When farmers roll along on their combines or tractors, or meander through their fields, they might want to educate themselves with podcasts addressing innovation, business practices, other farmer stories, and everything in between.
Today, podcasts on farming and agriculture are booming, with some audio projects already in their eighth season. Each podcast has its own angle, from regenerative agriculture to spotlighting women in farming, and they all offer an impressive range of insight into the many nuances of managing a farm.
Mekong Farmer wanted to cut through the chaff to reveal our five picks of the top podcasts on farming and agriculture, along with a top episode we recommend for each podcast.
For those looking to boost revenue: Thriving Farmer Podcast
Ohio farmer Michael Kilpatrick hosts this informative podcast on helpful strategies to grow your farm efficiently. He brings his 20-plus years managing veggie crops to rich discussions with a swath of farmers who share their advice on boosting revenue, navigating wholesale markets and enhancing permaculture practices, to name a few. The Thriving Farmer also dedicates entire episodes to what it takes to grow specific crops, such as cashews, dahlias, and organic almonds.
Recommended Episode: Paul Muller on Organic Farming’s Past, Present and Future
Summary: Guest Paul Muller, co-owner of Full Belly Farm in California, shares his insight on why he leverages cover crops and the resiliency of organic farming.
For those interested in sustainable farming: The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast
An approach that is fast becoming central to the food industry’s sustainability goals, regenerative agriculture is the focus of this podcast available since 2018. Host John Kempf, the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture and Crop Health Labs, interviews farmers and entrepreneurs who have pivoted their agricultural strategies to include regenerative practices, such as transforming arid landscapes and soil regeneration.
Kempf does an excellent job at breaking down some of the headier concepts so that farmers unfamiliar with regenerative ag don’t need to head to Google to understand each guest’s specialty.
Recommended Episode: Transforming Arid Landscapes with Taimur Malik
Summary: Malik, a regenerative farmer in Pakistan, gives his advice on weed management in poor-quality soils, the pros and cons of intercropping and diversification, and what he sees as the economic benefit of running a regenerative farm.
For those who want to go into the economic weeds: The Business of Agriculture Podcast
What sets this podcast apart from others is how its guests discuss the business side of managing a farm. With a charming personality that glows in each episode, host Damian Mason, a business coach and author, brings his extensive knowledge of agriculture into the chats, whether it’s with an economics professor to discuss U.S. agriculture’s financial outlook or a startup founder on developing technology to maximize crop output.
His episodes often riff off what’s making headlines, such as an April episode on assessing the migrant crisis and its potential benefit for farmers. Mason tends to dissect trends that didn’t live up to their potential, such an episode dedicated to analyzing the indoor ag surge (and subsequent fall).
Recommended Episode: A SWOT Analysis for American Agriculture
Summary: What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in modern agriculture? Ryan Moe, member of The Business of Ag Success Group and regional director with financial services company StoneX, goes into challenges facing agriculture, such as how few farmers think from the customers’ perspectives.
For women in farming: Rural Women Podcast
A self-described “city-slicker turned farmer and entrepreneur,” Katelyn Duban interviews women with a passion for agriculture, including farmers and ag experts who share their story on what motivated them to grow crops or tend livestock. With interviews generally focusing on Canadian farmers, Rural Women isn’t shy in taking stock at the emotional layers behind running an agri-business, and the interviewees are open to frankly discuss how they have overcome the many challenges they have endured.
Recommended Episode: When Things Fall Apart: Surviving the Loss of My Husband
Summary: Rebecca tells her story on how she and her husband and children began a 2,000-acre farm but endured the tragedy of her partner’s death. She shares her approach for both emotional and financial recovery, and why she continues to thrive with her farm.
For those on top of the latest farming trends: The Future of Agriculture
This podcast tends to cast a more forward-thinking outlook and delves into some of the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of agriculture. . One conversation will look at where precision agriculture is headed, while another will look at the ROI of investing in biologicals such as biostimulants and biopesticides. Tim Hammerich, a former ag commodity trader turned entrepreneur, has been hosting this podcast since 2016, and takes a hard look at the future of precision agriculture, biologicals and other tech buzzwords in the industry. These episodes are shorter and punchier compared to other podcasts, which encourages guests to jump right into the discussion points instead of spending a majority of the interview sharing their journey into the sector.
Recommended Episode: Is Agtech Entering A GenAI Era? Conversations From World Agri-Tech
Summary: When Hammerich attended World Agri-Tech in San Francisco, he brought along his recording equipment to capture a range of opinions on how AI is shifting the agriculture landscape. Overall, he found that AI represents a dramatic shift in the capabilities farmers have to make data valuable.