Read Full Transcript
Mike Howell (00:08):
The Dirt, with me, Mike Howell, an eKonomics podKast, where I present the down-and-dirty agronomic science to help grow crops and bottom lines. Inspired by eKonomics.com, farming’s go-to informational resource, I’m here to break down the latest crop nutrition research, news, and issues helping farmers make better business decisions through actionable insights. Let’s dig in.
(00:39):
Well, hello again everyone. Welcome back to this week’s episode of The Dirt. Now, last week we promised you that we were going to be at Indianapolis. We were going to have something new and exciting. We were going to have some different guests with you this week. And here we are actually in the hauler of AJ Allmendinger, the driver of the number 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions race car. AJ, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to visit with us for a few minutes today.
AJ Allmendinger (01:00):
Well, you really just let everybody down, huh? You got them all excited that they’re going to have somebody special and then you intro me.
Mike Howell (01:05):
Well, how can it be any more special than the guy that won this race last year? We’ve been excited all year knowing that we were going to get to come back to Indianapolis. And watch you take a few laps on this oval, not the oval course, the road course here again this year.
AJ Allmendinger (01:18):
We use some of the oval. We use portions of it. But, yeah, Indy doesn’t matter to me if it’s the oval, the road course, just racing in Indianapolis is special, I think, for everybody. For me it’s ultra special, and this is a place I grew up wanting to race at, and always dreamed of being able to kiss the bricks and have an opportunity to win a race here.
(01:39):
Back about nine years ago, I thought it was going to be the Indy 500 I was leading and my seat belts came undone. So I kind of thought maybe that that was the one opportunity that I was going to get. So to be able to win the Cup race here last year was a moment I had dreamed of. And to this day, every time I think about it, rewatch it, I get chills. And to be back here as the defending champion is pretty special. So hopefully we can do it again.
Mike Howell (02:03):
We’re looking forward to it. Have you had a chance to get on the track yet this weekend?
AJ Allmendinger (02:06):
Not yet. So as we record this, we just getting ready for practice and qualifying in the Xfinity car. The Cup car will be tomorrow. So we’ll kind of have a general idea by Saturday afternoon what we look like in both series. The way these weekends go now, practices are very short, so there’s not a lot you can do to the race car. So it’s really important to unload at least fairly fast. There’s only small changes that we can make.
(02:32):
So we’ve done our homework, we’ve done a lot of work to prepare for this race. Last year we were pretty good, obviously, won the Cup race. Brand new car this year though, the Xfinity car, we finished second. We’re really fast, but have worked hard to try to update our race cars and make them faster. So hopefully, we got speed.
Mike Howell (02:46):
I’m sure you do. We’re looking forward to an exciting weekend. You know mentioned growing up, this was one of your favorite racetracks. Wanted to race here and win here. I grew up a race fan. I was a Dale Earnhardt fan my whole life, and we always had the one guy we wanted to cheer for and that’s who I wanted to cheer for. So who did you grow up watching? Who did you want to win every race?
AJ Allmendinger (03:05):
So you’ll probably dislike me for this, but I was all Jeff Gordon. That was it. Jeff Gordon was the man to me. The first Brickyard 400, I remember as a kid watching that race and being so happy when he won the race. So for me, Jeff Gordon and NASCAR was great, but my dad was a dirt racer in California and we love sprint car racing, World of Outlaws, any type of sprint car racing. So that’s where my love of Jeff Gordon really started was watching him on Thursday and Saturday Night Thunder on ESNP, and just how young he was and going out there and be able to wheel race cars like he did. So as he went into NASCAR, just, I stayed a huge fan of his.
Mike Howell (03:43):
Well you pegged it just right. Dale Earnhardt was the man and Jeff Gordon was the one we always wanted to hate. Whatever happened, as long as Earnhardt finished ahead of Jeff Gordon, it was okay. It was a good weekend. So AJ, we’ve been talking about racing. We’re glad you’re driving the Nutrien Ag Solutions car this week, and taking ESN for a ride too. How is the road course different than driving a regular oval? I mean, I know you have to make some left-hand turns in there, right-hand turns and go back and forth. How’s that different?
