AgCulture Podcast

A family farm can own valuable land, generate millions of dollars in revenue, and still operate without a budget, written job descriptions, clearly defined authority, or an effective succession process.In this episode from the AgCulture archives, Paul speaks with farm business consultant and longtime Idaho farmer Dick Wittman about what separates professionally managed farms from businesses that simply hope things work out.Dick shares how his family purchased its farming operation in 1980, shortly before the agricultural crisis cut the farm’s value in half. With 20 years of debt obligations, changing partners, drought, disability, and little room for error, the family had to rely on disciplined financial planning, clearly defined roles, and documented business practices.The conversation moves from financial survival into a larger question: What does it actually mean to run a farm professionally?Dick explains why many multimillion-dollar farms still operate without a budget, how unwritten expectations create conflict, and why management by committee often produces mediocrity. He also distinguishes succession planning from estate planning and explains why including every family member in the business is not always fair—to the family or the farm.Finally, Dick addresses one of succession’s least-discussed challenges: what happens after the next generation takes control. How does an outgoing leader transfer authority, preserve institutional knowledge, and get out of the way without disappearing?This episode is a practical challenge to farm families: long-term success is not guaranteed by family history, valuable assets, or hard work. It requires intentional management.Listen to the episode now!MEET THE GUESTDick Wittman has spent more than four decades helping farm families strengthen their financial management, governance, leadership, and succession processes.Raised on a diversified Idaho farm, Dick earned an MBA in finance and spent eight years with the Farm Credit System before returning to join his brother and cousin in purchasing their family farming business in 1980. He later served as managing partner of the operation, which included row crops, cattle, and timber.Through Wittman Consulting, Dick has worked with agricultural businesses and advisors across the United States and Canada. His work has focused on financial literacy, professional farm management, family-business governance, succession planning, and training the consultants who help farm families navigate those issues.Dick has also taught through The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers and developed training programs and practical resources designed to help agricultural businesses move from management theory to implementation.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

Across agriculture and food production, consolidation has replaced thousands of independent operations with fewer, much larger businesses. Maine’s lobster industry has largely resisted that trend—and not by accident.In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul speaks with fourth-generation lobsterman Steve Train about the rules, traditions, and conservation practices that have kept lobstering centered around owner-operated boats and coastal communities.Steve explains what a day on the water actually looks like, from leaving before daylight to hauling hundreds of traps and measuring every lobster individually. He also walks through the size limits, trap limits, license requirements, and V-notch system that protect breeding females and help preserve the resource for future generations.The conversation explores why lobstermen cannot simply combine licenses and traps onto increasingly larger vessels, how controlled entry affects the next generation, and what could be lost if lobster licenses became transferable assets controlled by those with the most capital.Steve also shares lessons from decades of industry leadership, including why effective regulation needs producer participation, why politics should come second to the resource, and why leaders need to know when it is time to step aside.This is a fascinating look at an industry that has chosen long-term community strength over maximum efficiency—and what the rest of agriculture might learn from it.MEET THE GUEST: Steve TrainAfter majoring in small business at Northeastern University in Boston, Steve Train returned to his home state of Maine to continue his family’s lobstering tradition.Lobstering has been the profession of Steve’s brother Dan, his father Ed, and at least four generations of their family. After more than four decades of fishing, Steve still says he usually wakes before his alarm because he is excited to begin the day.Steve was born in Portland and has spent most of his life in Portland and on Long Island, Maine. A full-time Long Island resident since 1991, he owns and operates the Hattie Rose, a 46-foot Jarvis Newman lobster boat, and fishes as many as 800 traps year-round.His commercial fishing experience also includes shrimping, scalloping, sea urchining, groundfishing, operating a kelp farm, and spending one winter fishing for cod in Alaska aboard a longliner.Steve currently serves as the Governor of Maine’s appointee to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. He previously served for 16 years on the board of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and has held positions on the Maine Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council, Maine Lobster Advisory Council, and Maine Fishermen’s Forum.Steve also served for six years as a selectman for Long Island, including four years as chairman. He helped establish a nonprofit landholding organization that has acquired more than 100 acres for open space and public recreation, and he currently serves as its president.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

