AgCast by Purdue Commercial Agriculture

Buying more farmland is a common way to grow a farming operation. But with tight crop margins, high land values and borrowing costs, is it always the best path to profitability?

On this AgCast episode, hosts Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe are joined by Nick Paulson of the University of Illinois Farmdoc team for a conversation with Matt and Darin Riggs, the farming brothers behind Riggs Beer Company in Urbana, Illinois.

When their father told them the family’s 300-acre farm wasn’t big enough to support the next generation, they decided to find another way. Their answer was unconventional: build a brewery around the grain they grow.

The brothers share how they turned that idea into a business, prepared themselves before making the investment, and built a model that creates another market for their grain. They also explain why they refused to put the family farmland up as collateral, how they learned to grow without overextending, and why they believe making their existing acres more profitable can be a better strategy than simply adding more land.

In this conversation:

•

Why buying more acres isn’t the only path to farm growth

•

How diversification can create new opportunities for farm income

•

Turning a commodity crop into a differentiated, value-added product

•

Protecting the farm while financing a new business

•

Why a strong business plan, industry experience and learning from others matter

•

How the brothers think about risk, cash flow and sustainable growth

•

What other farmers can learn from doing things differently

When margins are tight, the standard answer isn’t always the best answer. The Riggs brothers’ experience offers a practical look at thinking beyond the usual playbook and finding ways to make the farm you have more profitable.

Listen in and consider: What opportunities could help your operation capture more value without simply taking on more land and debt?

AgCast is a podcast from the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture, bringing commercial farmers and agribusiness professionals insights on the decisions shaping farm profitability and the agricultural economy.

What if you could give AI years of your farm’s data and ask it to challenge the decisions you’re making?

Joe Dykhuis, President at Dykhuis Farms in Hamilton, Michigan, took that question seriously.

After Chad Fiechter challenged the idea that AI would change much about farm management, Joe decided to build his own farm-management AI tool using Purdue farm management materials and Dykhuis Farms' production and financial data.

What happened next surprised Chad and Todd.

Joe explains how AI challenged assumptions in a major capital investment decision, acted as an “adversarial checker,” and analyzed about 10 years of hog-loading data in minutes. It also identified patterns involving weather, cleanout timing, labor and logistics that would have taken far more time to uncover using traditional analysis.

AI is only as useful as the data, context and management fundamentals behind it.

Joe, Chad and Todd talk about what this means for farmers, where AI can actually save time, why “truth sources” matter, and whether the future of farm decision-making might be less about building the perfect spreadsheet and more about building your own tools as you need them.

This isn't a conversation about replacing farm managers with AI. It’s about whether AI can become another tool that helps farmers ask better questions, examine their assumptions and make more informed decisions.

In this episode:

• How Joe built an AI tool around real farm data
• Using AI to challenge a major capital investment decision
• What 10 years of hog-load data revealed
• Why good data and farm-management fundamentals still matter
• How AI can connect information that wasn't originally collected for analysis
• What farmers should think about before turning AI loose on their own data

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast for research-based conversations that help commercial farmers and agribusiness professionals make better management decisions.

How do farmers make decisions—and what can the growing amount of data generated on farms tell us about those decisions?

If you've followed Purdue's Crop Basis Tool or the Center's monthly basis updates, you've probably already heard from Josh Strine. After completing his PhD at Purdue, Josh is staying with the Center for Commercial Agriculture as a postdoc, where he'll continue working on extension tools and research involving farm markets, technology and agricultural finance.

In this episode, Josh talks about his path from growing up on a corn and soybean farm in central Ohio to agricultural economics and Purdue. He also explains what he hopes to explore next—including a question that connects his experience on the farm with his research interests: why do farmers make the decisions they make, and what can we learn by combining agronomic information, farm-level data and economics?

Josh, Chad and Todd also discuss precision-ag data, agricultural technology, farm lending, extension and what it means to move from a PhD student into a research role.

And, of course, there's a little time for Todd and Chad to get Josh off track.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast for monthly conversations about the decisions, markets and issues shaping commercial agriculture.

