Purchase With Purpose

One Mile at a Time: Life Lessons Learned in a Farm Truck

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 15:06:01 GMT

For a second, I wanted to close my eyes. Bouncing along the country roads of north-central Iowa with Mike Wenger took me back to riding with my grandpa when I was a kid. Our best conversations took place in his old farm truck.

I loved riding with grandpa when it was just the two of us. His truck smelled like cherry tobacco and was filled with the original fidget toys: wrenches, screws, fence testers and more. Of course, he also had candy in the seat protectors that he couldn’t resist sharing when I asked.

Those moments by his side opened the door to lessons I continue to take with me. A few came to mind recently:

1. It’s a good thing to put others first.
Riding around in his farm truck, I began to understand the important responsibility farmers take on to care for the land and livestock. Chores aren’t optional, and the livestock always come first. The selflessness my grandpa possessed helped me see the good things that can happen when you put others first — even if you can’t control all the other stuff.

2. Life is full of unexpected hardships — don’t give up.
Farming is hard. My grandpa passed away when I was 14. Though I really don’t understand firsthand what happened in the early 1980s, I remember hard days and difficult conversations that were too big for my ears. I have flashbacks of tears and sobs at the kitchen table. But oh, the farm truck. It was always there for grandpa to go take a drive in and figure out a new plan. He kept doing what he had to do in order to continue to farm.

3. Share your dreams with someone.
One of the things I loved most about riding in grandpa’s truck is telling him all about my dreams. It felt like a safe space to process my thoughts and ideas. There were no interruptions, and my quiet-natured grandpa could offer up his wisdom regarding my plans. He believed in me; and isn’t that the best gift someone can give you? I can still hear him telling me I had a good idea.

I don’t know why grandpa’s old brown Chevy truck came to mind when I jumped into Mike Wenger’s much nicer F-450 this past summer. But as I drove away from our interview, I was reminded about how much life gets lived in those trucks.

Wenger grew up riding around in a farm truck with his grandpa, too. It’s where he learned the value of hard work and sweat equity. It’s where he dreamed. It’s where he determined to create opportunities for his family.

Wenger’s story reminds me to work hard in life because it’s never too late to forge a new path. I admire his story of grit and redemption — of overcoming the mistakes of his past —to pursue his passion for the pork industry and helping farmers along the way.

Although our farm trucks might be equipped differently today, don’t miss the opportunity they present to connect with the people who mean the most to us in life. Maybe you have a rider to take along to do the chores or maybe it’s an opportunity to make a call to someone you love. Create the memories, have the conversations and find the good in the bumps ahead.

Read my 3-part series on Mike & Nick Wenger:
Grit and Redemption: How the Past Helps a Father and Son Build a Future in Pork

Remodel or Build New?

When the Part Breaks: New Warehouse is a Gamechanger for M&N Construction

Remodel or Build New?

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 19:45:17 GMT

Aging barns plus rising inputs plus decreasing sow numbers — it’s a formula that spells out remodel for many who are trying to figure out their future in the pork industry.

“New construction requires that the integrator increase their sow numbers,” says Stephanie Nicholson, vice president of sales for QC Supply, a multi-branded sales and distribution company. “As we know, it’s the consumer that sets the demand for pork. In order for new construction to happen, we need to add sows, and demand isn’t going up enough to justify that.”

She says this is why more pork producers are looking to remodel instead of building new barns.

“Integrators are not growing, and the sow numbers in the U.S. will likely not increase.”

Stephanie Nicholson

“They’re going to be the same or go down as sows produce more pigs,” she says. “A few years ago, 25 pigs per sow was a good number. Now you have to be in that 29 to 32 pigs per sow per year to be in the good numbers.”

Aging facilities built in the late ’80s and early ’90s are in need of upgrades, Nicholson points out. With insurance companies requiring alarm systems, that also means a big part of remodeling centers around adding in new technologies.

“Remodel is such a broad word. Before you start, people need to understand what their end goal is and then consider the best company to use that keeps themselves in tune with their suppliers and what’s out there for equipment and technology,” she says. “You need to find someone who can help you make decisions and bring to the table the different options and why they have those options.”

Before You Start

In a barn remodel, you have to know where you want to be as a customer, Nicholson says. What’s your end goal? What do you want to do? Do you want to know what’s going on in the farm when you’re not there or do you not want to know that? Do you want to be able to control remotely?

“Do you want to be on front end of technology today, knowing that you’re going to probably be good for the good next 15 years? Or do you want to be at the low end of technology, knowing that in five years, they’re probably going to have some new requirements from integrators?” she says.

For Mike and Nick Wenger, co-owners of M&N Ag Systems, this is all about being relevant.

“If you’re more relevant, you’re more marketable.”

Mike Wenger

“Are you in it for the long term?” Mike Wenger asks. “Or are you in it for the short term? Do I want to patch this because I don’t want to spend additional funds today, but know I’ll have to spend more money in the long run?”

Answering those big questions will help you determine your direction, he adds. Working closely with QC Supply, which supplies AP equipment for many of the operation’s barn projects, has been helpful in strategizing ideas and making decisions.

Study Up

Price remains a major driving factor when it comes to decisions to remodel, build or get out of business, Mike Wenger says.

“We just got done purchasing a site,” he adds. “One building had fallen. We dismantled the second building. This is a 4,000-head site, and we’re going to have $300-a-pig space in it. New construction is around $425. You just can’t cash flow that.”

From pen configuration to feeder design and from ventilation to repairs, there are a lot of details to sort out for everyone involved. The process can be pretty overwhelming, Wenger explains. That’s why it’s important to do your research ahead of time.

