Diversification

Unlocking New Farm Revenue: Bayer’s Newgold Targets The Biofuel Boom

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:36:47 GMT

At the intersection of low-carbon fuels and practical farm economics, Bayer’s newgold seed brand is being developed, offering an opportunity for farmers to make additional income from their existing acres.

By inserting high-oil, low-carbon intensity crops such as camelina and canola into idle/fallow acres or wheat rotations, growers can tap into a new income stream that feeds the fast-growing biomass-based diesel market.

The new opportunities are backed by defined grain contracts, downstream demand, and long-term R&D investment, according to Chad Bilby, Bayer biofuel crops innovation and commercial lead.

Bilby says Bayer’s biofuel crops portfolio is currently centered on three crops:

1. Camelina (spring and winter): Under the newgold brand, initial focus for 2026 is in the northern Great Plains (southern Saskatchewan, southeast Alberta, eastern Montana, western North Dakota), with potential expansion as the program and value chain build out.

2. Winter canola: Also under newgold, the crop is targeted for commercial planting starting in September 2027 in the southern Great Plains (Kansas, Oklahoma, northern Texas) within wheat rotation systems.

3. CoverCress: This offering is a joint venture between Bayer, Chevron and Bunge and has been in place for several years. CoverCress is an oilseed targeted to corn-soybean farmers in the Midwest and used to produce low-carbon intensity oil for renewable fuels and high-protein meal for animal feed.

“All these crops that we’re focused on are geared for the biomass-based diesel segment of biofuels,” Bilby says. “When you look at biodiesel, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel… a lot of the higher horsepower engines where electric vehicles are not going to play a role are really seeking a path to get access to biofuels,” he adds.

Seed to Market: Closed-Loop System and Value-Chain Alignment

Newgold is being built on the recognition by Bayer that agronomy alone doesn’t make a new crop successful for farmers — marketing certainty is needed.

Because many specialty oilseeds, such as camelina, don’t have a standard commodity market behind them already, Bayer is structuring a closed-loop, contract-based system from the outset.

“Some of these crops aren’t a commodity trade, so something like camelina or CoverCress, you don’t have a market for those crops,” Bilby explains. “There will be a grain contract in place that will establish the pricing and delivery options… farmers will have that grain contract available. And then in the case of a camelina or winter canola, we will then sell the seed to the farmer against that contract to fulfill the contract.”

In parallel, Bayer is working across the entire value chain to align agronomy, grain flow and processing capacity.

“We’re collaborating closely with value chain partners,” Bilby says. “So as crush and renewable fuel capacity comes online, [farmers will] have a locally relevant crop and clear contracting options, kind of a seamless path from seed to market,” he says. “This is going to help ensure that agronomic fit, and that grain logistics and crush demand start to scale together.”

On the distribution side, newgold will tap into Bayer’s existing retail networks but says it won’t be locked into any single channel. Bilby notes that Bayer will leverage relationships and brands like DEKALB, WestBred, and others, but the newgold label gives the company the freedom to choose the best local partners.

More formal announcements around the Bayer newgold brand and opportunities are expected in the coming weeks. Farmers can learn more of the various program details by contacting their local Bayer representative.

Farm Equipment Auctions Soaring Despite Stagnant Economy: Unpacking What's Next

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 16:42:58 GMT

Casey Seymour and Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson see a used equipment market that has flipped from last year, when dealers pushed out a glut of late model, used equipment to auction.

Today, the number of 1–to-3-year-old high-horsepower tractors (300 hp and up) on the market is down 60% from last year, and late model combine listings are down 54%, according to Pete. Yet surprisingly, auction activity is up 14% from last year, too.

So, retail sales and the farm equipment market are in a prolonged slump, but auctions are still booming. It’s an odd juxtaposition, and dealers have to figure out how to navigate the uncertainty in the middle of the busy auction season.

“If I’m a dealer, and 2024 was painful and we’re having these huge losses, but we keep talking about [having] this footing – that’s why you’re not having a huge sale – but maybe [you’re] streaming out five tractors on this auction or two on that one,” Pete says. “That’s what I’m seeing. Whereas last year it was just, the spigot was open, and dealer items were everywhere.”

Seymour expected more dealer liquidation auctions in Q4, but dealer reps tell him they are not planning a big push of equipment to auction this year.

“[We] have this stagnant marketplace, where it’s not getting any better, and it’s not getting any worse,” he says. “You’re just kind of stuck in the middle. But to still see the auction activity that we’re seeing and the prices we’re seeing, it feels like we’re at the bottom.”

Pete agrees with that take, pointing to a growing trend of multi-dealer auctions, like the Rich & Rich Red Power Auction this weekend in North Carolina, as another sign the market is down. He is also seeing an increase in farm retirement auctions as farmers try to avoid losing equity.

Pete wonders if the rumored farmer aid package from the Trump administration will spark a dead-cat bounce on used machinery values and farmer buying activity?

“I don’t see that making its way to the equipment side. They’re going to shore up [debts] first, build back up and then probably [buy] inputs, but I guess it depends on if it’s taxable or not,” Seymour says.

Pete and Seymour tried to stick to farm equipment trends and what’s happening in the auction world, but the guys could not ignore the giant elephant in the room. They share thoughts on the impact of social media on political tensions in rural America, and why they think politicians should come down to an in-person auction and have some real conversations with real Americans.

The Rest of The Episode

Commodities analyst Shawn Hackett joins Seymour to break down the impact of the U.S. government shutdown on crop prices, and used equipment specialist Aaron Fintel closes out the episode with a chat about how livestock payments are driving more buying activity on loader tractors out west in his neck of the woods.

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode. Please be sure to hit the “Thumbs Up” button to “Like” the video and click on the “Subscribe” button to get a notification when a new episode drops.

Your Next Read: Machinery Pete’s 5 Pointers For Equipment Auctions

Diversification Drives Success on This Idaho Farm

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 14:55:32 GMT

Diversification has long been a big part of life for the Riggers family on their farm in Idaho’s fertile Camas Prairie. Diverse soil types support a diversity of crops, ranging from wheat (soft white, hard red winter and hard red spring), food-grade barley, canola, rapeseed, mustard, chickpeas, green peas and lentils. Roughly 15 percent of their more than 8,000 acres produces grass seed — Kentucky blue, turf-type tall fescue and reclamation varieties.

This diversification enables Clearwater Farms to remain profitable even when commodity prices are down. It also helps improve soil health, says Nate Riggers on the latest episode of Grow Getters , a Farm Journal podcast focused on how producers are diversifying their operations by starting new businesses. “We’re very sensitive to maintaining soil health and we do that primarily through reduction tillage and growing a diverse complement of crops to stimulate the soil biology.”

So it should come as no surprise that the family continued to diversify its operation in 2019 by starting a new business, Cold Stream Malt & Grain Company, which processes craft malt barley and sells finished craft malt to breweries throughout the Pacific Northwest. While barley has been a foundational crop on Clearwater Farms for quite a while, Nate’s son, Chris, who now leads the family operation, says finding a strong market for it has been difficult in the past.

“We’re not close to interstates or big cities and that’s where the malt houses are and the breweries,” Chris says. “It’s been challenging to have a competitive market for growing malt barley.”

To create their own market and drive Cold Stream Malt & Grain toward success, the Riggers partnered with Horlacher Farms in Latah, Washington, and have added value along the supply chain by offering finished malts under their brand. “The company falls in with the theme of everything else we strive for on our farm in adding diversity in a lot of different ways,” Chris says.

While Chris’s return to the farm in 2017 has played a key role in starting the new company, Nate says the malt barley idea has been knocked around on the family farm for a while. “My brother, Steve, and I were about 20 years too early,” he says. “We couldn’t get our foot in the door because we didn’t have the contacts with malt house and craft breweries to complete the chain. When Christopher came back to the operation, he and our partner were able to get the business off the ground.”

Given that the Riggers family has been profitably farming their land since 1895 and, in 2022, were chosen as a finalist for the Top Producer award, all signs point toward continued success.

Watch the full Grow Getters interview:

Visit the Clearwater Farms website: https://clearwaterfarms.us/

Visit the Cold Stream Malt & Grain Company website: https://coldstreammalt.com/

2025 Top Producer of the Year Marc Arnusch Looks for Success Beyond Commodity Farming

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:50:46 GMT

As he checks last year’s crops and thinks about the future, Colorado farmer Marc Arnusch and his team are excited about what’s ahead.

“At the end of the day, this is about family,” stresses Arnusch. “It’s about growing an operation. It’s about growing a community. It’s about helping others lead and that’s been the greatest reward.”

Getting to those rewards has been a journey for this operation located in Prospect Valley about 35 miles northeast of Denver.

“My family immigrated to the United States in 1952 from Austria,” he explains.

It was the sugar beet that lured them to the Colorado climate and it was a key part of the farm until the late 2010s.

“I couldn’t control my market and I couldn’t control my destiny. There were so many variables that I had no impact on,” Arnusch says.

His wife Jill remembers, “I was doing all the finances and telling him we just we can’t do this anymore. I was telling him that this is uncomfortable for me, but I don’t feel right about this. We’ve got to change. We’ve got to move.”

Ultimately, Jill’s warnings won out and Marc broke the news.

“That was hard when I had to tell my dad that I grew my last sugar beet crop,” he said. “You can imagine he wasn’t very happy about that.”

Like so many others, it was one of the family decisions Marc and Jill made together. Early on, there were plenty of thin margins.

“I wanted to raise our son at home and we made it work,” Jill says. “You can make a pound of hamburger stretch for three meals for three people if you really try hard.”

Diversification Becomes Key
Today, they grow seed wheat, seed barley, grains for the craft beer and spirits industries, black-eye peas, alfalfa and food grade corn.

“We grow a lot of things that my grandparents and my father would never even consider,” Arnusch says. “Growing a grain for a distillery or taking on a new crop like a black-eyed pea that had never even been grown in this region of Colorado, there’s certainly some risk but there’s also the reward.”

It’s a way to control their own destiny and de-commodititze a commodity. Diversification has been the key to weathering the challenges of Colorado.

“We don’t always get along with Mother Nature,” Arnusch says. “Hailstorms are frequent here in this area, and we’re a very dry climate.”

Which is why they’re constantly looking for other ways to de-risk their business. It’s a lesson they learned a few years back while growing onions.

“We were growing 600 to 700 acres a year, and we acquired a packing shed where we shipped our crop to over 30 different states and four foreign countries,” Arnusch says.

However, he soon found access to steady labor was a constant challenge.

“There was a morning where I came out into the field and I had 250 workers helping transplant a crop out of Arizona into a field here in Colorado,” Arnusch says. “The following day I had nine.”

Join Them, But Do It Better
Despite the investments and the market, he walked away from the onion business because he couldn’t control those variables. Instead, he found other ways to supplement the farm beyond the field. Good snow melt and a good aquifer means excess water is available for other uses during certain times of year.

“Weld County has more oil and gas wells in it than all of Saudi Arabia combined and part of that development process requires a large amount of water,” Arnusch says. “We had it in the right place, in the right time, in close proximity to where it needed to be delivered and so Ag Water Alliance was born.”

It was a collection of farmers selling water together to the oil and gas industry and that helped bulletproof the Arnusch balance sheet. They also started a captive insurance company to help take catastrophic risk off the table. Soon, they’ll continue to expand on their family motto, “We Grow Things,” as they look to grow their community.

“We’re getting ready to develop my grandfather’s farm,” Arnusch says. “I would imagine you’ve not heard too many farmers say they plan to build on top of their family’s legacy.”

Jill adds, “When New York investors and people from overseas start calling you every day and asking if your farm is for sale because it is the most prized piece of property in town, we decided if you can’t beat them, maybe you join them and do it better.”

The goal is to bring resources, services and amenities back to their small town that were common just 50 years ago. Things like healthcare, assisted living and a place for new businesses.

“Rather than just selling the property and letting somebody else develop that farm, we’re doing something that’s very hard,” Arnusch says. “We’re going to do this ourselves. We’re going to do it with a purpose and it’s about putting people and our community first.”

With their son and his new family by their side along with a newly hired farm manager, the future is bright for the Arnusch operation.

“Farming goes beyond just the seed that you plant in the field, the crop that you grow, the equipment that you have,” Arnusch says. “It’s about investing in tomorrow. Our future at this farm is one built on tomorrow.”

They recognize all of it is a gift for them to steward.

“If you don’t know your numbers, you don’t really know your business and you can make good decisions on bad numbers and bad advice,” Jill says. “It can all go away very quickly.”

This Colorado operation may have faced adversity, but the willingness to reinvent the farm is why they’ve been named the 2025 Top Producer of the Year.

The Tax Man Cometh To The Farm

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 15:47:09 GMT

Everyone can benefit from a practical reminder from time-to-time. In this case, Paul Neiffer wants to remind farmers that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is set to expire at the end of 2025.

“We’ve had these tax cuts for eight years now, but farmers may not be thinking about this and what it could mean for them,” said Neiffer, principal of FarmCPAReport.com and a Top Producer columnist.

Neiffer addressed the topic of what farmers need to know now and address from a tax standpoint during the 2025 Top Producer Summit in Kansas City.

“Certainly, farmers are aware of the lifetime estate tax exemption dropping in half after this year. But I think a lot of these other provisions that would hit them, they’re probably not quite as aware of them,” he said.

Neiffer highlighted three provisions he believes U.S. farmers are likely most interested in seeing extended or made permanent. They include:

1. The 100% Bonus Depreciation. Neiffer said he believes the 100% provision will be made permanent, though it’s currently only 40%.