AJ Allmendinger (04:07):
Yeah, I mean, I think the oval is just generally, especially around Indy in a stock car, it’s a lot of finesse. It’s very critical and it’s the same on the road course, but it’s very critical on the oval to have your setup right. I think a driver on the road courses can do more, if you’re struggling. You still got to have a fast race car to go up there and win the race, but the way you’re braking techniques are, and especially a big stock car, just the momentum that you use through the corners, a driver can adapt to it and try to help himself out in the car, especially, if he’s struggling.
(04:39):
Around the oval, I mean, if you don’t have a good car, there’s not a lot you can do. The corners are so fast, they’re narrow, obviously, but they’re quick. So if the car is not handling to where you want it to be, it’s just, there’s not much you can do. I’ve been on both ends of the oval on that side of it. I’ve had a really good car and it just doesn’t feel like you’re even working that hard. It just kind of flows. I’ve also been where you’re struggling, it’s like you can’t even get out of the way. It’s so difficult.
(05:05):
So on a road course, that’s what I’ve grown up doing, I just feel like you can make a little bit more of a difference, but at the end of the day, you still have to have a fast race car, execute the race to give yourself a shot to win.
Mike Howell (05:16):
Okay. Well, AJ, I know you’ve got a lot to do. It’s about time to get out there for practice and qualifying. We appreciate you taking time to visit with us today. Before I let you go, well, one serious question, if you would tell our listeners what you think agriculture is, your view of agriculture?
AJ Allmendinger (05:31):
I mean, for me, this has been a great partnership to be a part of Nutrien Ag Solutions. By no means, I’m not a farmer. I didn’t even know much about it. My wife actually knows a lot more about it. She’s from Nebraska, she grew up kind of being around farms and things like that. So I have loved this partnership to try to get a better understanding of what all the farmers do for us in the world.
(05:54):
And they provide so much of our food that goes throughout this world, the livelihood that they bring, the economy that they bring, and just all around what it does to help our environment. So that is something that I’ve truly enjoyed and hopefully can continue to learn more and more of what farmers and agricultural in general allow us to do. Because at the end of the day, I think if you’re not part of that industry or even around farming, you don’t realize how important it is to our world. So this is something that I’ve truly enjoyed, and hopefully I keep learning about and moving forward with this partnership.
Mike Howell (06:32):
Okay, thanks a lot AJ. Good luck this weekend.
(06:39):
Welcome back to The Dirt. It’s Saturday here at the races. We have the INDY race going on right now and we’re all getting excited waiting on the Xfinity Series race. AJ Allmendinger did get on the pole yesterday. We’re really excited to root AJ home. Hopefully, we can get a victory in the race today.
(06:56):
Now we’re in the suite here with the Nutrien AG Solutions group. We’re fortunate today we have the six officers with the National FFA here with us today. If you will, I’m going to pass the mic around and let everybody introduce your yourself, tell where you’re from and what office you hold.
Courtney Zimmerman (07:10):
I’m Courtney Zimmerman, currently serving as the National FFA Central Region Vice President, originally from the state of Wisconsin.
Eric Robinson (07:16):
I’m Eric Robinson, serving as the National Southern Region Vice President, from the state of Georgia.
Mallory White (07:20):
I’m Mallory White, serving as the Eastern Region Vice President this year, from Kentucky.
Jackson Sylvester (07:24):
I’m Jackson Sylvester. I’m currently serving as the National FFA Secretary, and I’m from the state of Delaware.
Josiah Cruikshank (07:30):
I’m Josiah Cruikshank from the state of Oregon, currently serving as the Western Region Vice President.
Cole Baerlocher (07:34):
My name is Cole Baerlocher. I’m from the state of Washington, and I’m currently serving as the National FFA President.
Mike Howell (07:40):
Thanks guys. We really appreciate y’all joining us today. I hope you’re having a good time. We’re all y’all race fans before you got here today? Or is this something new for everybody?
Courtney Zimmerman (07:48):
I’m pretty sure this is pretty new for every single one of us. Mr. Jackson’s a little more well versed than some of us, but we’re excited to be here representing the FFA, and here with Nutrien Ag.
Mike Howell (07:58):
I know y’all all come from different backgrounds, different areas of the country. Are all of y’all from farm backgrounds or some of y’all not even have a farm background at all?
Eric Robinson (08:06):
We’re from a pretty diverse background, some of us coming from ag backgrounds, from example, Mallory White from an ag background. But I personally am not from an ag background. I’m from Savannah, Georgia, but I’ve gained a lot of respect for the ag industry and production agriculture through having teammates like Mallory and teammates like Jackson, who worked on a dairy farm and lived on a dairy farm for a good bit. And even the Courtney, who also had some bag background knowledge, along with Cole. Wow, it might just be me, but we had a really diverse background. I don’t, but I have a lot of respect for it.