Farm equipment markets are constantly changing, but what can auction data tell us about where agriculture is headed?

In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, hosts Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe are joined by Andy Campbell, Director of Insights at Tractor Zoom, to discuss how data is reshaping equipment markets and the decisions farmers make every day.

The conversation explores what drives equipment values, how auction trends reflect broader economic conditions, the growing role of artificial intelligence in agriculture, and why the next generation of farm machinery may look very different from today's fleets.

Whether you're evaluating your next equipment purchase, watching machinery values, or simply interested in where agricultural technology is headed, this episode offers practical insights grounded in real-world data.

In this episode:

•

How TractorZoom collects and analyzes equipment market data

•

What influences used equipment values

•

What today's equipment market says about the farm economy

•

How AI is changing agriculture and equipment businesses

•

Why autonomous machinery could transform farming over the next 20 years

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast for research-based conversations that help commercial farmers and agribusiness professionals make better management decisions.

AgCast is back — with new vigor but the same goal: bringing farmers and agricultural leaders together for conversations about the ideas, businesses, and decisions shaping the future of agriculture.

In the first episode of the new season of AgCast, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe sit down with Hunter Swisher, CEO and founder of Phospholutions, to explore one of the most important — and least understood — challenges facing modern agriculture: phosphate fertilizer.

Phosphorus is essential for crop production, but it’s also a finite resource controlled by a handful of countries around the world. As fertilizer prices remain a major concern for farmers, this conversation breaks down what’s happening behind the scenes — from phosphate mining and global shipping routes to fertilizer production, supply chain disruptions, and what it could mean for farmers heading into future growing seasons.

Hunter explains how Phospholutions is working to improve phosphate fertilizer efficiency, why traditional MAP and DAP fertilizers lose much of their value after application, and how new technology could help farmers produce more with fewer inputs.

Chad and Todd also discuss:
• Why fertilizer supply chains are more complicated than most farmers realize
• How global events can impact input availability and prices on the farm
• Why fertilizer innovation has been slower than other areas of agriculture
• What farmers should understand about phosphate availability heading into 2027
• The future of ag technology, startups, and solving problems across the food system

AgCast brings farmers and agricultural leaders together for conversations about the ideas, businesses, and decisions shaping the future of agriculture.

Topics: fertilizer prices, phosphate fertilizer, MAP fertilizer, DAP fertilizer, farm inputs, agriculture supply chains, crop production, ag technology, farm profitability

Margins are tighter. Interest costs are higher. And many farms are discovering that profitability and cash flow are not the same thing.

In this episode of the Commercial AgCast, Chad Fiechter and Josh Strine sit down with John Maman of Nutrien Financial to talk about how strong operations manage cash flow, financing, operating lines, and input decisions in today’s farm economy.

This conversation goes beyond interest rates and loans. It focuses on the real financial decisions affecting:

• operating flexibility
• growth opportunities
• input purchases
• working capital
• profitability under pressure

You’ll learn:

• Why some profitable farms still struggle with cash
• How large operations think differently about financing
• When financing creates flexibility — and when it doesn’t
• The relationship between agronomy and profitability
• Why trusted advisors matter more during tight margins
• How farmers can reduce financial pressure without sacrificing productivity

John also shares insights from his background in agronomy, ag retail, and agricultural finance — along with practical ways growers can think more strategically about cash management during difficult cycles.

If you’re making crop input decisions, managing operating debt, or preparing for tighter margins ahead, this episode will help you think differently about the business side of farming.

Farmer sentiment declined in April—the pressure on the farm economy is intensifying.

In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, Joana Colussi and Michael Langemeier break down the April 2026 Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. Rising input costs, increasing concern about fertilizer availability, and global uncertainty tied to geopolitical conflict all contributed to a drop in sentiment.

Tighter margins, rising break-even costs, and weaker financial expectations are beginning to influence how farmers approach investment, growth, and risk management heading into 2026.

