The man, the myth, and the legend returns! Glenn Longabaugh returns to the podcast room with hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Of course, Glenn is the Technical Agronomist for Premier Companies, but you may not know he’s practically an expert on suck holes and vole colonies.

Glenn will share an update on the current growing season and how the weather conditions have impacted each farmer’s ability to get their fields planted. You’ll also learn why Glenn isn’t worried about the tar spot findings from pathologists and why small plants aren’t great hosts. Sal, Jeff, and Glenn dig into how diseases become epidemics in the reproductive stage and the various stages of the disease triangle and why it should be considered a disease square instead. You’ll also hear about Glenn’s top watchouts given our recent rainfall events and the reasons behind the greensnap corn in Premier’s territory. “I don’t want to condemn this crop… I’m telling you, there’s a lot of potential out there.”

What are the market sentiments toward the reports coming out at the end of the month? On today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies, hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett are joined by Aaron Bledsoe who is no stranger to the podcast! As you may remember, Aaron is the Grain Merchandiser for Premier Companies, and he’ll be giving us the rundown on the June World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report!

You’ll hear why Aaron thinks this update was just “ho-hum” and why he’s got his eyes on the acreage and quarterly stocks report instead. You’ll hear why many individuals are bullish on old crop corn and what will help out the new crop position. On the flip side, you’ll hear why feed usage may throw a wrench in the entire thing! It’s not all doom and gloom; tune in to hear the update on soy biomass diesel and trends to keep on your radar. “There’s just a lot going on, and literally, with a couple decisions, the marketplace could be turned on its head…”

How do you put common sense back into Washington, D.C.? From Washington, D.C., returning and very special guest, Erin Houchin, joins hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett. Congresswoman Erin Houchin is the U.S. representative for Indiana’s 9th congressional district and is the second highest ranking female in Congress!

Congresswoman Houchin serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Budget Committee and the Rules Committee, and because of that, she’s on the trifecta of committees for budget reconciliation and will provide a glimpse into how the government is working to find savings while still protecting the individuals who need assistance. She’ll also give an update on the Farm Bill and the upcoming large issues she’ll be working to address. “What I try to do in my approach is to get as much information as I can to make the best decision that I can to help the most people that I can…”

How can 4-H prepare students for life after school? Returning guest Heather VonDielingen is in the podcast room with Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Her responsibilities have changed a bit since she last met with us, and Heather is now working as the Juntos 4-H Lead for the Indiana State 4-H Office.

Heather will share with us about the Juntos program which exists to help students gain the skills and resources to help them graduate high school and open up a new realm of career and academic opportunities upon graduation. You’ll also learn about the programs that exist for the families of students in the Juntos program and the Next Chapter, a program through the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, that exists to increase the employability skills and readiness for the workforce or additional studies. “We’re really trying to give those kids practical skills that they’ll use… We’re really preparing these kids for life and work.”

Are you considering getting into agriculture but not sure you want to take all the risk? You’re going to want to tune into this episode! After a six-month hiatus, returning guest, Dan Vague, joins hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama in the podcast room for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Dan is the Vice President of Swine Production at SwineLink, a division of Premier Companies that handles the management for family-owned pork facilities.

You’ll learn the ins and outs of SwineLink, a wean-to-finish program, and how it’s designed to get the younger generation back on the farm with more income streams. Dan, Jeff, and Sal will explain how the sow share system works to allow the production of pigs that will be brought in and finished out as part of SwineLink. You’ll learn how the pigs are raised and the automated systems that are installed in the barns and the processes involved to keep the pigs healthy and the facilities free from contamination. Dan will also share what happens before the next group of pigs arrives to keep the barns clean and make sure the pigs will have a safe environment. Curious about what’s happening in the swine market? They’ll tackle that topic as well! “The biggest thing for us, from a profitability standpoint, is to keep the pigs healthy…”

Sal’s favorite agronomist is back! Glenn Longabaugh is in the podcast room with Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. You know and love Glenn as Premier’s Technical Agronomist, and he’s handing his agronomy secrets out, but you won’t be learning any of his tricks for bowhunting turkeys.

In addition to his hunting adventures, you’ll learn about ideal planting windows and why you should plant according to the weather and not according to the calendar. Considering skipping the phosphate this year? Glenn will also share why you should rethink that and consider sticking to your original application plans to be able to raise a large crop. “It’s not a good time to build… I think it’s a good time to… have that relationship with your account manager, and let’s look at crop removal and what your maintenance levels are… Let’s weather this storm.”

We’re not sure if he’s famous or infamous, but we’re glad he’s here even though he’s bringing a lot of bad news. Josh Linville returns to join hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Though you may remember him as Jeff’s most famous friend, Josh is also the Vice President of Fertilizer at StoneX.

Josh, Jeff, and Sal dig into what has caused the fertilizer market to struggle so much this year. You’ll hear about how low inventories, import and export issues, and spring production issues have combined to cause the perfect storm within the industry. They’ll talk specifically about the high Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) prices and why they think there’s no reason to anticipate correction before summer. They’ll also discuss the countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizers and why there’s reason to believe this won’t stay tough forever. Until that time, like Josh says, “This will be probably the biggest standoff we have ever seen between buyers and sellers…”

Why is the timing of a fungicide application so important? Dr. Megan Taylor is in the podcast room with our hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Dr. Taylor is the Technical Agronomist at Bayer, and as a fun fact, she is a former colleague of Sal’s!

Dr. Taylor will share about her educational background and what eventually led to her working for Bayer. You’ll learn about the changes that have occurred in the world of fungicides over the last decade including emerging diseases and how planting practices have changed application needs. You’ll learn about best application practices for growers who need to cover a lot of acres and what will give you the biggest bang for your buck to protect your yield potential. Struggling with stink bugs not just in your field but in your home as well? Dr. Taylor will share her thoughts on those as well, and if you are looking for fungicide data, head on over to the wealth of knowledge at https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/.