Mike Howell (08:33):
A lot of our listeners have probably heard of FFA and kind of know what FFA is, but I know there’s a lot more to it than a lot of people realize. Tell us what FFA is and what all young people could do in FFA.
Mallory White (08:44):
FFA is an intracurricular youth organization for students. So that means that to be an FFA member to be in our organization, a student has to be involved and enrolled in an agriculture education course in either middle school or high school, right now. And so we offer a complete model education to our students, letting them get classroom experience, experiential learning in a workplace, completing a supervised agriculture experience project of their choice.
(09:10):
And then FFA is where students are able to gain leadership skills and experiences through competing in different career development events, leadership development events, and participating in different conferences that our organization offers to its members. So we offer our students the leadership element of their complete model of education that they’re getting through agriculture education.
Mike Howell (09:28):
Okay, great. Well, I didn’t have the opportunity to participate in FFA growing up. I was in 4-H and did a lot of projects in 4-H. I know the organizations are really similar. Tell us a little bit about some of the projects that you can do in FFA, some of the contests you can compete in.
Jackson Sylvester (09:43):
So for me, I had a very similar story. I did grow up doing 4-H before I was an FFA member. One of the things that really sticks out to me and some of my favorite experiences through FFA most definitely were some of the events I got to travel to, the people that I got to meet, and overall the competitions that you had a chance to do.
(09:59):
I know probably my favorite competition I ever did was dairy judging. I have a dairy background, that is where I come from, and that’s where my roots are in agriculture. But it wasn’t until I got to participate in dairy evaluation that I really dove into that industry and all that it truly had to offer.
(10:14):
So the competitions were a big piece for me, but I think another thing that really just continues to grow my love for the organization was my experiences that I had attending different conferences, and especially national convention. I’ve been very fortunate to attend multiple national conventions and having the opportunity to not only connect with industry individuals and supporters of the organization. But also, to be able to watch those national officers from a member’s perspective and truly feel how it did make a true impact on my life and motivated me to continue through the organization, is definitely something really special that I think we offer through FFA.
Mike Howell (10:47):
I know the FFA colors are blue and gold. Can you tell us a little bit about what those colors mean and what they signify?
Josiah Cruikshank (10:52):
Definitely, so our national FFA colors, officially, are national blue and corn gold. Both them represent the unity that we have across our nation. So national blue, FFA is a national organization. It covers all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We have 735,038 members as of last year. This year we’re looking to grow to over 840,000 across all of those 52 state associations. And one crop that’s grown in all of those places is corn. And so corn gold for that crop that brings us all together.
Mike Howell (11:25):
Okay. And tell us a little bit about what the FFA motto is and what that means.
Jackson Sylvester (11:31):
The FFA motto’s pretty simple. It is learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, living to serve. And that really encompasses what we as FFA members believe should be our primary focus when we look at the activities, the events, the experiences that we’re gaining. Learning to do, that’s what our organization is about, is providing experiences where students learn skills that are tangible and applicable, things that are going to better them in the future.
(11:55):
Doing to learn, we want to seek to understand, look for solutions, find answers to our questions. We want to learn through everything we do.
(12:02):
And then earning to live, like I said, it goes back to that career readiness. That’s what our organization is so proud of is helping students bridge the gap from high school to the career field. We want to point students on the direction that’s going to maximize their potential and their passion for agriculture. And so maybe that’s agriscience, maybe that’s production, maybe it’s through ag communications. We want to give students experiences that give them the opportunity to earn to live.
(12:26):
And then finally, living to serve. That’s such a powerful message and I look at my teammates and I tell you each and every one of these people we are here living to serve, because that’s what this organization has taught us is the power of service and doing things not for recognition, just because it’s the right thing to do.
(12:42):
And I think that is a message that’s so true in agriculture here today, right? There’s so many producers who they’re working hard day in, day out just to grow a crop or a product, raise a livestock that’s going to feed other people. They’re serving others through those actions. And so it’s through those ideas that we as FFA members, we keep that motto in heart and we use it as a guiding principle in all of our actions.
