Farm Business - General

Farmland Value Check: Midwest Class A Ground Sees Pullback, Water Security Redefines California’s Market

Mon, 04 May 2026 03:08:16 GMT

New data assembled by Realtors Land Institute (RLI), the National Association of Realtors Research Group and Acres, highlights fundamental trends driving the land market today. But this year’s Land Market Survey, which was augmented by research conducted by Acres, unveils two trends in farmland regarding quality and productivity ratings as well as other trends important in the business management of farmland.

First, Overall Land Trends

In addressing widespread concerns about a potential U.S. recession, Dr. Lawrence Yun Chief Economist and SVP of Research, National Association of Realtors emphasized that, despite recent oil price shocks and persistently low consumer sentiment, the U.S. economy is not on the brink of recession.

The survey details multiple industries and sectors in land use and values, and for 2025, In terms of price growth, the ranch category led with a 2.2% increase in dollars per acre, outperforming other land types. Industrial and recreational land also saw solid gains of 1.9% each, while other categories experienced moderate increases. Notably, Commercial Real Estate Data Analyst, Oleh Sorokin anticipates that while land sales will strengthen in 2026, the pace of price growth is expected to slow, with projected increases in the ranch category dropping to 0.9% per acre.

How Are Farmland Values Performing Differently?

The presenters highlight the energy price correlation as Farmland values and operational balance sheets are heavily tied to energy prices, as oil and gas drive both fuel costs and fertilizer prices.

“Tariffs are one that it’s kind of dwarfed now by the energy situation, but tariffs were a pretty big impact last year,” says Aaron Shew, chief technology officer at Acres.

With fuel input prices and fertilizer input prices highly driven by energy prices, those effects are being monitored closely both in terms of price hikes but also duration of elevated prices.

He continues, “Some of the energy challenges that we’re undergoing with the war in Iran and the blockade, Straits of Hormuz, I think that has the potential, maybe less in the broader real estate market, but for farmland specifically, that could have a pretty large impact, depending on how it resolves, how quickly that happens.”

What Are The High Interest Trends?

Shew’s research reveals two eye-catching farmland value takeaways.

1. Midwest Market “Pullback": Class A farmland in the Midwest is seeing a “mature” pullback of about 10% from the 2021–2022 peaks, while Class B ground remains slightly more resilient.

(Acres.com)

First Shew notes, 2021 and 2022 saw 1.5x to 2x the average number of land transactions. The highest value per acres sales during that time earned a lot of attention. What he refers to as “hype.”

“Particularly in Iowa and Illinois, where farmers were buying farms for $25,000 or $30,000 per acre. you have these outlier transactions. It’s very, very few, but they catch a lot of attention and that kind of pushes some land values up.”

He says that raised expectations that Class A—or the highest rated productivity ground—had reached a new plateau in values and wouldn’t go down.

But Shew notes, as of 2025, there’s been a 10% pullback from those ’21 and ’22 peaks. And that’s on the highest rated ground in terms of productivity.

Class B ground values have been more resilient.

2. In California, Water is Half Your Land’s Value

Looking at the data, Shew says in California, water security drives the value, particularly for permanent crops. Tier 1 districts with multiple water sources maintain high values, while “white space” (areas without district water) is seeing significant distress and land fallowing.

“A lot of people are already talking about water regulations, how water security plays a role, and, permanent crops have been under duress for close to three years now,” Shew says. “So that’s not new, but we’ve quantified the impacts regionally, and across ag districts, and by permanent crop type.”

The crops showing this trend in spades: almonds and pistachios.

“For Tier 1 districts, for almonds, you’re looking at $30,000 plus an acre. And then you go to Tier 2 districts, and you’ll see it around a little over $20,000 an acre. Outside of districts, it’s called white space and you’re actually at $13,000 per acre, which is almond ground being sold as bare ground—rip and replace.”

(Acres.com)

He says Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) will mean that 500,000 to 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland will have to be fallowed or pulled out by 2040.

“So that’s about 10% of the farmland in California’s Central Valley, most of it in San Joaquin,” so we’re seeing some initial phases of that as we’ve seen tens of thousands of permanent crops come out in the past few years,” Shew says.

He adds, “Water regulatory bodies have put more pressure on farming in California. It’s just going to create a harsher environment for how water gets distributed and allocated.”

Resilience via Government Assistance

Programs such as the Farmers Bridge Assistance are preventing forced land sales by supporting farm operations, which keeps land values stable despite two years of challenging economics. He says we are reaching the tipping point in year three.

“Farm operations can be poor for a year or two and you’re not really going to see it show up in land values,” he says. “But we’re on a third year of this, and we’ve got other challenges that are fairly unprecedent at the same time, so there’s a lot to watch.”

“If you have to declare bankruptcy on your farm, 80% of most farm balance sheets is land, so that’s the large asset that’s going to get sold by the bank,” Shew says. “Government policies to provide support, The Farmers Bridge Assistance is the most recent one that probably plays the largest role, and it just helps farmers get to the end of ‘26, where hopefully balance sheets are in a good place.”

He’s also watching how the provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill come to bear this fall and at year end.

“Reference prices for, rice, in particular, is one that comes to mind. Those will take place and hopefully create some stability, but you have got to get to the end of the year.”

Transaction Volume Stabilization

Nationwide transaction volumes have returned to pre-pandemic (2018–2020) levels, though California is seeing an uptick in volume due to “distress sales” from owners who can no longer float the costs.

“The low interest rates ‘21 to 23, roughly created a great time for folks to invest in land. They wanted to deploy capital, and land is the definition of a real asset,” he says. “You had that boom, and then, of course, as rates went up in ’23 and ’24 and values stabilized at much higher levels, it turned off that capital allocation.”

(Acres.com)

National farmland transaction volumes in 2024 and 2025—transaction count, acreage turnover, and overall volume of dollars—is approximately the same as 2018 and 2020.

“Q4 of ‘21 and Q1 of ‘22, we saw three times the typical amount that would turn over,” he says. “So in Q4 of 2021, we saw 10 billion in farmland in one quarter—high volume and high values.”

While 2021 was the big, from a year-over-year standpoint, that began to fall back, by 20%, then 30%. He says the flattening from 2024 to 2025 is a bright spot to show overall stability.

“We’re not going to continue to see less transactions or lower sales volumes. We’re seeing that stabilize at a more consistent level alongside where interest rates are,” he says. “And presumably, if we see interest rates decrease, we will see that pick back up, and start what may be another cycle.”

You can download the full Market Values Report here.

One of North America’s Largest Farms Files for Financial Protection, Is Restructuring

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:50:02 GMT

Earlier this week, Monette Group, which farms more than 400,000 acres in Canada and the U.S. filed for financial protection and is restructuring.

The company filed for creditor protector in Canada via the Companies’ Creditor Arrangement Act (CCAA) and filed Chapter 15 in Delaware Bankruptcy Court.

The Cost of Expansion: Efficiency Erosion and the Leverage Trap

The group’s recent financial trajectory highlights a cautionary tale of aggressive, debt-fueled expansion meeting a volatile economic climate. While the organization successfully scaled its footprint and top-line revenue over the last several years, operational efficiency and debt sustainability have reached a critical breaking point. [all dollars are Canadian]

The Era of Aggressive Growth (2017–2022)
Driven by substantial borrowing, the Group underwent a massive scale-up, growing revenue from $45 million to $198 million and expanding its cultivated land from 97,000 to 269,000 acres. While total EBITDA initially followed this upward trend, the underlying efficiency—measured by EBITDA-per-acre—began to signal trouble, dropping significantly from its 2015 highs.
Operational Headwinds and Margin Compression (2024–Present)
The transition into 2024 saw revenue climb to a record $347 million across 440,000 acres, yet profitability decoupled from growth. Diversification into produce and cattle, intended to broaden the portfolio, instead acted as a drag on the bottom line. By 2024, EBITDA-per-acre plummeted to a decade low of $83—a nearly 50% decline. This downward trend was exacerbated in 2025; despite a projected $72 million EBITDA, actual earnings reached only $31 million due to a “perfect storm” of poor crop prices, high input costs, and yield losses.
The Sustainability Crisis
The group’s reliance on cheap capital (approximately 3% interest rates) and rising real estate valuations proved successful in a low-rate environment. However, the convergence of flat property values, persistent inflation, and high interest rates has rendered the current capital structure unsustainable. Despite holding significant underlying asset value, the group is now overleveraged, with compressed margins leaving little room to service debt or maintain liquidity.

What Is Monette Group?

Since 2010, Monette Group has been aggressively expanding from its family farm in Saskatchewan to Manitoba and British Columbia in Canada. Current President Darrel Monette took over the family farm in 2013. In 2019, the company expanded into the U.S. first in Montana and then Arizona and Colorado. The company’s website says its core values are: teamwork, efficiency, growth and ‘get shit done.’

With its expansion and diversification, the business expanded into four main brands:

Monette Farms: growing pulses, wheat, corn, sugar beets, barley, and alfalfa in Canada and the U.S.
Monette Produce: with growing locations in California, Arizona and Canada
Monette Cattle: ranches located in Saskatchewan and British Columbia
Monette Seeds: located in Saskatchewan in partnership with NexGen Seeds

The 18 business entities of Monette Group employ between 300 and 600 people, depending on the season.

Grain production, primarily canola, wheat and durum accounted for over 60% of group revenue in 2024 and more than 50% in 2025. Grain operations dominate the Canadian footprint with 68% of the group’s production occurring in Canada.

Fresh produce operations are primarily located in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, with significant fall and winter production in Arizona. In 2025, produce accounted for approximately 15% of group revenue. Crops include carrots, squash, broccoli, cabbage, pumpkin, cauliflower and watermelon. The group’s produce is mainly sold to Loblaws and the Little Potato Company.

Cattle ranching accounted for approximately 10% of revenue in 2024 and 17% in 2025. Cattle ranching operations focus on Black and Red Angus cattle, including herd breeding in British Columbia and feedlots across Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Seed processing accounted for 19% of revenue in 2024 and 16% in 2025.

Its main crops 10 years ago were green and red lentils, durum, canola and malting barley.

According to the company’s website, Monette Farms’ newest addition is west of Phoenix, Arizona. It’s a certified organic farm and headquarters to Monette Seeds USA.

What Monette Farms Has Said

President Darrel Monette has penned a letter sent to landowners and leasing partners as well as a press release distributed with general counsel as the point of contact. Both are dated April 21, 2026.

In both Monette says this process will allow them to stabilize finances, restructure debt, and continue operating.

The letter read: “This filing is a proactive response to current industry pressures (higher input costs, higher interest rates, and tighter credit) and is not a liquidation.”

It continued: “We are working with our advisors and a court-appointed Monitor to develop a restructuring plan for credit and court approval.”

Per a company press release, the day-to-day farming activities, spring seeding and livestock care are continuing as planned. The release also said all employees are being retained at this time.

The Assets of Monette Group

According to its 2025 financial statements, the group has $1.24 billion of total assets booked at cost (and not reflective of market value.)

As of April 12, 2026, the group owns 274,000 acres of land. In the U.S. Monette owns 61,700 acres in Arizona, Montana and Colorado.

For crop production, it leases 175,000 acres in Canada and 43,000 acres in the U.S. with annual total lease payments of $29.4 million. For its cattle business, Monette holds grazing licenses on 1.2 million acres of land in Canada.

The group owns three seed processing facilities in Canada.

It leases more than 1,700 separate units of farm equipment, with 1,600 units leased from John Deere Financial. Annually, the group spends $26 million on leased equipment.In 2023, it was newsworthy when the business transitioned from Case IH equipment to John Deere equipment in a reported $100+ million deal.

What Else Is There To Watch?

Monette Group is one of the largest privately held farming operations in North America.

The timing of this filing is critical for the farm to put in a 2026 crop. In the CCAA filing, Monette Group said its seed expenses are $40 million per year. To get set up for seeding, Monette’s operations may receive 41 truck loads of product a day (nearly 15,000 truck loads a year).

The main filing is in Canada with proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) as part of a court-supervised restructuring process. From here is a process by which Monette will work with a court-appointed monitor to develop a restructuring plan for creditor and court approval.

The Chapter 15 filing asks the U.S. court to recognize the Canadian CCAA proceeding as the “foreign main proceeding” which can extend the protection of U.S. assets. It also prevents U.S. creditors from taking legal action such as seizing assets or filing lawsuits.

In the CCAA document, it is stated Monette Group held a $950 million secured credit facility dated December 5, 2018, which matured on April 15, 2026. Repayment of the obligations owing to the syndicate of lenders is a necessary component of the group’s overall restructuring strategy.

The CCAA filing comes after Monette per the guidance of its lending syndicate to sell assets. Two tracts were sold in 2025: in Regina, Saskatchewan for $41.18 million and 17,000 acres of land in Montana for $47.5 million. Additional sales were attempted this this winter, but with only one completed sale of 12,932 acres of farmland in the Stewart Valley of Swift Current, Saskatchewan for $54 million.

In the affadavit, Monette says a restructuring and selling of assets by the court appointed monitor is important to provide an orderly sale of assets and not cause a bulk liquidation which could result in lower values.

The farm has been active on social media:

The New Ag Economy: Why This Downturn is a Structural Shift, Not Just a Cycle

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:22:20 GMT

What You Need to Know:

Structural Evolution: This downturn is a permanent market shift, not just a temporary cycle.
Friend-Shoring: Trade is moving toward geopolitical allies to ensure supply chain resilience.
Aggressive Cost-Cutting: Farmers are doubling generic input use and delaying machinery purchases to protect margins.
Financial Resilience: Better management and working capital make today far more stable than the 1980s.
Premium Protein Demand: GLP-1 medications are driving consumers toward smaller, higher-quality meat portions

As the industry enters the third year of this downturn, farmers and agribusinesses are questioning if a recovery is on the two-year horizon. While cyclical behavior is normal, two economists suggest the structural evolution within crop protection, machinery, technology, livestock and other individual sectors is creating a different kind of staying power for those who survive the recovery.

The Evolution of the Cycle

When characterizing the current economic cycle in agriculture, historical patterns provide a necessary baseline, yet the present landscape is defined by unique pressures. Typical agricultural cycles consist of roughly six years of expansion followed by four years of decline. Currently, the market is navigating a “corrective period,” returning to long-run averages.

The drivers of growth are typically demand shocks — export surges, fuel demand or policy shifts such as the Renewable Fuel Standard. However, Wes Davis, ag economist at Meridian Ag Advisors, notes the current environment is an intersection of traditional contraction and sector-specific evolution.

“What I think we’re experiencing right now is that typical cycle behavior where we see growth in some business firms, and then some contraction and pullback to adjust to the cycle going back to more of the long-run average,” Davis explains. “I think we’re also seeing evolution of individual sectors within the market where there’s adjustments happening because of the industry itself.”

In other words, this isn’t just a cycle — it’s also a structural shift.