More importantly, these signals highlight how producers are shifting from cautious optimism to a more defensive posture.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What’s driving the recent decline in farmer sentiment
• How fertilizer prices and input availability are impacting decisions
• Why 2/3 of farmers expect lower income in 2026
• What rising break-even prices mean for crop profitability
• Why farmers are pulling back on machinery and capital investments
• The widening gap between crop and livestock outlooks
• How tight margins are influencing cash flow and strategy
• What’s shaping farmland value expectations
• Why confidence in the broader U.S. economy is slipping

📊 Read the full Ag Economy Barometer report:
https://purdue.ag/barometer127

—

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

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Lessons From the Delta continues — and this time, the conversation turns to an unexpected connection between rice farming, water management, and wildlife.

In the 8th and final episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe travel to eastern Arkansas to explore how rice production systems intersect with conservation—and why organizations like Ducks Unlimited are working directly with farmers.

What starts as a discussion about rice fields quickly expands into a deeper look at water use, groundwater depletion, and how wildlife habitat can create additional economic value on farmland.

The conversation explores:

• Why rice fields function as surrogate wetlands for waterfowl
• How duck hunting and recreation influence land values in the Delta
• The scale of water use in rice production—and why it matters
• How farmers are adapting to groundwater decline with new practices
• The tradeoffs between yield, water efficiency, and management complexity
• Why agriculture in the Delta requires a fundamentally different system approach

With water becoming an increasingly binding constraint, this episode highlights how farmers are balancing productivity, conservation, and long-term sustainability—and what that means for the future of agriculture.

We’ll continue sharing video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the Arkansas trip on our YouTube channel throughout the series.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series.

Learn more about Ducks Unlimited: https://www.ducks.org/

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

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Lessons From the Delta continues — this time from the edge of a 120-acre on-farm reservoir.

In Part 7 of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe visit a rice farm in Arkansas to understand how farmers are managing water, labor, and costs in ways that look very different from the Midwest.

What starts as a farm tour turns into a practical discussion about irrigation strategy, groundwater replacement, and the economics behind building large on-farm reservoirs.

The conversation also covers:

• How farmers can save up to $31 per acre by pumping surface water instead of groundwater
• Why reservoirs reduce energy costs and improve water temperature for crop performance
• Capturing and recycling nutrients through tailwater recovery systems
• The tradeoff between taking land out of production and lowering long-term costs
• How pump automation reduces labor needs and improves quality of life
• Why water management is becoming a central constraint in modern farming systems

This episode builds on earlier conversations in the Delta series and brings the focus directly to how farmers are making real-world management decisions under different constraints.

We’ll continue sharing video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the Arkansas trip on our YouTube channel throughout the series.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series.

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast

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Farmer sentiment improved in March—but the underlying pressures in the farm economy haven’t gone away.

In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, Joana Colussi and Michael Langemeier break down the March 2026 Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. Despite rising input costs and global uncertainty tied to geopolitical conflict, farmer sentiment moved higher—driven in part by stronger crop prices and government payments.

But the improvement comes with important caveats.

Tight margins, rising breakeven costs, and shifting risk priorities are shaping how farmers approach investment, production, and long-term strategy.

More importantly, these signals highlight how producers are balancing short-term optimism with longer-term uncertainty.

In this episode, we discuss:
• What’s driving the recent increase in farmer sentiment
• How $35/acre payments and higher corn prices are influencing outlook
• Why only 4% of farmers plan to increase machinery purchases
• How rising input costs are impacting breakeven prices and profitability
• Why financial risk has overtaken marketing risk for many farms
• What farmers expect for inflation and interest rates in the year ahead
• How solar leasing is evolving across regions and land markets
• What’s driving farmland value expectations in 2026

📊 Read the full Ag Economy Barometer report:
https://purdue.ag/barometer126

—

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
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Lessons From the Delta continues — this time from the perspective of farmers managing one of the most intensive production systems in U.S. agriculture.