“Start by talking to your integrator (if you have one), and find out what they expect from you,” he says. “There’s a lot of options. We don’t just turnkey one project. We try to integrate different ideas.”

Don’t be afraid to go out and get another quote from somebody else, advises Nick Wenger.

“We do bid against other people, and when we do our bids, we tend to overdo it sometimes because we want them to have the best they can have,” he adds. “Make sure the bid is itemized so you are comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges.”

The unknowns are the hardest part of a remodel, Nicholson points out.

“What if you take something down and realize there is more you need? It’s what you don’t know that can be hard,” she says. “That’s why having a good relationship with your contractor and choosing one you can trust is so important.”

Read More:
When the Part Breaks: New Warehouse is a Gamechanger for M&N Construction

Grit and Redemption: How the Past Helps a Father and Son Build a Future in Pork

FBN Spins Out Its Crop Protection Business, Focuses on Marketplace and Technology

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 15:24:44 GMT

Last week, just a few hours after Corteva announced its spin out dividing seeds from crop protection, Farmers Business Network (FBN) announced it is separating its businesses. Moving forward FBN will focus on its digital marketplace for farmers, and the newly launched Global Crop Solutions will be an independent supplier of crop protection products.

FBN leaders say the timing is coincidental. Their motive for the timing was brought about by the new fiscal year. But they offer both of the announcements together could be a sign of a trend of vertical integration getting unwound in the name of efficiency and focus.

“We’re doubling down, allotting capital on digital innovation for FBN’s future,” says Diego Casanello, CEO of FBN. “FBN’s core business is a digital commerce and fintech platform. We want farmers to be able to buy, finance, and market everything they need while sitting in their combines. These are technology challenges, so the core competence you need to be successful at FBN is different from managing the supply chain of the crop protection business.”

In the past 14 months, FBN has been refocusing its business. First, it spun off its insurance business, then its Gradable business into a joint-venture with ADM. Now with its crop protection business spin out, Casanello says the FBN marketplace will feature GCS products, such as Willowood USA branded products, via a strategic partnership, and GCS products will explore distribution beyond the FBN marketplace.

“The big unlock for GCS is the opportunity to serve the entire retail and co-op industry,” Casanello says. “It frees GCS of any channel conflicts and hits the ground running with one of the largest portfolios of products in the industry. And it frees FBN from similar constraints as we move to an open marketplace architecture. We are onboarding new sellers and their portfolios every week. We provide them the tools to manage pricing, marketing, and placement. FBN is open for business and we’ve had significant interest from additional partners before and after the announcement.”

FBN’s Marketplace Strategy

Currently, FBN says it has 120,000 farmer members in the U.S. and Canada. The business provides a marketplace with farm inputs and supplies, financial services and data-driven intelligence.

FBN co-founder Charles Baron says the FBN marketplace has expanded its product range to include crop protection, seed (with additional partner news coming soon), fertilizer, livestock products, veterinary pharmaceuticals, farm supplies and more.

“To farmers, there’s no change in their experience. And over time, we’ll bring an even broader assortment of goods,” Baron says. “You’ll be seeing announcements from us every two weeks or so about the suppliers coming on the platform. It’s one of the most exciting times in our history.”

The leaders say farmer use of e-commerce has increased every year since they launched, and in 2025 FBN served a record number of customers. “Farmers are really focusing on value right now and maximizing every dollar,” said Baron. And per their analytics roughly 35% of U.S. farmers visit FBN.com to browse inputs, apply for financing, or look for information.

The Future of GCS

As a newly formed independent crop protection supplier, GCS has a portfolio of 250 registrations on post-patent products. The company will specialize in sourcing, managing first mile logistics, developing new products and regulatory aspects.

To lead the business and its team, Amy Yoder, most recently EVP of FBN’s livestock division, is incoming CEO.

“Global Crop Solutions launches today as an independent powerhouse,” said Yoder, in a press release. “For the first time, our extensive portfolio and efficient global supply chain are fully available to all partners— from retailers, to distributors, to co-ops. Our independence unlocks immense growth potential and allows us to be the most reliable and collaborative partner to the entire agricultural industry.”

Grit and Redemption: How the Past Helps a Father and Son Build a Future in Pork

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:10:21 GMT

During a time when the U.S. pork industry was faced with major market losses, trade obstacles and uncertainty, Mike Wenger of Grand Junction, Iowa, saw an opportunity for the next generation of his family.

Instead of cutting his losses, through hard work and sweat equity, he began investing in older facilities he could remodel and expanded the footprint of his hog and row crop farming operation.

For Mike, the reason why is simple.

“Farming has always been in my blood. I wanted to keep what grandfather started in 1949 and that dad continued,” he says. “I’ve also had my share of failures in my past. I stepped away from farming for 30 years, but I never stopped loving it. It’s good to be back.”

Mike Wenger turned his savvy for construction into a thriving business, M&N Ag Systems, alongside his son.

(Jennifer Shike)

Roadblock after roadblock, his path to get to where he is today has been filled with detours. He worked for his dad for a while and then left for an opportunity in construction. Mike did barn remodeling, managed sow farms, picked up some building jobs and eventually found himself in a place where he could take a leap of faith to start his own business with his son Nick.

“I had a banker who believed in me, a wife who believed in me and a son who believed in me,” Mike explains. “I haven’t always made the right choices in life, so I’m trying to make up for that. I think that’s part of what drives me beyond the fact that I really enjoy what I do.”

M&N Ag Systems was officially established in 2012, though Nick will say he never remembers a day that he hasn’t worked alongside his dad. It means everything to Mike to have his son by his side.