Change Fatigue and Modern Volatility

Farmers aren’t strangers to volatility, but global trade disruptions, policy shifts and rising competition, especially from Brazil, are layering uncertainty onto already volatile markets.
Farmers are grappling with “change fatigue,” a byproduct of the high velocity of information and extreme price swings that dwarf the relative stability of the early 2000s.

“When I go talk to any industry group right now, the phrase that I hear is ‘change fatigue’, and I feel that. Every couple minutes, something shifts,” says Trey Malone, Purdue University ag econ professor. “But to be clear, it’s not that the farm economy isn’t used to volatility, it’s just the uncertainty and the volatility now is, like, ‘hold my beer relative’ to the old volatility.”

Malone attributes this to layers of uncertainty created by global trade and policy. The rise of Brazilian production, coinciding with the disruption of U.S.-China trade relations, has created a permanent state of flux. This sentiment is reflected in the Purdue Ag Economy Barometer, which shares a higher correlation with the Small Business Index (.5) than with actual commodity prices. This suggests farmers view themselves primarily as small business owners facing broad economic pressures rather than just price-takers.

“We don’t see very strong correlations even with lagged soybean prices and corn prices,” Malone notes. “The world is more complicated than just looking at what happened in the market yesterday and gauging how farmers feel.”

Global Competitiveness and the Trade Reallocation

A primary concern for U.S. producers is their position as low-cost providers. While the U.S. maintains an infrastructure advantage that lowers the cost of getting products to export ports, Brazil continues to close the gap.

“It’s a fair question farmers ask a lot: Are we actually the ones who are the low-cost producers, and do we still have a place in the global market if Brazil continues to lower the cost of production and transport their grain to export terminals?” Davis asks.

However, Davis points out that global trade hasn’t shut off; it has reallocated. Only three global regions — North America, Latin America and parts of Southeastern Europe/Central Asia — are net exporters. The rest of the world remains net importers.

“While our trade has kind of shifted around ... that shift has really reallocated stuff in different places. Those calories and products end up going somewhere. It’s just a question of where,” he says.

The Shift to “Friend-Shoring” and Resilient Supply Chains

The industry is moving from “just-in-time” (hyper-lean) procurement to “just-in-case” (inventory-heavy) strategies, a lesson reinforced by the pandemic. This shift is accompanied by “friend-shoring,” where the U.S. prioritizes trade with geopolitical allies.

“We’ve gone from offshoring to onshoring to nearshoring to friendshoring,” Malone explains. “We’ve got a paper that’ll be coming out ... where we document friend-shoring in ag and food supply chains. Over the last 10 years, there’s been a shift where we mostly in the U.S. trade with other people who vote like us in the WTO. That’s kind of one way to measure friends.”

This resilience is also visible in crop protection. In 2019, 80% of active ingredients were sourced from China. Today, that is closer to 60%, with manufacturing shifting to India and domestic sites. Davis calls these “geopolitically resilient” supply chains.

The Rise of Generics and Decision Paralysis

The economic downturn is fundamentally changing the business model for input providers. Farmers are aggressively cutting costs, leading to a massive surge in generic usage.

“The latest survey I saw shows about 60% of farmers use generics today. That was about 30% to 40% just 5 years ago,” Davis says. This forces companies to pivot from differentiation to operational volume.

In the machinery sector, high costs and economic uncertainty have led to “decision paralysis.” Farmers are extending the life of their equipment, treating machinery replacement as the most controllable variable in managing annual ROI. Davis notes the U.S. ag equipment cycle is currently 15 to 20 percentage points lower than typical low points, driven by this hesitation. Furthermore, there is significant skepticism toward subscription-based technology models.

“Farmers don’t terribly love this idea, and I think the other interesting thought here is I’m not sure that retailers like selling them either,” Malone adds.

AI: The “Undergraduate Intern”

While artificial intelligence (AI) is a major talking point, its current role in agriculture is more supportive than transformative. Malone views AI as a “highly capable undergraduate intern” — useful for processing information but incapable of replacing the trust and risk management provided by human advisors.

“I don’t think you need to be replacing your agronomist. I think your mediocre agronomist just got OK,” Malone says, noting while LLMs can pass CCA exams, they cannot manage the risk of a wrong decision. “The risk management value proposition of an in-person Claude, or whoever, is probably going to win out because there’s still a risk.”

Currently, the adoption gap is wide: While 75% of agribusiness managers see potential in AI, only 4% have implemented it, according to a Purdue University survey in 2025.

Livestock and the GLP-1 Impact

The livestock sector is facing a unique demand shift driven by weight-loss medications (GLP-1s). This is leading to “premiumization.” As consumers eat smaller portions, they are opting for higher-quality cuts.

“The explosion in demand for protein is just shocking,” Malone says. “What GLP-1s do to that calorie count is they are all shifting toward premium cuts. You don’t care how much it costs because you’re only going to have seven bites of it. But you’re going to have a steak. That premiumization is going to really, really take off in the next 10 years.”

Conversely, the hype surrounding “fake meat” has largely faded, proving to be more of an investor-led phenomenon than a market-driven one.

Financial Stability: Not the 1980s

Despite the downturn, the financial health of the American farmer remains more stable than during the crisis of the 1980s. Currently, 10% to 12% of farmers are in a “tight” financial position , compared to 20% to 30% in the 80s.

“We do have a completely different, more professional ag workforce than we did back then,” Malone says. “The farm policy we have right now does not necessarily match what we need for the future, but all of these things make me think we’re in a much more stable position.”

Farmers have built-in “shock absorbers,” Davis adds, including off-farm income and working capital built up during the expansion years. However, in his research Davis has seen how alternative financing is becoming a major tool for the 50% of farmers who use it — either to manage stress or, for larger operations, to leverage relationships with retailers.

Strategic Reassessment: Winning at the Bottom

The experts agree the “bottom of the cycle” is the time for professionalization and upskilling. Surviving — and thriving — will require sharper management. It is an opportunity to reassess farm transitions and management disciplines, such as financial management, accounting and planning, which become critical in tight margins.

“Farmers are going to have to get smarter and get more creative with how they manage,” Malone says. “This is a good opportunity to take a step back and think about what the strategy needs to be moving forward.”

Davis emphasizes relationships are solidified during these periods: “Farmers are going to remember the folks who were around when they were in the bottom of the cycle, and who were there to support them. The best farmers will continue to get better ... I get excited about what we can look like as we come out of this cycle.”

So Is This Ag Cycle Different?

These experts say yes as every cycle presents its own unique reshaping of future opportunities.

To download the full report on why this ag cycle is different and what it means for your operation, click here .

4 Things Farmers Should Know About A Lesser-Known Tax Deduction

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:30:26 GMT

“This is something I’ve been talking about since 1992, but all of the sudden in the past five years, people thought it came out of nowhere,” says Roger McEowen, professor at Washburn University School of Law.

McEowen is referring to the residual soil fertility deduction, which the IRS provided comments—while not official guidance—on how landowners can deduct the value of excess soil fertility applied on recently acquired land.

“With the run-up in land values, there is a lot more interest than six years ago. This isn’t new, but it’s like pouring gas on a fire,” McEowen says.

When purchasing farmland, a portion of the purchase price can often be attributed to “residual fertility"—nutrients already present in the soil from the previous owner’s applications that exceed the base levels.

CropQuest, a soil testing business based in Kansas, has been doing reports for this tax deduction since 2020.

“It probably doubles every year or more,” says Nathan Woydziak, precision ag manager at Crop Quest. “Today, we’re doing this testing for hundreds of farmers across our service area.”

Who Qualifies for the Deduction?

Only the owner of the farmland (or pastureland) qualifies for the deduction, and the land must be used for agricultural production. Second, the land needs to have been purchased or transferred with stepped-up basis recently.

What Drives The Value of the Deduction?

“The big driving force is time of purchase,” says Adam Brenneman, a sales representative at Boa Safra Ag, which produces the required soil fertility reports. Boa Safra advises landowners consider any acquisitions since 2010.

“We won’t survey properties older than 2000,” Brenneman says. “For example, our averages for properties are around $1,000 to $1,700 an acre for the value of the deduction, but if it’s acquired in 2005 would be around $300 an acre, 2000 gets closer to $150 per acre.”

In this process, it’s the market value of nutrients multiplied by your excess.

“The deduction based on your excess nutrient load in the property since time of purchase. When you bought the property, you bought the structure and geographic space, you also bought the 8” zone in the soil of where agriculture takes place. The nutrients in that zone, any of them, above baseline are able to be part of the deduction process,” Brenneman says.

What’s Required to Document the Deduction?

Farmers should maintain detailed records, including the purchase agreement, soil test results, and the methodology used to calculate the dollar value of the nutrients.

For the soil test, this includes macro and micronutrients. For example, the Crop Quest and Boa Safra reports detail 11 soil nutrients.

“Good documentation is key. We’ve done some where we went back in history on those fields but regularly we go back 5 years. And your accountant has to be on board,” Woydziak says.
To claim this deduction, you must prove that the nutrient levels are “excessive” compared to a standard baseline.

How is the Deduction Filed?

If land is in a trust, S corp or LLC, the deduction applies to the ownership of the property. And it’s up to the accountant to determine the schedule of the depreciation, which is commonly applied across three to seven years.

“There is no code section. The only guidance we have is the scant things IRS said 34 years ago,” McEowen says. “Have the soil analysis done as close to the time of acquisition as possible. That’s the most bullet proof thing if the IRS challenges it with an audit.”

McEowen says some tax professionals will not include these deductions because of the lack of clarity from the IRS.

“We aren’t sure if it’s depreciation, depletion, or amortization. I think it’s depletion. It’s a natural resource like oil and gas. Fertility gets mined over time. So the theory is you are entitled to the deduction in the nutrient deposit in that soil. So most tax professionals just massage this in as depreciation. And some will put it in section 180 and then separately track it. I don’t know if it’s the wrong or right approach. But that’s as good as we can do.”

Brenneman emphasizes this is a process that requires a team of professionals.

“We don’t do tax advice. We work in the dirt,” he says. “Our audit rate is less than 2%. We stand behind our reports within your auditable years. And we have a 100% audit defense success rate.” Brenneman says.

McEowen adds, “I foresee a statute from Congress and IRS writing rules to carrying out the statute. It could be in the reconciliation bill or the skinny farm bill. That’s the approach I think is going to happen. We need a statute.”

The Shrinking Slice: Farmers Receive Less Than 6 Cents of Every Food Dollar

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:30:43 GMT

For the past two years, USDA has estimated farmers and ranchers received less than 6 cents of every food dollar. In 2023, that was 5.9 cents, and using the latest data from 2024, it’s 5.8 cents.

“Our oldest data point right now is 2007 [USDA updated the data series] and that’s 14.7 cents per dollar, and now we’re down all the way to 11.8 cents per dollar,” says Faith Parum, economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation. “So we’ve really seen that decline year after year. It reflects how much of the value of things in the grocery store or when you go out to eat is going to other parts of the supply chain and not necessarily to farmers and ranchers.”

Livestock vs. Crops: A Widening Gap

The aggregate decline masks a widening gap between sectors. While the overall farmer share is down, livestock and crop producers are seeing divergent trends:

Crop Farmers: Share dropped from 2.9 cents to 2.5 cents (a 2.5% year-over-year decrease).
Livestock Producers: Share increased from 3 cents to 3.3 cents.

“Overall, the farmer share is down. But we have those two markets really at odds,” Parum says. “We’ve seen that tale of two farm economies where our livestock producers maybe have seen a little bit of better days than they had had in the past, while our row crop farmers and our specialty crop farmers are really facing strong headwinds in the market.”

Effect at the Farm Gate

As highlighted by USDA, farm finances are quickly strained when farmers/ranchers are capturing a small percentage of the food dollar and even modest swings in commodity prices and/or input prices take place.

Parum adds, “when we talk about the health of our farms and the health of future generations on the farm, and being economically viable and sustainable and being able to keep their operations open, the trends we’re seeing right now are really hard for those farmers. Our ranchers are seeing a little bit of better days right now with high beef prices, but that’s not going to last forever, and with production expenses continuing to increase, we’re really going to see that that question come up of, what is sustainable if, if these dollars we’re spending in the grocery store aren’t making it back to our farmers.”

Where Does the Money Get Distributed?

The key takeaway: farmers produce the raw commodities that make food production, however, the price is clearly more determined by what happens after the products first leave the farm.

The USDA Food Dollar Series tracks how each dollar is spent by consumers and then divides it across the industries contributing to the value in the supply chain, such as farming, food processing, transportation, packaging, wholesaling, retail and food service. As noted by the USDA, with each step in the process, the additional services, labor, transportation and infrastructure add value and increase costs to the final food product.

USDA’s Economic Research Service Food Dollar Series shows in 2024, farmers received 11.8 cents of every dollar spent on domestically produced food, the remaining 88.2 cents of the food dollar went toward the ‘marketing bill’, which includes costs associated with food processing, transportation, packaging, wholesaling, retailing and food service. Over time, this shift illustrates how an increasing share of food spending is driven by services and supply chain activities rather than farm production itself.

Groceries Leave the Most on The Table For Farmers

Farmers’ share of consumer food spending varies widely depending on the type of food purchased. For example, the farm share of the food-at-home dollar was 18.5 cents in 2024, up slightly from 18.4 cents in 2023. But even in this category it means only than one-fifth of what consumers spend on groceries goes back to farmers.

As you may expect, products with minimal processing, require less of the value to be retained in that part of the food system, and therefore return a larger share of the food dollar to producers.

“The highest commodity that gets the most of that food dollar is fresh eggs,” Parum notes. “That’s just because there’s limited labor to process that food.”

Examples include:

Fresh Eggs: 69.1 cents (+6% from 2023)
Beef: 52.2 cents (+4.8%)
Fresh Milk: 50.8 cents (+5.6%)
Pork: 23.7 cents (+7.2%)
Poultry (+3.1%)
Fish (+2.8%)
Tree nuts and peanuts (-1.7%)
Fresh fruits and vegetables (unchanged)
Bakery Products: 4.8 cents (-9.4%)
Soft Drinks/Bottled Water: 1.3 cents (-7.1%)

Cultivating a Modern Workforce: How Ag Operations Can Become ‘Employers of Choice’

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:50:50 GMT

WESTMINSTER, Colo. — In today’s highly competitive ag labor market, attracting and retaining talent has never been more challenging. At the recent Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Annual Conference, Teresa McQueen, corporate counsel for Western Growers Association, shared best practices for reducing turnover, elevating company culture and becoming an employer of choice.

McQueen defines an “employer of choice” as an organization that can say, “People choose to work here, choose to stay here and would recommend us because our day-to-day experiences match our promises.”

To understand the full value of being an employer of choice, it’s important to look at how the ag workplace has evolved. For one, McQueen says increased competition for a limited pool of reliable workers has created less tolerance for uncertainty.

“Historically, farms and ranches have operated on a more informal system, and that worked great when workers stayed around for years ... and those operational, procedural things — your company culture — were passed down informally, because ‘It’s just the way that we do things here,’ which was great when people stayed around for years and before things got really complicated,” she says. “It just doesn’t work in a modern workforce. In a modern workforce, uncertainty in employees creates turnover.”

