AgCast by Purdue Commercial Agriculture

Buying more farmland is a common way to grow a farming operation. But with tight crop margins, high land values and borrowing costs, is it always the best path to profitability? On this AgCast episode, hosts Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe are joined by Nick Paulson of the University of Illinois Farmdoc team for a conversation with Matt and Darin Riggs, the farming brothers behind Riggs Beer Company in Urbana, Illinois. When their father told them the family’s 300-acre farm wasn’t big enough to support the next generation, they decided to find another way. Their answer was unconventional: build a brewery around the grain they grow. The brothers share how they turned that idea into a business, prepared themselves before making the investment, and built a model that creates another market for their grain. They also explain why they refused to put the family farmland up as collateral, how they learned to grow without overextending, and why they believe making their existing acres more profitable can be a better strategy than simply adding more land. In this conversation: Why buying more acres isn’t the only path to farm growth How diversification can create new opportunities for farm income Turning a commodity crop into a differentiated, value-added product Protecting the farm while financing a new business Why a strong business plan, industry experience and learning from others matter How the brothers think about risk, cash flow and sustainable growth What other farmers can learn from doing things differently When margins are tight, the standard answer isn’t always the best answer. The Riggs brothers’ experience offers a practical look at thinking beyond the usual playbook and finding ways to make the farm you have more profitable. Listen in and consider: What opportunities could help your operation capture more value without simply taking on more land and debt? AgCast is a podcast from the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture, bringing commercial farmers and agribusiness professionals insights on the decisions shaping farm profitability and the agricultural economy.

What if you could give AI years of your farm’s data and ask it to challenge the decisions you’re making? Joe Dykhuis, President at Dykhuis Farms in Hamilton, Michigan, took that question seriously.  After Chad Fiechter challenged the idea that AI would change much about farm management, Joe decided to build his own farm-management AI tool using Purdue farm management materials and Dykhuis Farms' production and financial data. What happened next surprised Chad and Todd. Joe explains how AI challenged assumptions in a major capital investment decision, acted as an “adversarial checker,” and analyzed about 10 years of hog-loading data in minutes. It also identified patterns involving weather, cleanout timing, labor and logistics that would have taken far more time to uncover using traditional analysis. AI is only as useful as the data, context and management fundamentals behind it. Joe, Chad and Todd talk about what this means for farmers, where AI can actually save time, why “truth sources” matter, and whether the future of farm decision-making might be less about building the perfect spreadsheet and more about building your own tools as you need them. This isn't a conversation about replacing farm managers with AI. It’s about whether AI can become another tool that helps farmers ask better questions, examine their assumptions and make more informed decisions. In this episode: How Joe built an AI tool around real farm data Using AI to challenge a major capital investment decision What 10 years of hog-load data revealed Why good data and farm-management fundamentals still matter How AI can connect information that wasn't originally collected for analysis What farmers should think about before turning AI loose on their own data Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast for research-based conversations that help commercial farmers and agribusiness professionals make better management decisions.

How do farmers make decisions—and what can the growing amount of data generated on farms tell us about those decisions? If you've followed Purdue's Crop Basis Tool or the Center's monthly basis updates, you've probably already heard from Josh Strine. After completing his PhD at Purdue, Josh is staying with the Center for Commercial Agriculture as a postdoc, where he'll continue working on extension tools and research involving farm markets, technology and agricultural finance. In this episode, Josh talks about his path from growing up on a corn and soybean farm in central Ohio to agricultural economics and Purdue. He also explains what he hopes to explore next—including a question that connects his experience on the farm with his research interests: why do farmers make the decisions they make, and what can we learn by combining agronomic information, farm-level data and economics? Josh, Chad and Todd also discuss precision-ag data, agricultural technology, farm lending, extension and what it means to move from a PhD student into a research role. And, of course, there's a little time for Todd and Chad to get Josh off track. Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast for monthly conversations about the decisions, markets and issues shaping commercial agriculture.