“We think that will come back to farmers,” he said. “The practical benefit is when they purchase equipment or farm buildings they’ll be able to deduct 100% of that item in the year of purchase. Also, there is a chance that trade-in of farm equipment will be similar to the old rules and non-taxable in most situations.”

2. The increase in the lifetime exemption for estates. If the current law is left unchanged, as of Jan 1, 2026, the present lifetime estate and gift tax exemption will be cut approximately in half. It currently is almost $14 million.

Neiffer is optimistic about the exemption. “I think the likelihood on the estate exemption is very good. I think that’ll stay at least at the current level,” he said.

3. The Section 199A Cap. This provision allows individuals, trusts and estates with pass-through business income to deduct up to 20% of qualified business income (QBI) from taxable ordinary income. Schedule F farmers are also granted the 20% deduction.

While Neiffer said there is some bipartisan support in Congress for extending the Section 199A deduction beyond 2025, he is ambivalent about that happening. “With that 20%, it would be a lot more costly to enact,” he noted.

Practical Next Steps Farmers Can Take
Looking ahead, Neiffer said he believes the likelihood of having a major tax bill before the end of 2025 is slim. At best, the bill would be ready by November or December.

For that reason, Neiffer’s recommendation to farmers is for them to plan on pushing income into 2026 but to have the flexibility to bring that income back into 2025.

“The reason is if the tax cuts don’t get extended that means 2026 tax brackets are going to be a lot higher,” Neiffer explained. “So, we would want to bring income into 2025. Now, farmers have the ability to do that using deferred payment contracts and some other elections that they can make – but only if they plan ahead accordingly. They definitely want to make sure they do that,” he added.

Your next read: It’s Tax Time: Your Guide To Calculate Farm Income

Texas Rancher Kimberly Ratcliff Trades the Big Apple for Community Beef Business

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 18:18:04 GMT

This is right where Kimberly Ratcliff was born to be, surveying the Bermuda grass and cattle of Caney Creek Ranch in Oakwood, Texas.

“Just like life evolves, agriculture is evolving and I’m excited for this new evolution in agriculture,” Ratcliff said with a smile.

The 2025 Top Producer Women in Ag Award winner says her journey back to the Texas Plains began with big dreams in the Big Apple.

“I ended up going to college in New York City and I really thought New York City was what I wanted,” she says. “I really thought that was the lifestyle I wanted.”

Working at Bloomberg in marketing and public relations she found herself being pulled back to commodities and her days growing up on the ranch.

“That hit me hard because I realized I needed to go back home,” remembers Ratcliff. “I had enough knowledge of how these financial institutions work, but I don’t think the community understands how that affects them.”

Her father and the ranch’s owner, Wesley, remembers the phone call following a recent visit.

“When she got back [to New York], she said, I want to join you. I said, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no’,” he says. “I can’t pay you even close to what they’re paying up there. She said, ‘That’s not your problem.’”

He also asked her about ranching and whether she understood that aspect of the business. Kimberly had a solution. She entered the Texas Christian University ranch management program and became the first African American to graduate. Then, she moved home and went to work.

“I would get people driving up to the house and they wanted to put their eyes on me to see that I had really come home,” Ratcliff says. “People always say they want to come home, but they never do it.”

“My daughter coming back here honestly, was not something that I was thrilled about,” Wesley said with a half-smile and twinkle in his eye. “She is kind of bossy and I had one boss already: her mama. Now I have two bosses.”

Ratcliff started Ratcliff Premium Meats, a direct-to-consumer beef business, with a story to tell.

“Being a woman in this industry and being a black woman, I think the No. 1 thing I have honestly is the best support system here in my community,” Ratcliff says. “They’re the ones pushing me.”

“I’m happy to see her venture out and try to do something different,” Wesley says. “I would never get into the meat business, but she wanted to. I didn’t have a problem with her getting into it.”

Today, it’s a family affair as she’s also getting help from her brothers.

“In five years, my goal is to have my family - all of my family - working for us,” Ratcliff says.

As demand grows, this family operation is expanding and helping more in their community.

“In the ag community, I need cattle,” Ratcliff explains. “I need them to keep their land. I need them to have healthy cattle. I need them to have great grass and great soil. I need them to have all those things that will make me successful. So, how can I help them with their success?”

She’s sharing that success with local and state food banks.

“The first thing I support is my local food bank,” Ratcliff says. “Every week, every month, I make sure they are stocked with every protein I can provide. I don’t want them ever to have to worry about buying protein externally.”

It’s that kind of heart for others that’s helping her honor this opportunity and her mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2019.

“She was just fighting because she saw the success that I was having and she wanted to be here to say, ‘I’m proud of you’,” says an emotional Ratcliff. “I know she’s still proud of me.”

A mother who is proud of the work she’s done and difference she’s making in the lives around her.

“This job is really taking us back to the root of what our culture is about,” Ratcliff says. “It started with the small and the large all working together to feed the world.”

Unexpected Ways A Missouri Farmer Brings Family Back To The Farm

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 20:29:30 GMT

After some time helping his grandpa on the family farm, Josh Payne decided to leave his teaching career and help run the operation full time.

Because his grandpa had the land and equipment paid for, their 600 acres in Concordia, Missouri provided enough income for two salaries - but Payne knew his sister may want to join them as well. That’s when he adopted the motto “Get Big or Get Weird”.

“We could pick up 1,000 acres, but that means we need more equipment,” he tells Andrew McCrea on the Farming The Countryside podcast. “Instead of getting more acres, we decided that we wanted to take these small pockets of our farm and try to add value to it.”

University of Missouri staff suggested the Paynes try chestnuts.

“At a wholesale level, they’ll produce about 2,000 lb. per acre at $3/lb. wholesale. That’s $6,000 an acre, so if we put 30 acres in, that’s enough for my grandpa, me and my sister to make a go at this,” Payne says.

But there was a catch.

“The problem is we just had to wait 10 years for the first harvest,” he says.

From Chestnuts To Sheep To Hogs
The family went ahead and planted their chestnut orchard, and alley cropped corn, soybeans and cover crops as they waited for it to grow. They still needed a plan B in the meantime, though. That became sheep.

“We chose sheep because the math is really good,” Payne says. “If you can have three ewes per acre, at a very wholesale level, you end up with four lambs per acre. If you sell the lambs for $200, that’s $800 per acre, and you’re going to spend about $100 per acre. That’s significantly better profit-wise than any sort of row crops.”

The main economic driver of the farm turned from row crops to sheep quickly. The Paynes began direct marketing the lamb and selling breeding stock to drive an even higher price for their products.

The sheep now account for 300 of the farm’s acreage, and the family has another new venture up their sleeves as well.

“Our next project is to take 110-acre plot and turn it into a wholesale pasture pork operation that we’re actually really excited about,” Payne says.

Just like the sheep, Payne has a plan mapped out for the hogs.

“We’re trying to take a hoop house and grow grains in between tree rows. We’re going to plant these rows of trees that eventually will drop fruit - mulberries, persimmons, apples, chestnuts, etc.,” he explains. “Eventually those will provide significant amounts of feed for those pigs. Then we’re going to grow grains in between.”

But there’s a bigger picture behind the farm’s hog expansion.

“My brother in law works in Kansas City, and he wants to be able to not drive to Kansas City,” Payne says. “We said is there a way that we can make enough money on acres of land that we have that he doesn’t have to drive to Kansas City?”

People As The Driver
The driver on Payne’s farm is people. He says if you want to do the same with your family, you have to find something meaningful for them to do, that they know how to do and that they can make money with.

“If you were to take a 1,000-acre farmer, and you were to take 40 of that out of row crops or modify it, all of a sudden, this 1,000-acre farmer is a 960-acre farmer, and they have a 40-acre operation that their son or daughter runs,” Payne says. “At commodity prices today, that could make as much profit and probably more. You just need more people. And for me, that’s just good news.”

He adds one caveat to be ready for.

“You just have to be willing to let the coffee shop talk and tell stories about you,” he says.

Watch more of the Farming The Countryside podcast here

This Young Indiana Couple Doubles Down on Tech to Diversify the Family Farm

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 21:48:27 GMT

When Bri Stagge came home after college to help out on the fourth-generation family farm five years ago, she didn’t plan on starting a tech-driven side business or on meeting Dustin Osborne, who is now her husband. But she did both.

She agreed to help her father, Steve, manage the farm in Greensburg, Ind., where they grow corn and soybeans on 1,000 acres while tending a herd of roughly 7,000 pigs. Her top priority was managing her dad’s side hustle, a dragline manure business.

“I was not interested in coming back to the farm,” she explains on the latest episode of the Grow Getters podcast , which features producers who start new businesses to diversify their ag operations. “But the manure business had grown so much he couldn’t keep up with farming and hauling manure. That’s what brought me back.”

She’s now glad it did. Since then, she met and married Dustin, who brought even more ideas about how to create new sources of income. “The goal is to grow the farm operation,” says Dustin. “We’re surrounded by a couple of really big operators, and for us to be able to compete and stay relevant we had to venture out into the side businesses.”

Having worked as a custom applicator for Nutrien Ag Solutions, he knew about applying inputs. Since 2022, both of them became licensed drone pilots and together they started Osborne Ag Services , which provides drone spraying, especially fungicide and insecticide application on wheat, corn and soybeans. They also have a drone spreader for cover crops and a small drone for scouting crops.

“We chewed on it for about a year before we took the jump,” Bri says.

Dustin adds, “When we were thinking about what we wanted to do for our own business, the spray drones made sense. The drone is just the tool. At the end of the day, it’s about knowing what you’re putting on.”

Having taken the leap, they found themselves happily surprised by the response from growers in their area. “We were blown away by our first year,” Bri recalls. “We had more business than we ever could have imagined. We passed our goal by quite a bit in the first year, and in the second year we’ve doubled our business.”

A key to developing their businesses is investing in equipment and technology they can use on their own farm. Then they think about how the investment can create additional revenue. “Everything in our business ties back to the original operation,” Dustin says.

That approach has enabled them to expand Osborne Ag Services beyond drones into light excavation projects, from clearing field edges to fixing driveways. The couple recently invested in robotic technology that helps manage grain bins while increasing farmer safety.

“With our businesses, we knew we were going to benefit the farm,” Bri says. “It wasn’t just a jump off the ledge with no return in sight. That’s always the big question: Will the investment be worth it?”

Read more about the Osbornes in this next gen spotlight .

Want To Diversify? Don't Overlook This Tool

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:00:00 GMT

If you want to take your farm to the next level, diversified income streams could be the key, according to Matt Boos, founder of Agrigrowth Consulting.

“Very rarely do I ever see a truly successful farm that was just a row crop business,” Boos says. “They had a crop insurance business, a seed business, a trucking business, a tiling business, and the list goes on.”

Boos shares farmers often already have the foundation of these businesses, but are missing a few small pieces to getting them off the ground. He recently joined the Top Producer podcast with host Paul Neiffer to discuss how he helps farmers grow these opportunities.

“A lot of them have had these businesses have just kind of grown organically,” Boos says. “They had a neighbor that needed something, and they had extra help around. Or they had dump trucks sitting around for hauling manure and thought they could pick up more business.”

But to grow those revenue streams, he says it takes stepping back to look at who your customer is and how you can market to them. That’s where peer groups can be an important tool.

“Peer groups are the best advisory board a person could have,” Boos says. “It’s those people that are just farther ahead in the journey than you are that you have to surround yourself with.”

He emphasizes the importance of finding someone outside of your geography who has your best interest in mind and will objectively question why you do things a certain way.

“Finding those people shortens the learning curve,” Boos says. “No one needs a CPA, no one needs a consultant. People could figure all this stuff out on their own with enough time. But there’s a finite amount of time.”

To hear more from Boos, listen to this episode of the Top Producer podcast.

Uncrapify Your Future: What Could You Do Differently?

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 17:54:23 GMT

In times of tight margins, every purchase must have a purpose with ROI top of mind. As you optimize your equipment, crop inputs, farmland and business intellect for the year ahead, take the time to plan your work, and then you work your plan.

Feeling the weight of a down market isn’t lost on Jeff Havens. As an entrepreneur and motivational speaker, his entire business disappeared in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“I had contracts for six or nine months and financially was set to have one of my best years,” Havens recalls.

He had to reinvent himself and his business as cash flow dried up.

“One of the advantages agriculture has is that it’s a relatively slow and stable sales cycle,” Havens says. “It’s not an industry like fashion where things change every week or month. That affords you time to think about what you could do differently.”

1. Think Beyond Commodity

Havens says innovation can take many shapes and recommends looking beyond the often-miniature margins of commodity production.

“If all you’re doing is selling a commodity crop, then you’re basically just beholden to the whims of the market,” he says. “Are there other ways to take more control of your business, to set your own prices (i.e. a corn maze, pumpkin patch or U-pick) in order to get beyond straight commodity margins.”

2. Fail Small

Trying something new or testing an idea doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Havens recommends starting small rather than risking the entire operation. There’s no reason to plant an entire farm in a new crop or completely move to a different production system when it can be done slowly.

“None of us want to make a big mistake, and we certainly don’t want to make mistakes that are catastrophic,” Havens says. “Take what you consider to be an acceptable risk, and ask yourself what is the worst thing that can happen if I try this? If the worst thing that happens is you don’t have a farm, or you have to sell your farm, then that’s maybe not a risk you should take. If the worst thing that happens is you lose 10% next year, if that’s survivable, then that’s a risk you can certainly consider.”

