For generations, American producers have viewed farmland as one of the most dependable stores of wealth. Commodity prices fluctuate, operating margins tighten and equipment depreciates, but productive farmland generally maintains its long-term value. Now an emerging environmental issue is introducing a risk that has little to do with yields, commodity markets or interest rates. A …

Next Threat to Farmland Values May Not Simply Be Crop Prices… Read More »

Today on FARMCON Conversations, Kevin and I are joined by longtime FARMCON partner David Elser of UPL. David has a unique view across crop inputs, distribution, innovation and producer economics, and our conversation quickly moved beyond products into the bigger question of how agricultural businesses have to change when their customer’s economics change. We get …

FARMCON CONVERSATIONS…with Special Guest DAVID ELSER of UPL Read More »

American agriculture has become incredibly good at producing. In 2025, farmers harvested record or near-record crops across large parts of the country, yet USDA says ARC and PLC payments tied to that crop year will total roughly $13.8 billion, the largest annual payout since the programs were created under the 2014 Farm Bill. At the …

We Grew a Record Crop, So Why Are Farm Payments Breaking Records? Read More »

Quadrupedal “dog” robots are beginning to find a real, if still limited, place in agriculture. Their four-legged design lets them traverse uneven ground, narrow rows, and other terrain that can challenge wheeled machines, while carrying cameras, sensors, computing hardware, or treatment tools directly to the work area. For now, most are used as mobile sensing …

“Robot Dogs” Heading to the Farm Read More »

Today on FARMCON Conversations, Kevin and I get into a question that may make some people uncomfortable: is straight farming, by itself, still a durable enough business model for most families? That conversation takes us into why Kevin believes free cash flow and additional revenue streams are becoming increasingly important, why a producer’s cost of …

FARMCON CONVERSATIONS Read More »

There’s an interesting agricultural investment taking place in Canada that I think deserves more attention than the headline might suggest. Mondelēz Canada recently committed capital to Area One Farms Fund V, a Canadian farmland investment strategy that partners with growth-oriented family farms. The stated goals include strengthening agricultural supply chains, helping producers expand, and advancing …

The Next Farm Growth Model May Look Very Different Read More »

I was once told that the key to living a long and successful life was simply “age-appropriate adaptation.” Interestingly, for high-achievers, this is much harder than you might think. Whether it is a founder who built a company from scratch, a sixth-generation farmer holding the reins to the family land, or an elite athlete, high …

Age-Appropriate Adaptation… And the Graceful Art of Taking a Step Backward Read More »

For decades, the agricultural industry has been chasing what many considered a holy grail: commercially viable hybrid wheat. Corteva spinoff “Vylor” claims to have finally cracked the code, so to speak, with its new “Xpedite” platform, which is designed to make it practical to produce hybrid wheat seed at commercial scale. Vylor is Corteva’s former …

Corteva Spinoff “Vylor” Launching Breakthrough Hybrid Wheat Next Year Read More »

Today on FARMCON Conversations, Kevin and I are joined by FARMCON partner Jake Espenmiller, President and CEO of Conterra Ag Capital. Jake sits in a unique seat where he can see what is happening across farm balance sheets, operating credit and institutional capital, and our conversation quickly moved to what happens when an operation can …

FARMCON CONVERSATIONS — with Special Guest Jake Espenmiller of Conterra Ag Capital Read More »

One of the more important agricultural technology disputes of the past few years was just settled, and I think the implications extend well beyond the two companies involved. Corteva and Inari reached a confidential agreement resolving a lawsuit Corteva filed in 2023 over Inari’s use of Corteva seed material and intellectual property. As part of …

When Seed Starts Looking More Like Software Read More »