Farm equipment markets are constantly changing, but what can auction data tell us about where agriculture is headed? In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, hosts Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe are joined by Andy Campbell, Director of Insights at Tractor Zoom, to discuss how data is reshaping equipment markets and the decisions farmers make every day. The conversation explores what drives equipment values, how auction trends reflect broader economic conditions, the growing role of artificial intelligence in agriculture, and why the next generation of farm machinery may look very different from today's fleets. Whether you're evaluating your next equipment purchase, watching machinery values, or simply interested in where agricultural technology is headed, this episode offers practical insights grounded in real-world data. In this episode: How TractorZoom collects and analyzes equipment market data What influences used equipment values What today's equipment market says about the farm economy How AI is changing agriculture and equipment businesses Why autonomous machinery could transform farming over the next 20 years Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast for research-based conversations that help commercial farmers and agribusiness professionals make better management decisions.

AgCast is back — with new vigor but the same goal: bringing farmers and agricultural leaders together for conversations about the ideas, businesses, and decisions shaping the future of agriculture. In the first episode of the new season of AgCast, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe sit down with Hunter Swisher, CEO and founder of Phospholutions, to explore one of the most important — and least understood — challenges facing modern agriculture: phosphate fertilizer. Phosphorus is essential for crop production, but it’s also a finite resource controlled by a handful of countries around the world. As fertilizer prices remain a major concern for farmers, this conversation breaks down what’s happening behind the scenes — from phosphate mining and global shipping routes to fertilizer production, supply chain disruptions, and what it could mean for farmers heading into future growing seasons. Hunter explains how Phospholutions is working to improve phosphate fertilizer efficiency, why traditional MAP and DAP fertilizers lose much of their value after application, and how new technology could help farmers produce more with fewer inputs. Chad and Todd also discuss: • Why fertilizer supply chains are more complicated than most farmers realize • How global events can impact input availability and prices on the farm • Why fertilizer innovation has been slower than other areas of agriculture • What farmers should understand about phosphate availability heading into 2027 • The future of ag technology, startups, and solving problems across the food system AgCast brings farmers and agricultural leaders together for conversations about the ideas, businesses, and decisions shaping the future of agriculture. Topics: fertilizer prices, phosphate fertilizer, MAP fertilizer, DAP fertilizer, farm inputs, agriculture supply chains, crop production, ag technology, farm profitability

Margins are tighter. Interest costs are higher. And many farms are discovering that profitability and cash flow are not the same thing. In this episode of the Commercial AgCast, Chad Fiechter and Josh Strine sit down with John Maman of Nutrien Financial to talk about how strong operations manage cash flow, financing, operating lines, and input decisions in today’s farm economy. This conversation goes beyond interest rates and loans. It focuses on the real financial decisions affecting: operating flexibility growth opportunities input purchases working capital profitability under pressure You’ll learn: Why some profitable farms still struggle with cash How large operations think differently about financing When financing creates flexibility — and when it doesn’t The relationship between agronomy and profitability Why trusted advisors matter more during tight margins How farmers can reduce financial pressure without sacrificing productivity John also shares insights from his background in agronomy, ag retail, and agricultural finance — along with practical ways growers can think more strategically about cash management during difficult cycles. If you’re making crop input decisions, managing operating debt, or preparing for tighter margins ahead, this episode will help you think differently about the business side of farming.

Farmer sentiment declined in April—the pressure on the farm economy is intensifying. In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, Joana Colussi and Michael Langemeier break down the April 2026 Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. Rising input costs, increasing concern about fertilizer availability, and global uncertainty tied to geopolitical conflict all contributed to a drop in sentiment. Tighter margins, rising break-even costs, and weaker financial expectations are beginning to influence how farmers approach investment, growth, and risk management heading into 2026. More importantly, these signals highlight how producers are shifting from cautious optimism to a more defensive posture. In this episode, we discuss: What’s driving the recent decline in farmer sentiment How fertilizer prices and input availability are impacting decisions Why 2/3 of farmers expect lower income in 2026 What rising break-even prices mean for crop profitability Why farmers are pulling back on machinery and capital investments The widening gap between crop and livestock outlooks How tight margins are influencing cash flow and strategy What’s shaping farmland value expectations Why confidence in the broader U.S. economy is slipping 📊 Read the full Ag Economy Barometer report: https://purdue.ag/barometer127   — For more farm management resources, visit: 👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag Subscribe to the podcast: 👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast Follow us: X: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PUCommercialAg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-commercial-agriculture