“He’s been with me since he was a little tyke,” Mike says. “He goes just as hard as I do, if not harder now that I’m getting older. Seeing the accomplishments he has achieved and watching him grow over the years makes me proud. He dissects and figures out things better than I do.”

Nick Wenger can’t remember a day he wasn’t by his father’s side working with pigs or building things.

(Jennifer Shike)

Nick quickly adds he wouldn’t be who he is today without his dad, who has served as a model for working hard and doing things the right way in a timely manner.

Pathway to Construction

A third-generation farmer, Mike grew up on a farrow-to-finish operation 3 miles from his grandfather, who had a cow-calf operation.

“My grandpa and I were very close,” he says. “I saw him every day. When I was 10, I owned two sows. I expanded to 10 sows when I was 14 and had 40 sows when I graduated from high school in 1985. Then, we all know what happened in the ’80s.”

It was a challenging time in his life.

“My grandpa always said to save back money as there will be tough times,” Mike says. “I should have listened to him.”

It was hard to balance farming, bad markets and raising three kids in the midst of a time when he and his parents didn’t get along. The stress led him to a dead-end road of alcohol and drugs and eventually to gambling as he tried to make up for the bad markets.

“My parents and I didn’t see eye to eye on much,” Mike admits. “It just didn’t work out. I wanted to have a relationship with them more than I wanted to argue.”

Still, the redirection into more construction jobs was beneficial. Mike took a construction class in high school and helped build a garage. Though he never had formal training, he began jumping in and helping others with jobs. He eventually got into hog building construction and started a small business with a friend for a couple years. He learned from the late Daryl Poutre, formerly at Hog Slat, and continued to find opportunities to learn.

“I ran into a particularly rough time when my wife and I were having issues, and I had a barn go down on me,” Mike recalls. “I let a guy talk me into doing something I’d never done before, and it bit me in the rear end, plain and simple. I secluded myself from people.”

One of the things that helped him during this time was a friend who needed somebody to run some pig spaces. He offered Mike a job in Harcourt, Iowa. From 2005 to 2010, Mike and his sons and nephew cared for those pigs for $6 per pig space while doing construction on the side.

Following Dad’s Lead

Around this time, Mike met his second wife, Teresa, and in his words, everything came together. Nick graduated from high school in 2009 as construction opportunities were picking up. He and his dad formed their own construction business, M&N Ag Systems.

“The main part of our business is remodeling hog confinement buildings,” Mike says. “When buildings get worn out, we go in and figure out how we can bring them back to life. We redesign pens, add new ventilation and controls, build gating feeders and implement feeding systems. We also do slat coating, blow our own insulation in roofs and ceilings, and can do turnkey from start to finish.”

In the beginning, Nick wanted to do some things his father was unsure about, like slat coating. But Mike knew if they were going to make their business work, he had to trust his son and let him try things.

“I knew I couldn’t hold a thumb over his head all the time,” he says.

Their ability to work well together is a big reason why their business is booming, Teresa explains.

“They listen to each other,” she says. “There’s a lot of give and take when it comes to what needs to be done. Mike looks to Nick for his thoughts on what needs to be done — what makes it cost-efficient and right for the customers. They give farmers the best, because they’re always looking for the best.”

They are also looking out for what’s coming next in the industry. For example, when the Wengers purchase facilities of their own to remodel, Mike says they always revamp them to have connecting hallways and showers.

The Wengers want every remodel to be one they are proud of when they leave the site.

(Mike Wenger)

“I try to make the environment user friendly for whoever’s there,” he says. “Working with livestock has so many unknowns. What’s going to hit us next? You must be ahead of the game, because challenges are coming.”

In addition to thinking ahead, they pay attention to quality.

“There are a lot of construction companies out there that like to just get it done quick and then worry about the aftermath later,” Nick says. “My dad wants to go in there, get it done right the first time, and then if we do have issues, fix it right away. I think that’s where we get our business from; we do it right first time.”

Mike thinks the work ethic he and his son share have helped build their company, but so has the livestock knowledge he brings with him.

“I’m not just a stupid installer,” Mike says he once told a potential client. “Sure, there are guys out there who just show up, do the work and leave. They don’t know how to raise a pig or how to run a building or anything.”

Mike Wenger works up a bid for a returning customer.

(Jennifer Shike)

The Wengers think it’s important to leave work sites better than you found them. Mike credits that to his son’s leadership. Nick makes sure his team doesn’t leave a mess.

“One guy said he walked around the building and couldn’t find one screw laying on the ground,” Mike says.

Teresa admires how the father and son duo put the farmer first, are honest and willing to share opinions, and never stop pushing.

“They put their heart and soul into it,” she says. “They work to make sure everybody’s happy. They always want to know what they can do better.”

Adding Pig Spaces

That desire to constantly evolve and improve is one of the reasons why the pair decided to expand outside of construction.

“When grandpa said he was willing to let us cash farm his ground, my dad took the opportunity,” Nick says.

But it wasn’t easy, Mike admits. Financing was tough. Fortunately, the construction business was doing well enough that they could put down 25% toward building their first hog confinement and buying 5 acres from his dad. They formed Wenger Pork LLC in 2016.

(Jennifer Shike)

Three years later, they expanded the pig operation and purchased Mike’s dad’s confinement building and the original house his grandfather owned. They started farming the family farm and purchased all of the farm’s machinery, because M&N Ag Systems was doing well at the time. For a time, Mike didn’t think that would happen.

“I made some poor decisions in my life,” he says. “This farm is something I hope I can pass on — that my son can be the fourth generation and my grandson can be the fifth generation. That’s part of the other reason why we decided to get into hogs and expand the way we did.”

When you take 30 years off from something, it takes a while to get back into the swing of things, Mike adds.