3. Harvest Good Opinions

Not all advice is equal. Some people chirp about everything, while others take a measured approach to offering input. Havens says find a trusted voice or two and forget the rest.

“Be very intentional about whose opinions you care about,” he says. “You don’t have to take their opinions, but it’s good to have a couple of people in your corner to say, I’m with you on this journey.”

4. Embrace Openness

Above all, talk to others and be open about your situation. In this self-motivated, self-driven lifestyle, farmers tend to solve problems alone and in a stoic fashion. Havens says, it’s okay to share and be open.

“There’s not a single person on the planet who doesn’t occasionally need the help and support of the people around them,” he explains. “The person you share it with isn’t mad at you. They’re there to support you. It can be a relief compared to keeping it all bottled up inside.”

Your Next Read: How One Farmer Turned the 1980s Disaster Into Enduring Success

Crop Diversification to Build Resilience

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:00:43 GMT

By Mark Heckman: Atalissa, Iowa USA

Two for the price of one.

That’s the basic idea behind my new farming trial.

As a farmer in Iowa, I’m always trying to do more with less. The great limiting factor for farmers in our region, of course, is the length of growing season, which starts with planting in the spring, runs through the summer, and finishes with harvest in the fall.

Our overriding goal is to produce a single healthy crop that fetches a good price.

But what if we could produce two?

That’s what I’m trying to achieve this year, by planting and harvesting two crops on the same fields. First, we grew rye, which was harvested in July, and now we’re growing soybeans, which we expect to harvest in November.

I’m hardly the originator of this approach. Other farmers have tried it, and I’ve also tested it over the years. The difference now is that I’m double cropping on about 100 acres. In previous trials, I’ve limited myself to less than 20 acres. This year marks a big step forward.

My goal is to diversify.

Corn and soybean production dominate farming in my area. They are excellent and essential crops that grow well in the American Midwest, well suited to the soil, climate and growing season. They also have significant market opportunities, here in the United States and abroad as exports that drive much of our heartland economy. They are the major crops on my own farm.

Yet I’m always eager to adapt, innovate, and try new things. When you grow corn and soybeans for a living, you can feel like a price taker, accepting whatever prices the commodity markets dictate. My double-cropping experiment is an effort to become a price maker—an entrepreneurial attempt to discover a new way to flourish as a farmer.

In any business—and farming is a business—diversification involves the development of new products and expansion into new markets for the purpose of creating sources of revenue and reducing risk.

When done well, it makes us more resilient.

That’s why I’m seeking to get two harvests from the same land.

My present effort started last fall, after harvest. We planted rye as a cover crop. It’s a hardy grain that tolerates cold weather.

The main purpose of most cover crops is to protect and enhance the soil. They fight erosion, preserve moisture, and allow microbes and nutrients to thrive. By improving soil health, they prepare the ground for the crops we plant in the spring and whose growth and harvesting is at the center of our operation.

On 100 acres of rye, however, we didn’t plant anything on top this spring. Instead, we let the rye continue to grow into July, when we harvested the seeds and the biomass of stover. We sold some of the seeds, but we’re keeping many of them for future planting on our own farm. The stover enjoys several markets: Its uses include everything from livestock feed to bedding for cattle in barns to erosion control along highways.

Immediately following this harvest of rye, we planted our soybeans, drilling the seeds into the soil in a no-till method that preserves the work of the cover crops.

If you’re planting soybeans in Iowa in July, it usually means that something went wrong: the soybeans you had planted did not emerge or perhaps emerged and were damaged due to extreme weather would be the likely reasons. Some years, depending on the weather, we can plant soybeans as early as April. We always do a lot of planting in May. Waiting until July, for whatever reason, means soybeans have lost about two months of the growing season.

It’s like starting a marathon an hour late. You may race well, but you’ll never catch the frontrunners.

Now our soybeans are sprinting—and when harvest comes this fall, we’re going to take a pretty big hit on their yield. They’ll probably produce half as much as what we’ll harvest from the soybean fields we planted in the spring.

But that’s acceptable because we’ve double cropped. When we combine the reduced value of the soybeans with the full value of the rye, we hope to see an overall profit. And if our short-season soybeans fail entirely, the crop insurance we carry to manage risk will protect us from suffering catastrophic losses.

I’m eager to learn the results. In 2025, we can expand our rye-and-soybean acreage, keep it on about 100 acres, or reduce it.

We’ll make that decision in a few months, as we continue to think about new ways to build resilience in our farming business.

Mark Heckman grows hogs, cattle, corn, soybeans as well as cover crops as part of a family farm partnership in SE Iowa. He consults in the renewable energy processing supply chain and is VP for a bio-analytics company that assesses biofuel characteristics. Mark volunteers as a member of the Global Farmer Network. www.globalfarmernetwork.org

How To Translate Generational Misunderstandings

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:24:36 GMT

The week of June 10, Farm Journal is celebrating the next generation of American agriculture. Our goal is to encourage you to plan for the future and cultivate multigenerational success through the transfer of skills and knowledge. Think tomorrow, act today to align your asset, resource and financial legacy.

Communication between one generation to another can seem like talking a different language.

“I suggest you approach looking at another generation with curiosity rather than judgment,” says Kim Lear of Inlay Insights.

In her work, Lear shares generational theory insights and highlights how these are trends, not traits, but can inform better teamwork.

Why It Matters Now

Taking a refreshed approach to understanding on-farm team members from other generations is top of mind as today there are four generations actively employed across our economy.

When bringing more than one generation into leadership roles on the farm, it’s helpful to understand how to communicate.

“Dates given for generations are just a starting point. Generational theory is taking formative events from our growing years and seeing how they shape the people who lived through it,” she explains

A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years, and while general trends can be highlighted, Lear also notes there are exceptions.

“There are individuals who sit between two generations, and those people can serve important roles communicating between the generations. They are generationally bilingual,” Lear says.

3 Steps for Generations To Work Together
“We are in a unique time where we have four generations in the workforce,” says Kim Lear. She suggests three steps to bring together a productive team. 1. Prioritize clarity over brevity in communication. 2. Instill respect as the foundation. 3. Deliver feedback in a way that motivates to improve rather than paralyze with fear. Give a clear path for the road to improvement with the tools to get where they need to be.

3 Steps for Generations To Work Together

“We are in a unique time where we have four generations in the workforce,” says Kim Lear. She suggests three steps to bring together a productive team.

1. Prioritize clarity over brevity in communication.

2. Instill respect as the foundation.

3. Deliver feedback in a way that motivates to improve rather than paralyze with fear. Give a clear path for the road to improvement with the tools to get where they
need to be.

We Are Getting Older

The scales are tilting toward an older society, and there are fewer members of the younger generations.

“The story of aging is changing in America,” she says. “We have cliff diving birth rates and low immigration. Also, we are an ageist society.”

Today 62 million adults ages 65 and older are living in the U.S., which is 18% of the population, according to the U.S. Census. In 30 years, 84 million adults ages 65 and older will make up an estimated 23% of the population.

With the recognition of how our population is structured, and how your on-farm team members reflect their generational trends, you can evaluate your communication.

Next Gen Insights

Lear shares trends about Generation X (birth years: 1965 to 1979), millennials (birth years: 1980 to 1994), and Generation Z (birth years: 1995 to 2012).

Members of Generation X can exhibit fierce independence. For example, they can have an aversion to traditional sales tactics.

“If a brand crosses them, they are hard to earn back as a customer,” she says. “It’s telling — the divorce rate doubled during the Gen X birth years.”

As another data point, 55% of startup founders are Gen X.

As for millennials, the rise of double income households really took off as millennials grew up.

“Millennials are collaborative, empowered, networked, risk averse and in search of meaning,” she says. “But America has more single parent households than anywhere else in the world. It’s one way to understand why work-life balance is at the forefront of recruitment and retention.”

For Generation Z, our present serves as the backdrop of their formative years. Already, Lear has seen how Gen X parents and Gen Z children have relationships rooted in friendship.

“They are highly influential over each other’s decision-making. For example, Gen Z will bring job offers to their parents to vet,” she says.

Lear continues with an example of how Generation Z makes decisions.

“They are showing how they can abandon any obsession of convenience with an obsession of optimization,” she says. “For example, a regular stationary bike is convenient versus a Peloton is synched with stats and analytics. It’s the expectation of personalization and customization.”

Lear gives an exercise to test your transgenerational communication.

“Look at processes, procedures and norms. What are you holding on that is a sacred cow? And then ask your team to think about where can we focus on that’s more useful and more productive for us?” Lear outlines. “You’ll identify priorities and open up how our team talks to one another.”

Winter Canola Offers New Income Potential to Mid-South Farmers

Fri, 10 May 2024 17:15:59 GMT

Sometime in the next two or three weeks, Brandon Whitt says his winter canola crop will be ready to harvest.

In North Dakota, where the bulk of the popular oilseed is grown in the U.S., this would be nothing unusual. But Whitt is based in central Tennessee, a part of the mid-South where corn, cotton, soybeans, wheat and hay crops rule.

Winter canola might soon be added to the list, thanks to a joint venture between Bunge and Chevron (Bunge Chevron Ag Renewables) and Corteva Agriscience. Corteva (Pioneer) offers canola seed and is providing farmers with agronomic support.

The companies are working with about 20 farmers in Tennessee and Kentucky this year to give winter canola a leg up in the region. The crop could provide an additional revenue stream for growers there and help meet the increasing market needs for renewable fuel.

Western Kentucky and Tennessee are what Chad Berghoefer calls the “current epicenter” in the mid-South for winter canola production.

“From there, we could see it being grown about 150 to maybe 200 miles from that point – up into southern Illinois, down into northern Alabama, Mississippi, and over into Arkansas and Missouri as well. Those will be the number of states, as we grow out the project year over year,” says Berghoefer, global product director of biofuels for Corteva Agriscience.

The three company partners estimate winter canola acreage could go from the 5,000 acres in production this year in Kentucky and Tennessee to millions of acres across their target region within the next decade.

Farmer Preserves The Past, Embraces The Future

Whitt says when he was approached by his Pioneer field agronomist, Kyle Holmberg, about trying winter canola, he was excited to give it a go on his family’s eighth-generation operation, Batey Farms. The farm was established in 1807.

The prospect of growing winter canola fit well with the family’s motto, “preserving the past and embracing the future.”

With that in mind, Whitt ripped out a 6-acre field of U-pick strawberries on his farm, located along a highway near the city limits of Murfeesboro, Tenn., population 162,000. He planted the small plot, which is considered a research location for the mid-South, last September.

“We wanted to put this in an area that the general public could see and ask questions about what winter canola is and what we’re doing with it,” Whitt says.

The crop garnered considerable local attention from passersby when it flowered this spring. Some local high school graduates took their senior pictures in front of the crop. In another instance, at least one couple took some of their engagement pictures in the field, using the crop as a backdrop.

Whitt says the crop has been “pretty easy” to manage. His experience with wheat and barley made growing canola a similar experience.

“It’s really not very different as a winter crop for us,” he says.

Pioneer has provided production guidelines for winter canola here .

The Status Of Canola In The U.S.

Farmers currently grow about 2 million acres of canola in the United States, according to the U.S. Canola Association (USCA).

There are two types of canola: spring and winter, named as such for when they are planted. Spring canola is planted in early spring (March) and harvested around September. This type accounts for the majority of U.S. canola production, the association reports on its website .

Winter canola is planted in September. It overwinters and is then harvested in late May or early June. Typically, winter canola will yield 20% to 30% more than spring canola.

In the U.S., the ratio of supply versus demand of canola oil is about 1:4, which presents a huge opportunity for farmers to grow more canola, USCA says.

The biofuels market could potentially be even more significant. In 2021-22, the association says approximately 1.4 billion pounds of canola oil were used annually in biofuels.

Profit Margins And Logistics Play Important Roles

One potential hiccup for farmers in newer production areas is getting the crop to market. That’s a factor for the Whitt family.

“I’d definitely like to expand the crop acreage, but logistics will come into play,” says Whitt, whose 1,800-plus acres of crops currently include non-GMO yellow and white corn, barley, wheat, oats and soybeans.

He says the current delivery point Bunge has available this first year of the program is too far from his farm. However, he adds, he is hopeful Bunge will add a delivery location in northern Alabama.

“If that happens, then the sky’s the limit for growers in my area to add winter canola into their production as an alternative crop,” he says.

If Whitt decides to grow canola on a large scale, he anticipates using it in a double-crop practice. This year, for example, he plans to plant either sunflowers or soybeans after the canola is harvested.

“We always try to find ways to evolve as farmers,” Whitt says. “I’m producing crops to make money and also because of the passion we have to feed, clothe and fuel our community around us and our world. I think this is one of the best projects I could be involved with right now.”

Looking forward, Whitt says he looks forward to learning more about winter canola. “I’m really curious to see the project through its fruition, to understand better how to grow it, and how do we manage the crop as a quality grain moving forward to get it to the end market.”

Winter Canola Program For 2024/25

The three partnering companies – Corteva Agriscience, Bunge and Chevron – say there are five potential advantages for farmers who participate in their winter canola program:
1. Increased total farm profitability
2. The opportunity to participate in the growing renewables feedstock market
3. Improve soil through plant diversity and water filtration
4. Maximize productivity through a multi-year crop rotation
5. Access to federal crop insurance for qualified participants

Farmers who want to participate are able to contract acres of production at a fixed price based on the July 2025 Canola Futures, +/- local area basis. ‘Act of God’ clause is included and additional pricing alternatives are available, according to literature the companies have developed jointly.