Mike Howell (13:03):
That’s quite a mouthful with that, just that one simple motto. It makes you really think about it a lot. So I’ve got one more question I will ask each one of you this. What are your future plans? Do you plan to work in the ag industry at some point?
Courtney Zimmerman (13:15):
So after national office, I hope to continue to go back and continue my education at a four-year university. Prior to national office, I never actually made it to a college campus with COVID, so I did all virtual classes. So I am looking forward to being on campus, being in person and around people. Where that’ll be is undecided, but I’m very excited to see what that’ll look like.
(13:36):
But I’m studying agricultural communications, so I intend on continue being that voice for agriculture and the agriculturists within our industry, because if there’s one thing that I’ve really learned this year that is if we don’t share our voice, then who will? And so I’m excited to stay connected to agriculture and see where that journey takes me.
Eric Robinson (13:53):
So after national office, I’ll go back to university at Georgia where I’m a senior majoring in political sciences. And after I finish school there, I hope to go to Kansas State University to pursue a degree in organizational leadership for my masters. And after that, being in this job has exposed us to a lot of different industries and a lot of different people we could possibly work with.
(14:12):
So being a political sciences major, I know there’s a lot of opportunity to talk policy on Capitol Hill, so I’d be excited to see if ag policy is a way to go. I’d also be excited to see if I still find a way to be involved with FFA through hanging out at events and still helping with people develop their potential for facilitation and helping with different keynote workshops and different things like that. So I’m definitely excited to keep exploring the industry, and see if there is something there for Eric Robinson.
Mallory White (14:37):
Well, I’ll definitely be entering back into the ag industry after this year. I’m a junior at Murray State University right now in Kentucky studying agronomy, and only have about three semesters left once I return back to school. So I’m eager to hop into the agronomic field and help consult with producers, make their lives a little bit easier. Coming from a family farm, produces row crop, we have a cow/calf operation too, I really do know that farmers sometimes have it pretty rough and don’t get the best wraps.
(15:03):
So I want to do everything that I can to make their lives easier in my future agronomic career, whether that’s heading back to my family’s farm at some point and being their agronomist, or seeking job opportunities with an input corporation helping to provide the materials needed for our producers to produce the most bountiful crop that they can.
Jackson Sylvester (15:21):
So my time before I was serving as a national FFA officer, I actually wasn’t enrolled in college, but I was working full-time for a small welding company on the eastern shore of Maryland. I truly fell in love with my time that I got to spend in the workforce and working full-time. And while I’m still at this point continuing to explore some different options and different opportunities, maybe in the college route, I always have known one thing and that is that I want to come back to ag.
(15:44):
Now what facet that may be, I’m a little unsure yet I’m still allowing myself to take some time to discover that and learn and just take more experiences to continue to figure out what exactly it is that I want to do. But there is one promise and that is, it will most definitely be within ag.
Josiah Cruikshank (15:58):
And I’m also an agricultural communications major, and I’m really passionate about helping agriculturists share their story, but also helping them with practical needs that might go unsolved. So prior to national office, I worked for a company that helps people in rural America market their properties to individuals who might want to look at those and buy that real estate but not have the ability to travel out, especially if it’s miles away from the nearest place that a person would be. I mean, so stuff like that I’m really passionate about. Looking forward to seeing how I can make that happen through an ag comm degree.
Cole Baerlocher (16:27):
So before national office, I took a gap year to be a state officer in Washington, and then after that I was a student at Washington State University. I loved being a coug. I lived 15 minutes from campus, so it was kind of like the family tradition to go to WSU. Then I got elected to national office and decided I want to pursue a degree in agricultural communications and have ultimately decided to transfer down to Texas A&M next year.
(16:49):
So hoping to be one of the loudest, proudest fighting Aggies down in A&M. Really want to continue to look for those ways that I can advocate for agriculture. And I think specialized communication is really important in building that consumer trust and adding to the perception of what our industry is and what it does. And so I really want to help be a voice for our industry. And who knows, maybe I’ll find a job one day at Nutrien. We’ll see.
Mike Howell (17:10):
Guys, we really appreciate you being here today. I have one last question that I want to ask every one of you. If you would, tell us what agriculture means to you.
