In his 15-year career Travis Fuller says it’s been amazing to watch the technology develop for the ag retail industry. As a customer success manager for AgWorks, he helps ag retailers deploy software to streamline their business and gain new insights. The biggest thing he’s watching… artificial intelligence.

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As an agronomist and crop consultant with Nutrien Ag Solutions, Jeff Kloucek says working out in the field is where he enjoys his job the most. While the weather was the biggest challenge last year, Kloucek doesn’t expect too much of a reprieve from that unknown this year. However, he and the team are focusing on what they can control. In soil fertility, they are taking a new look at the whole system and how nutrients interact with each other. And for weed control, Kloucek has two pieces of advice: don’t cut rates, and the adjuvants are just as important as the herbicide.

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Kyle Meece, agronomy manager at United Prairie, started as a machine operator when the company had four locations. Today, they’ve grown to 14, and Meece also discusses how the team and the technology they use has changed. Last year, they had 950 acres of side by side drone application trials, which supported the decision to add four more this year. The team is also adding a John Deere See and Spray Ultimate machine to their fleet, which Meece says it an effort to answer the multitude of questions of how the technology fits into their agronomy services.

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Tim Hushon, sustainability and technology director at The Mill, details how sustainability factors into their ag retail business and how to partner with farmers on the technology adoption required. Hushon shares the challenges to find farmers and fields who can qualify for some of the carbon opportunities, while there’s still a lot of potential for nitrogen reduction programs, including they as a retailer realizing a future of potentially selling a lower total amount of bulk fertilizer. Then he shares the new equipment their team is working to deploy in 2024 including section control spreading and drone spraying.

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On the heels of the ARA fly-in, Hunter Carpenter shares details on the association’s policy priorities for the year ahead and some insights on how the Farm Bill is shaping up.

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Tyler Mitchell, agronomy account manager at River Valley Cooperative in Davenport, Iowa, details the daily complexities he and his team unravel for farmers as they serve as boots on the ground.

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From the driest year in over 130 years to extreme hail events, Evan Fust and his teams work with farmers across Colorado and Kansas. Fust is general manager of CHS High Plains, CHS Quintec and CHS United Plains which totals more than 40 locations.

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Marketing consultant Morgan Seger says one prediction for the year ahead is companies will start using more artificial intelligence in their communications. However, she cautions her clients to be careful so they don’t start sounding like everyone else. Seger also provides insights on how digital marketing can be used to meet farmers where they are, prime the sales funnel, and improve how ag retailers show up at the farm gate.

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Richard Gupton with the Agricultural Retailers Association joins the podcast to give a regulatory and policy update. This is on the heels of the federal court in Arizona’s ruling which vacated the label for over the top dicamba application in 2024. Gupton shares what steps the ARA is taking, and what retailers should know. He also shares updates on litigation surrounding treated seed and chlorpyrifos. There have been a few notable house committee hearings with implications for agriculture and more.

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As an irrigation water management specialist at Centra Sota Cooperative, Rebecca Schubert does farmer outreach, education, and program partnerships. As a Technical Service Provider, Schubert assists farmers with opportunities via USDA-NRCS. She says this expansion is beyond what has been assumed a co-op can provide while also helping farmers pull together all aspects of their approach to conservation.

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Consulting with farmers across 40 crops, Cory Broad and the team at Avid Water help bring agronomic solutions to the field including system automation, moisture monitoring, satellite imaging, water treatment systems and more. With $20/hour minimum wage and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Broad shares how irrigation technologies can help farmers answer these challenges.

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