Growers will deliver all canola production to a river loading facility and get paid by Bunge Chevron Ag Renewables. Grain delivered is subject to quality grading standards.

Pioneer has provided production guidelines for winter canola here .

No Hands: Young Illinois Farmer is Now Taking Planting Tech to New Heights

How Fertilizer Madness Sparked a Turd War and Turned Guano Into Gold

Pennsylvania’s Painterland Sisters See Spectacular Success With “Side” Yogurt Business

Pennsylvania's Painterland Sisters See Spectacular Success With “Side” Yogurt Business

Wed, 08 May 2024 19:54:38 GMT

When Stephanie and Hayley Painter started a yogurt business a couple of years ago to help support their family’s Pennsylvania dairy farm, they didn’t envision it quickly becoming the country’s fastest growing yogurt brand in the natural foods space. But that’s exactly what happened. Painterland Sisters Icelandic Yogurt is now sold in 2,200 stores coast to coast.

Stephanie explains how and why she and her sister achieved such success in a brand new podcast called Grow Getters , which explores “Agriculture’s most inventive side hustles.” Hosted by Davis Michaelsen and produced by Farm Journal Studios, Grow Getters takes a lively look at creative ways farmers are plugging into their passions and sometimes exploring new technologies to add revenue to their operations. In agriculture’s challenging economic climate, these resourceful “grow getters” are redefining what it means to be a farmer.

Watch episode one of Grow Getters here.

Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30" List

With their organic, nutrient-dense yogurt, made using milk from their farm and from nearby farms, the Painter sisters have taken moonlighting to a whole new level, even landing a spot on Forbes magazine’s most recent “30 Under 30” list .

“We saw cool, powerful women helping their family’s business on the Forbes 30 Under 30, so my sister and I looked at each other and said, ‘We want to do that,’” Stephanie explains on the first Grow Getters podcast. “We want to represent dairy. Farming, right? Agriculture. Wouldn’t that be amazing to make it relatable, to make dairy cool and fun to the general consumer?”

More than achieving accolades, however, the sisters’ mission is to connect consumers with the farmers who are producing their food every day. They’re also committed to continuing the succession process on the family’s fourth-generation farm, preserving and even increasing its value for the next generation coming up quickly behind them.

Read more about the Painter sisters and their exploding business.

Following its debut on May 7 with the Painter sisters, Grow Getters will release a new episode every other Tuesday. Blending stories of side-hustle highs and lows with plenty of humor and even some flashy singing and piano-playing by Davis, Grow Getters is like no other show in today’s ag media world. The goal of the podcast is to celebrate and match the unbridled moxie, energy and creativity of its guests. Subscribe to the Farm Journal YouTube page for the latest episodes.

A Big Future for Texas Dairy

Fri, 03 May 2024 20:42:21 GMT

Head to the Lone Star State, and everything is bigger, or so they say. That doesn’t only refer to big hats and big hair, it also applies to dairies, as the average size in the Panhandle hovers around 4,000 cows.

Beyond cow numbers, the theme of growth is consistent, although for some operations that doesn’t necessarily equal milking more cows. Many producers plan to increase cow numbers, while some share growth revolves around efficiencies.

The growth Texas has seen in the past two decades in terms of milk production is noticeable. Jennifer Spencer, AgriLife Extension dairy specialist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science, says Texas produced 1.65 billion pounds in 2023.

According to Juan Piñeiro, assistant professor and Extension dairy specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, the Lone Star State will continue to increase cow numbers and milk production, especially in the Panhandle, over the next five years.

“When business is good, dairies continue to expand,” Piñeiro says. That’s why we have seen an increased rate of consolidation in the dairy industry, especially in the past 15 years in the U.S.

70% of Cows Live on 5% of Dairies

Net profits tend to be lower in smaller herds, Piñeiro points out, which is why 70% of the cows in the U.S. live on 5% of the dairies.

“This certainly holds true in Texas,” he says. “This statistic will continue to grow.”

But to grow, processing plants must also expand. With more than $7 billion in planned processing investments in the pipeline, including in states such as Texas, growth
is promising.

Spencer says four processing facilities are just opening or under construction in the state, which could increase demand for Texas milk:

Cacique Foods, a cheese plant, opened in May in Amarillo.
Great Lakes Cheese Plant in Abilene is scheduled to be completed in late 2024.
A milk processing plant in San Antonio to support H-E-B is under construction and scheduled to be completed in summer 2025.
Phase 1 of a Lubbock-based Leprino Foods cheese plant is scheduled to be completed in early 2026.

Piñeiro says it is difficult to predict what the future of Texas dairy will be with all the challenges facing dairies today.

“Although I do think there is room for growth in Texas with all the upcoming processing plants,” Piñeiro says, adding he believes most of the milk to fill the upcoming processing plant needs in the state will come from Texas dairy producers, but some might come from neighboring states such as southwestern Kansas or eastern New Mexico.

Labor Costs Eat into Profits

With oil industries, among others, competing for labor, finding workers is also a challenge for Texas dairy producers. This has led some to incorporate technologies and automation to reduce labor needs.

Although Tom Alger, one of the owners of A-Tex Dairy in Friona, Texas, says his dairy has fared well with labor. He says their challenge with labor has been the overall costs it takes to pay for workers.

“That’s inflation, though,” he says.

Originally from Chino, Calif., Alger and his family moved to Friona in 2007. The family decided to move east after the southern California dairy they rented was sold. Alger and his brother Ray went into partnership together and built a 3,200-cow dairy in the Texas Panhandle to provide an opportunity for the future generation to dairy.

“We have a larger dairy than I ever dreamed of,” Alger says, adding that the operation is in the process of slowly purchasing his brother out.

With God’s blessing, he says dairying has been mostly successful for them. They now milk 5,300 cows and continue to look at how to improve efficiencies to sustain the family dairy operation.

“We’ve gotten a little bigger in terms of cows and land, and we will see where the next generation goes,” Alger says, adding that they currently farm with his son Derek and his nephew Jeff.

Water Scarcity Presents a Hurdle

While Texas has more than doubled its cow numbers in two decades, the biggest challenge to push the needle and continue the steady growth curve is water scarcity. Piñeiro says this is the largest hurdle facing producers in the state.

“The Panhandle is a semi-desert, with roughly 12" to 18" of precipitation a year,” he says. “Improving water efficiency with the use of new irrigation technologies, drought-tolerant crops, hydroponic systems and management practices considering soil health, among other strategies, will be key in the future.”

Water was an issue when Alger moved to Friona in 2007, but now he says it’s a major challenge.

“The wells’ average flow rate is 400 gal. per minute, and today they might get 150 to 200 per minute,” he explains. “I’ve got some wells holding, while others are dropping quickly.”

They have plenty of water for the cows, but when it comes to the feed side of the equation, Alger says that is another story.

“It’s obviously a concern every year,” he says. “We look at what water we have available before we make the decision what crop go into the ground.”

Combating water issues, A-Tex Dairy grows fewer acres of corn and more drought-resistant crops, such as sorghum or wheat.

“Double cropping is not an option anymore,” he notes.

They own 3,500 acres and rotate crops to help feed their cattle. He says they’ll likely allocate 900 acres for corn silage this year.

Factor in limited rainfall, especially if you look at the past two summers in the High Plains area, and it is no surprise water is a main concern for its producers. A-Tex Dairy works with neighboring farms to purchase additional feed, and Alger believes they are well positioned for their 2025 feed supply. In addition, the dairy feeds a lot of gluten and distiller grain, along with some cottonseed.

Beef-on-Dairy is a Blessing

One area that has been a blessing for A-Tex Dairy is beef-on-dairy calves. The family started dabbling in this alternative profit source seven years ago, and for the past four years, the majority of their cows have been bred to sexed semen or Angus.

“We have very few Holstein bull calves,” Alger says.

They retain the beef-on-dairy calves at different weights.

“We sell some at 450 lb., some at 750 lb., and we retain ownership on some all the way down to the kill floor,” he adds.

Strong beef-on-dairy prices have helped keep the dairy in the black for the past couple of years.

“Milk certainly hasn’t done that,” Alger notes. “Right now, beef-on-dairy has been by far the most profitable for our operation.”

Looking to the future, Alger says they plan to start hedging prices for their beef-on-dairy calves.

“We need some protection because they are worth too much right now not to protect the high prices,” he says.

Another profit opportunity A-Tex is looking into is carbon. Alger admits they have had a couple of offers, but being a drylot facility, the offers aren’t as enticing as some of the modern dairy facilities.

“We are still exploring our options,” he notes. “I know there are opportunities out there. We are generally not the first to jump on something but typically not last either.”

This holds true with investing in technology, as Alger says they, of course, expect a return on investment when incorporating any technology into their dairy.

“Our focus is improving efficiencies,” Derek Alger explains. “We utilize EID tags and FeedWatch and are looking to incorporating a monitoring system.”

Producers have taken a hard hit with falling milk prices in 2023. Spencer says the uniform milk price fell from $23.68 per cwt in 2022 to $18.98 per cwt in 2023. The price of cheese averaged about $2 per cwt below both of those.

At the end of the day, Alger thinks dairy is still a good industry to be part of and says he believes, at this point, 2024 will be a decent year, especially considering feed prices are significantly lower than last year.

While there are several dairies in Texas that are positioned to grow in terms of cow numbers, Alger isn’t planning to grow his herd. For now, they will continue doing what they do best, which is striving to produce the most efficient milk possible to help set the farm up for the next generation of dairy farmers.

Next-Gen Spotlight: Illinois Siblings Capitalize On Their Location to Expand Their Farm Revenue

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:50:07 GMT

Twins Wayne Gehrke and Carolyn Brummel both had a desire to come back to the family farm after graduating college but needed to find enough room in the operation to support two new employees. With heavy land competition from more established producers, the duo decided to make the most out of what they already had and began working to expand the hay and pumpkin sectors of Gehrke Family Farms.

Q: What’s the biggest opportunity for your operation?
Wayne: The biggest opportunity for us was our location. We’re located an hour west of downtown Chicago. In the county we live in, the population is just under 600,000, so there are a lot of consumers. We started making hay and selling it to the hobby equine industry in the area and the Chicago Thoroughbred tracks. We also started a pumpkin business with a roadside stand on the main road, which has expanded every year. We’re continuing to grow and meet a need that our neighbors are looking for. The nice thing about that for us is it really allows us to make some income that isn’t just corn and soybeans, which is a hard industry to crack into if you’re young and competing with established growers.

Q: What has been the hardest part about getting started?
Carolyn: Even when you grow up on a farm, going back full time can be overwhelming from the sheer amount of things you realize you don’t know. I’ve been in it for almost a decade and there’s still so much stuff where I’m like, “Man, if the rest of my family was gone, I would be finding a different job because there’s no way I could do this alone.” That’s really intimidating at first, but it’s also important to recognize that there’s no way to know it all right away, and we try to play to each other’s strengths.

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Wayne: Don’t say no right away. We bought a prefab building this past year to use as storage and an indoor sales location. Carolyn presented the idea, and my initial reaction was “We don’t need that.” But after looking at them and figuring out how much they cost, I realized it wasn’t a bad idea at all. Saying no right away is a good way to miss out on opportunities and rub people the wrong way.

Q: What advice would you give others?
Carolyn: I have a lot of friends that took a few years to work off the farm, rather than going straight back to the farm. I also worked for a year in Austria after college, and it was an incredible experience. I think there can be a lot of value in that, and I think I would encourage my kids to consider doing the same someday.

Wayne: Go back and check your attitude at the door. I graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in crop sciences. I thought I knew how to grow crops, but I wish I had stopped to ask “why” more. Why did we do it this way? Or why don’t we do it that way? I wish I would have taken to that mindset a little bit earlier than I did.

Q: Where would you like your operation to be in five to 10 years?
Wayne: I want the operation to be making enough money that I can comfortably not have to work every day out of the year from sunrise to sunset. It doesn’t really matter to me which side grows to make that happen, but as long as I’m financially stable and comfortable with taking a day off, that’s important for me.

Carolyn: I don’t have kids yet, but hopefully it’s in the near future. I’m already very busy now and want to find a way to stay active in farming as well as be a present mom at the same time. I would like to hire employees outside of the family to help keep everything running after we have children and have a healthy work-life balance.

Q: What is your favorite way to relax?
Wayne: Downhill skiing. In the spring, we have planting and then it’s hay season. Then we’re into pumpkin season and next is row crop harvest. So, I love winter because that’s when I get time to do things.

Carolyn: I am addicted to international travel. My husband hadn’t traveled internationally before meeting me, and he has enjoyed it too. I love learning about other cultures and agriculture across the world.

Next-Gen Spotlight: Technology and Side Hustle Help Missouri Couple Come Back to the Farm

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:44:40 GMT

Marc and Meagan Kaiser are building their agricultural future in Missouri. Marc is a 5th generation corn and soybean farmer from Carrollton, and Meagan’s family owns a soil testing business in Bowling Green. Together, the couple is finding a way to be part of both family businesses while keeping an eye on their two young children, Mak and Nora. From being active in organizations such as the United Soybean Board to starting their own precision ag business now serving 15 states and three countries, the pair are laser focused on growing the future of the industry.

Q: You both had other careers. How did you know you wanted to come back and farm?