The system of informality, in which employers rely on their employees to communicate expectations and policies, results in both uncertainty and informal decisions becoming expectations, McQueen says. “And that’s how your operations kind of get away from you.”

Another major morale killer rooted in the old way is the “we’ve always done it this way” mindset, McQueen says.

“It’s frustrating and demoralizing for employees, and it would be frustrating for all of you,” she says. “I’m sure if you came up with a great idea, an innovative way to do something, and you were told repeatedly, ‘Wow, this is a really great idea, but we’ve always done it this way,’” that mindset sends a message to employees that there’s no room for collaboration or inspiration.

Clarity, Consistency and Trust: The Path to Employer of Choice

Clarity in your purpose, consistency in your practices, trust and stability are a competitive advantage and the principal goals in becoming an employer of choice, McQueen says.

“When you have trust with your employees, they feel the work environment is stable,” she says.

Being an employer of choice is not only about being a place where people want to work but also a place employees refer others to work as well, says McQueen, who adds that reputations — good and bad — spread quickly among crews and communities. A bad reputation can fuel turnover and erode employer trust rapidly.

McQueen sees many benefits to being an employer of trust from low turnover to “fewer no-shows at critical moments in your operations.” Higher quality and consistency and “things being done right the first time, not the third time” also result in a stronger pipeline.

“Your operations already run on consistency from equipment maintenance, feeding routines, harvest timing, safety procedures — consistency with people management is exactly the same thing,” McQueen says.

At the recent Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Annual Conference, Teresa McQueen, corporate counsel for Western Growers Association, shared best practices for reducing turnover, elevating company culture and becoming an employer of choice.

(Photo: Jennifer Strailey)

Successful Supervision

Supervisor consistency is critical. Every supervisor across locations and crews needs to coach, and not push, with consistency, says McQueen. All employees must be treated the same and with respect whether they are domestic or H-2A workers.

“Make sure that you’re training your supervisors because they’re the key for a lot of us,” says McQueen, adding that people don’t leave companies; they leave bad managers.

“Supervisors are also key when it comes to risk,” says McQueen, so be sure to have a system and train supervisors to listen for the “red-flag issues.”

McQueen also advises employers to limit who can terminate or send workers home and to ensure supervisors understand they are not responsible for making big decisions like whether harassment or discrimination has occurred. Their role is to assure the employee that they will take the matter to the appropriate decision-maker immediately, says McQueen, who emphasizes that critical situations must be addressed in a timely manner.

“Because if a supervisor thinks that those particular types of decisions, which are huge risk factors for an employer, if they feel that’s within their power, you are going to have inconsistency because they’re using their personal judgment, which isn’t always what you want,” she says. “You want those decisions made from an organizational standpoint. How will we as an organization want to manage this risk?”

The bottom line is consistency every time, says McQueen.

“You want to make sure that everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to do, and they’re doing it the same way each and every time,” she says. “Consistency leads to making fewer mistakes and creating a safe work environment.”

Define Your Employee Value Proposition: The Promise You Can Keep

1. We start on time, and you know your schedule.
2. We explain pay clearly and fix issues fast.
3. We promote crew leaders from within and train you to get there.
4. Our housing/transport rules are clear, consistent and respectful.

Documentation is another critical component of consistency.

“Recordkeeping is huge,” she says. “It legally protects you. It also builds trust operationally with your employees. It’s one of the ways that you build trust, because you’re documenting things. You know what’s being done consistently, and you can show what’s being done consistently.”

Consistency with pay practice — another big risk zone — is also key. Whether it’s piece rate, minimum wage or overtime, this is one of the places you want to make sure you’re doing it correctly and you’re in compliance with state and federal laws, she says.

Ensure simple, consistent timekeeping is being used by every person who’s responsible, she says, and create a one-page pay policy sheet in English and whatever the second-most predominant language is among the crew.

Employers of choice offer:

Consistent pay practices.
Compliant hiring practices.
A safe working environment.
Rapid response to issues involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation.

Why They Stay Interviews

Retention is decided in the first seven days on the job, says McQueen. While many employers conduct exit interviews with employees when they decide to leave, far fewer conduct “stay interviews” with engaged employees in the company. These interviews can provide insights into what’s working and where improvements can be made that can aid with retention of new employees.

She recommends conducting 10-minute, five-question stay interviews once per season.

Stay interview questions:

What’s working well?
What’s making your job harder than it needs to be?
What would cause you to leave?
How is your supervisor doing?
What’s one change you would make this week?

What’s Ahead for the Team

Ask yourself this, says McQueen: If an employee left this week, what would they say about your organization? What would they say about you as an employer? What are they telling other people?

“Are you developing [employees] so they can see a path [forward] at a place they want to stay, which is going to aid you in retention, referrals and returns?” McQueen asks.

On the path to becoming an employer of choice, McQueen’s advice is to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the thought that everything needs to be tackled at once, and instead, pick one thing to improve each season.

“Take small steps to create practices that are easily repeatable, and they become the thing that you do; they become your culture,” she says.

McQueen’s 90-Day Employer of Choice Plan

Weeks 1-2 — Quick compliance and process audit (pay, timekeeping, hiring, safety)
Weeks 3-4 — Train supervisors on consistency, retaliation awareness, documentation
Weeks 5-6 — Launch first seven-days onboarding checklist and buddy system (who new employees can go to for help)
Weeks 7-8 — Publish an employee value proposition and a “How Pay Works Here” one-pager with translations
Weeks 9-10 — Start a scorecard and run stay interviews for your highest-risk crews

Bayer Proposes Class Settlement Deal in Monsanto’s Roundup Litigation

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:36:07 GMT

Announced today, Bayer’s subsidiary Monsanto has reached a class settlement deal —pending court approval—to reach the company’s goal of containing glyphosate litigation.

The deal includes $7.25 billion over 21 years for current and future glyphosate cases.

Almost two years ago, then-new CEO Bill Anderson said it was his goal to have the legal liabilities “under control” by 2026, which had weighed on Bayer. Company leaders said the settlement provides the greatest possible closure for the Roundup litigation by addressing all present and potential claims of non-Hodgkin-lymphoma (NHL) allegedly due to Roundup exposure.

In his statement today, Anderson said the company is “choosing speed and containment over a lengthy battle in the courts.”

“Today’s announcement does not take away from the truth, a truth that scientists and regulators around the planet continue to uphold: that glyphosate is a safe and essential tool for farmers in the U.S. and around the world,” Anderson said.

He continued, “This settlement comes at a cost, even beyond its direct monetary price. It has cost employees their jobs. It’s diverted funding away from new medicines and new seeds and towards litigation, an industry that costs the average U.S. household more than four thousand dollars every year. So, while this settlement is necessary for the company today, we maintain our significant objections to the broken tort system that makes it necessary.”

The settlement is filed in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri. The class includes people who allege Roundup exposure before Feb. 17, 2026 and who already have NHL or are diagnosed within 16 years after final court approval.

“With more than 40,000 Roundup personal injury non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma claims already in court or under tolling agreements, new filings arriving daily, a pending Supreme Court petition that could restrict plaintiffs’ recovery rights, and crowded dockets offering limited trial dates, Motley Rice began negotiating with other proposed class counsel to reach a settlement with Monsanto,” said Motley Rice co-founder and settlement negotiator, Joseph F. Rice. “I believe this $7.25 billion proposed national class settlement reached in Missouri state court is the best path forward to finally bring the Roundup® litigation to a closing chapter. Based on the hard work of class counsel and Monsanto’s counsel, both occupational and residential exposures will be covered, the rights of future claimants have been uniquely protected, and payments should begin in 2026.”

Six years ago, Bayer proposed a class settlement which did not move forward. That proposal was limited to four years of funding and future litigation beyond those four years required an expert science panel for determination of qualifications.

Beyond the class proposal, Bayer says it has reached separate confidential agreements to settle certain other Roundup cases.

Today’s news comes one month after the Supreme Court agreed to hear one of the cases , referred to as a the Durnell case, which calls into question federal preemption of pesticide labels.

44 Million Acres: The New Frontier of Farm Consolidation and Growth

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 18:01:17 GMT

At the 2026 Top Producer Summit , Farm Journal Intelligence unveiled new farmland insights derived from predictive modeling and deep-data analysis. The research focused on the shifting landscape of land acquisition, identifying which operations are at risk of consolidation, who is positioned for growth and where the most significant opportunities lie.

Here are the six primary findings for farm businesses:

1. Scale Does Not Immune Operations from Consolidation.

(Farm Journal)

While smaller operations face the highest risk — with 58% of small farms “at risk” for sale or acquisition before 2030 — size is not a complete safeguard. Research shows the risk of consolidation or ownership transfer never drops below 27%, even for the largest operations. Furthermore, crop diversity made minimal impact on these odds; the likelihood of transition remains constant whether a farm produces one crop or more than 11.

2. Geography Trumps Diversification.

(Farm Journal)

Regional location is increasingly becoming a primary driver of financial success, often outweighing the benefits of operational diversification. As regional market divides grow, farmers and ranchers are finding that local market conditions and individual circumstances dictate their trajectory more. State-level or even county-level effects are more indicative of their situation than national trends.

3. The 44-Million-Acre Transition.

(Farm Journal)

Nearly 15% of American cropland is projected to change hands within the next three years, driven by generational transfers, continued consolidation and economic pressures. Farm Journal data identifies the Midwest as the epicenter of this shift, with roughly 12 million acres likely to transition. Nationwide, that total reaches a staggering 44 million acres.

4. Mapping the “Sweet Spot” for Expansion.

(Farm Journal)

By plotting cost per cropland acre against the volume of land likely to transition, clear opportunities for expansion emerge. For producers looking to grow their footprint, the most viable opportunities are currently concentrated in Kansas, Texas, North Dakota, Missouri, and Oklahoma, according to this research.

5. Integrity Is the Top Currency in Rental Markets.

(Farm Journal)

When more than 400 landowners were surveyed about tenant selection, integrity ranked as the most critical factor. Interestingly, age was reported as the least important factor. For producers looking to secure rented ground, a reputation for character and experience outweighs both seniority and youth.

6. The “Willingness” Factor in Technology.

(Farm Journal)

Producers most inclined to expand share a common trait: a higher comfort level and rate of adoption with technology. Crucially, this is not necessarily tied to technical skill or existing expertise, but rather to mindset and action. The most growth-oriented producers are defined by their willingness to try new technologies rather than their current mastery of them.

Download the Full Report

2026 Top Producer of the Year: Alsum Farms and Produce

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:35:34 GMT

The work never stops at Alsum Farms and Produce in Friesland, Wis., as the team packs potatoes of all sorts and sizes, preparing to ship them to grocers across the country.

“The company is 52 years old, and we’re very proud of that history,” says Larry Alsum, owner and CEO. “We started out repacking potatoes and onions as a small business that was literally a pickup truck and garage startup.”

Today, the company moves millions of pounds of produce a year.

For its success in the business of agriculture, Alsum Farms and Produce was named the 2026 Top Producer of the Year. Recognized at the 2026 Top Producer Summit , the award, sponsored by BASF and Fendt, is based on entrepreneurial originality, business progress and leadership. Congratulations to the Alsum family as well as the 2026 Top Producer of the Year award finalists, Dalton Farms and Splitter Farms .

Building the Business

Alsum has been part of the operation for 45 years after leaving a public accounting job to take the reins following the death of his cousin, who died in a small plane crash.

“It took me about a month, a lot of prayer, a lot of soul searching about what my future was going to look like and searching for what God wanted me to do,” Alsum remembers.

Ultimately, he and his family moved home, near the dairy farm he grew up on, to try his hand at something new. His new job meant running a business that bought 100 lb. bags of potatoes and onions and repacked them into smaller bags for grocery stores.

“The first couple of years were rough, and I had a lot to learn,” Alsum says. “We survived, and as we grew, I saw opportunities to do things differently.”

Larry Alsum grew up on a nearby dairy farm but got a degree in accounting before returning to the operation.

(Clinton Griffiths)

Always willing to learn and try something new, the business continues to evolve today. The operation not only packs, but it also washes, sorts and sells to a number of grocers like Costco Wholesale. They also farm and grow their own produce, including several hundred acres of pumpkins.

“In 2020, some land became available for sale, and so as part of that we were able to purchase a pumpkin packing shed,” Heidi Alsum-Randall says. “Diversification is key for any business.”

Randall and her sister, Wendy Alsum-Dykstra, help run this business with their father. Together, they share the chief operating officer role.

“My siblings and I all grew up working in the family business,” Dykstra adds. “We all held a variety of jobs. My brothers did some of the lawn mowing. We all did some potato grading.”

It’s been a lifetime of experience they’re now putting to use, working alongside their father to build toward the future.

“We are growing, but we’re a relatively small business in a very small community,” Dykstra says. “We employ many people we know, many people in our local communities, some relatives and friends. It’s a great place to work.”

“Without the 200-plus employees, we wouldn’t be in business,” Randall echoes. “That piece of making sure that we’re treating our people right and fairly, that we are caring about their overall health and wellness, is a big thing for us as an organization.”

Harnessing AI and High-Tech Innovation

More recently, that workforce is getting help from high-tech hands. Artificial intelligence is now sizing and sorting produce, which is improving both speed and efficiency.

“A lot of the jobs that we need today weren’t even in existence five or 10 years ago,” Randall says. “So, it is really changing how we operate and do things.”

Alsum Farms and Produce has recently installed AI-powered sorting to help with speed and efficiency.

(Clinton Griffiths)

“Technology can be challenging,” Dykstra adds. “Change can be a challenge. I think getting our team on board, embracing the newest technology, embracing change, embracing new software that helps us process information in a better way, has been both a challenge and an opportunity.”

Even as technology grabs a seat at the table, the picture of this business to consumers is its heartfelt connection to the farm. Alsum continues to be the face of the brand.

“The average consumer doesn’t really know where their food comes from, and so we wanted to show there’s a farmer, there’s land and fields involved in the process,” he explains. “It’s very important for the consumer to understand that their food is grown in a very safe, very high-quality way.”

As they drive forward, this focused family hasn’t forgotten the years of tough times and tight margins.

“If I can help a farmer, if I could help a customer and add value to the whole process, that’s what I’ve always felt was our opportunity to grow the business,” Alsum says.

Alsum Farms and Produce washes and sorts millions of pounds of potatoes in a year.

(Clinton Griffiths)

How the $15 Million Estate Tax Exemption Changes Your Farm Succession Strategy

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 20:05:13 GMT

The world of estate planning for farmers has changed dramatically after the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This permanently increased the lifetime gift and estate tax exemption to $15 million indexed starting Jan. 1. With the federal estate tax exemption at historically high levels, most family farms are no longer at risk of paying federal estate tax. However, this shift has brought a new focus to income tax planning and the importance of preserving the step-up in basis at death.

