Agriculture

Spotted lanternflies have quickly become one of the most concerning invasive species in the US, threatening vineyards, orchards, and hardwood trees across multiple regions. As agricultural agencies and businesses look for effective ways to contain the spread, an unexpected but highly effective solution is gaining traction: detector dogs. Detector dogs are already well known for …

“Detector Dogs” Can Now Sniff Out Crop-Killing Pests Read More »

NEW FARMCON PODCAST… Kevin Van Trump and Todd Loechler start out by breaking down the latest WASDE numbers and what they mean for you. They also dive into current crop conditions, planting progress, wheat ratings, and the potential impact of Trump/Xi talks plus standalone E15 legislation. Kevin shares his thoughts on why markets are hitting …

FARMCON Conversations 05–13-2026 Read More »

Beef prices are at nose-bleed levels and there is no relief in sight. The pressure comes from a combination of the smallest U.S. cattle herd in decades, border disruptions that have sidelined Mexican feeder cattle, and strong competition for limited supplies all along the supply chain. The result is a market testing how much consumers …

Are Record Beef Prices Creating “Demand Destruction”… or Will More GLP1 Users Keep Demand Supported? Read More »

This is a somewhat long read, but I’ve been spending a ton of time lately thinking about how AI might disrupt agriculture and how many of my ag-related investments could be impacted. I tried to drag together a lot of my thoughts, and I feel like the comparison between AI and the railroad is somewhere …

IMPORTANT to THINK ABOUT – Historical Look At The Railroad… and How AI Might Be Similar Read More »

For most corn, soybean, or wheat growers, soil sampling is one of those necessary evils: you pay good money, wait days or weeks for lab results, and still end up with 2.5-acre grid maps that smooth over real variability and leave money on the table, or worse, in the wrong spot.  TerraBlaster, a startup led …

Mars Rover Tech Hits the Corn Belt: TerraBlaster Brings Real-Time NPK Mapping to Tractor Speed Read More »

NEW FARMCON PODCAST… Kevin Van Trump and Todd Loechler sit down with Joe Sinclair, Founder and CEO, Quality Ag Service of Iowa, to discuss the current crop market conditions, planting concerns, and perhaps more importantly, where fertilizer and input prices might be headed. Joe also provides some valuable insight from the ag retail perspective on …

FARMCON Conversations 05–06-2026 Read More »

Farmers have more technology at their fingertips than ever. Yet, adoption of precision ag and other high-tech solutions remains a lot slower than industry expectations. Some of that may be down to a lack of skilled technicians where they are needed most – rural America. “Questr Automation” wants to change that by training local technicians …

How “Questr Automation” Plans to Turn Agtech Into Local Jobs Read More »

I wanted to share a perspective from Matt Crisp, a friend, entrepreneur, and veteran in the biological crop protection space. Matt, who cofounded Querecus, explains why the current petrochemical crisis is creating a massive strategic premium for the next generation of crop protection tools. His analysis is worth considering for anyone looking to separate short-term …

The Invisible Crisis: Why the Hormuz Shock is Reshaping Crop Protection Read More »

Palantir has won a $300 million contract from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support the National Farm Security Action Plan (NFSAP) and modernize how USDA delivers services to America’s farmers. Palantir’s new deal is set to reshape how farm data is managed, how programs are delivered, and how “farm security” is defined in …

Palantir Looking to Reshape How Farm Data is Managed Read More »

NEW FARMCON PODCAST… Kevin Van Trump and Todd Loechler sit down to discuss their latest moves in the corn, soybean, and wheat markets. Kevin discusses why he likes making backend sales in both corn and wheat, but is a bit more hesitant in the soybean market. There’s some extensive talk about the importance of weather …

FARMCON Conversations 04–29-2026 Read More »