Courtney Zimmerman (17:18):
That’s a really great question, because I think agriculture being such a diverse industry, there’s a lot of different directions I personally could take this. But agriculture is a home for so many people, and I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve grown up in a household where agriculture is in our roots and FFA is just kind of what we did. And so to me, the industry is a place where people can always find a place where they belong, whether it’s the farmers in the field, the teachers in the classroom, the people at the desk, making sure that products are where they need to be. Whoever that is, we all have a place in this industry. Although it may take some time to find where that is, I think that’s what’s truly exciting. So to me, agriculture is a home for so many people and definitely an industry where people can find where they belong.
Eric Robinson (18:01):
I would say, for me, agriculture is an opportunity to learn. Not coming from an ag background and always looking for ways to learn more about the industry, to be an informed consumer really and be able to make informed purchases and continue to advocate like I’ve been learning how to do from my teammates, who are very, very amazing advocates of agriculture. So for me, it’s a chance to learn, a chance for people to learn more about the industry that feed, fuels, and clothes the world. And just an opportunity for us to all grow our knowledge in the ag industry and recognize its importance.
Mallory White (18:29):
To me, agriculture’s the epitome of humility and stewardship. Our producers work really hard to steward the land and make the best use of what they’ve been blessed with to provide for people that they will never meet. People, animals, all of all the different facets of the agriculture industry, and the people that it impacts. Our people who work in agriculture aren’t doing it, because it’s a great opportunity for them all the time. They’re doing it because it’s a great opportunity for them to serve people and the land that they’re getting to work on. So to me, agriculture is the epitome of humility and selflessness and stewardship that our members of the industry get to pursue.
Jackson Sylvester (19:07):
For me, I always look at agriculture in one simple term and that is a necessity. I think that there’s a lot of facets of ag, there’s a lot of things that we do, but ultimately to its core, our world stops moving without agriculture. And recognizing that we need to show that appreciation for those people that are heavily involved in agriculture, but also taking all of our own responsibilities and ensuring that we’re spreading a positive message on behalf of that, and continuing to invite and welcome other people in who necessarily maybe did not have that first glance at agriculture, giving them that opportunity, continuing to grow our industry in that manner.
(19:41):
People don’t eat, people don’t have clothes, people don’t go anywhere without agriculture. And truly without agriculture, I do believe the world will stop moving. Without ag, we can’t complete our basic needs of every single day. We can’t continue to grow as a society and grow as a world. And without agriculture we are very limited to what we can and can’t do. So continuing to spread that message that it truly is a necessity for each and every one of us, whether we are a producer or consumer, is really important for us to recognize.
Josiah Cruikshank (20:09):
I’d say that agriculture is the industry that feeds, fuels, and clothes the world. And there are people in this industry, everyone in this industry who want to contribute to the lives of the people around them, because they believe that there’s more purpose in that than just consuming things from other people. And that is what makes the industry so great. That’s why I’m so involved in FFA, because our organization’s filled with people like that. And that’s one of the reasons I love ag.
Cole Baerlocher (20:33):
To me, agriculture is the future. And I think you look at our organization as a prime example is that, coming out of COVID-19, we’ve reached an all time high for membership. You just shy of a million students, over 840,000 members make up our organization. And I think if that doesn’t make you optimistic for the future of this industry, I don’t know what will. There’s students who have a high increase of curiosity about agriculture and where their food is coming from.
(20:59):
And FFA is that catalyst that brings that knowledge and those experiences to give students the ability and the skill to continue to contribute to agriculture, but to be educated consumers. And I think, for me, it’s just agriculture is that future that we as an world need. We as an organization are providing students with those opportunities to learn and grow and keep that curiosity.
Mike Howell (21:22):
I want to take a second and thank all of you for joining us today. We really appreciate you being here. Hope you enjoy your time here at the race. We hope we can root AJ on to a win today.
(21:32):
Listeners, I want to encourage you to support your local FFA chapter. There’s FFA chapters all over the country. These young people are out working hard. These are our future leaders. And as you can see from the students we’ve had here today, we’ve got some great potential coming up in the ag industry. So go out and support your local FFA chapter.
(21:53):
We are getting close to the end of the Indy race here at Indianapolis. I grabbed Eric Snodgrass. And Eric last week, I know we just had you own last week, you promised a little relief to this drought. And what in the world happened with these 14 inch rainfall totals?
Eric Snodgrass (22:07):
Yeah, coming out of St. Louis, they had a stalled out front. Storms just rode the front just back and forth across it for several hours that night. And what I thought was going to be a three or four inch rainfall event ended up being something close to 14 inches just outside the city. And those kind of numbers put you in that 1,000 year to 10,000 year flood.