Marc: I went to school thinking I wasn’t going to be back on my family’s farm. We got married in 2012, started our precision ag business and that became the conduit that allowed me to go back to the farm. This was important to me because I didn’t want to be a burden on the farm financially.

Meagan: I was committed with him to joining the farm because it was, in large part, my idea — which is probably how it had to be given the level of commitment. We looked at each other and said, you know, it would be a shame to let this out of the family when we don’t have to.

We live in two different homes in two different towns, and door to door they’re 2.5 hours apart. It was admittedly easier at the beginning when it was just the two of us. Then all of a sudden, a baby is going back and forth. It’s not easy, but we also know we’re not alone. There are so many farmers who farm hundreds of miles apart and their families figure it out.

Q: Has anything surprised you, good or bad, coming back to the farm?

Marc: We wouldn’t be able to do this without the technology that has developed in the past 10 years. When it comes to being able to check irrigation, check grain bin moisture or even check ground moisture under our pivots, there’s so much I can see on my iPad or phone. It’s the same thing when it comes to our other businesses. We are able to check things from afar. Meagan can also look at soil lab equipment while she’s on the farm and watch how the machines are running. That has made the distance an option, and it also allows us to spend more time at each place versus having to run back and forth and commute constantly.

Meagan: The biggest surprise to me, and I hear this a lot when it comes to obstacles of generational farming, was that our parents let us make decisions and sometimes they let us fail. I think they knew what was going to happen before we did, but they let us do it anyway. For the farmers reading this, if your next generation is joining you, remember to let them have some autonomy. Sometimes you might be surprised and they might be right. We’ve been right on technologies and other things, but really, we’ve been blessed with parents who have thought our opinion mattered and incorporated it. That has given us ownership and more pride in the operation too.

Q: What advice would you give next-gen producers?

Meagan: Be observant and be curious. There are a lot of people willing to sell you things, but you have to be a scientist and test things because your profitability relies on it. The most successful farmers we work with are super focused on infield observations. They’re monitoring what they put on, measuring what they take off and running it against their return on investment. It’s hard. It can be a little overwhelming when you go to Commodity Classic and walk the trade show floor. You could obviously grow 200-bu. soybeans if you bought everything on the floor. I admire farmers because they have to try to pinpoint which decision is the right one that will add an extra 5 bu. It’s not easy.

Marc: It’s important to understand where your parents came from, what they’ve done, the decisions they made and what they learned. You can learn two different ways: either by somebody else’s mistakes or by your own mistakes. It’s a lot easier to learn from the previous generation’s mistakes. Everybody says they don’t want to farm like their parents did. I do. I want to farm like they did but with the adjustments they’ve learned to make. Take that knowledge they’ve gained for the past 40, 50 or 60 years. Don’t just throw it to the side. Use that knowledge to then make your decisions going forward.

Q: Why should a next-gen farmer consider getting involved in one of the national farm groups?

Meagan: The most important reason is that it makes us think beyond our own farm gate. I’ve had international conversations about sustainability and about our farm practices with a fish farmer in Cambodia. It made me think about everything we do on our farm, every aspect we can measure and every portion we can prove. I realize I wasn’t considering the need to prove it to anybody before.

If you don’t have the commodity organizations, for instance, doing the research to prove our sustainability gains, then nobody knows about it. We have to prove it. That means showing up and taking part is half of the battle. It’s hard. I have two young children, but I still think it’s important for every farm family to think about how can we engage — not from a glory standpoint, but just to make sure somebody is showing up to tell this story and proving our sustainability.

Q: Is having a side hustle a good idea?

Meagan: For us, admittedly, there’s probably a little pride in having an off-farm job. We both didn’t want to be a drain on the operation. We had successful careers before we came back to our family businesses, and we wanted to say we’re contributing — not just taking. I think it gives you a little bit of independence and that might be why it’s a good idea. That said, we’ve had a lot of all-nighters getting our side hustle going. Be prepared to work because you don’t get to take off time from the farm or that other business.

Marc: Our side hustle and farming are mutually beneficial. Some of the resources we use in our precision ag business translate directly to the farm.

Meagan: I joke that I turned the farm into a giant research trial and Marc is always willing to try something new.

Q: Your career, either on or off the farm, has revolved around agriculture. Why?

Marc: In a way, we’re helping feed not only people in America, but people around the world. We get to be involved with family businesses. It isn’t always perfect, but there are always lots of laughs. Ultimately, it’s rewarding taking on and being part of this responsibility.

Meagan: We get to live our daily lives a little bit more tactically focused, but we keep the big picture in mind. We get to raise our kids in agriculture and, in the end, we get to be around our kids and our parents a lot more because of this life. All of those things are things we really value. I do think our kids get tired of hearing about boron trials at the dinner table, but we’re having a good time.

Want to read more inspiring stories about farming’s next generation?

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How Diversification Can Help Minority Farmers Thrive: Q&A with Ricky Dollison

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 20:41:49 GMT

For Black History Month, Ricky Dollison shares insights about what it means to be a Black farmer in the U.S. and advice for young farmers looking to break into the industry. Dollison is a fourth-generation row crop, specialty crop and livestock farmer in Poulan, Ga. He also works to educate policymakers and consumers about agriculture’s contribution to global food security as a Farmer Ambassador with Farm Journal Foundation .

How did you get into farming, and how has the business changed over time?
“I guess you could say I didn’t have a choice. I was born into this. Years ago, in the late ’60s and early ’70s, my parents taught all of us to get an education and get a good job. Fast forward to 2024, I still say get a good education. If you own land, farming is a business. You can make money if you stay focused and think outside of the box.”

Farming can be volatile with a lot of ups and downs in the markets. Can you talk about how Dollison Farms has diversified to maintain a strong business?
“Here at Dollison Farms, some years back, I took a beating, figuratively speaking. I was selling swine to a stockyard, and they were just taking my hogs. So, I just asked the Lord to give me something, give me some business. That’s when I started thinking about this sausage business, Warrior Creek Premium Meats, and then we started specializing. We raise our hogs. We grow peanuts, cotton and corn. We grow watermelons and cantaloupe. At our farm, we’ve got to have diversity because we don’t have thousands and thousands of acres. I am one of two BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) farmers in the state of Georgia that has an orchard of persimmons, elderberry and chestnuts. These little niche markets, they work, they help. I market through radio, television and the World Wide Web. E-commerce is good for us, and we ship all over the country.”

What are some of the challenges young minority farmers face today?
“This work is difficult, and it’s hard for new farmers to break in. The good things I’m doing now didn’t happen overnight. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I took a beating the first few years. We’ve had to scratch and claw our way. But when we make money, we invest back into us.”

What advice do you have for farmers who are just starting out?
“Network with older farmers like me or seasoned veteran farmers. Learn whatever your gift is, whatever you want to do – whether it’s growing herbs or vegetables or livestock or poultry. Learn it inside and out. As a beginning BIPOC farmer, you will not be able to throw money at a project and then say, ‘Well that didn’t work, I guess I’ll try something else.’ You might get two times before your finance people shut you down. So, you have to learn it, so you can be able to navigate through it.

“As a young person, if you’re not going to be proud of what you do, don’t waste your time. Be proud of what you do, and everywhere you go, be excited about it and talk about it. Make it so you know it so well you can talk at length about what you do, how it benefits others and how it’s healthy to the community.”

North Dakota Farmer Adds Value through Vertical Integration

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:04:12 GMT

In the last few years, Chris Adams has touched down in 11 countries. Business cards and brochures in hand, this young and business-savvy farmer-turned-globetrotter has one goal: build personal relationships with buyers for his North Dakota specialty crops.

“When I sit across the table from a customer in Dubai or Colombia or Peru, I can say, ‘I planted these beans, I cared for them and I cleaned them,’” he says. “They all want traceability, and you can’t get much better traceability than straight from the farmer.”

Through vertical integration, diversification and a non-conventional approach, Adams is transforming his family’s row-crop operation. For these reasons, Adams and his team earned recognition as a finalist for the 2019 Top Producer of the Year Award .

Deep Roots, Bright Future

Adams is the fourth in line to continue his family’s farming legacy, which traces back to 1924. After graduating from college in 2010, he joined the operation, and today the farm is a partnership between Adams, his wife, Kelsey, and his parents, Steve and Darla Adams. The Adams employ seven full-time and 65 part-time team members.

Adams Family Farm spans 9,000 acres around Grand Forks, N.D., and straddles the North Dakota-Minnesota border. Hard red wheat, hemp, sugarbeets, soybeans, and six varieties of edible beans make up their diverse crop roster.

“There aren’t many things we can’t grow here,” Adams says of his Red River Valley farm, which is home to nutrient-packed, rock-free 1’-deep topsoil.

Since Adams was four years old, he served as Steve’s co-pilot on the farm. He watched his dad transform the family operation into a thriving business that grew in size and efficiency. Adams knew he shouldn’t just be handed the keys to the farm his dad worked so hard to expand.

“Being a child coming into a successful empire seems like it’s all cupcakes and rainbows, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Adams says. “I felt shadowed by the success of my dad on the farm. I am not one to take money from anyone without earning it, so the next best thing was to trade my labor for the use of their equipment to build up equity in my own farming operation.”

Adams secured financing in his own name and searched for new land to rent. “In three years, I went from farming 500 acres to farming 2,000 on my own,” he says. “With the benefit of the free equipment, good markets and high yields, I was able to build up some much-needed equity to bring into the family farm partnership.”

During those high-profit years, Adams admitted he fell into the “get bigger” trap.

“I wanted to expand because I thought it was the ‘thing to do,’” he says. “Everybody wants to produce more, but the direction farming is going is adding value to what you already produce. With that, you’ll have growth and expansion.”

“I admire Chris’ interest in finding out new things and trying them out,” says Joerg Zimmermann, president of Global Ag Advisors, a Manitoba-based farm business advisory firm that works with clients in North America, and Adams’ peer group facilitator. “He treats setbacks and failure as an opportunity to get better next time.”

“Everybody wants to produce more, but the direction farming is going is adding value to what you already produce.”

Bigger Versus Better

The father-and-son team has found ways to diversify within each crop. They raise seed beans and certified wheat seed to add extra value to traditional row crops. With dry beans, they own the full production process—from planting to processing to bagging and loading them into shipping containers.

“The holy grail for us has been the cranberry bean,” Adams says. For the last three decades, the farm has produced these niche beans, which are white with red speckles and shaped like a pinto bean. They earn premium spots on salad bars in the Mediterranean region and South America.

“The reason they are such a small market is because they are hard to raise,” Adams says. “They’re similar to pintos and pink beans, as they change color and oxidize in time. And, they’re not very fun to combine, since they shell quite easily.”

In the last decade, the Adams have produced, on average, 30% to 50% of the country’s cranberry beans. Adams saw that as a competitive advantage.

To build his management skills and search for the best market channel, Adams attended The Agriculture Program for Executive Producers (TEPAP) and met Roger Gussiaas, owner of Healthy Oilseeds in Carrington, N.D. Gussiaas exports specialty oilseed products (borage, flax, hemp and more) to 20 foreign countries.

“Chris was trying to move a hard-to-market bean and I said, “Why not look at exporting?’” Gussiaas recalls. “He’s not afraid of risk and is just a step ahead of some producers. I admire and respect a guy like Chris who wants to take his farm to another step and market close to the consumer.”

Adams researched and joined trade missions through the North Dakota Trade Office. Soon he was connecting with wholesalers, grocery store buyers and restaurant owners from across the globe.

All In On Hemp

Always looking for new opportunity, Adams eyed an emerging U.S. crop: hemp. Although Steve’s initial response was, “You want to grow what?” the team researched the crop and analyzed the risks. They joined a pilot program for industrial hemp and have led both North Dakota and Minnesota in hemp acres the last four years.

“My theory was, if you’re on the ground floor of something new, you have the advantage in the long run,” Adams says.

For 2019, the farm has 700 acres of seed hemp (half the acreage is for certified seed) and 100-plus acres of CBD hemp, tended by a high school chopping crew to control weeds. While the crop is providing a profit bright spot for the farm, Adams is quick to admit the hemp industry is wrought with risk and shady characters.

“This is forming into a great, great crop and the pieces will fall in place over time, but I’m already tired of guys pretending to know everything who don’t have a clue,” he says. “Those kinds of guys are everywhere in hemp and they end up costing other farmers money. Do your homework and don’t settle until you find people you can trust.”

“My theory was, if you’re on the ground floor of something new, you have the advantage in the long run.”

Adams fields six to seven calls per day from potential hemp growers. He is quick to offer his insights to help other farmers navigate the uncharted waters of this crop. He knows what is good for the industry will help him execute a better plan for his farm.

“Chris is viewed as a thought leader while also possessing the unique ability to execute on plans,” says Marcus Knisely, president and CEO of AgCountry Farm Credit Services. “That combination of strategic thinking and the skill to translate strategy into operational implementation has played a big role in his success. He seeks out growth opportunities, both business and personal development.”

The Long View

When analyzing new opportunities, Adams uses both micro and macro lenses. The team uses software to track real-time expenses, equipment costs and inventories. This allows them to have a clear break-even number to the unit versus to the acre or enterprise.

While this analysis helps him plan ideal crop mixes and marketing plan goals, he doesn’t let it detract from long-term goals.

“In farming, you can’t base your cost of production or revenue off one single year; it always affects the next year,” he says. “In our operation, there is more than just profit, gross revenue and net revenue. We look long-term: How is this field or enterprise benefitting the operation for future generations?”