In Episode 6 of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe visit with Terry and Trent Dabs of LTD Farms near Stuttgart, Arkansas, to discuss what it takes to operate a rice-based farming system in the Mississippi Delta.

What emerges is a detailed look at a production environment shaped by water management, labor demands, and capital intensity—where daily decisions around irrigation, equipment, and timing carry significant economic consequences.

The conversation also discusses:

• Why rice production requires constant water management and monitoring
• How labor constraints shape daily operations and long-term strategy
• The impact of intensive field conditions on machinery and capital decisions
• How rice is marketed and how payment differs from corn and soybeans
• The role of global markets in determining profitability

As Delta farmers navigate a system defined by irrigation dependence and production intensity, the discussion raises important questions:
What does it take to manage risk in a high-cost production system?
How do labor and water constraints shape farm structure?
And what lessons apply beyond the Delta?

This episode builds on earlier conversations about production systems and farmland economics, and brings the focus directly to the farm level.

We’ll also continue sharing video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the Arkansas trip on our YouTube channel throughout the series.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series.

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast

Follow us:
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Lessons From the Delta continues — this time with an unexpected conversation about farm robotics.

In Episode 5 of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe meet Sarah Hinkley, CEO and co-founder of Barn Owl Precision Ag, during a chance stop at a farm in Arkansas.

What begins as a serendipitous encounter turns into a discussion about labor shortages, farm profitability, and how automation is being applied in real-world field conditions.

The conversation also discusses:

• The economic pressure driving labor-saving technologies
• How autonomous “nano tractors” are designed for precision tasks
• The shift from large equipment to networks of smaller machines
• Challenges in scaling robotics across different environments
• Opportunities to reduce chemical inputs through precision weeding

As labor constraints and cost pressures continue to shape farm decisions, technologies like this raise important questions:
What does practical automation look like on the farm?
How quickly can these tools scale?
And where do they fit in existing production systems?

This episode builds on earlier discussions of production systems and research infrastructure, and sets up a return to the farm level in the next episode.

We’ll also continue sharing video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the Arkansas trip on our YouTube channel throughout the series.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series.

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast

Follow us:
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Lessons From the Delta continues — this time with a look at the research and infrastructure behind rice production.

In Episode 4 of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe visit the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center in Arkansas to understand how research, water management, and production systems come together in one of the most concentrated rice-growing regions in the United States.

Arkansas produces nearly half of U.S. long grain rice — and a significant share of that production comes from just a few counties surrounding this station. That makes decisions around irrigation, variety selection, and weed control especially important.

The conversation also discusses:

• Why rice production is highly location-dependent
• How groundwater constraints are shaping irrigation strategies
• The role of research centers in testing varieties and production systems
• Differences between flooded rice and row rice systems
• Why weed pressure in rice is fundamentally different from corn and soybeans
• The labor and management intensity required to grow rice

While the crops may differ, the underlying questions remain familiar:
How do you manage risk in a highly specialized system?
How do resource constraints shape production decisions?
And how does research translate into on-farm profitability?

This episode builds on earlier discussions of rice economics and processing, and sets up upcoming conversations on automation and farm-level decision-making in the Delta.

We’ll also continue sharing video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the Arkansas trip on our YouTube channel throughout the series.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series.

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast

Follow us:
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Lessons From the Delta continues — this time focusing on how farmland moves from farmers to investors and back again.

In Episode 3 of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe speak with Colson Tester of AcreTrader about how farmland investment platforms identify properties, evaluate land values, and structure investments for accredited investors.

While farmland has long attracted institutional capital, platforms like AcreTrader are opening the door for retail investors to participate in agricultural land ownership. But farmland investing works differently than most asset classes — deals are often sourced locally, data can be limited, and success depends heavily on working with the farmers operating the land.

The conversation explores:

• How farmland investment platforms source and evaluate farms
• Why buying land at or below market value is critical for long-term returns
• How farms are structured as investment offerings for retail investors
• Typical hold periods and expected return targets for farmland investments
• Why many farmland acquisitions involve sale-leaseback arrangements with operators

During the trip, the group also visited one of the first farms AcreTrader acquired in the Mississippi Delta and discussed how leasing structures, irrigation systems, and local production practices influence farmland values in the region.