“I had a lot to prove. When I got back in, I asked a lot of questions, read a lot of magazines and did a lot of research,” he says. “I was determined to do it the right way. Farming has changed. If you don’t change, you’re going to get left behind.”

Growing his pork operation has required risk. In 2023, they had 3,750 hogs. In less than two years, they’ve grown their business and now own 23,750 hogs and consignment feed 56,250 hogs for a total of 80,000 pigs. They own and operate 44 buildings at 19 sites in central, north central and northwest Iowa.

The Wenger Pork 2 site is located a few miles from Mike Wenger’s home in Grand Junction, Iowa.

(Jennifer Shike)

“Without all of the good people around us, we couldn’t have expanded the way we have,” Mike says.

He’s grateful for the incredible team he works alongside and for industry advancements. One of the biggest differences between hog farming today versus 30 years ago is the technology available. Mike and Nick’s knowledge of swine barn technologies from their construction business has helped them make major decisions on where to invest in their own buildings.

(Jennifer Shike)

Mike says remote monitoring and alarm systems like AP Connect have been a huge reason why he can do what he does today, allowing him to monitor his operations on his phone or when he is away from the facilities.

“There are many technologies to help,” he says. “Do your research. We’ve been testing AP’s Commander Fans for efficiency. Do they cost more? Yeah, but we see greater efficiency, and our ventilation environment is better. Doing research helps you know where to put your money.”

Wing It With the Wengers

Life moves at a fast pace for the Wengers. It’s no wonder their motto is “Wing it with the Wengers.” Flexibility, teamwork and a willingness to pitch in where needed have helped them build a business for the next generation.

“Everybody asks, how are you up that many pig spaces?” Mike says. “It’s taken a lot of hard work and risk. I am grateful and proud that my son, wife and I get to do this together. It’s tough to work with family.”

(Jennifer Shike)

Living in a commingled family isn’t easy either, he says. Currently, Nick is the only one of his kids involved in the business, but he hopes they are building a foundation for more to join if they wish someday.

“It meant a lot to Teresa when Nick and his wife asked her to be a stay-at-home grandma,” Mike says. “We also needed Teresa’s help us with the books because we were expanding, and I couldn’t do it all anymore.”

The Wengers make a great team, says Stephanie Nicholson, vice president of sales for QC Supply, the AP dealer for M&N Ag Systems.

“They are in it for the long term,” she says. “A lot of modern hog facilities were built in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Many of those farmers are getting ready to get out. They don’t know if they want to reinvest into their facilities or if their kids even want to come back. Meanwhile, the Wengers are saying, ‘No, this is the future.’ They see value in the pork industry.”

Mike’s goal is to keep doing what they are doing when it comes to their construction business. As far as Wenger Pork, he has his eye on expanding a little. Whether they are watching a load of market hogs leave the barn or a completely demolished site come back to life, it’s pretty satisfying to see the finished product.

“I like to see the process from start to finish,” Nick says. “There’s something about being able to say, ‘Yeah, we did that.’”

Purchases Must Have Purpose: 4 Contract Hog Growers Discuss Tough Decisions

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:47:39 GMT

Deciding where to invest your hard-earned dollars in your farming operation is not easy. In times of tight margins, purchases must have purpose.

Four contract hog growers share insight into how they determine where to put their resources, what holds them back from making big investments and what they want to invest in next on the farm. The growers include Andy Evers of Union Mills, Ind., Tony Howard of Logansport, Ind., Tiffany Nagai of Knox, Ind., and Dustin Ripberger of Lewisville, Ind.

What is the biggest determining factor when you make an investment for the farm?

Evers: If I’m going to purchase something big, I need to see a return on investment — whether equipment (shorter return) or property (may not see the return but next generation will). To me, I’m thinking about the purchases I make working for me, but also with what the next generation wants to do later on.

Howard: Deciding if we need the purchase now or if it can wait until interest rates are lower and commodity prices are higher.

Nagai: Since it’s just my husband and I with the grain operation and contract pigs, we are both busy and want to make investments that speed things up. Time is very valuable. For example, how can we save time handling manure? We had two 5,000-gallon tankers and hauled out manure in those tanks. We recently decided to invest in a drag line system. It was more money than two tanks, but in the long run, it has saved us a lot of time and fuel. What used to take us 30 days now gets done in three days. Time commitment is a huge factor for us.

Ripberger: The biggest determining factor is return on investment. When it comes to equipment, I usually look for something that we pay for custom services. If it’s a job we can handle, and the cost of investment makes sense with what we pay for the custom services, then we trust that analysis. When it comes to infrastructure, that’s a little more difficult. I usually try to take a broader approach and get a feel for the future and what will serve me the best.

What holds you back from making big investments?

Evers: It’s the fear of what commodity prices are doing and what the markets are going to be moving forward. Right now, the hog market is fairly stable, the cattle market is fantastic and grain is not. It’s nice to be diversified; if I was just in grain, it wouldn’t be as easy. This approach gives me more flexibility when I consider making big investments.

Howard: Interest rates and commodity prices are the largest factors in making those decisions.

Nagai: The cost of everything. It doesn’t matter if it’s pig-related or grocery store-related, everything is very expensive, and interest rates are high. If you walk into the tractor dealership for a $50 part, be prepared to come out $300 later. Investments are a lot now.

Ripberger: Cash and future uncertainty. Obviously managing liquidity is No. 1. After that, I will look at what the future looks like for our operation using current trends around the industry to help make decisions.

What is the next big investment you want to make in your operation?

Evers: A bigger shop. Ours was built in the early 1990s by my grandfather, and we’ve outgrown it tenfold. With the barns, we almost need a separate spot for welding and repairs for barns themselves.