Snapshot of Adams Family Farm

Operation: Headquartered in Grand Forks, N.D., Adams Family Farm spans 9,000 acres located on both sides of the North Dakota-Minnesota line. The crop mix includes sugarbeets, hard red spring wheat, hemp, soybeans, and six varieties of specialty dry beans.

Family: The farm is a partnership between Chris Adams, his wife, Kelsey, and his parents, Steve and Darla Adams. Chris and Steve manage the farm, and Kelsey and Darla work full-time in the healthcare industry. Chris and Kelsey have three children, Olivia, 5, Audrey, 3, and Archie, 3 months.

Team: The fourth-generation operation employs seven full-time and 65 part-time team members. The Adams prioritize investing in people. They use job descriptions, job titles, weekly meetings, semi-annual performance reviews and awards for years served to motivate and retain employees.

“Together with his dad, Chris has built a great team he can rely on—this frees up his time to work ‘on’ the business, rather than ‘in’ the business,” says Joerg Zimmermann, Adams’ peer group’s facilitator. “He is a very hands-on guy as well, and he will do anything on the farm if need be, which I think why his staff respects him a lot.”

Peer Group: Since 2017, Adams has been a member of a peer group of farmers from the Dakotas and Canada. They trade marketing strategies, benchmark financials and compare input prices. “Being part of this group makes sure I’m operating my farm at the tip-top of my game,” Adams says.

“Chris can securely run his ideas through our group,” Zimmermann says. “With all his new ideas, he needs people he trusts who can tell him to slow down and finish one project before starting another.”

Warning: Hemp’s Hefty Pitfalls

After four years of growing hemp, Chris Adams has the scars to show for being a pioneer in the industry. He’s experienced first-hand fraud of shady suppliers, fly-by-night buyers and more. Yet, the crop’s profit potential keeps it on his crop roster.

Understand the basics. Hemp can be produced for CBD, seed and fiber. Be sure your contract matches your production plans.
Find people you can trust. “There are a lot of scoundrels out there and you’d best be selective as to who you get information from,” he says. “I’d guess 80% of the information I see is partially wrong or completely false.”
Focus on genetics. Adams’ biggest hemp concern is genetics. Ensure breeders are reputable so your product matches buyers’ requirements.

Find more advice from Adams on overcoming hemp’s pitfalls and reaching its promise .

Read More

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Hemp Pitfalls and Promise: Alarm Sounded by Midwest Grower

Three Potential Paths for Farming Hemp

Hemp Fraud Hits Farmer With Clone Scam

Gatekeepers: Ag Leadership Programs Shape Future Leaders

Maverick Farmer Grows Hemp Today, Marijuana Tomorrow

A New Option for Farmland Legacy Planning

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 21:25:00 GMT

Earlier this year, Legacy Farmland Trust was launched as a new tool for farmers who may not have the next generation to farm but want to keep the land in trust for their family and multiple generations.

“It was born through witnessing the family dynamics and what farmland ownership can do to families,” Eric Mueller of Legacy Farmland Trust says. “When it came time to sell, not all members were on the same page.”

The creators of the trust saw that in these scenarios, where multiple family members have a stake in an asset, there is limited ability to liquidate or transfer it without everyone agreeing.

To solve the issue, they created a fund where instead of collecting dollars to invest, they take contributions of farmland.

“The farmer is able to contribute an asset to the fund and convert it into fund units that give them a ton of flexibility around transferring and gifting to the next generation,” Jared Hollinger of Legacy Farmland Trust says. “They’re selling a piece of an asset without selling the farm.”

Paul Neiffer, a farm CPA and host of The Top Producer Podcast, interviewed three members of the Legacy Farmland Trust team to learn more about how their approach works for some farmers.

Family members who want to sell their share of the land now have fund units they can sell immediately or over time. Those who didn’t want to sell have interest in their land, as well as the other assets in the trust – allowing them to diversify their holdings.

“Instead of that farm owner owning just that one asset, they now have shares in our fund which gives them exposure to all the assets in the underlying fund,” Hollinger says. “That gives them diversity and it gives them opportunity because a farm may be performing poorly one year or excellent another year. And by having exposure to the entire fund, it goes ahead and insulates them from any kind of bad activity that may occur.”

It’s important to note that contributing into the fund does not create a capital gains event.

Farmland Legacy Trust can also accommodate future generations who would like to come back to the farm.

“If a grandchild is up and coming or if an unnamed heir is contemplated as somebody who may want to own that land 10 or 20 years from now, they can be designated as the first right to purchase and have the ability to pull the asset back out of the fund in the future,” Hollinger says.

They can also designate a right to hunt on the land or a right to gather on the land if the family is no longer actively farming but would still like access to it.

As far as the type of land best suited for the trust, Hollinger says the ideal asset to come into the fund is one with little to no debt and a fair market value of $2 million or greater. The land should also be primarily farmland – not timber or land with permanent crops such as apples or grapes.

If a landowner would like more information about contributing to the trust, they can fill out an interest form on the company’s website .

After that, the owner will provide details around the asset and Legacy Farmland Trust will come back with a proposal. A third-party appraiser then does a series of due diligence to determine the asset’s value and the process moves onto closing. Hollinger estimates the process takes about 90-100 days to go through.

To learn more about Legacy Farmland Trust, listen to their episode on the Top Producer podcast .

Syngenta Seeds, Sustainable Oils Announce Commercial Agreement to Sell Camelina Seed

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 11:17:06 GMT

Syngenta Seeds has entered into an agreement with Sustainable Oils, Inc., to provide farmers in parts of Kansas, Colorado and further west the opportunity to grow camelina, an oilseed-based crop, starting in 2024.

Camelina, a type of mustard, is native in countries and regions from Finland to Romania and east to the Ural Mountains in Russia.

Today, the oilseed crop can be used as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel and animal feed production. It has an exceptionally high level (up to 45%) of omega-3 fatty acids.

“Camelina represents a key feedstock for the production of renewable fuels and sustainable aviation fuel. It is a remarkable crop that protects like a cover crop and pays like a cash crop,” says Mike Karst, president of Sustainable Oils, a subsidiary of Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc.

Camelina is an ultra-low carbon oilseed crop, according to Eric Boeck, regional director North America for Syngenta Seeds. He says there is insufficient corn and soybean production today to meet current oilseed demand, while, at the same time, consumers are demanding low carbon index products.

“You’ve got these two macro trends coming together today – demand for oil and demand for sustainably produced low carbon products,” he says. “Because of the way it grows, camelina has a carbon index of 24, while (traditional) diesel has a carbon index of about 105.”

Where Camelina Fits Into Growers’ Crop Rotation

Boeck says there are a number of ways camelina can be incorporated into a farmer’s current crop rotation. The crop is particularly well-suited to areas with low water availability in-season and where leaving fields fallow after wheat is a common practice.

As a for instance, he offered two scenarios where camelina will be a good fit:

“One option is the grower plants wheat in year one, followed by camelina in year two, then followed by corn or wheat in year three,” he says.

“Another option would be to plant and harvest corn and then plant camelina and let it overwinter and then harvest the camelina in May or June the following spring (much like winter wheat). Farmers can then plant soybeans into the harvested camelina fields, which would give them three crops in two years,” Boeck adds.

Based on pilot farmers’ experience with producing camelina, growers can expect to see yields ranging from a low of 400 pounds per acre up to 1,800 pounds per acre. “This is a crop that responds well to intensive management. Farmers who provide that should see yields more in that upper yield range,” Boeck says.

Farmers won’t likely need to purchase new equipment to grow camelina. Most will simply need to adjust their current equipment. “Camelina can be planted with an air seeder,” Boeck says. “Then at harvest, on the combine you’ll need to change the concave settings to be much tighter together versus what is used for corn and soybeans, because camelina seed is about half the size of an alfalfa seed.”

What Can Growers Anticipate Being Compensated For Camelina?

Camelina seed will be sold through Syngenta’s AgriPro dealer network in a vertical marketing model. Farmers who buy camelina seed will have a harvest purchase contract.

Boeck says there is no marketing risk for the farmer since there is already an integrated value chain model. He anticipates growers will be paid in the neighborhood of 25 cents to 30 cents per pound of harvested crop.

He estimates that in counties where 100,000 acres of camelina are grown, there is the potential for an additional $30 million of revenue being generated in that county annually.

Camelina seed will be marketed in select areas of Western Kansas, Colorado, Montana and the Pacific Northwest for 2024. It can be included as a spring crop in a wheat-fallow rotation in Montana and the Pacific Northwest, and as a winter crop in Kansas and Colorado.

“We’ll have a series of agronomic sessions with farmers to equip them with best practices for growing camelina, and we’ll have Sustainable Oils helping us do that,” Boeck says.

Four things to know about Camelina Sativa:
• Camelina produces oil seeds that produce a sustainable oil for renewable fuel production.
• Camelina is a drought-resilient oilseed that provides quick soil cover and improves soil structure.
• Sustainable Oils’ proprietary camelina varieties and farm-to-fuel pathways can yield renewable diesel with an ultra-low lifecycle Carbon Intensity (CI).
• Renewable diesel and other renewable fuels produced with Sustainable Oils’ patented camelina varieties have the potential to achieve a Net Zero or below CI score.

Young Farmer Cashes In On Corn With Cattle

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 15:10:31 GMT

At a mere 28 years old, Tony Schwarck jumped headfirst into a high-effort and high-risk business venture. After a decade of working with his parents and grandparents on their row-crop operation, he knew his future in farming would need to take a different path. Farmland and cash rents were sky-high in his competitive area of northern Iowa, so expanding their corn and soybean acreage to support three families was a big hill to climb.

Tony and his wife, Aarika, began researching ventures to complement their existing operation and generate new income. They had two resources during the winter months—time and corn. The couple explored several diversification options , but it was beef finishing that finally penciled out. The Riceville, Iowa, couple became farmer feeders, and in that first year, 2013, they marketed 300 beef heifers.

“We wanted to utilize our homegrown corn,” Tony says. “A young producer has time and not a lot of equity, so livestock is a great fit. We take the corn we raise, feed it to cattle and they are giving us a byproduct we can apply to our fields to help us grow better corn. It’s really added value to our acres of corn, and now we concentrate on marketing corn through cattle.”

This year, the Schwarcks are on track to market 2,500 head of cattle. They have also expanded their crop business to 1,200 acres of corn and soybeans, up from the first 160 acres Tony rented on his own in 2006.

Tony is armed with considerable management skills and sheer nerve. His ability to reimagine and build a venture from the ground up are just a few of the reasons he earned the 2019 Tomorrow’s Top Producer Horizon Award .

“Tony’s work ethic and decision-making abilities are unparalleled,” says Robert Williams, a CPA with Hogan Hanson and the Schwarcks’ long-time adviser.

Analyze. Monitor. Act. When the Schwarcks decided to become farmer feeders, they faced a big challenge: a lack of capital. They knew their plan could work. They just needed to get the bank on board.

This new venture created an opportunity to find a new lending partner. Their lender, Eric Paulson, helped them restructure debt and set them up on a borrowing base. Each month, the Schwarcks and Paulson analyze that borrowing base.

“This monthly review has made me a better manager, as it allows me to constantly know our financial numbers,” Tony says. “Every month Eric is looking at our numbers. If we have a good month, he points out what we did correctly. If we have an off month, we can identify problems and potential problems a lot quicker.”

“Tony and Aarika have utilized timely financial analysis toward managing their growth and improving efficiencies,” says Paulson, senior agricultural loan officer with Wells Fargo in Mason City, Iowa. “They are constantly asking for ways to improve both day-to-day and strategic operations.”

Aarika has taken over the farm’s record keeping and accounting. She created two accounts, one for cattle and one for grain, so they could properly assess financial decisions.

Numbers were always the basis of decisions for the Schwarck family, starting with Tony’s grandfather, Chris Schwarck and father, Dan Schwarck. “When we had meetings, even when I was young, the numbers were discussed,” Tony says.

This process of sharing financials with successors is key in making successful management transitions, says Dick Wittman, a family business consultant and Idaho farmer.

“Doing so exposes your successor to your business culture,” Wittman says. “Plus, someone wanting to join the operation needs to know the scale and scope of the business.”

“Feeding cattle has made me a better farmer.”

Comfortable Cows. Strict financial analysis led the Schwarcks to expand their finishing operation in 2017. They built a state-of-the-art cattle facility that houses 600 head. The building’s monoslope pitched roof and curtains allow sunlight and cool air in but keep snow and rain out.

“We can can’t completely control the environment, but we can really help it,” Tony says.

The Schwarck team uses a cloud-based software program, Performance Beef Livestock Analytics, to track data such as the cattle’s weights, feed ingredients and costs. Every day the cattle’s rations are automatically recorded using an iPad linked with the scale on the feed truck.

“This lets us track performance and weight,” Tony says. “We keep track of all costs, including freight, vaccines and vet expenses, death loss and any money we have invested in a hedge account. This allows us to be current on breakevens and billing.”

Typically, the feeder calves arrive at Schwarck Farms straight from a breeding ranch and weigh 550 lb. to 650 lb. Around 220 days later, they are ready to be sold, weighing around 1,400 lb.

The Schwarcks’ row-crop operation provides 60% of the corn they feed to the cows. The balance of their corn production is sold to local ethanol plants, from which they buy distillers’ grain.

To reduce costs, the Schwarcks traded their hopper trailer for a belt trailer so they can haul corn to the ethanol plant and reload it with distillers’ grain for the feed yard. “This alone saves our operation roughly $800 per week,” he says.

