Advertise on podcast: The Little Red Barn

This week the guys dive into the true impact of fuel costs on harvest operations and what the Indiana Governors relaxation of off road diesel use really means on the farm as well. Additionally, we recap the Quarterly Grain Stocks report and look toward a great set up for harvest to hit full swing EVERYWHERE this week.

The Little Red Barn Road Show comes back this week as we travel to Bourbon, IN and chat with the multi-generational Bates Corp crew. Whether its new parts, used parts, rebuilt parts, or even a few toys...these guys have their hands in any part of it if its vintage Red power. We tour the warehouse and talk though the parts biz when it comes to keeping Vintage IH tractors humming in the field or on the show circuit or on the pulling circuit.

Energy prices pushed to new recent highs this past week, just in time for harvest. But harvest means planting decisions are right around the corner and along with those, thoughts of fertilizer programs.  This week we chat with one of the main BUYERS of fertilizer for Keystone Cooperative in his Indianapolis office. We chat nitrogen, phosphates, current market conditions, the future oulooks and the impact of all of this on the 2027 crop year. Tons of information in here. We had remote connectivity issues this week, but just visualize that you're tuning in to the local high school game broadczsr on tbe radio as you listen to this episode.  Nostalgia....yeah, that's what we'll call it!

Charlie has the run of the shop while Dad's out of town showing off a pretty rare antique auto. He brings a shopping list to this weeks episode, and it begs the question: where do dealers get off charging these kinds of prices for planters? We compare and contrast different quotes and Ryan asks the question we all have: how does it pencil to write these kinds of checks in this farm economy for something that has literally one job?  That along with a quick look at the WASDE and weather ahead of harvest.

It was a relatively benign week as we flipped the calendar into September.  News was sparse this week, but there is always something to chat about in the Little Red Barn. Harvest is trickling to a start, the Boilers are undefeated (for now) and our summer weather remains.

This week Charlie reports on what he found interesting at Becknology Days, while Ryan plays the role of antagonist. Markets are giving opportunities, and there are plenty of attempts to draw out a new installment of "Ryan's Rants"...but alas, no go this week.

This past week we heard ad nauseum about the Pro Farmer Crop tour. Ryan and Charlie have a few bones to pick. We chat through all aspects of the crop tour complete with our ring side seats at the Day 1 rehash dinner with tour scouts down in Noblesville. We talk about our own windshield tour, the mechanics of crop tours, and plenty of other things. Pro Farmer's results?  Well, we call those on the carpet too. And what's this? A political campaign for Charlie?  Ohhhh boy. This could get interesting.

The Red Barn Road Show heads to Plymouth, IN this week to get an update on Marian University - Plymouth and their relatively new Ag Program. Concentrating on Animal Science, Vet Nursing and Agribusiness, the school has dipped its toe into several projects that surround food production. We sit down with Dr Nate Kneep who oversees the program to learn more about this option for wanna be ag majors across the state.

The upcoming WASDE has Charlie all choked up this week, and this episode proves that the Little Red Barn podcast is a "live in one take" event as you hear Charlie's lungs get up close and personal with something they want to get rid of!  Still, we manage to HACK our way through weather and market talk, including damp weather disease pressures and the China buying progress. Also, with the growing movement against Flock cameras...we propose another use for the infrastructure, at least in the countryside.

This week, plans had to change as we get chased inside the studio for the podcast after planning to be on location at the Echoes of the Past Summer Fest in southern Kosciusko County. Still, the event was awesome, even though we could not have our recoding equipment out in the rain. After a radio history lesson to start, we have some updates this week on Charlie's chemical mystery. We talk tar-spot, weather, the wild ride of the markets over the past week to 10 days, among other things. As bonus, you get another edition of "Ryan's Rants", this time focusing on one of the local county fairs.

County fairs roll on and so does spraying season in farm country. Fungicide seems to be the flavor of the day, but this week we talk chemistry, among other things. This week we dive into a mystery of several hundred acres of soybeans that are now dead, but shouldn't be. And some of the theories that have been provided just are a bit much to believe, at least on the surface. Some cautionary tales this week, along with a quick look at squirrelly markets, and who in their right mind complains about a 45-48 degree morning in late July?  Well, there were several. All that and who knows what else in this week's episode.

This week we talk with Don Villwock. Don is a farmer, former state president of Farm Bureau and a retiree that is not really that good at being retired, it seems! Don has his hands in a lot of things, from red tractors, to Purdue projects to consulting. We talk about ag of the past, and present, the challenges he's seen, and where we have come. From the icebox to go pros, Don as something for almost everyone in this conversation.

This week we veer off on a slightly different track as we welcome the Langfeldt girls to the studio, Its hot, but is time for sweet corn and county fairs, farmers markets and fall planning. We dive into agro-tourism and see what it looks like to learn as you go as an entrepreneur on the farm. From pumpkins to corn mazes, hay rides, growing sweet corn, roasting sweet corn, building grain bins and raising cattle...there is a lot to unpack with these gals.

This week the guys dive into the June 30 USDA reports on Planted Acreage and Quarterly Grain Stocks. The report was not really all that noteworthy, except that Charlie had to eat come crow during the podcast. How did the heat impact local crops this past week, and what about moisture from here? But perhaps the biggest outcome of this week's podcast is Ryan's new purpose in life: getting cattle integrated into the Houin farmstead!  Make sure you get on to the Little Red Barn Podcast Facebook page to vote on which cattle breed should be the backbone of the newly minted "Houin Beef" operation!

This week we catch up with Becks Agronomist Travis Burnett to discuss the how and why of getting the right type of hybrid on the right kind of ground. Charlie says its an AI job, which means Ryan wants none of it. But, is there something to the science? Do we need to look at some different kinds of metrics on the seed in our seed catalogs? An interesting discussion, even if it does walk close to the AI line...