Howard: We are considering expanding our swine operation to help bring the next generation back to the farm. We may need to add another entity to help make that possible.

Nagai: We have 6,000 pigs now. Depending on if my daughter comes back, the next thing we would do is expand on another site and put up another barn. Hopefully this would allow my daughter to have enough hogs to do something with.

Ripberger: I am considering another wean-to-finish hog building or possibly on-farm fertilizer storage.

Sensors on the Farm: Reliable Data Helps Producers Make Better Decisions

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:11:24 GMT

While the world was in lockdown in 2020, Jim Ryken started developing BarnTalk with BarnTools co-founder Michael Hansen. Growing up in the swine industry, they understood the shortcomings of traditional alarm systems that were created to protect barns and the livestock and poultry in them. Not only were these systems built in the 1990s outdated, but they were lacking reliability and remote visibility.

Ryken went to work during the COVID pandemic while he was home with his 13-year-old son and 70-year-old dad at the time to build a modern alarm system for livestock barns.

“My dad didn’t have a smartphone then,” Ryken says. “I knew if I could explain BarnTalk in a way that both my dad and son could understand, then I should be able to go talk to anybody in the industry and not make them be afraid of this technology.”

BarnTalk is a wireless alarm system that runs off an app on a cell phone, Ryken explains. He spent a lot of time thinking about how to make a system that is easy for farmers who don’t have a lot of time to use.

“I kept looking at consumer-grade User Interface (UI),” he says. “I kept thinking there had to be a way to feed those systems into animal agriculture to help with technology adoption. It is complicated, but it doesn’t have to look that way.”

(BarnTools)

Ryken says BarnTalk was developed to help improve operational efficiency and give growers a practical tool for monitoring what’s going on in their barns, especially when they’re not there.

“We didn’t have wireless communication when the first alarm systems were built,” he says. “We wanted to create a wireless system to do everything producers need from an alarming perspective, but also provide real-time insight like is it too hot in my barn? Are my pigs getting enough water?”

Reliable Return on Investment

In short, this technology can provide peace of mind to growers who no longer live right next to the barn, Ryken explains. But first, they had to solve the problem of connectivity on the farm.

“A lot of our early work was finding the right gateway that connects to all the cell towers and provides a connection to the internet from these rural areas that was never there before,” he says. “Once we solved that problem, we focused on building an app and getting wireless sensors in the barn that were easy to install.”

BarnTalk uses a DIY approach, Ryken explains. By creating something that is easy to install and has a ‘pretty low cost of entry,’ they wanted to provide tools that are not intimidating from a technical perspective or that will break their pocketbook.

That’s one of the reasons why Greg Wulf, director of production at Murphy Family Ventures LLC in southeast North Carolina, invested in this technology.

“We appreciate the simplicity, reliability and excellent customer service,” Wulf says.

For Wulf, the return on investment is what he appreciates most about making this purchase.

“In our situation, we did not have alarms to notify us of problems with power, environment or water,” Wulf says. “Barn Tools helps us avoid losses caused by equipment malfunction or operator error by notifying us of problems. Our ROI comes due to loss avoidance.”

As BarnTalk caught on with growers, BarnTools made a strategic pivot away from the challenges of steel manufacturing for hog gates in 2020 and focused their attention on providing technology for the grower.

(Barn Tools)

Strategic Sensors

BarnTools recently launched a second-generation feed bin sensor, BinTalk Pro that gives farmers insight into how much feed is in the bin. The sensor takes a reading every 15 minutes to help producers quickly detect any potential concerns.

“With this tool, farmers can start problem solving sooner,” Ryken says. “Is the bin out of feed? Did the feed stop flowing? Am I seeing a rapid depletion of feed? Is the feed just disappearing and it shouldn’t be? The sooner farmers can know about these problems, the better they can react.”

Several bin sensors are in each bin and every sensor in the bin is connected through a cellular connection, Ryken explains.

“Instead of putting a SIM card in every bin, we use one SIM in the gateway,” he says. “It connects to the cloud and creates a wireless network on the farm, so all bin sensors report through it.”

He says this is how BinTalk Pro can take a reading every 15 minutes because it doesn’t need to ‘ring up the cell connection’ and send data all the time.

“We recognize the real-time advantage of knowing what’s going on,” Ryken says. “Most feed bin sensors take a reading once a day, or once every four hours. By taking a reading every 15 minutes, we can limit the time an ‘event’ affects your animals. We take what the sensor sees and turn that into smart alarms that we can send to the growers.”

But pork producers aren’t the only ones who can benefit. The integrator and feed mill benefit, too. Sensors can optimize feed deliveries, which cuts down on waste and fuel emissions.

“As a turn comes to an end, we can make sure we don’t overdeliver feed before animals are sent off to market and create a reclaim event,” Ryken says. “Bin Talk Pro is a tool that can be used by growers, but it can be used up the supply chain to improve all the things affecting the most expensive part of raising animals -- the feed.”

(National Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff)

Water Watch

In the summer of 2022, Mike DeCap, vice president of crop and swine production at Grandview Farms Inc. in east central Iowa, says their farm became one of the first full-service adapters of BarnTalk.

“Getting updates every 15 minutes versus every four hours is the difference between seeing problems and solving them,” he says.

Grandview Farms strives to be on the forefront of technology to pick up efficiencies to raise a pound of pork and to protect their investments, DeCap explains.

“Once we met with BarnTools and learned that all employees could see into the finishers to visualize feed, temp, water and power, the decision was simple,” DeCap says.

Water meter sensors provide data to farmers every 15 minutes, too, Ryken says.