Understand the Step-Up in Basis

When a person passes away, the value of their property is generally reset to its fair market value at the date of death. This is known as a “step-up in basis.” For farm families, this is a crucial benefit. Farmland and other agricultural assets often appreciate significantly over time. If heirs inherit these assets, they receive them at the new, higher value. This means that if they later sell the property, they will owe little or no income tax on the appreciation that occurred during the original owner’s lifetime.

Why Estate Tax Is Less of a Concern

With the current high exemption, only the largest farm estates face federal estate tax. For most families, the bigger risk is not estate tax; it’s the potential for large income taxes if the step-up in basis is lost. This can happen if assets are given away during the owner’s lifetime, rather than being passed on at death.

The Pitfalls of Lifetime Gifting

Many farmers consider making large gifts during their lifetime, worried that the estate tax exemption will drop in the future. While this can be a good strategy for very large estates, it can be costly for smaller farm operations. When assets are gifted during life, the recipient takes over the original owner’s basis, which is often much lower than today’s value.

If the recipient later sells the property, they could face a significant income tax bill. In contrast, if the property is inherited, the basis is stepped up to current value, minimizing or eliminating income tax.

Likely the best asset to gift during lifetime is farmland that will be retained in the family for multiple generations. The step-up in this case is not as valuable because we can’t depreciate farmland, and if it is not going to be sold, the heirs are not worse off. Plus, appreciation in farmland can be very volatile and could cause the farm couple to owe estate tax.

Hidden Cost of Gifting Negative Capital

Many farm operations are structured as a partnership for income tax purposes and farms with debt will typically create what is called a negative capital account and, in many cases, this can easily exceed $5 to $10 million for larger farm operations. Gifting any interest in these partnerships during a lifetime will create ordinary income to the farmer because the “debt” eliminated exceeds the basis in the partnership’s assets, which is typically zero. Whereas holding until death eliminates the tax for their heirs. However, a drawback is that the older generation might still be on the hook for the debt until they pass.

For the vast majority of farmers, estate tax planning is now about smart income tax planning. Preserving the step-up in basis at death can save heirs substantial taxes and help keep the family farm in the family. Careful planning today can help protect your family’s legacy for generations to come.

Paul Neiffer has been tracking the latest in tax policy and government programs. Learn more about what you should factor into your farm business and potential tax implications at Top Producer Summit, Feb. 9-11 in Nashville. View the agenda and register today !

Farm Journal Announces 2026 Top Producer Award Finalists

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:31:04 GMT

Farm Journal has announced three finalists for the prestigious 2026 Top Producer of the Year Award, honoring some of the most progressive and successful farm operations in the country. The winner and finalists will be formally recognized at the 2026 Top Producer Summit , agriculture’s premier executive-level conference for elite farmers and ranchers, which is set for Feb. 9-11 in Nashville, Tenn. Also presented at the event will be the Next Generation Award and Women in Agriculture Award.

“The Top Producer Awards celebrate operations that are building resilient, innovative and future-focused businesses,” said Margy Eckelkamp, brand leader of Top Producer. “These finalists and award winners represent the very best of modern agriculture: strong family leadership, diversification, technology adoption and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”

2026 Top Producer of the Year Award Finalists:

Alsum Farms, Friesland, Wis. – A multigenerational family operation producing potatoes, pumpkins, hay, alfalfa and other rotational crops across more than 3,600 acres. The business is fully vertically integrated, overseeing production, packing and marketing. Leadership spans generations with the founder serving as CEO since 1981 now working alongside his two daughters who hold leadership roles in the business.

Dalton Farms, Wakeman, Ohio – A seventh-generation family farm led by Rebecca and Edward Dalton. The operation includes 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans, a 400-head cattle herd with direct-to-consumer beef sales and a growing on-farm market offering locally-sourced chicken, pork and maple syrup. Their story reflects both diversification and successful generational transition following a family split in the 1990s.

Splitter Farms, Sterling, Kan. – Led by Matt and Janna Splitter, this Kansas row-crop operation spans 1,400 owned acres with nearly 18,500 acres farmed annually through cash rent and custom work. After the sudden passing of Matt’s father in 2010, the couple returned to the farm and scaled the business using data-driven decision-making, strong landowner relationships and disciplined business management. Notably, this marks the first time a previous Next Generation Award winner has advanced to a Top Producer of the Year finalist.

The 2026 Top Producer of the Year award is sponsored by BASF and Fendt.

2026 Next Generation Award Winner

Tim Nuss, El Dorado Hills/Lodi, Calif., is the 2026 Next Gen Award winner. Nuss farms garlic, tomatoes, peppers, melons, herbs, pumpkins, cucumbers and grains with his father and brother while also building a powerful off-farm ag influencing business. He serves as CFO of Nuss Farms. He’s also head of business development at Polaris Energy Services, an ag tech irrigation company, hosts the “Modern Acre” podcast, and recently co-launched AgList, an online biologicals review and ratings platform designed to bring transparency to the ag inputs marketplace.

The 2026 Next Generation Award is sponsored by Pioneer and Fendt.

2026 Women in Agriculture Award Winner

Helle Ruddenklau, Amity, Ore., is the 2026 Women in Ag Award winner. Ruddenklau Farms in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, growing grass seed, wheat, vegetables, peas and hazelnuts. Originally from Denmark, she immigrated to the U.S. at age 15, later meeting her husband, Bruce, while on an exchange program in New Zealand. In addition to serving as CFO of their farming operation, she is deeply involved in ag advocacy and economic development, working through organizations such as Oregon AgriWomen, AgLaunch and SEDCOR to strengthen regional agriculture through supplier and industry partnerships.

The 2026 Women in Agriculture Award is sponsored by Pro Farmer.

All finalists and award winners will be recognized on stage for their excellence in the business of farming at the 2026 Top Producer Summit, where the nation’s best producers gather to advance leadership, management, technology adoption and succession planning in agriculture. Learn more about Top Producer Summit and Top Producer of the Year awards at tpsummit.com.

Will Congressional Inaction Force Farmers to Choose Between Health Insurance and Their Farm Budget?

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 15:16:09 GMT

Healthcare insurance plans for some U.S. farmers could double in 2026, as enhanced federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are scheduled to expire.

The impending cost surge could affect thousands of U.S. farmers who currently rely on the ACA marketplace for their health insurance, according to the non-partisan KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation), a health policy organization.

KFF estimated in 2023 that 27% of “farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture managers” relied on individual ACA market coverage. Nationally, more than 22 million Americans rely on the ACA marketplace for insurance options.

Farmers ‘Don’t Have Many Options’
Iowa farmer Aaron Lehman, who testified before Congress last week, highlighted the severity of the potential cost increase on his family. He said he expects to pay double to purchase an insurance plan for 2026 that would be comparable to what his family had this year.

“That is an incredible cost for our family budget and for our farm budget,” Lehman stated. The fifth-generation farmer and president of the Iowa Farmers Union described how rising healthcare costs are colliding with already harsh economic realities in agriculture.

“Farmers right now are trying to make all sorts of decisions because commodity prices are low, because of the chaotic trade situation that we’re in and higher input prices. All these things have made a real crisis for a lot of our farmers,” said Lehman.

“Finding ways to deal with that, we just don’t have too many options. Farmers will buy less equipment or not make the necessary upgrades and equipment that they need to,” he added. “They’ll look at their input suppliers, and they’ll decide, ‘what can we do to get through just this year … to get a plan to put the crop in the ground?’”

Read the testimony of Aaron Lehman here. A portion of his testimony and discussion is also featured on a posting to YouTube .

Signup Deadlines For Coverage
The challenge for farmers trying to decide on what insurance policy to purchase is compounded by the deadline to enroll in ACA marketplace plans: People needed to choose their ACA plan by Monday for coverage to begin Jan. 1. Open enrollment continues in most states until Jan. 15 for coverage beginning Feb. 1.

Despite broad public support for an extension to the ACA tax credits — a KFF poll said 74% of Americans favor continuing the enhanced credits — a congressional standoff has so far failed to produce a solution:

Failed Votes: Both a Democratic plan to extend the enhanced tax credits for three years and a Republican proposal to replace them with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) failed to pass the Senate last week.
Impending Crisis: Nearly six in 10 enrollees (across all categories) told KFF they could not afford even a $300 annual increase in 2026 without significantly disrupting household finances.
Political Fallout: The issue of healthcare costs and expiring subsidies is highly polarizing, with some Republicans warning that a failure to address the problem could cost them legislative majorities in next year’s mid-term elections.

As the deadline for open enrollment closes and the Dec. 31 subsidy expiration date approaches, farmers must prepare for substantially higher health insurance costs in 2026 unless Congress acts to reach a last-minute agreement.

Young Farmers Need Better Options
During his testimony and ensuing discussion, Lehman stressed that healthcare isn’t just a personal household issue; it’s central to the future of American farming. With the average age of an Iowa farmer at 57, he said the sector desperately needs young and beginning farmers to return to the land. But without affordable, reliable health coverage, inviting the next generation back onto the farm becomes a far riskier proposition.

“You have to be very smart to figure out the plan that can bring the next generation on the farm,” he said, adding that many talented, innovative young people want to farm, but face daunting financial barriers — healthcare high among them. He noted that one of his sons works with him on their family operation, which is based in Polk County, Iowa.

Lehman framed affordable healthcare for farm families as an investment, not a handout: a way to make it possible for young farmers to feed their communities, support local and regional food systems, or continue larger family commodity operations.

“Extending the federal support for lowering the cost of health insurance is a true win for farmers and for all of rural America,” he said.

From Commodities to Craft Grains: The Farm Built on Constant Change

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:05:44 GMT

Arnusch Farms is in a constant state of evolution. Specifically, its CEO Marc Arnusch says they reinvent 10% to 15% of the operation every year.

“A lot of farmers will measure success on a balance sheet or rate of growth. We measure ours on implementation of successful ventures,” Arnusch says. “This could look like a different planting technique, cultural practices or something as complex as adding a crop like black eye peas, or a value-added process such as in the craft grains space that would get us one more rung up the ladder.”

For his leadership on his farm, growth of the business and excellence in entrepreneurism, Arnusch was named the 2025 Top Producer of the Year, sponsored by BASF, Fendt and Rabo AgriFinance.

“Looking in the rear view mirror, we understand the tradition and history that brought us here. But we aren’t a ditto of my dad’s operation or our neighbor’s.”

Decommoditize Products
Located in Colorado’s Prospect Valley, Arnusch Farms grows more than half a dozen crops across 3,000 acres.

“My tenure of leading the farm will be one of change. We are always pivoting,” he says.

Alongside his wife, Jill, who works as the farm’s controller, guideposts in business include tracking business metrics, such as revenue growth, profit margin, asset expansion, risk management and capital reinvestment. Rooted in data for his decisions, Arnusch is empowered to make tough realizations, such as one 20 years ago seeing how diversifying into nine different crops didn’t equate to profitability. That pivot led to a focus on value-added crops.

While his family’s legacy goes back to immigrating to the U.S. and to eastern Colorado to specifically grow sugar beets, Arnusch led the divergence from tradition to seek profitability and greater opportunities. Today, that vision has manifested into growing grains for the craft beer and spirits industry, which are used at 450 brewers and more than 30 distilleries.

“Looking in the rear view mirror, we understand the tradition and history that brought us here. But we aren’t a ditto of my dad’s operation or our neighbor’s,” Arnusch says.

At the root of his desire to be agile is to be able to recognize the risk that is inherent to production agriculture.

High risk, high reward has been a lesson learned firsthand. One example is the accelerated approach he took to growing onions, going from zero acres to being the third largest onion processor, packer and shipper in the state in four years. But that growth was abruptly met with labor issues at harvest, paralyzing the operation.

Arnusch shares while he’s driven to be nimble and stay flexible, when opportunities arise, he’s learned to balance the excitement of opportunity with a systems approach.

Arnusch has become a student of external forces and how they create opportunity.

“I watch trends. I used to watch them on the national scale. But I started to become more focused on the local side. Our venture into food grade corn, it wasn’t for alcohol, it was for the growing Hispanic population in the West, and therefore the expanding market for tortillas. That’s what had me asking questions like, could we play in that space? Could we grow that crop?”

Arnusch says the industry is often too focused on the current growing season or maybe the next, and something he’s found that sets him apart is his focus on the future.

“We have to focus on 25 years out, and we’re asking ourselves: Will the business still be relevant then?” he says. “My grandfather floated the ocean in 1952. He wanted to grow sugar beets. We may follow that signal, and go where food grade corn is grown, or cereal grains for spirits can be grown.”

AI Game Changer
To give certainty to decisions and reduce blind spots, Marc Arnusch says there is no tool like artificial intelligence.

“For a farm business, this is a bigger game changer than GPS and autosteer,” he says.

Mostly leaning on Chat GPT and Grok, Arnusch says the tools help on the strategic side of things as they narrow down potential decisions into a handful of options instead of an unmanageable amount.

“I set my phone on the console of the truck, talk to AI, outlining what is the problem, where are the challenges, and it helps me narrow my focus,” he says. “Then, most often, I talk with my wife, Jill, and instead of telling her 50 different angles to a story, we have a much more focused conversation in how we problem solve.”

Arnusch admits he believes AI will bring more positives to the industry, but regardless of an personal position on the technology, he encourages every farm to be aware and try it.

Exemplify Resiliency
“We are in the de-risk business,” he says. “We pride ourselves on seeing around the corner, understanding what we can control and insuring against what we can’t control.”

He points to two breakthroughs.

One is moving away from yield protection and revenue protection. Instead, since 2012 they have been a pilot farm for Whole Farm Revenue Protection insurance with NAU Country Farm Insurance Company.

“We are insuring our farmgate revenue over a five-to-six-year period. It allowed us to have predictability for farm gate revenue. It allowed us to insure crops we didn’t otherwise have coverage — like alfalfa. And we took risks with specialty crops that were high risk and high reward,” he says.

Arnusch says it also simplified the claims process, which relies on tax record information, which has already been aggregated.

The second risk management tool Arnusch says was a breakthrough is joining a captive insurance company 25 years ago. The first captive company he joined was via Colorado Corn Growers to underwrite workman’s compensation insurance. Since then, he’s joined a diversified group of business owners to form his current captive pool, with about 120 policy holders.

“Our risk is spread across industries such as construction, real estate and medical,” he says. “That diversification helps us manage exposure and better understand our insurance needs. It’s also allowed us to identify and insure areas we hadn’t considered before — things like cybersecurity, key personnel and certain property and casualty coverages.”

The captive provides error and omission coverage, which includes an instance for coverage in the first year of participation when a seed customer received the wrong herbicide- tolerant seed, a $54,000 mistake. The captive company adjudicated the claim, and Arnusch says the customer was retained.

Change has also illustrated itself in him stopping ventures or services he’s provided.

“We exited the wheat seed business in 2023. I pride myself on doing a good job for the customer, and I wasn’t able to service the customer as I wanted,” he says. “When service starts to suffer, something needs to change.”