Can a program create value for the dairy industry while leaving individual farmers questioning how their money and data are being used?In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul Windemuller speaks with agricultural journalist and dairy market analyst Sherry Bunting about the debate surrounding dairy checkoff funding, sustainability reporting, and farmer representation.Drawing on her reporting and work as a policy advisor for the American Dairy Coalition, Sherry shares concerns producers have raised about requests for detailed farm information: who controls it, how it will be used, and whether farmers receive value in return. Paul brings his own experience as a dairy farmer and his research into farmer-owned data cooperatives to the discussion.Together, they explore the Wisconsin dairy farmers’ lawsuit, the relationship between industry sustainability programs and processor requirements, and the tension between creating consistent standards and giving farmers a meaningful voice. They also discuss the checkoff’s contributions to nutrition research, product innovation, and dairy promotion.For dairy producers and anyone working with farm data, this conversation asks a practical question: how can the industry build trust, demonstrate value, and keep farmers involved in decisions that affect their businesses?MEET THE GUESTSherry Bunting is an independent agricultural journalist and dairy and livestock market analyst with four decades of experience covering farms, markets, and policy. Based in southeast Pennsylvania, she writes weekly in Farmshine and serves as a policy advisor for the American Dairy Coalition.Her background combines agricultural reporting with firsthand experience milking cows on local dairy farms and grading beef cattle for auction market reporting. She also served as managing editor of the former Livestock Reporter.Sherry served six years on the All-American Dairy Foundation board and volunteered with the 97 Milk education movement supporting the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Her community involvement includes eight years on the Eastern Lancaster County School Board.She and her husband, Scott, live in East Earl, Pennsylvania, where they raised three children and now enjoy their seven grandchildren.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

What does a disruption at a port or on a river have to do with the price a farmer receives?In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul Windemuller speaks with Ken Eriksen, founder and Managing Member of Polaris Analytics and Consulting, about the transportation network connecting agriculture to markets around the world.Drawing on his experience working on the waterfront, at USDA, and in commodity and transportation advisory roles, Ken explains how ports bring together trucks, trains, barges, ocean vessels, and the businesses that move agricultural products. He also explores how disruptions can increase freight costs, back up supplies, and put pressure on farmgate prices.The conversation follows three perspectives: how the system works today, the risks on the horizon, and the investments needed for the decades ahead. Along the way, Paul and Ken discuss bulk and container shipping, water availability, the aging barge fleet, shipbuilding, automation, and the importance of preserving space for future port development.For farmers and agricultural businesses, this is a look at what happens beyond the farm gate—and why reliable access to markets matters to the value of what they produce.MEET THE GUESTKen Eriksen is the founder and Managing Member of Polaris Analytics and Consulting, where he advises clients on commodities, supply chains, logistics, and transportation. His work includes strategic planning, market analysis, consulting, and helping businesses understand the forces shaping their access to markets.Before founding Polaris, Ken held senior leadership and advisory roles at S&P Global Commodity Insights and its predecessor companies. Earlier in his career, he worked for USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and Agricultural Marketing Service, and as an international longshoreman at the Port of Tacoma, Washington.Ken holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agribusiness and agricultural economics from Washington State University. He regularly speaks on commodity markets, transportation, and infrastructure, and serves as an expert witness in transportation, logistics, and supply chain matters.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

WHAT'S IT ABOUTWhy can the same technology create real value on one dairy farm and turn into a disappointing investment on another?In this solo episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul Windemuller shares a framework for understanding what makes technology a good fit for a farm. Drawing on farm visits around the world and his own experience in Michigan, he explores how climate, natural resources, milk markets, labor, and management priorities shape investment decisions.Paul also explains why robotic milking made sense at a particular turning point in his own business—and why it would not have made sense when he first started. Once adding more cows was no longer an option, the opportunity shifted toward creating more value per cow.From identifying a farm’s biggest bottleneck to making sure someone actually acts on the data, this conversation looks beyond product demonstrations to the decisions that determine whether an investment pays off.Whether you manage a dairy farm, advise producers, or build and sell agricultural technology, this episode offers a practical starting point: understand the farm before choosing the technology.MEET THE HOSTPaul Windemuller is a Michigan dairy farmer, speaker, Nuffield Scholar, and host of the AgCulture Podcast. His work connects firsthand farming experience with conversations about technology, innovation, and the future of agriculture.Through his own dairy operation and visits to farms around the world, Paul explores how different production systems and management decisions shape farm businesses. In this solo episode, he shares how those experiences inform his approach to evaluating technology and understanding where it can create value.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