This constant eye on costs helps Tony smartly buy feeder cattle. “That’s one thing I have to work on,” he says. “If the numbers don’t work—pass. They sell feeder cattle every day of the year.”

Constantly, Tony sees how his experience as a farmer feeder improves his crop operation and vice versa. “Raising a market steer is the same philosophy as growing an acre of corn,” he says. “It’s the little things that count—that’s what separates big yields from small yields. Feeding cattle has made me a better farmer.”

For instance, having interests on both the supply and demand sides of the marketing ledger provides perspective. “Farmers are sitting on corn waiting for a better market, and we are moving that corn all the time and catching profit on it with the cattle,” Tony says.

For grain marketing, Tony develops what he calls a “strike zone” for prices. “When the market rises over our cost of production, I start making small sales. As the market continues to rise, I continue to sell until we are 60% sold,” he says.

Time To Delegate. As Tony has shifted into his leadership role, he’s assessed how he spends his time. “Being a young producer, I felt I needed to be the one who planted, fed the cattle, sprayed, etc.,” he says. “Now I know employees place a stronger bond with their jobs when they realize they have purpose and take pride in their work.”

Beyond family members, Tony employs two full-time and two part-time team members. His goal is to align employee strengths with daily roles and to provide a professional environment.

Tony says he’s lucky to have both his father and grandfather as mentors because they fall on two ends of the spectrum when it comes to risk. “I’ve learned from my dad to not bite off more than you can chew, and I’ve learned from my grandpa an opportunity doesn’t present itself very often, so be ready,” Tony says.

Looking forward, Tony is focused on fine-tuning his cost of production and maximizing profit.

“We’re margin operators in every aspect of our operation—whether that’s growing an acre of corn or producing a market-ready calf. The margin is thin, so we want to maximize every dollar we spend.”

Watch a video about Tony Schwarck’s operation and learn more about the Tomorrow’s Top Producer Horizon Award at bit.ly/Tony-Schwarck

A Snapshot of Schwarck Farms

A Family Affair: Tony Schwarck is a fourth-generation farmer in Riceville, Iowa. In 2004, he joined his family farm, which includes his parents, Dan and Laurie Schwarck, and grandparents, Chris and Ann Schwarck. “It’s a father’s dream to have your son follow in your footsteps,” Dan says. Tony and his wife, Aarika have a daughter, Annalee, 2.

Crop Farming: Tony’s crop operation includes 1,200 acres of corn and soybeans, while the family’s combined operation is 2,600 acres. The Schwarcks analyze soil and yield maps to set yield goals. Last year, they overhauled their 16-row corn planter with high-speed planting capabilities. “It was almost like getting a bigger planter since we can cover more acres in day,” Tony says.

Beef Finishing: In 2013, Tony and Aarika started a beef finishing operation. In the first year, the couple marketed 300 beef heifers. In 2019, they will market 2,500 head of cattle. Nearly all the cattle they finish are Black Angus, and they use the Iowa Cattle Marketing Group to negotiate the best price for fat cattle.

Leadership: The Schwarcks support many local organizations and causes, such as the Riceville Fire Department, Riceville First Foundation, Wapsie Great Western Bike Trail and the Riceville FFA Chapter. They are also members of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association.

Photos: Pat Lichty, Top Producer

Demand Drives Every Decision on Wyoming Farm

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 15:03:41 GMT

Fifteen years ago, Ron Rabou took a hard look at his farming operation. It was bleeding money. He knew if he didn’t make some gut-wrenching decisions and changes, it would not support his growing family. And he would be the one who ended the run of his fifth-generation farm.

With a critical eye, Rabou evaluated his southeastern Wyoming ranch. His business assets included 800 acres of owned farm ground,

3½ sections of pastureland, a 1981 John Deere 4440, a plow, a harrow, a rod weeder, a drill, a truck and a few other pieces of old equipment.

“If an asset didn’t produce, it had to go,” Rabou says. “Instead of looking at the emotional side of things and holding on to things for the sake of holding on to them, I needed to look at this farm as an actual business.”

Unproductive pastureland: sold. Inefficient and outdated machinery: sold. Old farmhouses: fixed up then sold.

“We liquidated 85% of everything we owned and began to start over,” Rabou says. “We did a lot of 1031 exchanges and put those assets into ones that would produce more cash flow for our operation.”

Next, Rabou drilled into the profitability of his crop mix. Winter wheat was a staple for the area, but the margins were barely in the black. He knew it was time to shift his thinking and be creative.

“When I grew up, we raised a couple of crops and cattle,” Rabou says. “Then we took them to market, and we got what we got. We were not price makers; we were price takers. We’ve tried to change that model here on our farm.”

“There’s no moving ahead without a little bit of calculated risk.”

Rabou saw an opportunity in organic production, not only wheat but other pulse crops. He connected with grain buyers and has built numerous long-standing relationships. Today, Rabou Farms includes 8,000 acres of organic wheat, buckwheat, sorghum, lentils, millet, corn, chickpeas and yellow peas.

The decisions made on this Albin, Wyo., farm revolve around one thing: consumer demand.

“I won’t even grow a crop unless I have a contract for it,” Rabou says. “If someone wants us to grow a crop we’ve never grown before, we’ll figure it out—but it has to be economical for our operation. There’s no moving ahead without a little bit of calculated risk.”

Brave thinking, intentional decision-making and business savvy earned Rabou and his family, which includes wife, Julie, and sons Carson, Spencer and Mason, recognition as a 2019 Top Producer of the Year finalist.

The Ultimate Sin. Rabou’s journey to be a farm CEO was far from a straight path. While he wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps, Rabou knew he’d have to first make a career outside of farming.

Rabou was doing just that, when he returned home to help his family on the ranch. While weaning calves on Nov. 4, 1999, Rabou found himself administering CPR to his father, who passed away the next day.

“He was 58 and I was 26,” Rabou recalls. “That was a turning point in my life, as I was incredibly close to my dad. He was my confidant and my mentor.”

At that time, the operation included Rabou’s parents, his grandparents and two cousins’ families. As intended, Rabou used his father’s life insurance policy to purchase shares of the family ranch. While that fixed the immediate financial hurdle, Rabou faced a bigger challenge: family conflict.

“My dad was the hub that made the wheel turn in the operation,” Rabou explains. “He primarily made all the business decisions. When I was growing up, I watched the struggles my dad had dealing with family members. It became significantly worse when he was not there.”

After four years of weighing his options and facing unrelenting stress, Rabou committed what he calls the ultimate sin in agriculture. “I broke up the family ranch,” he says.

Rabou signed over many of the ranch’s assets to the other family members. “When I left the ranch, I lost a significant portion of what I owned,” he says. “I didn’t have any idea what I was going to do. I just knew that anything was better than staying in that toxic environment.”

Fresh Start. While he did receive the 800 acres of farmland and some machinery, he soon realized the major challenge was his lack of farming knowledge. “My dad was never the kind of guy that said, ‘I’m going to show you how to do everything,’ because he thought there would be a time when I could learn,” Rabou recalls.

The extent of Rabou’s farming experience included harrowing 80 acres of fallow ground when he was in high school. “I had never planted an acre of anything,” he says. “I just decided I would have to get past being embarrassed and get good at asking questions.”

Rabou called on friends and area crop consultants. He learned by a lot of trial and error. “We farm on the high desert, at 5,300', and only receive 14" to 16" of precipitation per year,” he says. “Our soils are not forgiving, so we must pay particular attention to how we care for it.”

While he would have given anything to have learned these skills from his dad, Rabou realizes he also was granted with a great gift—the freedom to make his own decisions and pursue out-of-the-box ideas.

Path Forward. To grow from those original 800 acres to today’s 8,000 acres took purposeful planning and strict focus. The Rabous drew a five-mile circle around their farm and learned who owned the ground. They introduced themselves to landowners and shared their family and farm goals. Before long, landlords were coming to them.

To supplement income in those early years, Rabou had several side hustles. He generated cash by doing public speaking and leading guided hunts. The family also invested in real estate projects in Cheyenne, Wyo., which is 50 miles from the farm. Through flipping houses and buying rentals, they were able to strategically invest in the farm.

As the operation gained financial stability, the Rabous have sold off some non-farm assets to invest in new machinery and grain storage.

“My philosophy has always been we pay cash for depreciable assets as much as we can,” Rabou says. “Anything that is an appreciable asset, I don’t have a problem borrowing money on it. I think over the long term, that formula wins.”

Efficiency is a key focus for the Rabous. The land they farm, of which half is rented, is in a 50-mile radius of their home.

To avoid hour-long trips due to breakdowns, the Rabou team never leaves the shop without a fully equipped service truck, spare tires, fuel tanks and a labeled box for the equipment they are using for the day. In the box are the parts that most likely will break.

Rabou is always on the lookout for land closer to his home. “If we have opportunities come up nearby, we’ll see if we can justify getting rid of something that’s a further distance,” he says. “The more consolidated we can be, the more efficient we can be. When we become more efficient, a lot of times we can increase profits, even though we’re not bigger.”

“My philosophy has always been we pay cash for depreciable assets as much as we can.”

Business Evolution. For the past decade, Kelly Downer, financial officer with Farm Credit Services of America, has seen the transformation of Rabou’s business.

“Ron is willing to take a calculated risk,” Downer says. “He runs scenarios and researches opportunities, and he finds relationships that help him grow.”

The farm team includes two full-time and two part-time employees. Rabou’s goal is to create a flexible and inviting work environment that encourages input and new ideas from everyone.

“We run starting hours, but we don’t run set hours,” Rabou say. “My guys know that when it’s time to roll, it’s time to roll. But they also know if they ever need to get away, they have the liberty to do that.”

Rabou is a natural leader, says Doug Miyamoto, director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. “He is multi-faceted with an uncanny ability to connect with people. I personally admire his approach to collaborative leadership.”

That collaborative approach is evident in how Rabou manages his team. He encourages them to think and act like they own the place. “Just because I own this doesn’t mean I have all the answers,” he says. “I tell them, ‘This is your farm as much as it is mine. Your input, time and commitment do matter.’”

Time and Focus. The Rabous provide competitive wages and home-cooked meals. Instead of bonuses, employees receive experiences. Last year, Rabou took an employee tuna and wahoo fishing.

“I’m a believer that it’s really important to not just work all the time, but to remember to live,” Rabou says.

For Rabou, every person in life is important and every relationship deserves time and attention. He regularly hosts grain buyers at his farm so they can be confident in the quality of the farm’s products. Every year, each of his sons picks an activity for a “dad day.” That includes going to rock concerts with Carson, restoring antique tractors with Spencer and earning impressive fishing tales with Mason.

That next generation is Rabou’s No. 1 priority. His goals don’t revolve around more crops, land or equipment. Instead, his focus is on his family, faith, freedom and the time to enjoy them all.

About Rabou Farms

FAMILY AND TEAM: Ron and Julie Rabou, and their three sons, Carson, 15; Spencer, 13; and Mason, 8, farm in Albin, Wyo. Ron is the fifth generation of his family to farm, but he broke away from the family operation 15 years ago. Today, the team also includes two full-time and two part-time employees. Julie is a part-time elementary school teacher.

CROP MIX: Rabou Farms includes 8,000 acres of organic winter wheat and small grains. Rabou has a contract in place before any crop is planted and his buyers span from the Midwest to the West Coast. In addition to crops, Rabou has partial ownership in a cow-calf herd and pastureland.

OUTFITTING: For 20 years, Rabou has led guided hunts. He saw this as a way to add supplemental income to the farm. Several years ago, he converted an old farm building to a nine-bed, two-bathroom hunting lodge. Every October, he welcomes guests to hunt antelope, mule deer and elk.

LEADERSHIP: For nearly 15 years, Rabou has been a public speaker. In 2012, he co-wrote the book, “Keep It Simple” and is working on another one. He has held volunteer and leadership roles with the Laramie County Community College, Wyoming Ag in the Classroom, Wyoming Wheat Growers Association and his local rotary club. The Rabous have endowed five scholarships at their local community college.

Watch a video and listen to a podcast interview to learn more about Rabou Farms at AgWeb.com/rabou

Are You the Next Top Producer of the Year?

The Top Producer of the Year award honors producers from whom our readers can learn business concepts. The deadline for the 2020 contest is Sept. 1. Learn more and download the application at TopProducer-Online.com .

North Dakota Farmer Focused Beyond the Here and Now

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:45:54 GMT

After major expansion, Chase Dewitz is focused on inner growth

The world rewards risk takers. Yet, the line between calculated risks and reckless deeds is sometimes difficult to define. That’s where hard work, good timing and passion make all the difference.

Meet Chase Dewitz. At 14 years old, he forged his path — buying 20 cows with his hard-earned money. The hungry and focused young man from Steele, N.D., honed his skills under the tutelage of his dad on their family farm, which consisted of 250 cows and 800 acres of crops.

Dewitz graduated high school in 2002 and started renting farmland. In 2005 he threw down the dice on a big gamble — building a 2,500-head cattle feedlot. With a $100,000 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) grant, Dewitz laid the groundwork for a big-time expansion.

“It basically doubled my equity in one year, and with custom feeding cattle I had the cash flow,” he says. “Since then I’ve experienced year-over-year growth.”