(Yvonne Min Photography)

Environmental Steward
Where he farms in Weld County, Colo., there are two water sources: surface water diverted from the South Platte River and the Lost Creek aquifer. He saw this as an opportunity to form a water leasing business, Ag Water Alliance.

“We have dependable water supply, but there are competing interests, mostly municipal, some industry,” he says. “We created an opportunity to lease water rights for a number of years to the energy sector.”

The income from the water rights has helped buffer the variability in ag profitability. For example, in 2018, a series of 11 hail storms led to Arnusch Farms harvesting only 22% of their planted acres. Without the combination of crop insurance, property and casualty insurance and water leasing revenue, the farm might not have been able to persevere.

Arnusch has also weighed the value of the water with crop productivity and soil health to implement a rotation of idling acres, planting cover crops and applying manure.

Employer of Choice
Arnusch says as a leader on the farm, he’s most proud of how he’s invested his time into focusing on creating a culture for the team.

“One of the ways we’ve improved communication is our approach to meetings, which we changed in 2021, with the goal of having everyone ‘in the know,’” he says.

Every Monday, the week starts with a 30 minute all-team meeting talking about jobs of the week, metrics on performance and setting schedule expectations. It also includes a brainstorming session.

“We belt and suspender the weekly meetings with 10 minute daily stand-up discussions to review what we did yesterday, who is on what task and scheduling expectations,” Arnusch says. “You put your best people on the hardest job, but within their skill set. It’s tricky. When we do it right, it works flawlessly.”

Arnusch says earlier in his farming career, he lacked an understanding of how important culture is to a business.

“As we developed our approach to vertical integration, we willed things to work,” he says. “It was a management breakthrough for me to understand the culture piece. It was a bigger educational undertaking than anything agronomic.”

Arnusch Farms uses a tool called Culture Index for all team members and vendors.

“The tool we use, along with the help of AI, determines who a person is as an individual and compares this to the job description they have,” he says. “At no fault of their own, we had set up people to fail. It wasn’t because they weren’t working hard or doing the job, but it was stretching them beyond what they do best.”

He shares a recent example from this fall of hiring a farm foreman who has a near perfect match as an individual and to the job description.

Role Model and Community Leader
Arnusch Farms’ legacy is now being rewritten on the first land the family had farmed.

“I bought my grandfather’s farm in 2018, and that farm started everything, but it’s right on I-76, so I knew it had development potential,” Arnusch says. “But I thought it would be in 25 years - not five.”

“I knew it had development potential. But I thought it would be in 25 years — not five.”

Currently, Arnusch is working to develop 262 acres to provide a mixed-use of residential, commercial, retail hospitality, community, civic and healthcare uses.

“We have an opportunity and an obligation to do this different and build amenities and services at the hallmark of our development. An important aspect our community needs is assisted living and aging-in-place residences,” he says. “If everything is successful, we’ll break ground in 2026.”

His vision includes keeping the farm house and an adaptive reuse agriculture education space, along with a small restaurant and possibly a distillery.

“I understand change is hard for many people. Our plan has gone to the town council three times and earned unanimous approval each time. This plan puts people first, and when you do that, you begin to take the edge off of change,” he says.

Arnusch is the current president of the Keenesburg Chamber of Commerce, and he proudly says when he first joined the organization it had 38 members. Since then, it has swelled to 90. The family also recently bought a building on Main Street to keep the local NAPA and hardware store tenant in place.

“I am a farmer who is choosing to plant seeds in a lot of different fields: my own farm, in the community and seeds in young people.”

Seeds Planted for the Future
“I am a farmer who is choosing to plant seeds in a lot of different fields: my own farm, in the community and seeds in young people,” Arnusch says.

As harvest wraps up, Arnusch says his farm’s next task will be to bring together his farm with his son’s, Brett. Whereas they have been operating two separate businesses and then partnering on machinery and labor, such as at harvest. Arnusch says the biggest launchpad for opportunity he was given was when his own father, Hans, stepped away from the farm.

(Yvonne Min Photography)

Going forward, Brett will take over day-to-day operation, and Marc will transition to a role as president.

“This is what it will take for us to move the ball forward. I’ll manage trucks, markets and try to move some of our specialty business, such as food grade corn, forward,” Arnusch says. “It’s time for the youth on our team to put their imprint on the farming operation. I never thought of it as just mine.”

His mentoring extends beyond the fields of his farm.

“My next metric on how I’ll measure success is how I’m doing teaching and encouraging tomorrow’s producers and visionaries today,” he says.

(Farm Journal)

Attend the 2026 Top Producer Summit and learn about this year’s finalists as well as the announcement of the 2026 Top Producer of the Year.

Bitcoin Set to Revolutionize US Agriculture?

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 15:25:42 GMT

Pebble to landslide, Bitcoin is approaching agriculture and its impact will be seismic, echoing the benchmarks of farming history, including cotton gin, steel plow, mechanization, and biotech crops. Or will it?

Only 10 years back, on the turnrow or at the seed house, the mention of Bitcoin elicited mockery. Five years back, laughter. Now? The derision is replaced by inquiry.

Cryptocurrency, as a store of value to a medium of exchange, is on an economic collision course with agriculture, set to change American farms forever, contends a growing chorus of voices within the ag chain.

“Bitcoin is an absolute agriculture necessity going forward,” says producer Zack Smith. “People just don’t realize it yet. Soon, they will.”

First Bird to Fly
Bitcoin was created in 2009. In the eyes of critics, it was a lie agreed upon, or a pyramid built to topple. However, 16 years beyond Bitcoin’s birth, the online currency, thriving beyond the fat fingers of government, is among the fastest adopted technologies in world history.

In extreme northcentral Iowa’s Winnebago County, a stone’s throw below the Minnesota line, Smith works 1,200 acres of row crops and raises a small amount of livestock. He doesn’t flinch at the “first bird to fly takes all the arrows” maxim, whether innovating via wide-row corn, strip intercropping, stock cropping , or Bitcoin.

“Bitcoin is the currency of the future, and that includes agriculture,” says Iowa grower Zach Smith.

(Photo by Stock Cropper)

“It’s just a matter of time for Bitcoin in agriculture, and I don’t mean far off. In 10 or 15 years, Bitcoin could be a normal part of a farm transaction. It’s a question of when critical inertia hits, but Bitcoin will be utilized by folks in agriculture in the near future.”

“The people at the top of agriculture in power, the CEOs, big-time commodity traders, and agribusiness, are looking at Bitcoin as a hedge against dollar debasement,” he continues. “Again, it’s coming fast.”

Out of the chute, Smith sees Bitcoin as a store of value. “Look what’s happened to land. So many outside investors have entered the market, producing inflated land values that make no financial sense with the value of what is being produced.”

“That’s where I see Bitcoin making its first impact. As investors discover there’s something better than land and just as finite, something you don’t pay property taxes on, something you don’t have to maintain, something that is portable, I think land prices will drop closer to utility value, allowing young farmers better opportunities to compete in the market.”

At present, income surpluses are akin to snowflakes in hell, but Smith urges producers to prepare for change. “For those who put their fiat money into Bitcoin, and are patient, I believe they’ll be able to buy two to three times the land in the near future they would have otherwise.”

“The money printer isn’t stopping,” he adds. “Bitcoin is the offramp to the debasement problem.”

Jumping the Treadmill
A lone voice a decade-plus in the past, Vance Crowe has long been a proponent of Bitcoin in agriculture. Host of Ag Tribes and founder of Legacy Interviews , Crowe is adamant: Bitcoin is transformative for farming.

“Just a few years ago, people reacted negatively when I talked about Bitcoin. That’s been replaced with genuine questions and consideration. Bitcoin is going to become deeply embedded in how the business of agriculture functions, and people who’ve been trying to preserve the value of their dollars are going to move those dollars out of land and into Bitcoin. Guys who’ve gotten a 6-7% return on land are looking over at Bitcoin and seeing a 65 percent return every year for the last 15 years. The wake-up is happening in real time.”

“Five, 10, or 15 years, it’s going to completely change agriculture’s game,” says Vance Crowe, regarding Bitcoin.

(Photo by Legacy Interviews)

In March 2025, President Trump signed an order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve . Three months later, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to develop plans toward the use of cryptocurrency as a mortgage loan asset .

“It’s only a matter of time before ag lending starts realizing it’s a lot better to collateralize loans with Bitcoin, than to do so with cattle or maybe even land,” Crowe projects. “If you collateralize a loan with cattle or land, if that person doesn’t meet their obligations, the lender must assess, load, or sell. Only then does a lender get the money. Bitcoin bundles all of that into a 10-minute fix. Ag lending will become heavily enmeshed in Bitcoin.”

Government maintains the exorbitant privilege of seigniorage, i.e., printing reams of bills with no backing. Need more, print more. Conversely, Bitcoin is limited to a 21-million cap. Finite.

No central issuer; no board of directors; no CEO; and no marketing department. Just a vehicle, according to Crowe, carrying unprecedented opportunity for agriculture. “Farmers have been put in a position where they spend as much of the money they have coming in as possible, both for tax reasons, but also because the value of their dollars always goes down.”

(For a basic primer, see What is Bitcoin? The Explanation That Clicks )

“Bitcoin provides an unprecedented option where a farmer can say, ‘I’ve made this money and I don’t want to risk its value. I’m putting it in Bitcoin.’ That provides a way to jump off the treadmill of constantly buying new tractors, building more sheds, or constantly growing.”

Fundamental change is knocking, Crowe contends: “Five, 10, or 15 years, it’s going to completely change agriculture’s game.”

Proverbial Lightbulb
Raised in hardscrabble 1980s row cropping in southcentral Nebraska’s Adams County, Kevin Kimle watched his father barter. Side of beef for a farm repair; load of pigs for a used semi.

“It’s in our agriculture muscle memory: a means to trade in a different currency,” says Kimle, now an Iowa-based entrepreneur and agriculture economist, and founder of BitCorn . He serves as Rastetter Chair of Agricultural Entrepreneurship and director of agricultural entrepreneurship programs at Iowa State University.

“I view Bitcoin as one of the most important inventions in human history,” says Kevin Kimle.

(Photo by BitCorn)

“We’re at the beginning of a transition to a Bitcoin standard not only in the U.S., but globally, and I think agriculture is a natural first mover on the leading edge of that transition.”

Practically, what does that mean to a farmer? A seventh saved, according to Kimle . As in, annually turning a seventh of a crop to Bitcoin, generating at least two crops worth of Bitcoin by the end of seven years.

He still owns farmland in Nebraska and began researching Bitcoin in 2021. “I’m about four years into this. But my own simulation, if I had sold 10% of my grain for Bitcoin instead of dollars, I’d have four years of crop in Bitcoin today.”

In summer 2025, Kimle set up a business bridge between Bitcoin and traditional agriculture— BitCorn —intent on giving farmers tools, basics, and the means to make transactions.

“The proverbial light bulb went off. At BitCorn, we’re providing a place where a farmer can learn Bitcoin. Agriculture is packed with incredibly innovative entrepreneurs, and their ideas are going to take us down the Bitcoin road.”

Bitcoin trades 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. “I view Bitcoin as one of the most important inventions in human history,” Kimle explains, “in the ballpark with the wheel, plow, printing press, electricity, and anything else.”

Our Children’s Money
Dennis Campbell is at the helm of Crystal Creek Enterprises, in east Iowa’s Clinton County, working with corn, soybeans and some wheat acres. Crystal Creek manages a portfolio of 10,000+ acres of owned, rented and custom farmed land.

“There’s a way to wake up and say, ‘I can buy $500 worth of something that’ll hold value as good as or better than land,’” asserts Dennis Campbell.

(Crystal Creek Enterprises)

Starting in 1854, Campbell’s forefathers scratched dirt outside Grand Mound, within proximity of the Mississippi River. His farming bloodline reaches back to Antebellum America, but although Campbell shepherds past legacy, his eyes are locked on the horizon. Internationally renowned for emerging technology, Crystal Creek is a consistent mecca for visiting ag delegations from Africa, Australia, Europe, and South America since 2013. In 2025, Campbell opened a BitCorn node on his farm. He jumped in the Bitcoin pool in 2023.

At present, Campbell estimates 85% of U.S. farmers take zero notice of Bitcoin. “They are nose to the grindstone, trying to juggle work, debt, equipment, and family, all while things get worse financially. I don’t know any more than anybody else, but I believe Bitcoin, at a minimum, is becoming a major tool in the toolbox to protect ourselves against an out-of-control government.”

“Just look at crop insurance, alone,” he continues. “You can spend $45 to $55 an acre insuring 250-bushel an acre APH corn. That’s crazy. I sure as hell won’t make 50 bucks an acre this year. Even if Bitcoin only gave some independence back on crop insurance, that by itself is enough for me.”

Does Campbell see growers investing a seventh of a crop in Bitcoin?

“We’ve got to put a portion of our proceeds in. If I could do that and have sufficient comfort to lower my 85% revenue harvest priced option insurance policy to 70% and lower my cost from $50 bucks to $20, that’s quite a savings account. Every year, regardless of how tight our belts are, we need to allocate a percentage of proceeds above and beyond our principal payments for land and green or red paint into something that can’t be debased and diluted by runaway government spending by 535 people in Washington, D.C.”

In 2025, Dennis Campbell opened a BitCorn node on his Iowa farm.

(Photo by Crystal Creek Enterprises)

Debt and the next generation loom large in Campbell’s view of Bitcoin.

“We’re spending our children’s money now and that’s what debt is. That’s what debt creates—a burden on future society and on future fruits of labor. It’s madness and we all talk about land as the best store of financial resources, but land is difficult to accumulate at a fractional pace. It’s not easy to wake up and say, ‘I’m gonna go buy 80 acres today,’ but there’s a way to wake up and say, ‘I can buy $500 worth of something that’ll hold value as good as or better than land.’ Bitcoin.”

Adios to the Rulebook
“The smartest thing somebody in agriculture could do is go down and borrow a bunch of money against traditional collateral and use that money to buy Bitcoin.”

Bold words. However, Matt Gilbert maintains Bitcoin future for agriculture is inevitable and backs his contention with receipts. Raised in the vast fields of Texas cotton country, Gilbert is an esteemed entrepreneur with specialization in mergers and acquisitions. He calls balls and strikes.

“Before my lifetime ends, the old playbook will be obsolete, and those prepared today will lead the charge into tomorrow’s agriculture economy,” says Matt Gilbert.

(Photo by Gilbert & Associates)

“Modern farmers invest heavily in equipment, infrastructure, and resources, yet the real paradigm shift lies in leveraging advanced financial tools. Up and down the agriculture supply chain, whether you’re manufacturing machinery or distributing fertilizer, nearly every participant depends on traditional lines of credit,” Gilbert explains.

“Financing in dollars is trapped in a cycle of diminishing returns—a negative loop. But using Bitcoin as a store of value creates an entirely positive feedback loop. If you’ve held Bitcoin during any four-year window since its inception, historically your purchasing power has multiplied, matching up to nearly 12 times what a dollar-based payment could achieve. This shift isn’t incremental—it’s transformational for agricultural economics.”