As previous episodes in the series have shown, Delta agriculture operates within a different production system — one heavily dependent on irrigation infrastructure and specialized crop rotations. Those same factors also influence how farmland is evaluated as an investment asset.

While the production systems may differ from the Midwest, the strategic questions remain familiar:
How should farmland be valued?
What drives long-term land appreciation?
And how does capital access shape farm growth and business decisions?

This episode builds on the earlier conversations in the series and sets up upcoming discussions on irrigation systems, water management, and how those investments influence farm productivity and land values.

We’ll also continue sharing video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the Arkansas trip on our YouTube channel throughout the series.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series.

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast

Follow us:
X: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg
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In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, Joana Colussi and Michael Langemeier break down results from the February 2026 Purdue University–CME Group Ag Economy Barometer.

The overall barometer rose modestly to 116, driven by improved current conditions. However, the Index of Future Expectations slipped, reflecting continued caution among producers. Crop producers remain under financial pressure, while livestock producers—especially cattle operations—report stronger optimism.

In this episode, we discuss:

•

Why 63% of producers expect bad financial times ahead for crops

•

Continued strength in cattle and livestock sentiment

•

Why nearly 70% say it’s a bad time to invest in machinery

•

How producers plan to use Farmer Bridge Assistance Payments

•

Rising importance of trade policy in farm decision-making

•

Farmland value expectations and what they signal for balance sheets

•

Farm growth, consolidation, and generational transition trends

What do these shifts in sentiment mean for 2026 decision-making?

Listen in for insights and implications for commercial farms.

Full Ag Economy Barometer report:
👉 https://purdue.ag/agbarometer

The Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey.

For more farm management content, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
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#Purdue #AgBarometer #FarmManagement #FarmEconomy #AgOutlook #AgEconomy #Agriculture

Lessons From the Delta continues — but this time, the focus shifts from fields to finance.

In Episode 2 of the Purdue Commercial AgCast mini-series, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe sit down with Aaron Shew of Acres to explore how farmland is valued, how capital moves through the Delta, and why agricultural land markets are more complex than most producers realize.

Unlike residential real estate, there is no “Zestimate” for farmland. In many counties, fewer than 10 land transactions occur each year — yet prices can shift 5–10% annually. That creates real challenges for lenders, brokers, investors, and farmers trying to make long-term capital decisions.

The conversation also discusses:

• Why agricultural land data is fragmented and difficult to combine
• How lenders and investment firms evaluate farmland purchases
• The role of mortgage data and transaction history
• What rice farmers are actually paid for — and why it’s different from corn and soybeans
• How milling yield introduces another layer of risk

As the Delta’s irrigation-dependent system shows, land values, water access, and milling economics stack together to create a very different capital structure than what most Midwest producers experience.

While the crops may differ, the business questions are familiar:
How do you value long-term assets in volatile markets?
How does capital flow shape farm strategy?
And how does payment structure influence risk?

This episode builds on Part 1 and sets up upcoming conversations on irrigation automation and capital investment decisions in the Delta.

We’ll also be sharing additional video clips and behind-the-scenes content from the trip on our YouTube channelthroughout the series.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series.

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast

Follow us:
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Southern agriculture operates in a very different environment than the Midwest — different crops, different water management systems, different land structures, and different production risks. But there are powerful lessons for commercial grain producers everywhere.

In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, we launch a new mini-series: Lessons From the Delta. After traveling to Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta region, Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe share what stood out most about crop diversity, irrigation intensity, farm structure, and regional economics.

From rice and cotton production to groundwater dependence and large-scale irrigation systems, this discussion explores how southern farmers manage risk differently than Midwest corn and soybean producers. The episode also highlights how climate, infrastructure, export access, and conservation programs shape long-term farm strategy in the Delta.