Most people picture cranberries floating in water—but that is only one brief part of a year-round farming operation.In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul speaks with fifth-generation Wisconsin cranberry grower Amber Bristow about how cranberries are actually grown, harvested, protected, and marketed. Amber takes us inside her family’s 250-acre cranberry marsh, explaining the specialized equipment, water systems, pollination, winter flooding, and long-term planning required to produce the crop.The conversation also explores the business behind the berries. Amber explains how her family markets its crop through Ocean Spray, how quality and payment are determined, and how growers manage cash flow without knowing their final price until months after harvest.Amber also shares why she created Cranberry Chats, what agriculture can learn from specialty-crop growers, and whether those infamous cranberry spiders are real.Whether you farm, work in agriculture, or have simply wondered how cranberries get from a Wisconsin marsh to your table, this episode offers a fascinating look inside one of agriculture’s most distinctive industries.Follow Amber on Instagram: @cranberrychatsCheck out her website: https://cranberrychats.com/MEET THE GUESTAmber Bristow is a fifth-generation cranberry grower raising the beginning of the sixth generation on her family’s farm in west-central Wisconsin.Amber grew up working on the family’s cranberry marsh before leaving Wisconsin to study sports management and work in minor-league baseball. She eventually returned to join the family operation, where she now works alongside her husband, parents, cousin, and farm team.Through her social media platform, Cranberry Chats, Amber gives people a behind-the-scenes look at cranberry farming, challenges common misconceptions, shares unique cranberry recipes, and helps consumers better understand the people and work behind the crop.Amber is also involved with the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association’s communications efforts and the Wisconsin Cranberry Board, supporting industry education, promotion, and research.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

If you buy a $500,000 piece of farm equipment, do you actually have the right to fix it yourself?That question has been at the center of a years-long fight over agricultural equipment repair—and it has now reached a major turning point. In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with longtime right-to-repair advocate Willie Cade to unpack the proposed $99 million John Deere class action settlement, the separate FTC settlement, and what both could mean for farmers who own Deere equipment. The FTC settlement requires Deere, for 10 years and subject to court approval and oversight, to make repair resources available to farmers and independent repair providers on terms equivalent to those available to authorized dealers.Willie explains how the litigation developed, what plaintiffs alleged about Deere's control over diagnostic software and repair tools, and why he believes the bigger issue goes beyond one manufacturer or one settlement. Paul and Willie also walk through the choices facing farmers receiving class-action notices—including filing a claim, objecting, opting out, or doing nothing—while making clear that farmers should evaluate those choices for themselves and seek legal advice when appropriate. The current deadlines are December 4, 2026 to object or opt out and December 31, 2026 to submit a claim, with a final approval hearing scheduled for January 19, 2027.The conversation ultimately goes much further than repairing tractors. Willie argues that as machinery becomes increasingly software-driven, agriculture needs to think seriously about what ownership means—and who controls the increasingly valuable data generated by the machines farmers purchase and operate.MEET THE GUESTWillie Cade has spent more than nine years advocating for farmers' right to repair their own equipment, combining a deep interest in technology and ownership with a unique family connection to the agricultural machinery industry.His grandfather, Theo Brown, spent decades with John Deere, serving as Chief Engineer and holding 158 patents. Willie now directs the Theo Brown Society, which preserves and celebrates that engineering legacy. Willie has testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, briefed Federal Trade Commission staff on agricultural equipment repair issues, and serves on the board of Repair.org.Through Graceful Solutions LLC, Willie also consults with law firms involved in agricultural antitrust litigation, including litigation concerning Deere's repair restrictions.His career extends well beyond agriculture. Willie founded PC Rebuilders & Recyclers, a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher that employed more than 300 formerly incarcerated individuals, and has co-authored roughly 25 peer-reviewed papers on electronics sustainability through NSF-funded research with Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also CEO of Kamo Nano Solutions, a startup working on nanowire solar-cell technology.His work today sits at the intersection of technology, ownership, repair, competition, and farm data—questions that will become increasingly important as agricultural machinery becomes more connected, computerized, and autonomous.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