Adios to land or physical assets as necessary collateral? Yes, Gilbert says. “Choose any era in history: mass-market automobiles, television, the arrival of the Internet. Bitcoin’s adoption curve is exponentially steeper than any previous innovation. It stands alone as an asset that appreciates with unrivaled velocity, fundamentally altering the financial landscape for growers and agribusinesses.”

Agriculture trade is conducted via the U.S. dollar, which loses at least 3-5% per year in value. Tack on the price of inflation, and farmers see 10%-plus of dollar value slip away, annually. “Those numbers are incredibly disheartening,” Gilbert details. “For example, if someone got paid for a crop in 2023, sat on a little of the money, and decided to spend it in 2026, they’re going to have somewhere between 25-40% less purchasing power with the dollars they saved. That’s a giant problem. Bitcoin solves that problem.”

Bitcoin’s adoption rate has been phenomenally steep.

(Graphic by BlackRock)

“The implication for farmers and ag professionals is clear: Understand the currency paradigm shift, because the money you’re using, the dollar, is undermining your business more than you realize,” he says.

“My advice to those in agriculture is to leverage the advantages of both systems; pay expenses in dollars, but demand income in Bitcoin—the most secure and robust cryptocurrency. Weak currencies burden, but robust currencies liberate. It’s time for agriculture to pivot toward strength.”

What about buying farmland? Tokenization, Gilbert posits. “It’s already happening. Commercial real estate has been tokenized in the last couple of years. Agriculture assets are going to follow. Tokenization is the future, not theory. It’s reality. Commercial properties have already been fractionalized on the blockchain (the network Bitcoin runs on), and agriculture is next in line.”

Think apartment complex or condo in New York City. The building can be bought by tokenizing the real estate, meaning multiple people buy a portion. One buyer in Kansas; another in Indiana; more elsewhere, all purchasing 500 square feet apiece via the blockchain.

“Imagine democratizing rural assets. A family in Iowa, an investor in Mississippi, and stakeholders from across the nation jointly tokenizing a farm. The blockchain ledger transparently records every transaction, making ownership, lending, and risk radically clearer and more efficient than ever before. This will overhaul deed registries, middlemen, banking, and title services, drastically cutting costs and speeding processes.”

Markets also benefit, Gilbert believes. A futures contract is typically bundled in lots of 100, whether hedging crops, fuel, or fertilizer. Bitcoin splits the bundle into fractions of 1 million. “Instead of the current way things are primarily done, which is 100 units equals a contract, Bitcoin breaks that into a million pieces instead of 100 pieces, which means a far more level playing field for the person in agriculture versus the person in finance.”

The next 15 years will be telltale, Gilbert predicts. “Having studied the Bitcoin space since 2013, I’ve witnessed digital currency realize in a decade what it took the dollar more than a century to accomplish, without systemic debasement. Within the next fifteen years, financial rules governing agriculture will be rewritten, marking a generational inflection point. Before my lifetime ends, the old playbook will be obsolete, and those prepared today will lead the charge into tomorrow’s agriculture economy.”

What is Money?
Bitcoin naysayers abound. Ponzi party. Bernie Madoff special. Dot.com crash all over again. Sam Bankman-Fried unleashed. Cinderella at midnight .

Pitfalls? Certainly. Black swans. Always.

The Trump administration has generated strong support for Bitcoin, but the perspective of subsequent administrations is unknown. What about the Bitcoin blockchain—how secure will it be in years to come?

However, bolstered by steady gains and landmark promise, the past 16 years of Bitcoin have shown otherwise, contend Crowe, Kimle, Campbell, Gilbert, and Smith.

A handful of years in the past, Smith was a Bitcoin scoffer. Scam. Scheme. Trainwreck.

No more. He now sees Bitcoin as bell cow.

“It’s a question of when critical inertia hits, but Bitcoin will be utilized by folks in agriculture in the near future,” concludes producer Zach Smith.

(Photo by Stock Cropper)

“Whether Bitcoin is a store of value or medium of exchange in farming, it’ll be one or both,” Smith concludes. “Over the last 10 years, I’ve asked myself the hard question, ‘What is money?’ The best answer is to make the effort to find out for yourself. Go to Amazon and buy a copy of The Bitcoin Standard . Might be the most valuable $20 you’ll ever spend. Why? Because Bitcoin is the currency of the future, and that includes agriculture.”

For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:
Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told

How the Deep State Tried, and Failed, to Crush an American Farmer

Game of Horns: Iowa Poacher’s Antler Addiction Leads to Historic Bust

Ghost Cattle: $650M Ponzi Rocks Livestock Industry, Money Still Missing

Farmer Unearths Lost Treasure, Solves WW2 Mystery

3 Ways To Protect Your Ag Business from Cybersecurity Threats

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:59:14 GMT

Agriculture is in the bull’s-eye for threat actors trying to access business information. But as Chris Sherman says: “Our keys in the visor mentality” has many farmers trusting too much and putting too much at risk.

Sherman is the founder of Tech Support Farm, an IT and cybersecurity consulting business who works with farmers, co-ops, custom harvesters and more ag businesses to shore up their systems, lock down their sensitive information and stay attuned to emerging risks.

The FBI has listed agriculture as a critical infrastructure for cybersecurity.

So where do most farmers leave themselves vulnerable to hackers? Sherman shares these:

1. Email

Sherman points to email as the No. 1 priority for farmers on where to start in taking cybersecurity seriously.

“The amount of information and data we are sending via email leaves every farmer at risk — from our FSA staff, agronomists, banks and more,” he says. “Emails can be intercepted, all contents can be exposed, and no one is the wiser. It would be like a rural mail carrier, and when he drops the mail someone stands there opening it, reading it and closing the envelope and putting it back in the mailbox. Foolhardy to be using the free email services such as Gmail, Yahoo and others.”

Here are four steps to shore up your email:

Get a domain
Get a commercial email provider
Get a filtration software (which monitors what comes in)
Get a DMARC compliance service (which manages outbound emails, so no one spoofs you and encryption is done properly)

As an example of why this should be prioritized, Sherman tells the story of a farm business working on a land deal.

“A dad and son were just about ready to sign, and the dad got an email from the bank, at least it appeared to be from the bank, but it was a spoof encouraging them to e-sign,” he says. “And everyone signed, and it drained the bank accounts and blew up the deal.”

2. Be aware of your personal information shared, and embrace “herd immunity”

All to often, farmers don’t have passcodes on their phones.

“That’s like leaving your credit card at the bar,” Sherman says. “For some reason in agriculture we are running multimillion dollar businesses on residential-grade infrastructure.”

He says by the nature of the business, enrolling in government programs, immigration workforce programs (such as H-2A) and more, make your address, phone number and email readily accessible.

“It’s a wealth of opportunity for threat actors. We can’t leave our doors and windows open,” Sherman says. “So you have to protect yourself, and encourage your friends, neighbors and business partners to do the same. If we are all reducing our individual risk, we are reducing the overall risk.”

3. Use high-quality passwords

Sherman says good passwords are must-have on all your accounts, including your Wi-Fi.

“Too often, farmers have their password just be a duplicate of the network name. Or if a farmer’s favorite tractor is a John Deere 4450, 4450 is his pin for everything,” he says. “When we are on the internet, it’s like being in the big city, and you have to act accordingly.”

Corteva's Bold Move: What Splitting Crop Protection and Seed Businesses Means for the Future

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:27:19 GMT

Global agriculture technology company Corteva announced plans on Wednesday to separate into two independent, publicly traded entities: “new” Corteva, which will continue to sell crop protection products – herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and biologicals – and SpinCo, which will focus on the seed genetics business.

SpinCo will include Pioneer, the company’s legacy seed brand established in 1926, as well as Brevant and regional seed brands, including Dairyland Seed.

Upon separation of the companies, Greg Page, current Corteva chairman, will lead new Corteva, while Chuck Magro, current Corteva CEO, will become CEO of SpinCo.

In announcing the decision by Corteva, Magro said the farmer-centric organization appreciates that its customers want and need choice across their input decisions.

“The best way, maybe I can even say, the only way for this company to preserve and expand that choice and keep putting innovative, effective, sustainable solutions into the hands of farmers around the world is to give both businesses the freedom to operate without having to look out for the other,” said Magro, during an online presentation primarily focused on company investors.

He added that the separation of the company into two entities will allow both businesses to maximize long-term value for farmers, customers, employees and shareholders.

Magro described SpinCo – with expected net sales of $9.9 billion in 2025 (56% of current Corteva sales) – as “a classic growth compounder” that will pursue opportunities in out-licensing, hybrid wheat, biofuels and gene editing.

“The continued success of our SpinCo business will be predicated upon sustained investment in advanced genetics and further capitalizing on our unique route to market,” Magro said.

As a pure-play crop genetics company, Magro predicts SpinCo could go beyond its corn and soybean core into other row crops, even expanding into other areas like fruits and vegetables.

“Spinco will also look to expand on new opportunities in wheat, cotton, rice and other products, where genetics can play a transformative role,” he said. “In other words, we could see SpinCo playing in a vastly expanded addressable market.”

Corteva Crop Protection Business Is Future-Focused

For new Corteva, Magro characterized the crop protection industry as competitive and tough, but that company leaders anticipate the market will return to growth in the near future.

“At new Corteva, success will be built upon an optimized supply chain, a new level of operational excellence and the ability to invest in the next generation of sustainable, differentiated innovation, including biologicals and other nature-based products,” he said.

Magro said as company leaders weighed the pros and cons of separating the two companies, they made the decision with the future in mind.

“This is not about today, and it’s not certainly about the last six years. This is about what we see coming,” he said. “We’re in a market that we need to look out 10-years plus. That’s just the research and development and the timeline it takes to bring technology into the marketplace. So this is a long-term decision that we are making.”

Corteva’s 2025 net sales for its crop protection business are estimated to be $7.8 billion (44% of the current company’s total).

During Magro’s remarks, he gave no indication of where the two companies will be based. Corteva’s global headquarters is currently based in Indianapolis, Ind., while Johnston, Iowa, is home to its seed business.

The transaction separating Corteva and SpinCo is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.

Corteva was formed in 2018 as the agriculture-focused subsidiary of DowDuPont, following the merger of the two companies. Corteva was spun-off as its own entity in 2019.

Your next read: Fertilizer Decisions: Balance Costs, Yields and Sustainability

Used Farm Equipment Swindle Alert: BBB Warns Virtual Vendor Vehicle Scams on the Rise

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:50:12 GMT

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning used equipment buyers nationwide about another sophisticated scam involving used farm equipment.

This particular grift, according to a press release from BBB, involved a fake online heavy equipment retailer impersonating a legitimate Missouri dealership, Cook Equipment & Trucking (Marble Hill, Mo.).

Buyers from across the U.S., some even from as far away as California and Arizona, reported losing a total of $223,000 after attempting to purchase heavy equipment and farm machinery through fraudulent websites and Facebook Marketplace ads.

Related: Essential Advice for Safely Buying Used Farm Machinery

Victims say they were “ghosted” after wiring money for equipment that never arrived. The BBB does not say whether the victims were able to dispute the fraudulent charges and claw back the proceeds from the scammers.

The reported fraudulent transactions include:

$45,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Oak Hills, Calif.
$32,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Hancock, Mich.
$29,500 for a trailer from a buyer in Amanda, Ohio
$29,000 for a trailer from a buyer in Greenville, N.C.
$28,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Eastman, Wis.
$31,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Des Moines, Iowa.
$29,000 for a skid steer from a buyer in Blue, Ariz.

BBB says the real Cook Equipment & Trucking, a small business operating since 2010, confirmed it has no website and is not affiliated with any online sales. The impersonators registered three fake websites, the most recent on July 14, and continue to run deceptive ads on social media.

“Those shopping for heavy equipment and farm machinery online should do their due diligence so they don’t fall victim to a virtual vehicle vendor scam,” says Michelle L. Corey, president and CEO, BBB St. Louis. “If an item is priced well below market value, that’s a red flag.”

To avoid getting swept up in an online virtual vehicle vendor scam the Better Business Bureau offers these tips:

Research the business at bbb.org or call 888-996-3887
Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true
Verify the website and contact the business directly
Read all terms and understand refund policies
Use a credit card for added protection
Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker, your state attorney general, the FTC, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center , and notify the social media platform where the fraud was discovered

To learn more about how to avoid online fraud in the used equipment auction world, check out BBB’s 2024 study on virtual vehicle vendor scams.

Your next read: U.S.-Canada Trade Spat Leaves Farmer’s New Holland Combine Stranded Up North

3 Big Leadership Myths You Need to Bust

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 20:10:02 GMT

Leadership in agriculture often comes with high expectations. Whether you’re running a multigenerational farm, overseeing a team of employees or managing the day-to-day operations, the pressure to “do it all” can be intense. But sometimes the assumptions we make about what good leadership looks like can actually hold us back.

A recent article from Fast Company lists the three most common leadership myths, along with why it’s time to set them aside. From the push for speed to the pressure of having all the answers, these myths can shape how we lead, often without us even realizing it.

Myth No. 1: Faster Is Always Better

Running a farm is a fast-paced job. With long to-do lists and constant demands, it can be tempting to make quick decisions just to keep things moving. While fast thinking might help you get through a busy day, too many rushed calls in a row can create bigger challenges in the long run.

“While speed has its place, it can also be a liability,” says Tony Martignetti, chief illumination officer at Inspired Purpose Partners. “Moving too fast often means overlooking critical insights, missing long-term opportunities and making short-sighted decisions that sacrifice lasting value for immediate gains.”

This rings especially true in agriculture, where the days are long and the decisions are endless. The pressure to “keep up” with changing conditions can make urgency feel like the only option. But not every problem calls for an immediate fix.

“Before defaulting to speed, ask yourself: Are we moving in the right direction? Are we building something that will stand the test of time?” Martignetti says. “True competitive advantage doesn’t come from speed but from strategic timing and intentional execution. Create space for reflection and thoughtful decision-making.”

Myth No. 2: Innovation Means High-Tech

These days, it’s easy to assume that true innovation requires the latest and greatest technology. From automation and data systems to robotics and sensors, the industry is full of shiny new tools that promise improved efficiency and performance.

However, some of the most impactful changes on the farm don’t involve technology at all. Innovation can be as simple as rethinking how you train new employees to set them up for success, or it can involve updating standard operating procedures (SOPs) to better reflect what’s actually working in your operation, rather than sticking to routines that no longer serve it.

These types of improvements don’t require the latest hardware or software. They require a willingness to think critically, question old habits and try something new.

Myth No. 3: Good Leaders Have All the Answers

As the leader of your operation, you might often feel like you should know everything, but thinking you need to have all the answers can do more harm than good. Not only does it create immense personal pressure, but it can also unintentionally silence the people around you. When team members sense that their input isn’t welcomed or needed, they may stop offering ideas, pointing out concerns or asking important questions.

