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This episode is my raw take from the Fort Wayne Farm Show. I intended to record more interviews, but the show floor was packed — so instead, I’m sharing what I saw, heard, and felt over three days.

We talk about the WASDE bombshell that set the tone for the week, how farmers are thinking about tightening belts in 2025, what suppliers are saying (and not saying), and whether biologicals have a place in a year of tight margins. I also dig into the gap between precision tech and real-world ROI, the growing skepticism toward USDA reporting, and why the pork industry currently looks a whole lot more optimistic than the crop side.

If you're trying to farm smart in a year of cautious spending and uncertain markets, this one’s worth a listen.

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Join Jim at the Fort Wayne Farm Show for an energizing conversation with Mary Marsh Heigele from New Ag Supply in North Central Kansas. Mary brings a unique perspective on agriculture, having grown up in California's almond country and now farming wheat, corn, and cattle in Kansas with her husband Hayden.

In this episode, we explore:

• How New Ag Supply ships replacement planter parts nationwide (yes, even to Alaska and Hawaii!)
• Staying optimistic during challenging commodity prices
• Direct-to-consumer beef marketing as farm diversification
• Using your own corn to feed cattle as a value-added opportunity
• Cover crops as a gateway to thinking outside the traditional row crop box
• Off-farm income through photography and videography
• Real-world examples of farm diversification beyond the traditional corn-soy-wheat rotation

Mary shares honest insights about the current agricultural climate across the country and encourages farmers to explore diversification opportunities - whether that's different crops, livestock, or even leveraging skills like photography to support the farm operation.

Contact New Ag Supply:

• Website: newagsupply.com
• Phone: 620-938-7009
• Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Whether you're looking for quality replacement planter parts or inspiration to diversify your operation, this episode delivers practical ideas and genuine conversation about agriculture today.

#Agriculture #FarmDiversification #DirectToConsumer #CoverCrops #FarmBusiness #PatroPondering

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In this episode, Jim talks with Aaron Kuhn, Regional Manager with Poet Biorefining in Portland, Indiana, about market realities facing farmers as they head into the 2026 crop year. Coming off a sharp USDA report and entering the spring crop insurance pricing window, corn marketing decisions are getting tight — especially in the Eastern Corn Belt.

Aaron breaks down what he’s seeing in the countryside on old crop vs. new crop movement, why January–February brings forced sales due to cash flow, and how basis is behaving across Ohio and Indiana after a year of mixed yields. They also dig into how exports, the Brazil safrinha crop, and southeast feed demand influence local basis strength.

Jim and Aaron also tackle one of the biggest points of confusion in the market right now — the 45Z biofuel credit. Aaron explains why 45Z currently benefits biofuel plants but isn’t yet flowing value back to farmers, what’s holding up climate-smart scoring, and why sustainability incentives are still worth tracking.

Aaron closes with pragmatic advice for 2026: know your true cost of production, don’t fall asleep during potential rallies, and use target orders rather than emotional marketing.