The Van Trump Report

Month: September 2026

FARMCON CONVERSATIONS: THE EDGE IS CHANGING

This week’s conversation centered on how the edge is changing. Kevin talks about why information alone matters less in an AI-driven world, where he believes advantage comes from now, how higher rates are changing capital allocation, and the frameworks he uses to evaluate businesses, investments and opportunities. 1:15 — What FARMCON is really trying to …

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Water Plant Hacks Put Farm Controls in Focus

Recent cyberattacks against U.S. water and wastewater systems carry a warning well beyond municipal treatment plants. The same kind of internet-connected industrial equipment used to control water pumps, valves, chemical processes, alarms and monitoring systems also sits behind an expanding range of agricultural infrastructure—from irrigation pivots and well pumps to grain dryers, feed systems and …

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How Diesel’s Squeeze on Trucking Could Become a Capacity Crisis

Many trucking industry experts see trucking heading toward a possible cash-flow and capacity crisis. Record diesel prices are inflating carriers’ daily cash needs, pressuring already-thin margins, and raising the risk that smaller fleets and owner-operators will park trucks or leave the market before freight rates fully adjust.  For trucking carriers, diesel is a large and …

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FARMCON CONVERSATIONS — NEW EPISODE with Special Guest KEN PACKARD of StoneX

“It’s not bringing in the new ideas that’s so hard. It’s getting rid of the old ones.” —John Maynard Keynes Today on FARMCON Conversations, we’re joined by longtime friend and FARMCON partner Ken Packard of StoneX.Ken has spent more than 30 years in commodity futures and agricultural risk management, and our conversation quickly moved to …

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Varda Foundation Seeks to Make Soil Data Work Across Agriculture

Soil is often called the world’s most under-appreciated natural asset. It sustains global food production, holds water, hosts vast biological communities, and stores vast amounts of carbon. Yet, despite its critical role, agricultural soil remains one of the most fragmented and poorly understood resources in modern farming. Enter the Varda Foundation, a non-profit organization building …

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National Farm Safety and Health Week: “Don’t Learn Safety by Accident”

It’s the third week of September, which means it is once again time for the annual “National Farm Safety and Health Week” in the U.S. For many rural areas, harvest season is the busiest time of year, and also one of the most dangerous. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the agriculture …

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U.S. Fertilizer Production Push Gains Momentum as Import Risks and Farm Costs Rise

The United States is mounting a new push to expand domestic fertilizer manufacturing, driven by high farm-input costs, vulnerable international supply chains, and heavy reliance on imports for key crop nutrients. The effort combines large private-sector projects in Louisiana with a new $500 million USDA financing program, faster permitting initiatives, and temporary trade relief intended …

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China’s Pork Oversupply… Might Test Their Overall Feed Demand

China’s hog industry is in a difficult cyclical trough: pork supply remains heavy even as farm-level capacity is being cut, while weak consumer demand has prevented prices from recovering decisively. According to reports, the industry is losing an estimated -$3.8 billion per month, with hog prices dropping below local production costs and slaughterhouses facing severe …

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