AgCast by Purdue Commercial Agriculture

Can AI Actually Help Me Make Smarter Farm Decisions?

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, t

From the Farm to Purdue: What Josh Strine Wants to Understand About Farm 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 th

What TractorZoom's Data Says About the Future of Farm Equipment

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, hos

Phosphate, Supply Chains & the 2027 Fertilizer Shock

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

Why Profitable Farms Still Run Out of Cash

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

Farmer Sentiment Is Falling Amid Higher Input Costs

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 Langemeie

Lessons From the Delta, Part 8: Why Ducks Are More Valuable Than Crops in the Delta

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

Lessons From the Delta, Part 7: How Rice Farmers Cut $31/Acre Water Costs

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

Farm Sentiment Is Up… So Why Are Farmers Still Worried?

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

Lessons From the Delta, Part 6: Farming with No Margin for Error

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 t

Lessons From the Delta, Part 5: Farm Robotics, Labor, and the Future of Field Work

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

Lessons From the Delta, Part 4: Inside the Research Center Driving U.S. Rice Production

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-ser

Lessons From the Delta, Part 3: How Investors Are Buying Farmland

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-s

Producer Sentiment Stabilizes, But Future Expectations Slip | February 2026 Ag Economy Barometer

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 Bar

Lessons From the Delta, Part 2: Land Values, Capital Markets, and the Business of Rice

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 To

Lessons From the Delta, Part 1: What Midwestern Farmers Can Learn From Southern Agriculture

Southern agriculture operates in a very different environment than the Midwest — different crops, different water management systems, different land structures, and diffe

Farmer Sentiment Drops Sharply — What It Signals for Farm Finances in 2026

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 E

When Will Autonomous Farm Equipment Actually Pay?

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 o

Adaptation & Strong Relationships: A Conversation with Ben Brown

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 Commer

Ag Barometer Insights: December 2025 Survey Results

Farmer sentiment dipped slightly in December, with the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropping 3 points to 136. The decline was attributable to a soften