“The best leaders don’t have all the answers; they create environments where the right questions lead to breakthrough solutions,” Martignetti says. “Leadership isn’t about possessing infinite knowledge; it’s about creating an environment where curiosity thrives, where diverse perspectives are valued and where new ideas can emerge.”

On the farm, where no two days look the same, adaptive leadership is often more valuable than certainty. Martignetti notes that leadership requires you to ask the right questions, like: What are we missing? What could we do differently? What does the team think? These questions open the door to better solutions than any single individual could come up with on their own.

“The best leaders don’t have all the answers; they create environments where the right questions lead to breakthrough solutions,” he adds.

Become a Mythbuster

Running a farm means moving fast, thinking on your feet and handling a hundred things at once — but good leadership requires you to know when to slow down, when to listen and when to try something different. Letting go of old ideas about what leadership should look like can be tough, but it also opens the door to something better.

The best leaders don’t have all the answers, and they don’t rely on flash or speed to get results. They lead by example, stay open to new ways of thinking and create space for the people around them to grow. And according to Martignetti, that kind of leadership can make all the difference.

Overcome the No. 1 Challenge in Passing Down Your Family Farm

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 21:16:05 GMT

Between now and 2048, about $124 trillion is expected to exchange hands from older to younger generations in the U.S., according to Cerulli Associates, a Boston-based market research firm.

For perspective, that dollar amount is approximately five times the size of the 2023 U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which totaled $27.72 trillion.

How will farmers fit into what many people are calling the “Great Wealth Exchange” over the next two decades? Much of it is specific to land, according to the American Farmland Trust (AFT). It predicts 300 million acres of U.S. agricultural land will change hands in the next 20 years.

Based on $5,000 an acre for farm ground, Paul Neiffer, the Farm CPA, estimates that would be a transfer of between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion in land from older farmers to younger generations.

“If you throw in rangeland, that’s another trillion, so $3 to $4 trillion at most is where I think we’re at,” Neiffer says.

The Reason Succession Often Fails

A common issue is that while 69% of farmers plan to transfer their operation to a younger family member, only 23% have a plan , according to AgAmerica Lending LLC.

But the No. 1 issue that trips up people in the succession planning process is most people – farmers included – focus more on the mechanics involved in transferring assets than on keeping their family relationships intact.

That’s according to Amy Castoro, CEO and president of The Williams Group, a family coaching and consulting organization. Her firm does relationship planning to help family members make sure they’re still speaking to each other after the wealth transfers.

Many times, she says, the friction in the transfer of wealth has little to do with money and material goods and a whole lot more to do with whether the family members involved felt loved.

A Formula For Success

The Williams Group did a 20-year field study and from that developed a formula for how people need to focus their time and energy in the succession process.

The company recommends spending:
60% of your time on building family trust and developing good communication practices;

25% preparing your heirs to take over the operation, laying the business and fiscal groundwork for the farm to continue under their leadership;

10% of your time getting on the same page about your family’s values and having a family mission;

5% of your time on the estate planning mechanics, the nuts and bolts of how the assets will transfer.

In addition, The Williams Group advises that you work with your heirs to:

Strike a balance between control and collaboration.
Embrace the next generation’s perspectives.
Bolster intergenerational solidarity.
Embed high-trust behaviors.
Co-design standards for readiness.

Start The Plan Sooner, Not Later

If you want to see your farm succeed with the next generation of family members, make sure you have the right structure in place – and set it up sooner than later. Don’t put it off, Neiffer advises.

Once you have a plan in place, you have a tool you can modify to fit what your family and farm need over time.

“Having a plan in place can help alleviate stress, even if things change down the road,” Neiffer says. “Keep in mind that farming is a dynamic business and your plan needs to be, too.”

Your next read: Big Questions Remain For Next Gen Farmers

Is Food Inflation Heating Up July 4th Grills?

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:44:51 GMT

Two industry reports are shining a light on the cost of a July 4^th barbecue.

The economists at Wells Fargo calculate an at-home holiday party for 10 will cost $130. The menu includes chicken breasts, beef sliders, hot dogs, fresh fruit, a vegetable platter, potato salad, corn bread, cake, apple pie, ice cream, beer, wine and soda.

Dr. Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist within Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute, says year-over-year food inflation is 2.2%.

For notable food prices from the July 4^th report, he cites the following:

Ground beef: Up 7.4%
Boneless chicken breasts: Up 1%
Watermelon and strawberries: Down 0.6%
Potatoes: Up 1%
Egg prices: Up 40%
Ice cream (1.5 quart): Up less than 1%

Swanson says beef prices year over year have been running 6% to 8% higher.

“When you talk to somebody who’s a processor or a packer, there’s not a part of the cow that moves independent from the other parts of the cow so it’s all right in that category 6% to 8% on a year over year basis the last couple of months based on CPI,” he says.

He says for cost-savings, chicken offers the greatest opportunities in the protein category.

“When you look at the composite pricing from USDA, it’s right around $2.42 to $2.45 a pound — including everything from wings and breasts,” he says.

As for hot dogs, Swanson says the blend inside the casing will drive the price.

“If you go with the all-beef frankfurters, yes, they’re up substantially. If you look for a sausage or bratwurst that has a blend of pork and beef in it, you’re probably finding a much better bargain. Pork has been pretty flat year over year,” he says.

Swanson says the effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza are still being reflected in higher egg prices for menu items such as deviled eggs and salads.

As for ice cream, Swanson says the increase in cost is being attributed to additional labor expense in production.

“We’re seeing a little bit of inflation in that category, but just very modest. We have a good supply of cream and milk in the country right now. The dairymen are doing wel. So, what that reflects is kind of that cost of transformation,” he says.

Wells Fargo uses NeilsenIQ data for its analysis.

American Farm Bureau Market Basket Survey
Using its annual survey, The American Farm Bureau Federation says this year’s food prices are resulting in the second-highest cost for an at-home July 4^th barbecue since 2013 when the survey began.

“High prices don’t mean more money for farmers, however. Farmers are price takers, not price makers. Their share of the food retail dollar is just 15%. The cost of running their farm is up — from labor and transportation to taxes,” says AFBF associate economist Samantha Ayoub.

Per AFBF, this year’s cost for an Independence Day cookout will cost $70.92 for 10 people. Included in the calculations are cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato salad, strawberries and ice cream.

Last year was the highest cost found by the survey at $7.39 per person.

Year-over-year retail price increases in 2025 include:

2 lb. of ground beef: Up 4.4% to $13.33
Pork and beans: Up 20¢ to $2.69
Potato salad: Up 6.6% to $3.54

Notable reductions, compared to 2024, in food prices per the survey were:

3 lb. package of pork chops: Down 8.8% to $14.13
Chips: Down 10¢ to $4.80 a bag
Hamburger buns: Down 2.6% to $2.35

Agriculture in the Bull's-Eye: Raids Reportedly Resume on Farms, Meatpacking Plants

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:40:22 GMT

After President Donald Trump reportedly ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) to pause raids on farms and meatpacking plants last week, new reports say the administration is reversing course again. The on-again, off-again reports regarding ICE raids is sowing confusion for those who rely on immigrant labor and already causing labor shortages due to employees not showing up for work.

There was an update again late Friday, with President Trump saying he’s looking at new immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

The Washington Post first reported Monday that ICE officials told leaders representing field offices across the country they must continue to conduct raids at worksite locations, which is a reversal from guidance issued just days earlier.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wouldn’t confirm the Washington Post’s report, but an agricultural association told Farm Journal the article is accurate based on their discussions with the administration.

Instead, DHS told us this:

“The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” says DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safe guard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”

By Friday, there was another update. Reuters reported President Trump said he was looking at immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

“We’re looking at doing something where, in the case of good, reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire and let them have responsibility, because we can’t put the farms out of business,” Trump told reporters. “And at the same time we don’t want to hurt people that aren’t criminals.”

According to Farm Journal’s Michelle Rook, the recent ICE raids are already creating absenteeism and labor shortages that could severally disrupt the U.S. food supply. Ag groups are again calling for immigration reform with hopes the issue will finally come to a head.

Ripple Effect of Immigration Crackdown

Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, Calif., is experiencing the rollercoaster with labor, saying the shifting policy strikes fear in farmers and workers.

“There’s so much uncertainty as to what the administration’s going to do,” Del Bosque told Rook on AgriTalk this week.

Del Bosque says the raids on California produce farms are disrupting the harvest of perishable produce.

“They haven’t been really huge sweeps. They’re usually picking up a few people. But it creates a lot of fear, and people don’t show up to work. That’s just as bad as if they were taken away,” he says.

According to an exclusive report by Farm Journal’s The Packer , the ripple effect of Trump’s immigration crackdown on agriculture could be far-reaching — if the administration revives its focus on ag.

Kevin Kelly is the CEO of Emerald Packaging — the largest flexible packaging supplier to the leafy greens industry. Based in Union City, Calif., the company has been in the packaging business for 62 years. Kelly says the immigrant workforce in California is feeling uncertain and afraid.

“We’ve certainly heard folks aren’t turning up to work in the fields, and we’ve seen it in our facility. We verify everybody, so we know everybody in our facility is documented and can legally work in the United States,” Kelly tells Jennifer Strailey, editor of The Packer. “In our case, it’s brothers and sisters being deported, and other family members being afraid. Our employees are staying home to help their family members move, to take care of them or to take them to see an attorney — that kind of thing.”

Dairy operations in several states have also been raided recently. Dairy producers say they rely on immigrant labor to provide a stable year-round work force and to keep the U.S. food supply stable.

“We need these people to take care of our animals so we can produce food. Without animal care, we won’t have milk, cheese, butter — nothing,” Greg Moes, MoDak Dairy in Goodwin, S.D., told Rook.

The recent ICE arrests at Glenn Valley Foods of Omaha, Neb. have also led to absenteeism at meat processing plants.

“At the beginning of the Trump administration, we had this same worry with the crackdown — whether this was going to impact absenteeism and things like that,” says Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek in Sioux Center, Iowa. “So, hopefully we can put that in our rearview mirror.”

By the Numbers: A Heavy Reliance on Immigrant Labor
The news this week of the Trump administration putting a pause on raids of farms and meat processors is welcome news for those in agriculture. From dairies and produce farms, to meatpacking plants across the U.S., these sectors rely heavily on immigrant labor.

Immigrant labor makes up a substantial portion of the meat processing workforce, with estimates ranging from 37% to over 50%. However, states like South Dakota and Nebraska have even higher concentrations of immigrant workers in meat processing — reaching 58% and 66%, according to the nonprofit Migration Policy Institute.

And a large portion of U.S. dairy farms rely on immigrant labor, with estimates indicating that over half of all dairy workers are immigrants. Specifically, these workers account for 51% of the total dairy workforce and are responsible for producing 79% of the U.S. milk supply.

Farmworker Justice estimates 70% of the produce industry’s farmworkers are immigrants. USDA’s estimates are lower — closer to 60%.

John Deere-Sentera Tie Up: Here’s What We Know So Far

Tue, 27 May 2025 15:40:37 GMT

John Deere has announced its acquisition of Minnesota-based aerial optics innovator Sentera. Although specific details are few and far between this early in the process, here’s what we know so far:

The two companies have a long history. John Deere was the first enterprise customer Sentera signed onto its system over a decade ago, and the two companies have had an API link in place between Sentera’s drone management software and John Deere’s Operations Center since 2016.
Financial details are not being disclosed. We do know the deal is not subject to any further regulatory or shareholder approvals.
In a similar fashion to the Blue River Technologies and Bear Flag Robotics acquisitions, Sentera will maintain its independence as a free-standing business unit. Once fully integrated into the Deere family, Sentera will operate under the John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group (ISG) framework. Sentera leadership will remain at its St. Paul, Minn., headquarters.
For the time being, no major changes are planned for either company as we head into the heart of the summer crop scouting and spraying season. The two companies anticipate having more details to share about the nuts and bolts of the acquisition this fall.
The two groups are a natural fit. Sentera is aggressively marketing its SmartScripts drone weed mapping program, and the technology is complimentary to John Deere’s Operations Center and its See & Spray and ExactApply application technologies. One driving force behind this deal, Farm Journal is told, is Deere’s motivation to integrate more real-time agronomic data into its Operations Center platform, and Sentera’s aerial data capture capabilities can help make that happen.

(John Deere)

A deal to lift both boats. John Deere has built up a deep bench of artificial intelligence, machine learning and autonomous technology expertise within ISG, and Sentera has a long track record of aerial sensing and camera payload innovation. Considering how many cameras and sensors are included from the factory on new John Deere machines and within its Precision Upgrades retrofit kits, there should be a healthy cross pollination of sensor and camera innovation between Urbandale, Iowa, (where ISG is based) and St. Paul, Minn.
Sentera can help make See & Spray even better. SmartScripts uses drone-based imaging to scan a field and build a weed pressure map which is then loaded onto the sprayer’s in-cab computer. Now the sprayer operator can see exactly where weeds are in the field and focus their spraying efforts there first. There’s also a logistical and planning aspect to SmartScripts: by knowing exactly how many weeds are present in the field, and even what type of weeds are there, an adept operator can have the right active ingredients premixed and the exact amount needed loaded into the tank or staged nearby in a tender truck to keep that sprayer running all day long.

“Farming is becoming a very sensor and data-centric business, and in our opinion, there isn’t anyone doing it at broad scale today better than John Deere,” says Eric Taipale, chief technology officer, Sentera. “The way we can bring these data-driven insights and improve grower outcomes — it’s just what we’ve always been about. It’s what John Deere is all about. There’s such a great mesh between the two cultures, the objectives and the mission of the two organizations.”

Joseph Liefer, global technology marketing lead at John Deere, adds, “We’re excited about how this complements our existing portfolio with See & Spray, and then not just that (product). Now a farmer with an individual nozzle-controlled sprayer from any manufacturer can also leverage this technology. A drone can fly their field, generate a weed map, turn it into a prescription in Operations Center and the machine can go execute the plan. From an ag retailer standpoint, that might have a mixed fleet, and this gives them more tools in the toolbox to do targeted application for growers and help them save on herbicide. We view this deal as complementary to our overall tech strategy.”

Your Next Read: MAHA Report’s Surprising Stance on Glyphosate, Atrazine Explained

More Than 15,000 USDA Employees Have Taken Trump Financial Incentive to Leave

Mon, 05 May 2025 17:28:56 GMT

More than 15,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture employees have taken one of the Trump administration’s two financial incentive offers to leave the agency, according to a readout from a USDA briefing with congressional staff seen by Reuters.

The sum represents about 15% of the USDA’s total workforce.

President Donald Trump’s administration has offered federal employees several months of pay and benefits if they opt to leave their jobs as part of his effort with billionaire ally Elon Musk to shrink the federal workforce.

At the USDA, 3,877 staff signed contracts in the agency’s first Deferred Resignation Program in February and 11,305 signed contracts in the second round in April, for a total of 15,182 resignations, according to the readout of the Friday morning briefing.

