America is losing farms at a rapid pace, but is Big Ag consolidation really to blame?

Stephen Banks, founder of the Farm Security Initiative and a former construction-industry entrepreneur, traveled 10,000 miles across 19 states to investigate the economic pressures reshaping rural America. He c...

Is your farm actually profitable, or are paid-off assets hiding the true cost of doing business?

Damian Mason continues his “Farmer Math” series with a new guest, Chris Barron, to break down three financial fundamentals every farm operator should understand: land, equipment, and return to manage...

Why does agriculture treat farmland and equipment differently than virtually every other business treats its assets?

Illinois farmer and businessman Mark Severson joins Damian Mason to examine “farmer math” — the financial thinking that can distort how producers evaluate assets, capital, depreci...

Beginning September 1 and continuing for 90 days, 300,000 metric tons of lean trim beef will be imported into the U.S. at zero tariff. The policy, recently announced by the Trump administration, is intended to tackle the “affordability” issue facing American consumers. Will it? International Ag c...

American agriculture is not simply working through another commodity cycle. It may be confronting a structural shift in how global agricultural markets, trade, technology, energy, and food demand function.

Geopolitical analyst Jacob Shapiro joins Damian Mason to examine four forces that could re...

Is America really experiencing a K-shaped economy, or has the economic divide become more complicated?

Kansas State University agricultural economist Dr. Brian Briggeman joins Damian Mason to explain why he believes the familiar K-shaped economy may have evolved into something closer to an “E-sh...

Americans consume nearly twice as much honey as they did 30 years ago, yet U.S. beekeepers are facing one of the most challenging periods in the industry's history. Why is demand growing while domestic producers continue to struggle?

Commercial beekeeper and American Beekeeping Federation Vice P...

California produces approximately 80 percent of the world's almonds, making it the global leader in almond production. The industry supports more than 110,000 jobs and contributes roughly $6 billion in annual exports, but profitability has become increasingly difficult.

Oversupply, weak prices, ...

$2.6 billion. That's what U.S. cotton growers stand to lose this year according to USDA, the fifth straight year of red ink for the industry. The Great American Cotton Plan, announced in May 2026, aims to change the economics of American cotton. In short, we’ve lost acres, we’ve lost infrastructu...

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept for agriculture. It is already transforming how farms, agribusinesses, and agricultural professionals make decisions, manage risk, and compete in a rapidly changing global marketplace.

In this episode, Damian Mason welcomes Aidan Connolly, au...

A new study commissioned by the National Corn Growers Association finds that U.S. farmers face substantially higher crop input prices, with some products costing nearly twice as much as comparable inputs in Brazil.

In this episode, Damian Mason speaks with NCGA Chief Economist Krista Swanson abo...

More than 200 million acres of the American South are covered in timber. The South produces one-third of America’s lumber, with paper and cardboard as an important by-product. Bobby Dobson, timber investor and land broker, and Spencer Smith of Saunders Real Estate join Damian Mason to break down ...

Could a new federal tax incentive reshape investment in rural America?

Most agricultural producers, landowners, and agribusiness professionals have never heard of Rural Opportunity Zones, yet this new federal program could unlock billions of dollars in private investment for agriculture and rura...

Americans consume enormous amounts of animal protein every week, but the forces driving demand, pricing, and profitability are often misunderstood. In this episode of The Business of Agriculture, Damian Mason sits down with animal protein analyst Michael DiSabato, founder of Highline Consulting G...

A map went viral on X showing Iowa — one of America's most productive agricultural states — imports 90% of its food. Cue the outrage. Cue the gubernatorial candidates. Cue the narrative that our food system must be broken. But is it? Damian Mason brings back specialty crop grower Steve Strasheim ...

Stanford professor of biology Paul Ehrlich predicted mass starvation, water and food rationing in America and the disappearance of England as a country. His apocalyptic forecast for an overpopulated, food insecure world were laid out in his 1968 book “Population Bomb,” then reiterated over 1,000s...

Agriculture prides itself on resilience, innovation, and hard work. But is the industry as willing to accept feedback as it is to overcome adversity?

In this episode of the Business of Agriculture, Damian Mason is joined by Zach Johnson, better known as the Millennial Farmer, for a candid discus...

Autonomous tractors and robotic farm machinery were supposed to transform American agriculture. So why has adoption been so slow? In this episode of The Business of Agriculture, Damian Mason speaks with Chad Fiechter, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, about the e...

Is American Agriculture too dependent on corn and soybean production? Probably. But what is the reasonable alternative? Business of Agriculture host Damian Mason asks Illinois farmer / businessman Marc Severson and StoneX’s Ryan Moe: Is meaningful US crop diversification actually feasible? The co...

U.S. meat consumption is at a record high despite rising grocery prices, especially for beef. Meanwhile, plant-based meat alternatives continue losing consumer interest and market share. Why are consumers still choosing real meat? Is the demand driven by protein preferences, nutrition trends, the...

Crop input costs are reaching record levels in 2026, putting added pressure on farm profitability and financial viability. In this episode of The Business of Agriculture, Damian Mason is joined by Brian Adams of Life Scientific to discuss how producers can evaluate seed, fungicides, crop protecti...

Bayer and Corteva control a major share of the seed industry, but independent seed companies still have opportunities to compete and win. Damian Mason talks with Bob Miller, founder of Miller Hybrids in Kalona, Iowa, about how small seed companies can succeed through strong genetics, farmer-focus...

American agriculture is changing—quietly in some ways, dramatically in others. The question is not whether the industry will look different in ten years, but who will still be standing when it does.

In this episode, Damian Mason sits down with Scott Sartor of Croptell to unpack the real forces s...