“It’s critical that your animals have the right amount of water and don’t run out,” he says. “If you have a water leak, you need to know about that fast or it could fill up your pit. Smart sensors notify you when leaks happen, so you don’t have to wait to find out when you get back to the farm the next morning.”

From a water perspective, Ryken is excited how sensors can help provide insights into pig health. BarnTools recently did some work with Brett Ramirez at Iowa State University. They watched a group of pigs get sick and how water consumption dropped off by about 25%. Within 48 hours, the caretaker had coughing pigs with scours, and the next day, some mortality.

“If you go back and look at the water data, two days before these clinical signs, we could have predicted this would happen,” Ryken says. “Water is such a powerful thing to monitor. I think it has the opportunity to change the way we medicate our animals whether that’s helping us medicate them earlier or treat them with something other than antibiotics to keep them from getting sick.”

He’s excited to see how data insight can continue to help the industry improve.

“We’re always listening to our customers about what data and sensors they need next,” Ryken says. “Sensors help us unlock potential in the industry that hasn’t been available before. There’s so much we can do with the data if we can get it off the farm. That’s really what we’re doing – helping get that data off the farm to ultimately help producers make better decisions.”

New Data Supports Stable Farmland Market

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 13:07:06 GMT

Year over year, Iowa farmland values are down 2.2%. That’s the latest result from The Realtors Land Institute Iowa Chapter survey, where participants were asked to estimate the average value of farmland as of September 1, 2025.

(Realtors Institute, Iowa Chapter)

In the past six months, the statewide average showed a 1.2% decrease. The six months before that resulted in a 1% decrease. This is all for tillable acres.

Iowa Realtors say this continues the sideways trend for land values since the market spiked in 2021 and 2022.

“The market is continuing to confirm it’s stubbornly stable,” says Matt Vegter, Hertz Farm Real Estate. “To post the numbers we did with the uncertainty in the market with tariffs, the price of corn and soybeans, it’s really a bright spot in the farmland market.”

Survey respondents say the market is stable despite bearish corn and soybean prices.
What’s helping stand up the market are:

Lack of inventory
Expectation for an above average crop for most of Iowa
Strong cattle prices

Vegter says for his area of business, central Iowa, listings are down 10% to 20%, and that holds true across most of the state.

“The summer is normally slow, but this was extra slow,” he says. “Typically inventory picks up in the fall through the winter, and we are expecting an average season ahead.”

Pasture acre values across the state trended flat or up for every reporting district, ranging from 0% to +6.8%. Per acre average values range from $4,498 to $5,504 per acre.
Looking ahead through the winter, which is traditionally a time for higher volume in transactions, the Realtor respondents are watching how farmland values could be effected.

“The strongest values are in northwest Iowa and northeast Iowa, where you have the most cattle feeder,” he says. “But those strong values can be attributed to how profitable cattle have been in the last year or two.”

All states in the Chicago Federal Reserve district, average a 3% percent increase in dollar value of “good” farmland from July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025. And by state:

Illinois 0%
Indiana 3%
Iowa 4%
Wisconsin 11%

“We say that eight of 10 farms we sell are bought by a local farmer,” Vegter says. “That trend won’t change.”

5 Questions to Consider Before You Invest in New Technology

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 13:46:13 GMT

Investing in new technology can be one of the biggest decisions you make on the farm. With so many new tools, systems and innovations hitting the market, it can be tempting to purchase the latest and greatest gadget with the hope that it will be a smart investment. But as enticing as new technology can be, the decision to make a big purchase should never be made on impulse.

Before you go signing on the dotted line, Stephanie Plaster, Extension farm management outreach specialist, and John Shutske, UW-Madison professor and Extension specialist in biological systems engineering, recommend asking yourself five key questions that can help determine whether a new purchase is truly the right fit for your farm.

1. What Issue Are You Hoping To Solve?
“The first question you should ask yourself is, what issue or challenge are you hoping to solve?” Plaster explains. “Understanding what is driving your decision to invest can help you evaluate whether this will be worth both the financial cost and the inevitable discomfort of the adoption transition period.”

While new equipment can make productivity and efficiency easier, technology is rarely plug-and-play. It requires time to learn, integrate and adapt. If you don’t clearly understand the benefits it provides and how those benefits justify the cost, you may end up investing in a solution that doesn’t truly address your needs.

2. What Are Your Skills And Interests?
Your strengths and preferences can make or break a technology investment. Knowing what you and your team are comfortable with can determine how smoothly a system is adopted and used. Technology that aligns with your skills and interests reduces frustration, speeds up integration and increases the likelihood the investment will deliver the results you are expecting.

“This might seem like a silly question when considering autonomous equipment, but it could make or break the success of the technology adoption or change management process,” Plaster says.

If you’re comfortable with software, data analysis and troubleshooting, certain systems might be a perfect fit. If not, you may want to choose technology with strong dealer support.

“Playing to your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses is a solid strategy,” Plaster adds.

3. Do You Have Reliable Internet Access?
Many of today’s technologies require consistent connectivity for updates, monitoring and troubleshooting. Without reliable internet, systems may not run as expected. That’s why verifying your internet connection beforehand is essential so the technology can perform as intended from the start.

“Do you have broadband internet access you consider both accessible and affordable?” Shutske asks. “By formal definition, we’re talking about a speed of at least 25 megabits per second for downloading and three megabits per second for uploading data.”

For farms in rural areas, this may require exploring alternative solutions like fixed wireless, satellite or cellular-based services before implementing connected technologies.

4. Is There Adequate Service Infrastructure?
Even the most advanced equipment will eventually need service, whether it’s routine maintenance, troubleshooting or unexpected repairs. According to Shutske, having access to knowledgeable technicians and reliable support can make all the difference between a smooth operation and days of downtime.