(22:25):
Now the city of St. Louis, their official numbers put them at a 500-year flood event, but some of the farm [inaudible 00:22:31] outside of that just took a tremendous amount of water. And it’s amazing to think how much the atmosphere can deliver in one spot. It was juiced up and ready to go. I’m happy to see that whole system move out. But your first point was right, I mean, it did bring in some drought relief to some folks, just too much in some areas.
Mike Howell (22:45):
Yeah, I guess we kind of got to watch what we asked for. Too much of a good thing isn’t always that good either. Forecast still the same as we talked about last week, everything still looking a little better for the farmers out there?
Eric Snodgrass (22:56):
Yeah. I mean what we ended up getting was a cool end of July and then decent rains in places that really needed it, especially in parts of the mid South. But it’s August and we saw a La Nina, which means things could always go back hotter and drier. And we’re starting to see the risk of that happening again first week of August. What I’m worried about is not only will they get high temperatures in like Iowa, Nebraska, touching on a 100 degrees, but those overnight lows might not get down out of the 80s, which is pretty rare. But you don’t want that on corn in the middle of August.
(23:23):
So we’re back into the discussion about risk again and probably the next time we talk, it’ll be something new to go… maybe a hurricane to throw in the mix or something. And I just hope we’re not going to use frost. I don’t want to talk about frost yet. That’d be the worst case scenario.
Mike Howell (23:35):
Yeah, still a little early to talk about frost. I know we’ll end up having to talk about a hurricane at some point, but it won’t hurt my feelings if we don’t. Eric, appreciate you stopping by. I’ve got one last question. I’m asking this of everybody today. Tell us what agriculture means to you.
Eric Snodgrass (23:49):
Oh, man. Agriculture, it’s everything to me. So I mean, I’ve built a whole career around trying to understand risk that these farmers go through. So for me, what makes me wake up in the morning is just if I know something could help somebody else out, when it comes to weather, I want to be there to talk about it. And something about that aspect that I know that stuff that I do every day is helping somebody out that just makes it all important to me.
Mike Howell (24:08):
Eric, we sure appreciate it. Go enjoy the race.
(24:14):
We just finished the Indy race getting all geared up to have the Xfinity Race. AJ Allmendinger, again, is on the pole and we’re all excited about that. I’m joined now by Danny Liggett. Danny is a farmer in Kentucky and he’s going to talk to us a little bit about his crop and what’s going on. Danny, if you would, introduce yourself, tell us where you’re from, what kind of crops you’re growing.
Danny Liggett (24:33):
I’m Danny Liggett. I’m from the western part of Kentucky. The tri-state area, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois is all within 30 minutes of our operation. We’re a primary corn and soybean operation.
Mike Howell (24:46):
Well, I know it’s been tough this year. We’ve got a lot of areas with drought. How’s the rainfall situation in your part of the world? Did you get part of that flood we had this week?
Danny Liggett (24:54):
We were actually a little south, I guess, you would say southeast of that a little bit. I mean we were blessed. We had inch and three tenths, then we went about a week, then we had eight tenths. Then we went about another week, we had inch and two tenths. Our blessing was someone else’s downfall, I hear it for them. But we were just kind of in the bread baskets I guess you could say.
Mike Howell (25:13):
Right. Well, that sounds great. So how’s the crops looking this year?
Danny Liggett (25:16):
Our soybeans are looking really, really good. The corn is good. We had some heat stress probably week to 10 days before pollination, so it affected us a little bit. But I think it was early enough that these late rains going to pull us out of it. We did some checks last week walking corn fields and cutting into the shucks, and we were showing good pollination. We didn’t showing any issues at all. I mean the thin spots in the fields early, they were showing up and I don’t think they’re all going to pull out. But in general, I think we’re going to be pretty good.
Mike Howell (25:46):
Well, that sounds great. So you enjoying yourself at the race here today? Who you want to see win this Xfinity race?
Danny Liggett (25:52):
Well, if I said to anybody but AJ, I’d probably get rocks throwed at me.
Mike Howell (25:55):
Yeah, he’s pretty popular, but he’s kind of earned that today. He put on quite a show yesterday. So I’m asking all my guests one last question. If you would,`just tell us in your own words what agriculture means to you.