Lessons From the Delta continues — and this time, the conversation turns to an unexpected connection between rice farming, water management, and wildlife. In the 8th and final episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe travel to eastern Arkansas to explore how rice production systems intersect with conservation—and why organizations like Ducks Unlimited are working directly with farmers. What starts as a discussion about rice fields quickly expands into a deeper look at water use, groundwater depletion, and how wildlife habitat can create additional economic value on farmland. The conversation explores: Why rice fields function as surrogate wetlands for waterfowl How duck hunting and recreation influence land values in the Delta The scale of water use in rice production—and why it matters How farmers are adapting to groundwater decline with new practices The tradeoffs between yield, water efficiency, and management complexity Why agriculture in the Delta requires a fundamentally different system approach With water becoming an increasingly binding constraint, this episode highlights how farmers are balancing productivity, conservation, and long-term sustainability—and what that means for the future of agriculture. We’ll continue sharing video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the Arkansas trip on our YouTube channel throughout the series. Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series. Learn more about Ducks Unlimited: https://www.ducks.org/ For more farm management resources, visit: 👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag Subscribe to the podcast: 👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast Follow us: X: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PUCommercialAg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-commercial-agriculture

Lessons From the Delta continues — this time from the edge of a 120-acre on-farm reservoir. In Part 7 of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe visit a rice farm in Arkansas to understand how farmers are managing water, labor, and costs in ways that look very different from the Midwest. What starts as a farm tour turns into a practical discussion about irrigation strategy, groundwater replacement, and the economics behind building large on-farm reservoirs. The conversation also covers: How farmers can save up to $31 per acre by pumping surface water instead of groundwater Why reservoirs reduce energy costs and improve water temperature for crop performance Capturing and recycling nutrients through tailwater recovery systems The tradeoff between taking land out of production and lowering long-term costs How pump automation reduces labor needs and improves quality of life Why water management is becoming a central constraint in modern farming systems This episode builds on earlier conversations in the Delta series and brings the focus directly to how farmers are making real-world management decisions under different constraints. We’ll continue sharing video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the Arkansas trip on our YouTube channel throughout the series. Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series. For more farm management resources, visit: 👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag Subscribe to the podcast: 👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast Follow us: X: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PUCommercialAg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-commercial-agriculture

Farmer sentiment improved in March—but the underlying pressures in the farm economy haven’t gone away. In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, Joana Colussi and Michael Langemeier break down the March 2026 Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. Despite rising input costs and global uncertainty tied to geopolitical conflict, farmer sentiment moved higher—driven in part by stronger crop prices and government payments. But the improvement comes with important caveats. Tight margins, rising breakeven costs, and shifting risk priorities are shaping how farmers approach investment, production, and long-term strategy. More importantly, these signals highlight how producers are balancing short-term optimism with longer-term uncertainty. In this episode, we discuss: • What’s driving the recent increase in farmer sentiment • How $35/acre payments and higher corn prices are influencing outlook • Why only 4% of farmers plan to increase machinery purchases • How rising input costs are impacting breakeven prices and profitability • Why financial risk has overtaken marketing risk for many farms • What farmers expect for inflation and interest rates in the year ahead • How solar leasing is evolving across regions and land markets • What’s driving farmland value expectations in 2026 📊 Read the full Ag Economy Barometer report: https://purdue.ag/barometer126 — For more farm management resources, visit: 👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag Subscribe to the podcast: 👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast Follow us: X: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PUCommercialAg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-commercial-agriculture