the most talked-about opportunities facing corn growers today: 45Z.

The conversation begins by looking back at the rise and fall of carbon markets. Mike shares his experience helping build one of the country's largest carbon programs through Regenerative Roots, while Kelly explains...

Kyle Kirchhoff joins Farm4Profit for a conversation about manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and an often-overlooked piece of grain management: grain quality. Kyle shares how growing up on a Southwest Iowa farm, studying welding and metallurgy, and starting a small repair business eventually led to KWF and the acquisition of the Magik Grain Cleaners product line. 

The discussion digs into how removing fines, cracked kernels, weed seeds, dirt, and other foreign material can improve airflow and grain storage while potentially reducing discounts at delivery. Kyle explains how the gravity-fed cleaners work without an external power source, where they can f...

Farm4Profit heads to Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol with Craig Floss, CEO of Iowa Corn, and Eric Petersen, President of Iowa Speedway, to talk NASCAR, ethanol, corn demand, and what’s ahead for racing in Iowa.

The conversation dives into why Iowa Corn continues to invest in NASCAR as a way to promote ethanol beyond the farm audience. NASCAR has raced on E15 since 2011, providing a high-performance example of ethanol in action while helping Iowa Corn reach consumers and build demand for one of Iowa farmers’ biggest products.

Craig shares the...

But how many actually know what those kernels are worth?

In this episode of What's Working in Ag, Shianne from BranValt explains how the SmartPan harvest loss system helps farmers move beyond visual estimates and accurately measure the grain leaving the back of the combine.

The discussion covers how the magnetic SmartPan captures real-time grain samples, how the accompanying app converts those samples into bushels, percentages, and dollars, and why calibrating your combine's loss sensors is critical for making informed adjustments during harvest.

Using real-world examples, the Farm4Profit crew walks through soybean...

Most farmers spend countless hours trying to grow another five bushels per acre.

Mike Rolfsen and Jeff Kazin believe there may be an even bigger opportunity waiting after harvest.

The Agris Academy co-founders return to Farm4Profit to explain why merchandising—not market prediction—is where many producers leave money on the table. Drawing on decades of experience trading commodities and managing physical grain businesses at Cargill, they explain how successful grain companies approach risk, logistics, negotiations, and marketing far differently than most farms.

One of the biggest themes throughout the conversation is that...

In this episode of Farm4Profit, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig returns to the studio for a conversation that covers nearly every major issue impacting producers today.

Mike begins by sharing how he balances his role as Secretary of Agriculture with remaining involved in his family’s fourth-generation northwest Iowa farm. He discusses growing up around corn, soybeans, and hogs, how the family operation has evolved, and why having one foot in production agriculture continues to shape the way he approaches his job.

The conversation quickly turns to one of agriculture’s biggest uncontrollable vari...

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Gunther Kreps and Dr. John Murphy teach with Walmart parking lots, old pickup trucks, M&M's, jawbreakers, extending radio antennas, Legos, and ibuprofen.

In this entertaining What's Working in Ag episode, the AgXplore team shares some of their favorite analogies that have helped thousands of growers better understand soil fertility, nutrient availability, plant physiology, and crop nutrition.

For over 125 years, Farmers Mutual Telephone Company (FMTC) has helped connect rural Iowa—first with telephones, then cable television, cellular service, broadband internet, and now preparing for what may become agriculture's next major infrastructure investment: AI computing.

In this episode, Kevin shares how a small rural telephone company evolved into a modern broadband provider and why Iowa's independent telecommunications companies have been uniquely positioned to bring fiber internet to rural communities long before much of the country caught up. He explains how fiber optic networks work, why broadband is becoming just as essential as electricity, and why ne...

In this episode, Tanner and Dave sit down with Stacy Anthony, CEO and co-founder of Ag Revolution, to discuss how his company is reshaping equipment sales and service across the Midwest. After spending 27 years with John Deere rebuilding dealerships and later creating one of the nation's largest agricultural equipment export businesses, Stacy set out to build something entirely different.

He shares the story behind launching Ag Revolution, why the company invested in a fleet of more than 60 mobile service trucks instead of additional brick-and-mortar dealerships, and how servicing equipment directly on the farm is helping producers reduce...

Farm4Profit sat down with Carl, one of Performance Livestock Analytics' earliest customers, to hear how the platform has evolved from a simple recordkeeping tool into a critical management system for his custom feeding business.

Carl explains how switching from paper records eliminated hours of office work, improved billing accuracy, simplified relief feeding, and gave nutritionists, veterinarians, and cattle owners real-time access to important production data.

The conversation also explores how digital records improve decision-making, why accurate data builds stronger customer relationships, and how emerging AI tools could shape the future of feedlot management.

Today's farms rely on technology more than ever.

From grain dryers and irrigation pivots to livestock systems, security cameras, accounting software, and smartphones, nearly every part of a modern farming operation is connected.

That also makes agriculture one of the fastest-growing targets for cybercriminals.

Chris from Tech Support Farm returns to Farm4Profit to discuss how farms can better protect themselves from ransomware, phishing scams, compromised credit cards, malware, and attacks on connected equipment.

The conversation covers real-world examples—including Tanner's own experience with fraudulent credit card charges—and explains how remo...

Every season farmers face the same expensive questions:

At Tech Hub LIVE, Farm4Profit sits down with Kristine White, CEO of Spornado, and Jackson Stansell, CEO of Sentinel Ag, to explore two innovative technologies designed to answer those questions with data.

Kristine explains how Spornado captures airborne fungal spores before disease symptoms ever appear, allowing growers to make preventative fungicide decisions weeks earlier than traditional scouting. The conversation also...

Nematodes may be hidden underground, but they can have a major impact on the long-term productivity of orchards, vineyards, and specialty crops.

In this What's Working in Ag segment, Daniel Abruzzini of Corteva joins Farm4Profit to discuss Salibro, an innovative nematicide that's changing how growers manage root-knot, lesion, and ring nematodes in perennial cropping systems.

Unlike traditional fumigation practices performed before planting, Salibro offers growers the flexibility to make in-season chemigation applications through existing irrigation systems, helping protect valuable orchards throughout their productive lifespan.

Daniel also shares insights into California specialty crop...

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Dr. John Murphy, Director of Agronomy at AgXplore, joins the Farm4Profit crew to cut through the confusion and explain the science behind one of agriculture's fastest-growing product categories.

From seaweed extracts and amino acids to nutrient efficiency and stress reduction, Dr. Murphy explains how biostimulants influence plant biology, why they're different from biologicals and fertilizers, and how...

Alex Fulton joins Farm4Profit to share his journey from horse racing and landscaping to building a thriving first-generation livestock farm in Maryland.

Today, Alex raises registered Berkshire hogs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, and laying hens while selling premium meat directly to consumers through multiple weekly farmers markets. Along the way, he explains how direct marketing, quality genetics, customer education, and diversification have allowed his family to create a profitable business in one of the country's most competitive regions.

The conversation also dives into Berkshire genetics, premium pork production, direct-to-consumer marketing, grinding your own feed, Maryland...

What makes Ag PhD Field Day one of the premier educational events in agriculture every year?

In this What's Working in Ag segment, Darren Hefty joins Farm4Profit to preview everything coming to the 2026 Ag PhD Field Day, including brand-new equipment launches, recently approved herbicides, AI discussions, fertility management, and practical agronomic advice for the season ahead.

The conversation covers why farmers from across the country attend the event, how innovation continues to reshape agriculture, and why networking with fellow producers can be just as valuable as the latest technology demonstrations.

Darren also...