Danny Liggett (26:06):
Agriculture for me is, it’s kind of hard to put into words because it’s all I know. I’m third generation, full-time farmer. Fourth generation, my great-great-grandfather worked public work and then farmed, then everyone else from him on is all farm. So it’s just a way of life for us. Sometimes I wonder about the direction it’s going, but that’s just everything in general as far as that goes. But to me it’s all I know. Can’t see me doing anything else.
Mike Howell (26:33):
Danny, we sure appreciate you stopping by. Hope you enjoy the rest of the race.
(26:39):
Okay, we’re back in the studios now. We’re at the end of stage one. AJ was winning at the end of stage one. Had a little bit of bad luck in the pits. We’re fixing to come back and be back in front. Joined here now with Ryan Imbrock. Ryan, if you would tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and what you do.
Ryan Imbrock (26:54):
Yes, I’m the assistant facility manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. We service a large area in northwest Ohio providing solutions to our growers. And right now the crop in northwest Ohio is looking very good. We’ve had a couple rains that have set things back a little bit, but overall the crop looks very good. And I would say the crop is, for the most part, above last year’s pace.
Mike Howell (27:25):
Well, that’s good. I’ve been looking at a lot of crops this week and it’s hard to tell driving down the road at a lot of these, but it looks like we’re delayed on our soybeans a little bit, maybe even a little bit on the corn, but sounds like y’all are right on track. Any kind of yield estimates coming in yet or is it too early to tell on yields?
Ryan Imbrock (27:41):
It’s pretty early to tell on yields right now. Pollination on the corn is definitely in full swing right now. Beans are right now hitting R2 R3. But right now by the looks of the crop, we have a good possibility of a very good year again this year.
Mike Howell (27:57):
Okay, that’s great. I know these growers need a good year. We had good prices to start with. Hope we can get this crops sold for a good price. Ryan, one thing I’m asking everybody here today, if you would, in your own words, tell us what agriculture means to you.
Ryan Imbrock (28:10):
Agriculture means life and sustainability. To me, without agriculture, we don’t have much of a lifestyle. There’s no food. There’s a lot less energy. It is the world we live in. It is one of the biggest things that keeps our life sustained from day-to-day.
Mike Howell (28:30):
Brian, we sure appreciate you stopping by and visiting with us today. Hope you enjoyed the rest of the race.
(28:37):
Okay, we’re back again. We’re just ended lap 27. We’re under caution, again. AJ has come back to the third place, I believe.he’s making a move, coming back to the front after that little bit of bad luck. Joined here now with John Niemeyer and Steven Johnson. John, if you would tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do.
John Niemeyer (28:55):
I live Breese, Illinois. We’re just outside of St. Louis. I’m a marketing representative for the specialty products for Nutrien Wholesale.
Mike Howell (29:00):
Okay, thank you, John. Steven.
Steven Johnson (29:01):
So Mike, I live in Western Kentucky and I’m the marketing manager for our specialty products in the East, covering the ESN, Map + MST type products.
Mike Howell (29:10):
Glad y’all stopped by for a few minutes guys. I would hate to know how many miles we have all driven this week. John, I know you left home earlier in the week and ended up in Iowa and then now over at Indianapolis. Steven, same things. I started off in the Mississippi Delta and made a trip up one side and down the other, and then drove up to Indianapolis Wednesday and Thursday.
(29:30):
We have looked at a lot of crops going up and down the road. I thought we’d take just a minute and let everybody know what we’re seeing going up and down the road. John, what’s things look like around St. Louis where you’re from and driving across to Iowa this week?
John Niemeyer (29:44):
Well, around St. Louis, things are a little bit behind. We put our corner in a little bit later than other people, and then also we got that deluge of rain that that came through. Many people seen the 11, 12 inches out in West County St. Louis, St. Louis city proper got quite a bit. Where I was at, we got about five inches out of that. And so it helped.,We were dry, and so it certainly helped to there.
(30:07):
We went up through central Illinois and things looked very good. Corn is brown silked and just filling in kernel. And yeah, I think things look very good there. We got across in the Iowa, we actually traveled all the way to Boone, and had some things to do near the Farm Progress Show, which is coming up at the end of August.
(30:24):
Overall things look good, but there are spots that for some reason things were spotty this year on the rain side of things, and the corn doesn’t look quite as good. The beans are a little shorter. They’re all looking for some rain. So it’s a very mixed year. And we say that every year, but I think this one probably more than the last few.
Mike Howell (30:41):
Steven, what about in the Kentucky area?
