Blog—July 30, 2025—10-11—It’s YOUR Agri Business

  Our It’s YOUR Agri Business Show covered a lot of water—a lot of topics all centered around agriculture.

   In this show---we started with Darren Hefty—Ag PHD---Mr. Agriculture in South Dakota---and the showed aired—less than 24 hours before his big Ag PHD Field Day on his Baltic property.

   10,000 expected to start showing up at 7AM Thursday---lots of information—free food and discussions that can cross generation lines.

   They come from everywhere—the learn almost everything—and yes it will help pass the torch to the next generations.

   Darren makes it clear---they have been doing this for years---so many people learn –maybe as many as 5 generations from one family. All there together.

   We don’t do a Thursday show—but we follow along—and will talk with Darren in between planning sessions for 2026 on Friday.

   Matt Merritt joined us this morning—as part of the Paulsen Agency—he was just at a Ag Media Summit—there with Streamline Ag—he talked to us about what he learned—how he went from newspaper side to agency and is enjoying agriculture.

   Matt shared that SDSU lost an estimated $86 million livestock research grant as part of recent federal spending cuts, making South Dakota the state with the highest per student loss of grants reported by Center for American Progress. Other cuts were less dramatic.

   Nolan Clarke---Plains Commerce Bank---gave us how they work as the planners for those in business, agriculture, young and old alike. They listen—look at alternatives---and we cheer them on.

   Sarah Heinrich---KFGO Growing Harvest Network always finds a way to spread the North Dakota dialogue into our KELO-AM station. Good stuff—the Dakotas have a lot in common—and she is one smart cookie.

   Matt Swenson—did the mid-morning numbers for Swenson Commodities. Each morning that we do a show—he gives us the latest information—and how the listeners earlier or later in the day can get the latest by phone or probably electronically from Swenson. They are people we can count on.

   Chris Bartman—Gingerich Structures—talked to this morning on the calls they have been taking with damage from what is getting close to a week of troubles. He was talking about Hudson being one of the areas hard hit—and how they are trying to give strength to those that have been hit.

   Right behind him—Kristi Nelson---Blackburn’s---who have been helping us all week on basement troubles. Shawn with sharing in our Tuesday Show—that they were getting so many calls that they were already 2 weeks behind in answering. As we have worked with those scoring the storms and moisture---we have been hoping to give our audience the information that help them to realize—they too might have a serious problem. We’ll have more on Friday.

   Sadie Swier joined us to talk about her event in Sioux Falls next week---it will be an opportunity for those in business to learn more about what is changing and what they can have discussed in the daylong event on August 7th. We have already met 3 of her business leaders who will be a part of the session----and more information is available on line.

    Our It’s YOUR Business and Agri Business Show—has been working with partners for a long time. My job is schedule them---and our account executives try to work with them so that we have partners—and the businesses have an audience that includes business and the state’s #1 industry agriculture. It’s not what you know but who you partner with to provide—you the audience with the right information.

    Norm Anderson posts the podcast on the show---my job is to schedule the guests---prepare the discussion----interview and then write this blog as a history of what was in the show.

    Questions for me—feel free to call/text at 605-728-2455 (BILL) or email me at bill.zortman@mwcradio.com.