The numbers could rise over the next month because employees over 40 were given more time to decide whether to leave, and some who opted to leave have not yet signed contracts, said the readout.

A USDA spokesperson confirmed the total number of staff departures and said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is working to make the agency more efficient.

Rollins has exempted 53 position classifications from the ongoing federal hiring freeze, including wildland firefighters, veterinarians and food safety inspectors, to ensure critical agency functions continue, the spokesperson said.

More than 260,000 people across the federal civilian workforce have been fired, taken early retirement, earmarked for termination or accepted buyouts since the start of Trump’s second term in office. That represents about one tenth of the federal civilian workforce.

Those leaving include 674 county employees of the Farm Service Agency who directly serve farmers in offices across the country, and 2,408 staff of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which provides technical assistance to farmers and manages working land conservation programs.

Rollins has said frontline staff, like those at FSA, will not be affected by any forthcoming reductions by the agency.

Also leaving are 555 employees of the Food Safety Inspection Service, which ensures the safety of the U.S. meat, poultry and egg supply.

Some of the 1,377 staff departures from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will affect the agency’s response to bird flu.

Across federal agencies, more employees opted for the second incentive program, citing exhaustion and uncertainty about whether they would be fired.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by Scott Malone, Rod Nickel and Michael Perry)

Trump Suggests Farmers Could Petition to Keep Workers Without Legal Status

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:29:25 GMT

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that farmers will be able to petition the federal government to retain some farmworkers in the U.S. illegally, provided the workers leave the country and return with legal status.

Trump’s comments during his Cabinet meeting are, though vague, the most detail the administration has provided on the fate of the nation’s farmworkers without legal status — who make up half the farm sector’s workforce — under his plan for mass deportations.

Farm industry groups have warned that deporting large numbers of agricultural workers would grind the food system to a halt. In addition to farming, many workers without legal status are also employed in the meat and dairy industries.

“We’re going to work with farmers that, if they have strong recommendations for their farms, for certain people, that we’re going to let them stay in for a while and work with the farmers and then come back and go through a process, a legal process. We have to take care of our farmers and hotels and various places where they need the people,” Trump said.

“A farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people saying, they’re great, they’re working hard, we’re going to slow it down a little bit for them and then we’re going to ultimately bring them back. They’ll go out, they’re going to come back as legal workers,” he said.

The White House and the Department of Agriculture did not respond to requests to clarify the policy or when it will be implemented.

During his first administration, Trump promised the farm sector that deportations would not affect agricultural workers, but has made no such promise in this term.

Immigrant farmworkers prepared for the Trump administration by assigning guardians to their children in the case of their detention and taking other precautions.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

Food Inflation, Threatened Tariffs: What Is The Effect On Super Bowl Snack Tables?

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 21:08:40 GMT

Whether it’s chicken wings (up 7%) or vegetables for the snack tray (broccoli is down 7%), Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute Economist Dr. Michael Swanson says consumers shouldn’t expect every snack food category to increase their budget for a traditional Super Bowl party. And he doesn’t think President Trump’s latest trade talks with Mexico, Canada and China will have a direct, immediate effect at the grocery store by Sunday’s big game.

“It’s unlikely that changes in tariffs will impact prices headed into the Super Bowl, however, we’ll see how it plays out in the coming weeks. This is certainly the year for consumers to stay food fluent,” Swanson says.

For the past four years, he’s led the team at Wells Fargo to look at popular categories for game day watch parties and analyze the pricing trends. His research aims to help consumers stay “food fluent” to find alternatives, substitutions and bargains when they can.

“We started in 2021 when we saw the first spike in food inflation. And the past three years, everything has been up—it was a question of how much a category was up that year,” Swanson says. “But for 2025, some categories are up, and some are not. Some are way up; and some are way down.”

Swanson says it’s demand keeping prices elevated—not supply.

“Take chicken wings. Did the avian influenza knock out the chicken wings? The answer is, no, it didn’t–it was mainly the egg laying flocks. We have almost more chicken wings than we did last year, but prices are up 7%. Why? It’s consumer demand,” he says.

For dairy products, the Super Bowl is one of the top three demand events.

“Between the nachos, pizzas and sundry cheese-based snacks, the industry knows that and prepares well in advance making sure all the fans have what they need,” he says. “Dairy as a category was up 1.3% from a year ago, but it has been a relatively flat pricing environment for the last 18 months. Consumers and producers have found a good balance overall.

Specific to ongoing trade developments and tariffs discussions, Swanson says the dairy industry is staying keenly aware.

“Exports are a key element for balancing U.S. dairy production and demand. The industry is preparing to see what happens with key markets like Mexico and Canada in the near term,” he says.

He says the same could play out for avocados, which is notable given the tariff discussions on Mexico—our No. 1 source country for avocados.

“The question is, is the supply substitutable. With avocados, we’re seeing a push to grow more in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia,” he says.

While longer-term supplies may be diversified, it takes years for trees to bear fruit. And for now, per the Wells Fargo Super Bowl Report, avocado prices are up over 11%.
Two other vegetables up year-over-year are red bell peppers (up 7.4%) and prepared carrots (up 3.4%)

So what categories went down in year-to-year pricing?

Notably, some vegetables are down including celery (down 8.4), broccoli (down 7.2%) and cauliflower (down 3.8%).

A more robust supply of potatoes has yielded a decline in potato chips prices, which are 5.1% lower. Also when it comes to overall pre-packaged foods, the container prices have come down, so increases in transport costs aren’t being passed along to the consumer as they have been in the past.

If you’re looking for a “bargain” Swanson points to store brand frozen pizzas.

“Some of those carbohydrate-based components are down through competition. Something like frozen pizzas, for example are down from a year ago. And especially you look at those store Brand pizzas are way down. They’re down about 8% versus just 2% for the national brand. So if you really want to save money, competition is your friend.”
As for protein, the biggest price decline has been in shrimp with a 4% lower price this year than last.

Retail beef prices remain elevated.

“It’s not that we have poor supply of beef. We’re doing some interesting dynamics right now, exporting a little bit less, importing, a little bit more, putting more pounds on those cows,” Swanson says. “We have a decent supply of beef, but the price is still up 3.5% to 4% as a category from a year ago. The consumers love it, and they’re going to pay for it.”

His advice overall in this food economic environment is to stay a smart shopper.

“We’re entering a competitive situation right now–we’re seeing things go up and things go down. If a product matters to you, get out the on the web, shop a couple of stores, because one of the things we do find is promotions are back in the game.”

Ag Lenders: Just Over Half of Farmers Will Be Profitable in 2024

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 19:13:57 GMT

The American Bankers Association (ABA) and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) have released their joint 2024 Ag Lender Survey.

The big takeaway: lenders believe only 58% of farmer borrowers will be profitable in 2024. That’s down from 78% in the previous year’s study.

“The agricultural economy is inherently cyclical, and ag lenders are navigating the changing conditions across the sectors they serve,” said Jackson Takach, chief economist of Farmer Mac.

“While the responses highlight slowing land values and a profitability shift from crops toward animal proteins, ag lenders remain steadfast in leveraging their resources and relationships to guide producers through all parts of the cycle,” Takach says.

Profitability expectations did vary by region and commodity category. Optimism was greater for livestock producers over row crop farmers.

The two top concerns listed by lenders for agricultural producers are liquidity and farm income.

For lending institutions, the respondents said the biggest concern was credit quality along with agricultural loan deterioration in the next 12 months.

“Agricultural credit quality remained robust in 2024, but lenders expect deterioration in the coming year as farmers face a more challenging environment,” said Tyler Mondres, senior director of research at the American Bankers Association. “Lenders are taking prudent steps to manage risk such as tightening underwriting standards, and they remain committed to working with and supporting their borrowers.”

Demand for loans secured by farmland and agricultural production loans increased in 2024, and both categories of loans are expected to rise in the next year as well.

The ABA/Farmer Mac survey has been conducted for nine years, and this year’s responses included more than 450 ag lenders who represent institutions ranging from less than $50 million to more than $1 billion.

You can read the full report here

EXCLUSIVE: John Deere Speaks Publicly For the First Time About Layoffs, New Challenges in the Ag Economy

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:07:55 GMT

John Deere recently laid off a significant number of salaried employees as part of the company’s ongoing workforce reductions. The official number of layoffs is still unknown but are part of a broader trend of workforce reductions at John Deere, which have been ongoing for several months.

Cory Reed, president of the company’s Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division for Production and Precision Ag , spoke publicly about the layoffs for the first time in an exclusive interview with U.S. Farm Report this week.

What You Need to Know

Reed addressed everything from the recent layoffs to the company’s decision to move a small portion of its production to Mexico. Here are highlights from Farm Journal’s exclusive interview:

John Deere says recent layoffs of both its salaried and production workforce are due to lower net farm income, higher interest rates and market volatility.
Reed says John Deere expects equipment sales to be down 20% in 2024, due to economic pressures on the farm.
John Deere is addressing cost concerns by reducing the prices of some new technologies, such as the See & Spray retrofit kit.
John Deere is investing in automation to improve manufacturing efficiency and reliability.
Reed emphasized the job cuts are unrelated to the 2021 strike by production workers.
He also stressed that John Deere’s decision to move its cab production to Mexico is separate, saying that production site in Mexico has been in operation for nearly 70 years, calling it “an important part of our global footprint.”

The Reality of the Farm Economy

USDA is forecasting net farm income in 2024 to be $116.1 billion, which is a 25.5% drop from 2023 following a 16% drop in 2023 versus 2022. Those two consecutive years of significant decline mark the largest drop in net farm income in U.S. history.

“Net farm income is expected to be down in the mid to high 20s, and when that happens, and commodity prices pull back, interest rates are a little bit higher and we see volatility in the weather, it creates uncertainty that interrupts demand. We’re experiencing that today. Looking out across our industry, we’re expecting to be off roughly 20% year-over-year from 2023,” Reed told U.S. Farm Report.

USDA’s 2023 and 2024 Net Farm Income projections point to the largest drop in history.

(Lori Hayes )

The mounting economic pressures are showing up across the equipment industry. The latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) flash report released in June showed just how drastic of a drop the ag equipment sector is currently experiencing. AEM’s report showed combine sales in June dropped 31% compared to last year. Total farm tractor sales were down 16%.

While the company forecasts equipment demand to fall 20% overall in 2024, Reed says the second half of the year looks to be even more challenging than the first.

“We kind of have the tale of two ends of the year, “ he says. “If you looked at the front half of the year, in fact, if you took the large row-crop tractor business, what you would have seen is a market that was still peaking in the April and May time frame. A lot of buyers were in the market, based off of performance last year. As we hit May and going into June, used inventory levels started to grow and you saw buyers starting to pull back. Those trade differentials look different for them, and they started pulling back at a faster rate.”

As farmers pull back on purchasing new equipment, the short-term market outlook is hard to project, according to John Deere.

“I think what you see is markets that are cycling faster today. When you see what was going on in the commodity market, it’s been more volatile here recently. So obviously, we’d like to have better predictability of those things. What I would tell you is the long-term outlook for global commodities grown here in the U.S. still look really strong. We’re still bullish on that,” Reed says. “It’s the reason that even when we see these cycles potentially coming, we invest directly through them. We’ve never invested more in research dollars than we did this year, and in the next five years we will invest more than we have over the past five years. That’s a testament to what we believe about the future of the agricultural industry. We’re doing that around the world.”

John Deere Says Layoffs Are Unrelated to 2021 Strike

With the drop in equipment demand, came cuts to the salaried workforce this week. But the company had already cut more than 1,800 workers in its Iowa and Illinois production facilities.

In October 2021, those same production sites were in the news after 10,000 production workers went on strike . But a month later, John Deere and the United Auto Workers (UAW) Union reached a new six-year deal. With a 20% increase in pay granted by John Deere, UAW ended its month-long strike. But Reed says the job cuts today are not tied to that.

“Certainly, cost, availability and reliability of labor in the workforce is a factor all the time. Cuts right now are not related to that, they’re related to demand,” he adds.

As a result, Reed says John Deere is turning internally to manage its own cost structure, which means layoffs. Those started last September and have accelerated in 2024.

“We don’t like making workforce adjustments. We don’t. But that’s all about the cost structure we have, so we can hold the line on costs. We’re deploying more of our engineering resources to cost-reduce each part without sacrificing any reliability, durability or quality. We’re doing that in a big way,” Reeds adds.

John Deere has committed to providing severance packages to the affected employees. The packages include up to 12 months of severance pay based on years of service, pro-rated pay based on short- and long-term incentives, payment for unused vacation or paid time off, ongoing access to health and wellness benefits and a year of professional job placement services.

The Question on Every Farmer’s Mind

The question on every farmer’s mind: Does John Deere have any plans to cut the price of equipment? Reed says John Deere is addressing cost concerns by reducing the prices of some new technologies, such as the See & Spray retrofit kit.

“We’re taking some of our latest technologies, and we’re cutting the upfront price of it,” Reed says. “If you take See & Spray, which is a great example, that product would normally cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to add to a machine. We lowered the upfront price for a retrofit kit to be able to put it on for tens of thousands of dollars. A customer who wants to manage their herbicide cost differently has the opportunity to buy into that, on an acre-by-acre basis, and only pay based on what they save.”

John Deere’s Decision to Move Cab Production to Mexico

John Deere is also catching some backlash for its decision to move its cab operations from Waterloo, Iowa, to Mexico, which impacts a couple hundred U.S. jobs. According to Reed, John Deere’s production site in Mexico has been in operation for nearly 70 years. What started in 1956 became one of the company’s first operations outside the U.S., and Reed calls it “an important part of our global footprint.”

“First and foremost, it’s important to understand that the movement of certain components or products to Mexico is entirely separate from what we’ve seen in terms of layoffs today,” Reed says. “When we move a product, we make the announcement and say, ‘This portion of this product is going to move here.’ And by the way, we’re doing that all the time. It’s a part of what we do in our global network.”

Reed says what’s not reported when John Deere makes such an announcement is how they are replacing their production in the U.S. with the manufacturing of a new product or piece of equipment. While the cab production might be moving to Mexico, he says they are now building the new 9RX 830-hp four-wheel drive tractor there.

“If you drove to Waterloo today and went into the operations, what you’d see is that brand new tractor going down the very place in the factory where those cabs were manufactured before,” Reed says.

What John Deere Wants Farmers to Know

As John Deere aims to align production inventory levels with current market demands, the down cycle of agriculture is hitting all of the industry hard, but Reed says he’s still bullish on agriculture long-term. When asked what he wanted farmers to know, Reed’s message was this:

“We have 80,000 employees in the company. We wake up every day with the same purpose. That purpose is quality, innovation, integrity and commitment to our customers. We want to grow value on each and every one of those farms. We want to do it in a way that every day they wake up, with every pass they make through the field, they have confidence they’ve partnered with someone in the industry, John Deere and our John Deere dealers, working to drive value, working to drive profitability, on each and every one of their farms,” Reed says.

You can watch the full interview with Reed here.