For years, it appeared that the entire American egg industry was heading toward cage-free production.State governments passed new housing requirements. Major retailers, restaurant chains and food-service companies made cage-free commitments. Egg producers invested billions of dollars in new barns, equipment and management systems to meet that expected demand.But the transition has not gone quite as predicted.Today, cage-free hens represent roughly half of U.S. egg production—and that growth has begun to level off. In markets where consumers still have a choice, many continue buying conventionally produced eggs because they remain the most affordable option.In this episode, Paul sits down with Steve Walcott of Big Dutchman to explore how housing regulations, retailer commitments and consumer purchasing decisions have reshaped the laying-hen industry. Steve explains why changing the equipment was often easier than changing the way farms managed their birds, how the European transition differed from the American experience and why producers are once again investing in conventional housing.They also discuss how avian influenza changed biosecurity and farm design, why some producers are splitting large operations across multiple locations and how equipment companies prepare for rules that may change faster than farms can adapt.This is a practical look at what happens when legislation, consumer expectations, farm economics and biological risk all collide inside one agricultural industry. MEET THE GUESTSteve Walcott is Vice President of Sales for Big Dutchman’s U.S. and Canada Egg Business Unit. He works with egg producers, distributors, installers, and industry partners to develop practical equipment solutions that support efficient, reliable, and sustainable commercial egg production. With a strong understanding of the operational realities facing poultry producers, Steve brings a field-informed perspective to discussions about housing systems, automation, production performance, and the future of the egg industry.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

What does it take to move thousands of cattle or sheep across an ocean—and why do importing countries want live animals rather than packaged meat?Australia’s livestock export industry connects producers across northern and western Australia with markets throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East. It is a complex supply chain involving farms, exporters, quarantine facilities, veterinarians, livestock vessels, overseas feedlots and processors. It also plays an important role in food security for countries that cannot produce enough livestock domestically or lack the cold-chain infrastructure needed to distribute refrigerated meat.In this episode, Paul speaks with Mark Harvey-Sutton of the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council about how the trade works—from selecting animals and preparing them for transport to caring for thousands of livestock during voyages lasting anywhere from four days to three weeks.They also examine Australia’s controversial decision to phase out live sheep exports by sea in 2028. Following a major animal-welfare failure in 2018, the industry introduced substantial reforms that dramatically reduced mortality. Yet despite those improvements, the government moved forward with the ban.Mark explains how the decision is already affecting sheep numbers, processing capacity and rural communities in Western Australia. More importantly, the conversation raises a question relevant to every agricultural sector: What happens when public opinion and political pressure become more influential than evidence, industry reform and the realities of food production?MEET THE GUESTMark Harvey-Sutton was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary of the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council on 18 January 2019.Previous to ALEC, Mark was the Manager of Rural Affairs at NFF, the a/g CEO of the Sheepmeat Council of Australia and Policy Director of Cattle Council of Australia. Before joining those organisations Mark worked for the Australian Government across a range of roles and issues including as Assistant Director, Meat and Livestock Policy at the then Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, and as Departmental Liaison Officer for the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government.Mark holds a Bachelor of Laws for James Cook University, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Mark is also admitted as a Lawyer in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices. Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

A freestall may look like a fairly simple piece of bent steel. But behind its modern design lies decades of observation, experimentation, failure and research into how cows naturally move, rest and behave.John de Jonge grew up on a dairy farm in British Columbia before entering agricultural manufacturing and dairy barn equipment. In the 1990s, he became part of a small group that began using time-lapse video and early sensor technology to study cows in pasture and inside freestall barns.What they discovered challenged many of the industry’s assumptions.Freestalls were often too short, too narrow and too restrictive. Neck rails were positioned incorrectly. Pipes were placed in the cow’s natural movement path. The industry had focused heavily on the strength and durability of the steel—but not enough on how the cow actually used the space.In this episode, John shares how that research helped reshape freestall design around the world. He and Paul also examine why the “best” housing system depends on climate, bedding, manure handling, labor and management—and why copying a successful neighboring dairy can still end badly.The technology inside dairy barns continues to change, but one principle has not: the entire system is only as strong as the environment it creates for the individual cow. Listen now!MEET THE GUESTJohn de Jonge grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, where he developed an early interest in machinery, manufacturing and dairy housing.After studying agricultural mechanics and engineering at Olds College, John worked in several manufacturing environments before purchasing a small agricultural fabrication business at age 25. He went on to help develop and expand dairy housing equipment across North America and international markets.During the 1990s, John worked alongside researchers, veterinarians and other industry specialists to study cow behavior using time-lapse video and early sensor technology. That work helped challenge conventional assumptions about freestall dimensions, neck-rail placement and the space cows require to rise, rest and move naturally.John is now focused on InBarn, where he continues to help dairy producers and their advisors design facilities around cow comfort, management realities and long-term operational performance.ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.