While production practices may differ, the business questions are familiar:
• How do you manage tight margins?
• How do you think about long-term water access?
• What does scale look like in a different production system?
• And what can Midwest farmers learn from a region built around irrigation?

This episode sets the stage for upcoming interviews with producers, researchers, Extension leaders, and conservation organizations across the Delta region.

We’ll also be sharing additional video clips and behind-the-scenes content from the trip on our YouTube channelthroughout the series.

Subscribe to the Purdue Commercial AgCast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes in the Lessons From the Delta series.

For more farm management resources, visit:
👉 https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to the podcast:
👉 https://purdue.ag/agcast

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#Purdue #FarmManagement #AgEconomy #Agriculture #Irrigation #Rice #Cotton

Farmer sentiment dropped sharply to start 2026, reflecting growing economic concerns across U.S. agriculture. But beyond the headline decline in the Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, this episode focuses on what the shift signals for farm financial stress, investment decisions, and risk management in the year ahead.

In this Purdue Commercial AgCast episode, Michael Langemeier reviews the January survey results and explains the forces behind the drop in producer sentiment. Financial pressure appears to be building, as more producers report tighter cash flow, increased operating loan needs, and a growing share of loans tied to unpaid carryover debt. At the same time, machinery investment plans are slowing, and more farmers expect challenging conditions for U.S. agriculture over the next five years.

Export concerns—especially related to soybean competitiveness with Brazil—also weighed on expectations. While short-term farmland value expectations remain steady, strong land values are supporting balance sheets even as margins stay tight due to high input costs and lower output prices. The episode highlights the contrast between stable asset values and stressed cash flow, a key theme shaping the farm financial outlook.

This discussion goes beyond the numbers to focus on the implications for farm businesses and what producers should be watching as 2026 unfolds.

Full Ag Economy Barometer report: 👉 https://purdue.ag/agbarometer

The Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey.

For farm management content, visit: https://purdue.ag/commercialag

Subscribe to audio: https://purdue.ag/agcast

Socials: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg, https://www.facebook.com/PUCommercialAg

#Purdue #AgBarometer #FarmManagement #FarmEconomy #AgOutlook

Are autonomous tractors and farm automation actually cost-effective? In this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast, Chad Fiechter and Josh Strine discuss new research on the economics of large-scale autonomous farm machinery and what it means for machinery investment and labor strategy on commercial corn and soybean farms. The results show that under today’s performance and cost levels, most farms aren’t yet in the economic “ballpark” for autonomy — helping producers understand when it could make sense and when it likely doesn’t.

The conversation covers machinery efficiency, hardware and software costs, labor wages, and equipment operating hours, along with how these factors affect profitability in whole-farm systems. It also explores where autonomous equipment might work first — including labor-constrained farms, expansion situations, and specific field operations — and how future improvements in technology could shift the outlook.

📄 Research article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2025.101599
🌐 Article summary: https://purdue.ag/3Ze0oir
🌐 Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture: http://purdue.edu/commercialag

📝 Transcript: https://purdue.ag/3ObvyET
🎧 Subscribe to audio: https://purdue.ag/agcast

#AutonomousFarming #FarmManagement #AgTechnology #Purdue #AgriculturalEconomics #CommercialAgriculture

Adaptability and strong relationships are becoming just as important as yields and costs in today’s farm economy—and that’s the focus of this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast. Chad Fiechter is joined by Ben Brown of the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), along with guest hosts, graduate students Avery Pound and Jonah Armstrong, for a conversation that builds on Brown’s recent presentation at the Purdue Top Farmer Conference.

Following his talk on the long-term outlook for corn and soybean markets, Brown expands the discussion to explore how global economic conditions, energy markets, and commodity pricing trends influence farm profitability over time. While cotton is used as a case study in parts of the conversation, the focus remains on broader lessons that apply across crop and livestock operations, including long-run decision-making, strategic partnerships, and how changes in capital and land ownership are reshaping agriculture. The episode highlights why understanding market signals—and building the right relationships—matters for farmers navigating uncertainty and positioning their operations for the future.