Today, his operation includes more than 34,000 acres of pasture, row crops, 1,500 head of beef cows and the feedlot. His business growth was driven by an ear to the ground and relentless passion, which is why he was honored as the 2020 Tomorrow’s Top Producer Horizon Award winner . ( Apply to be the 2021 winner. )

“I just took opportunities as they came,” Dewitz says. “My growth was a combination of there not being other aggressive operations at the time, at least not at my age, and running extremely lean, especially on labor. I was literally working myself into the ground. But at that time, you could just work and work and make money.”

From 2008 to 2012, Dewitz’s operation saw rapid expansion. Large amounts of acres under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) expired, which allowed his crop and pasture acres to grow.

As Dewitz’s operation grew, his focus shifted from survival mode to business sustainability.

“My primary focus is inner growth,” he says. “I have a cautious approach to expansion right now.”

Innovation From Necessity

Early in Dewitz’s career, he used endless trial and error to increase profitability and sophistication on his operation. “I kind of learned as I went; in a sense innovation comes out of necessity.”

Now he’s in a place to make investments in processes and programs. For example, in 2015 he installed computer diagnostics and additional safety equipment for the farm’s truck and equipment fleet. “This allowed us to complete virtually all repairs and maintenance in-house,” he explains.

To reduce downtime, Dewitz has direct regular delivery of many of the products and maintenance parts needed for daily operations. He’s added fertilizer and seed storage, as well as a shop for maintenance.

For the past 10 years, Dewitz has grown cover crops for fall cattle grazing. This practice provides nutritional feed for the winter months and a boost in soil health.

Dewitz is also implementing a new feed tracking program to show the true cost of pound gained and break-even levels for each lot of cattle.

“I know understanding my costs and break-even points up front are essential for profitability and marketing decisions,” he says.

Erin, Dewitz’s wife, is a nurse practitioner student at North Dakota State University. Her farm duties include payroll, bill payments and general office duties. She also wrangles the couple’s 3-year-old twin sons, Clinch and Mcoy.

Hands-On Manager

To keep the farm’s 12 employees moving in the right direction, Dewitz adopted an online-based clock-in system for accountability. The farm also offers health, dental and vision insurance to promote wellness. In professionalizing his farm’s organizational structure, Dewitz wants to empower his team.

“I am still extremely involved in daily activities,” he says. “But I’m trying to get better with delegating responsibilities.”

Dewitz is committed to continually improving all aspects of his operation, says Norman Kleppe, vice president business banker with Plains Commerce Bank.

“He works with his agronomist to manage inputs to maximize yields along with his broker to forward price for risk protection to achieve profitability even with depressed commodity prices,” Kleppe says.

Because of his diverse operation, Dewitz keeps eyes on the grain and livestock markets. “I always have active orders working to avoid missing an opportunity,” he says. “At least once a week, I analyze the charts, assess production and see what I have sold.”

For the past 15 years, Dewitz has focused on learning more about the risks and rewards of using futures and options, hedge-to-arrive contracts and other marketing tools. He also uses his 1.4-million-bushel grain storage facility to capture seasonal basis strength.

“With marketing, you have to take your own approach,” he says. “I’ve been more guilty of overmarketing versus undermarketing. I just try not to overthink it.”

Sophistication Versus Size

As for the future, Dewitz is committed to growing in sophistication versus size. He’s looking to shift from owning equipment to leasing. He’s deepening his knowledge of accrual accounting and looking to add management-level employees.

“I’d like to bring someone in as a partner and give them the opportunity to take on some acres,” he says.

Dewitz is always quick to help his fellow farmers. “I have older clients who call him to ask questions,” says Brett Peterson with Centrol Ag Consulting. “He has the ability to look forward to what’s coming and not just farm in the now.”

With one eye always on the horizon, Dewitz’s passion continues to feed his future. He and Erin are focused on building an operation that will outlast them.

Snapsot of CD Acres and Dewitz Feedlot

Crops: Chase Dewitz farms 34,000 acres of pasture, corn, soybeans, wheat, small grains and edible legumes in central North Dakota. Half of his soybean acres are non-GMO, and he adjusts his crop acres based on contract availability.

Cattle: Dewitz built a feedlot in 2005. Today he owns 1,437 cow/calf pairs and feeds out 2,350 calves from primarily Angus cows bred to Simmental/Angus bulls. The feedlot’s handling system uses a dual-acting crowding tub and dual alley with a hydraulic chute for low-stress cattle handling.

Family and Team: Dewitz is CEO and the team includes 12 full-time and part-time employees. His father, Rob, provides labor and advice. Erin, Dewitz’s wife, is a nurse practitioner student. They have twin boys, Clinch and Mcoy. A third child is due to arrive in November.

North Dakota’s Chase Dewitz is the winner of the 2020 award, which recognizes an outstanding farmer 35 and under and is sponsored by Pioneer.

Apply to be the 2021 Tomorrow’s Top Producer Horizon Award winner!

5 Farmers Talk Transitions, Branding, Diversification and Strategic Growth

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:10:18 GMT

Need a good conversation to fill some tractor or road time this summer? Subscribe to “The Farm CPA Podcast” with Paul Neiffer. Each episode he interviews Top Producers or thought leaders in the industry.

Below you can listen to five of his farmer guests. They cover key topics such as decision making, transition planning, farm branding, diversification, leadership training and more.

Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast or other podcast platforms.

Dave Nelson from Iowa

Nelson on the value a brand has brought his farm operation: “Our logo and brand are assets. Someday I want to change this logo a little bit. It’s still going to be Nelson Family Farms, even when my dad transitions all the way out. But I wanted to kind of be a logo that maybe changes with each generation.”

Roric Paulman from Nebraska

Paulman on making the strategic decision to shrink versus grow his operation: “We had 20,000 acres in the late 1990s, early 2000s. Then we decided to start downsizing. None of our four kids were interested at the time in farming.”

Dick Wittman and Cori Wittman Stitt from Idaho

Wittman on developing standard operating procedures and professionalizing his family farm: “We’ve always had strict adherence to professional management practices. When I cam back to the farm, we had no written documentation, policies, etc. As our generation came in, we knew the need for structure was absolutely essential.”

Ken McCauley from White Cloud, Kan.

McCauley on transitioning his row crop operation to his son: “You need to do something, even if it’s wrong. Once you get it on paper, it’s a good move. But realize you’ll need to make changes.”

Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast or other podcast platforms.

Listen to additional episodes of the Farm CPA Podcast:

Episode 8: Steve Bruere, Peoples Company

Episode 3: Jim Wiesemeyer, Pro Farmer

Episode 2: Breaking Down the American Families Plan

Episode 1: Sara Schafer, Top Producer

The Farm CPA Podcast: Saratoga Farm Partnership from Iowa

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:05:14 GMT

This week Paul Neiffer has a conversation with Tim Richter and Jackson Dohlman, partners in Saratoga Partnership . The row crop operation is based in Lime Springs, Iowa, and has an operation near Clinton, Mo.

Richter’s father started farming in Iowa in 1959.

“My dad who moved the family 120 miles from northwest Iowa to northeast Iowa. He just kept going East until the land got cheap enough,” Richter says.

In 1981, Richter and his brother, Randy, started farming together. They worked in conjunction with their father but had their own operation.

“My brother and I raised hogs through the 80s,” Richter says. “In the 90s we kept growing, and by the early 2000s, we decided to bring in another partner.”

Enter Dohlman, a Riceville, Iowa, native who had graduated from Iowa State University in 2003 and had been working in ag retail. He officially joined Saratoga Partnership in 2005.

“In 18 months, we doubled our operation acre-wise, so it was a perfect meeting,” Richter says. “We’ve been very happy ever since. My brother unfortunately passed away in December 2014 of cancer. So now my wife and I farm with four unrelated partners.”

Listen to the episode:

Dohlman initially joined the operation as a hired hand. Then he had the opportunity to buy in as a partner.

“So much of life, I’ve learned as luck and timing and sometimes you just, you just got to be in the right place at the right time,” he says.

Saratoga Parntership is lead by management and leadership team comprised of the active owners. Dohlman is the operations manager and Richter is in a strategic and visionary role.

Is That A Pink Flamingo?

As Saratoga Partnership grew, the partners decided to work with a branding consultant. She lead the team through an exercise to define their competitive advantage.

“It was quite a difficult thought process to determine what we feel is truly unique compared to our competition,” Richter recalls. “Then we hit on the idea of fun. That is our overriding philosophy. If you and I are going to have a transactional relationship and it’s just a pain to deal with, we will no longer do it. If it’s not fun, we’re going to go home. By stating that and making that part of our philosophy and letting other people know what we want to do, it helps us in relationships.”

As such, the team incorporated a pink flamingo into their logo.

“Our logo has a pink flamingo and surrounded by green plants. Those symbolize corn, which we really like to grow,” Richter says. “The pink flamingo says that we stand out amongst our competition, and the pink flamingo has a connotation of having fun—not serious fun, you know, cheap fun.”

Richter says when his team gives someone their business cards, it sparks a conversation.

“It invites the ask,” he says. “People look at it and say, ‘What’s with the flamingo?’ Therefore, it gives you an opportunity to make your elevator speech.”

Saratoga Partnership was honored as a 2012 Top Producer of the Year finalist. Applications for the 2022 award are due Oct. 15. Learn more and download the application!

Listen to additional episodes of the Farm CPA Podcast:

Episode 10: Kristjan Hebert

Episode 9: Ben Riensche

Episode 8: Steve Bruere, Peoples Company

Episode 7: Ken McCauley from Kansas

Episode 6: Dick Wittman and Cori Wittman Stitt from Idaho

Episode 5: Roric Paulman from Nebraska

Episode 4: Dave Nelson of Iowa

Episode 3: Jim Wiesemeyer, Pro Farmer

Episode 2: Breaking Down the American Families Plan

Episode 1: Sara Schafer, Top Producer

Farm Journal Field Days: Tour An Illinois Seed-to-Spirit Operation

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:58:57 GMT

Farm Journal is bringing producers together at some of America’s top farms and we want you to be one of them.

Join us in DeKalb, Ill., on Aug. 23 for a behind-the-scenes look at Whiskey Acres , a seed-to-spirit operation and the nation’s only certified on-farm craft distillery.

“We’re a commercial grain operation, raising corn and soybeans,” says Jamie Walter, president and CEO of Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. “But we added a value-added business to our operation, making whiskey. We have a big visitor center here, and we refer to ourselves as an estate distillery. You’ll see our fields, our distillery production, our visitor’s center and our aging rick houses. We do it all right here on the farm.”

Register now for Farm Journal Field Days!

Listen in as Walter chats with AgriTalk Host Chip Flory:

Ever since 1998, when Jamie returned to the family farm to work with his father, Jim, after an off-farm career as a lawyer, he began investigating ways to diversify their 2,000-acre corn and soybean operation. He shipped corn direct to Japan, grew specialty corn and even dabbled in vegetables. None stuck.

Yet another idea kept creeping into the picture: What if they used their grain as a feature ingredient in premium spirits such as vodka, whiskey and bourbon? In 2011, they decided to see if they could make an on-farm distillery work.

“Our first juice came off the still in the end of 2014,” Walter says. “Now we’re producing about 100,000 bottles of high-quality craft spirits a year now here on the farm. We’re running two shifts a day now, seven days a week making product.”

Walter farms with his father, Jim. They grow commodity corn, as well as a number of specialty grains.

“We’re finding some of our heirloom and specially corns have some very unique flavor profiles,” he says. “So, we’re working more and more with that. We also raise some wheat, rye and barley for the distillery.”

Products from Whiskey Acres, which include bourbons and vodka, are sold at 600 locations throughout Illinois, with a few locations in Wisconsin and Nebraska.

“So, while you can come here and take a tour and have a cocktail and buy a bottle on any weekend, you can also go to stores, restaurants, bars throughout Illinois and find us,” Walter says.

Walter says their team’s master distiller has a master’s degree from Scotland. They have received several awards for their spirits. In In May, their Bottled in Bond Bourbon and Bottled-in-Bond Rye both won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“The judges said it was among the finest spirits anywhere in the world,” Walter says.

Whiskey Acres is a partnership with Walter, his father and Nick Nagele. The team is proud to take crops grown on their own land and turn it into a high-value product.

“What we like to say is that we do everything from seed to spirit and that’s pretty unique in the industry,” Walter says.

During the Farm Journal Field Days in-person event at Whiskey Acres, attendees will also hear from industry experts:

Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien Ag Solutions will present, “High-Impact Meteorology - What to Expect in the Months Ahead”
Analysts Mark Gold and Matt Bennett will participate in a “Grain Marketing Roundtable”

See the full agenda here .

Register to secure your spot at Farm Journal Field Days in DeKalb. The in-person registration cost of $49 includes online event access.

Other Farm Journal Field Days in-person locations include:

Aug. 25 in Belzoni, Miss., hosted by Silent Shade Planting Company
Aug. 26-27 in Colby, Kan., hosted by Frahm Farmland

Register now for Farm Journal Field Days!

Read more about Whiskey Acres: Proof Positive: Grain Farmers Distill Crops into Premium Spirits for Retail

Thank you to the 2021 Farm Journal Field Day Sponsors:

AGI SureTrack, AgLeader, BKT USA, Inc., Brandt Industries, Culvers, Duck Foot Parts, Farmers Mutual Hail, Kansas Corn, Kinze, Neeralta, New Holland, Nutrien, OKO Tire Sealants, Pivot Bio, Precision Planting, Rawhide, The Tire Grabber, Yetter, Pioneer/Corteva, Red Wing Software, Trust in Food, Machinery Pete, Lincoln Financial, Inner Plant,