“It’s really important to ask questions of your technology supplier or vendor,” Shutske says. “Our research shows that it’s proving to be a real challenge for local technology companies who want to hire excellent people with technology skills to work in and service agricultural areas.”

He encourages farmers to ask vendors about their staffing, average response times, remote troubleshooting capabilities and how they support customers during the startup phase.

“Will they be able to support you remotely if a service technician cannot come out and travel to your farm?” Shutske asks. “Reliable service infrastructure is essential for smooth operation and maintenance.”

5. How Comfortable Are You With Your Finances?
Ultimately, the decision to invest comes down to the numbers. Not just whether you can afford the purchase today, but whether it will pay for itself and support the long-term health of your operation. A piece of technology that looks appealing on paper can quickly become a financial burden if it doesn’t deliver measurable returns.

“It’s critical to identify if the farm will have the capacity to achieve financial and production performance goals and objectives,” Plaster explains. “That means knowing your current financial position, understanding key measures like ROI (return on investment) and IRR (internal rate of return), and calculating how this purchase will affect cash flow and debt load.”

She notes that salespeople, lenders and accountants will all use different financial language. Therefore, the more familiar you are with the terms and metrics, the more confidently you can make an informed choice.

Build a Decision-Making Framework
While these five questions are a strong starting point, Plaster emphasizes the value of a structured decision-making process.

“To make informed decisions, it is essential to have a clear strategy,” she says.

Tools like a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and gap analysis can help you evaluate current performance, identify areas for improvement and determine whether new technology is the best path forward.

By weighing the problem you’re trying to solve, the skills you bring to the table, your infrastructure and your financial readiness, you can approach a technology investment with clarity and confidence.

5 Things I Can't Wait to See in a Pig Barn

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 21:28:27 GMT

Five pork industry experts weigh in on what technologies they want to see in a barn someday.

“I am most excited about technologies that can help train and improve caretaker quality. We have a shortage of labor in our industry and challenges with retention, leading in some cases to limited institutional knowledge on-farm. Some emerging technologies can identify sick pig symptoms that an inexperienced or overworked caretaker might overlook, or narrow down which sows are most likely to be in heat so the worker only has to check a percentage of the herd. These kinds of tech not only make the caretaker jobs easier, they offer a form of on-the-job training to help new workers get up to speed more quickly.”
–Suzanne Leonard, assistant professor and Extension specialist at North Carolina State University

“Technologies that can identify sick pigs both at the population and individual pig level.”
–Caleb Shull, director of research and innovation for The Maschhoffs

“Although I don’t know that it exists now, I fully expect ‘smart mortality management’ to emerge. Not only is this more in line with enhanced biosecurity, but it will also help cut down on manual labor to remove deads such as a rail system that can be used to hoist a dead pig versus anyone having to lift/drag it.”
–Benny Mote, swine Extension specialist and associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

“I’m excited about adding artificial intelligence to lactation feeding so we can tailor a sow’s diet to her needs. We tell customers to maximize feed intake, because we win either way — heavier litter weight and increased sow backfat to re-breed quicker. However, there are some inefficient sows who we shouldn’t give maximum feed to because they aren’t going to convert it. This type of technology will save us money because before now, we couldn’t tell who was inefficient.”
–Brian Strobel, USA business development coordinator for Gestal/Jyga Technologies

“The technologies that excite me most have a return on investment whether that’s in throughput or labor savings (that could even be biosecurity).”
–Shaun McGinn, chief operating officer with Carthage System Professional Swine Management LLC

Your Next Read: Purposeful Purchases: How to Decide Which Technology to Invest in Next

Purposeful Purchases: How to Decide Which Technology to Invest in Next

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 20:20:42 GMT

Purchasing technology is a major investment for any pork operation. From robotic power washers to cameras, there’s a lot to consider when it comes time to making purchases for your barn. That’s why Shaun McGinn, chief operating officer at Carthage System Professional Swine Management LLC, says to begin with the end in mind.

“What do you want to live with?” McGinn asks. “Pig flow, pig counter, bin technology, tag readers and cameras all have costs.”

Of course, nobody wants to invest in technology that won’t result in a financial gain.

“Ultimately, you want to earn a return on every technology component you add to the barn,” says Caleb Shull, director of research and innovation for The Maschhoffs.

The return on the technology investment depends on several factors:

Who is providing the labor (barn owner, third party, owner of pigs)?
Who owns the barn and is paying for the technology (owner of pigs or contract grower)?
How does the technology improve profitability (reduction in mortality, reduction in labor)?

Prioritize Your Problems
When it comes to making the tough purchasing decisions, Suzanne Leonard, assistant professor and Extension specialist at North Carolina State University, recommends producers start by prioritizing.

“Decide what problem you would like to tackle first. Maybe it is high prewean mortality, low nursery feed efficiency or a job task that you dislike performing. Determine how much value you place on solving, or reducing, the problem to decide how much money you’re willing to invest in a technology to address it,” she says.

Then, evaluate the technologies. Compare what the technology claims to do versus what it actually measures or records, and evaluate how closely those two are related, she suggests.

“Be sure you are comfortable with the lifespan of the technology, level of customer and technical support, and regular maintenance that needs to be performed. Reach out to third-party evaluators, such as other producers with the technology and universities, to learn of their firsthand experiences with the tech,” Leonard says.

Focus on the End Goal
It’s also valuable to determine who will be using the technology. Will your team accept and readily use it? If so, how will you evaluate if it is successful or not in your system?

For Brian Strobel, USA business development coordinator for Gestal/Jyga Technologies, technology should replace mundane, daily activities such as feeding.