Steven Johnson (30:43):
Well, kind of like John said, we are really a mix, Mike, depending on where you’re at. Early on, our crops looked great and then we went through a period of 30 plus days without any water and that really set the crops back. When you go further south in Kentucky, toward that Tennessee border, crops are really sporadic all over the board, up and down. They went through a lot of heat stress and a lot of drought. And especially as you get even further south into that Tennessee and even Missouri market, they’ve had a lot of drought and a lot of stress in those markets.
Mike Howell (31:12):
Yeah, that’s the same thing I was seeing coming up through Alabama and that Tennessee River Valley is kind of spotty up through there. Some beans look really good, some beans look really bad. The corn looks like it’s a little bit behind where it should be this time of year. Looks like they’re just getting to the reproductive stage in a lot of it. Over in the Delta, things look really good for the most part. Of course, that’s an irrigated system. They have been pumping a lot of water this year, but the corn is getting close to maturity.
(31:38):
I looked at a few fields that were already at black layer and a lot of them will be getting there this week. Soybeans are all over the board. We’ve got some that are setting pods already and some that are just now getting started. Kind of a mixed bag everywhere this year. Guys, I appreciate y’all stopping by and taking just a minute. We’re just about to go back racing. But before we do, John, if you will, I’m asking everybody this question today, tell us what agriculture means to you.
John Niemeyer (32:03):
Well, I think agriculture means growing food and keeping enough food across not only America or the United States, but across the world, obviously. We ship it all over the place. And I think it’s our obligation to try and expand that and certainly we’re going to have larger populations in the future. We got to keep working, try to get better every day, and that’s what we do.
Mike Howell (32:22):
Thank you, John. Steven?
Steven Johnson (32:24):
Well, for me, Mike, I think about family and I think as a ag community and all over, we’re a big family. We’re all striving for the same goals, and that’s to be sustainable and produce enough food to feed a growing population.
Mike Howell (32:37):
Okay guys, thanks a lot for stopping by today. I’ll let you get back and enjoy the rest of the race.
(32:45):
Well, we’re back here at the race, end of stage two in the Pennzoil 150. AJ had worked his way back to the lead. He came into the pits in the lead and pitted right before the end of the segment two. Came back out down a few spaces, but got the whole third segment left to go. So we’ll see what happens at the end of the race.
(33:03):
Folks, we’ve really enjoyed bringing this podcast to you here from the race today. Now, we’ve asked all of our guests one simple question and that’s what agriculture means to them, and we’ve got a lot of different variety of answers and that’s what we expected to get. Agriculture means something different to everybody, and depending on what your profession is or what you’re doing, agriculture is going to mean something different.
(33:24):
One thing we need to keep in mind is agriculture is something that’s going to affect everybody’s life. Whether we’re farming and actually growing a crop or raising animals to feed the population, or whether we’re working in the retail side and providing crop protection chemicals and fertilizers to these growers, or whether we work for a university or a research institution trying to find better ways to do these things, we’re all in the ag business. And we can’t leave out equipment dealers and the people that make all the other products that we need to carry out this lifestyle.
(33:54):
Want everybody to remember these farmers. Remember agriculture, how important it is to our daily life. We have to have it for food. We have to have it for animal feed. We have to have it for fuel for our vehicles. We just wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for agriculture. So listeners, we’ll come back one more time, give you the final results of this here at the end of stage three.
(34:15):
We’re back down here on Pit Road. We’re right here at the start finish line. AJ Allmendinger has just won the Pennzoil 150, driving the number 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions ESN car.
(34:31):
Well, we’re back at Indy. The race is finally over. We’ve had an exciting day here on the track, and we’ve been down to Victory Lane with AJ. He did win the race. Quite a feat. We actually got to go out on the track and kiss the bricks with AJ this afternoon. Something you only can dream about.
(34:48):
Hope everybody has enjoyed this podcast today. We really enjoyed bringing it to you. Want to invite everyone to come back next week when we talk about farm safety. It’s getting close to harvest time and accidents can be a real possibility at this busy time of the year. We want to bring farm safety to the forefront, get everybody thinking in a safe manner, before we get into this busy time of year.
(35:11):
We’re also going to have a new segment that we’re going to bring to you next week that we think you’re really going to enjoy. Want to invite everybody back again next week. Until the then, this has been Mike Howell with The Dirt.