“To me, the end game is having the data to prove our daily animal care (according to our expected eating and drinking patterns) in case anyone ever questions our care,” Strobel says. “Technology allows us to have the data to prove it. For our red-list animals (those who don’t eat as we expect), it is up to the farm to give those animals personal care, which we call ‘managing by exception.’”

Regardless of what technology you add to the barn, some jobs are best handled by people, Strobel adds.

“I don’t want to automate day one piglet care, because I want a person making decisions on each piglet’s care and getting them to a teat,” he says. “I wish we could automate moving sows down the aisle, but that remains manual for opening doors, gates and moving them along if they stop.”

Be Realistic
No matter how good the technology is, some level of maintenance, updates or occasional user interaction will always be needed, Leonard points out.

“Be realistic about what technology can do and its limitations. Give yourself time to adjust to the new system before evaluating its true value,” she says.

Find out the lifespan of the technology, Shull recommends.

“Producers need to know what opportunity there is for improvement with the technology,” he says. “For example, don’t implement a mortality reduction technology in a barn with 1% mortality.”

Don’t Get Left Behind
As technologies in the barn continue to grow and improve, Strobel says it’s important to be open-minded.

“The main thing is to decide we’re burning our bridges and not going back. This is 2024 — everyone has a smartphone. We didn’t have these 20 years ago. We need to adapt in order to be sustainable,” Strobel says. “The same is true about vehicles. Most of us aren’t driving 1980s vehicles. We trust the technology in the newer vehicles. We should all be open to knowing what’s current to make us better.”

Your Next Read: 5 Things I Can’t Wait to See in a Pig Barn

7 Ways To Be A Lifeline For Farmers

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 14:12:10 GMT

When times are tough is when farmers need their trusted advisers the most, says Greg Martinelli. For the past eight years, he’s coached ag sales professionals specifically in the retail/inputs category.

“When I worked in corporate ag, there was a moment when this idea hit me like a ton of bricks,” Martinelli says. “I was visiting a Midwest row crop farmer in 2011, when corn was $6 and breakeven costs were close to $3.50. He told me, ‘I don’t need you now, I needed you when corn was $3.50.’”

Martinelli says there are opportunities to bring value in this current economic environment. To help refocus your efforts in sales and marketing, he offers seven steps to find success with customers despite the tough economic times of the cycle.

1. Don’t jump into the quick sand with them.
“Farmers love to complain and commiserate about how hard it is. And as sales people we love to commiserate with them on how you understand the farmer’s business,” Martinelli says. “But if you do that, you aren’t doing anything different than what they hear at the coffee shop.”

He equates reiterating the negativity as not throwing them a lifeline but rather jumping into the quicksand with them.

“Farmers are looking for someone with a solution. You show up on the farm with all of your company tools and resources and instead of using them to help, you jump into the quicksand with them. This is where a trusted advisor can set themselves apart,” he says.

2. Keep them moving.
With the magnitude and quantity of factors farmers consider, they can fall victim to analysis paralysis.

“Farmers are seeking ideas but more so clear answers,” Martinelli says “This is where you can—not in a gossipy way—share your insights from other farms. Every day all day you’re on farms. You can share in a professional way what you are seeing and what you are learning.”

This combination of experience and credibility can serve the purpose to keep farmers considering new ideas as well as help prevent someone from going too far or all-in on a risky choice.

3. Provide perspective.
“If you’re lucky enough to be in the middle or late in your career, you’ve gone through downturns before,” Martinelli says. “That means you know things change, and there will be an upturn.”

He cautions sales people from encouraging negativity and rather engaging in a positive way.

“You have to acknowledge what is going on, because the financial pain is real,” he says. “Often as salespeople we can seem like we’re acting like a psychiatrist, and the opportunity is to not let the negativity persist any more in the conversation than it needs to.”

4. Shed light.
“There are places farmers aren’t looking where there are opportunities for you to help them uncover,” Martinelli says.

As an illustrative example, he talks about crop marketing.

“This is a weak area across crop production because there are no right or wrong answers, and the skills required usually mean the oldest person on the farm does the work,” he says. “The thing to do is admit you don’t have the answers, but ask what they are doing with their marketing plan.”

He says many of those conversations unveiled farmers with even 30 years of experience didn’t understand crop insurance, which provided another valuable exploration of additional services.

5. Show them a path.
“Instead of selling an idea, explain why a change of approach is an asset to their business,” he says.

One common trap is to talk broadly about precision agriculture and not detail exactly what product and service fit an individual field.

6. Put your customer on your org chart.
While this may sound a bit off the wall, Martinelli advocates identifying where the customer fits into your business by the simple task of putting them on your company’s organizational chart.

“We all need an org chart to know who manages who, but if you really want to start the engines of the thought process, ask where on your org chart is your customer. Where would you put them.”

This helps illustrate how marketing, accounting and other teams are taking into account what customers are trying to accomplish.

“If things are changing, and times get tough for the customer, it’ll get tough on your agribusiness. How are we organizing around the customer?” he says.

7. Let them know they aren’t completely alone.
“At first, it may not be well received or completely understood that everyone is experiencing this downturn,” Martinelli says. “Farming and making decisions can be a lonely business for our customers. As their trusted adviser, this can be your chance to provide support. Let them know they are not alone in their struggles.”

He says when customers are venting, don’t interrupt them, but rather when they are done ask them with all of the negatively for how things are, what are they going to do different.

With the seven steps, Martinelli coaches advisers to take their three biggest customers, and list the steps they will do in 30, 60 and 90 days.

“Having a plan is certainly better than just showing up on the farm and kicking tires,” he says.

Your Next Read: New Study Looks At The Relationship Between Farmers And Their Advisors