The Scoop Podcast

Ag retailers are heading into 2027 asking policymakers for one thing above all: certainty. On this episode of the Scoop Podcast, Ag Retailers Association (ARA) policy leaders Richard Gupton and Hunter Carpenter break down the issues shaping the fall agenda, just after ARA's fall board meeting in St. Louis.

Two honorees from The Scoop's latest 40 Under 40 awardee class tackle a different side of the same challenge: making ag retail work smarter for growers. David Vail, an Insights and Analytics Specialist at Simplot Grower Solutions in Boise, Idaho, uses tools like Power BI and ArcGIS to turn sales and spatial data into fast, actionable insight for crop advisors — freeing them up to spend less time digging and more time with growers. Dakota Patton, CFO at United Prairie, a 13-location ag retailer based in Tolono, Illinois, is solving a related problem from the finance side, using Agvance and the AgVend grower portal to run a growing operation efficiently and get farmers the information they need on their schedule, not the retailer's. Together, they offer a look at how the next generation of ag retail leadership is putting data and technology to work in service of the grower relationship.

Biologicals are no longer a curiosity. As adoption grows and claims multiply, ag retailers are being asked to evaluate more products, respond faster to growers, and help connect biological inputs to real system outcomes. In our recent conversation with Rick Melnick, COO and Managing Partner of DunhamTrimmer, we broke down the biggest market shifts—and what retailers should do to stay confident in a rapidly evolving category.

In todays episode of The Scoop Podcast, Margy Ecklecamp sits down with two of The Scoop’s 40 Under 40 recipients. Margy talks with Tommy Setterdahl Preconstruction Manager at Stueve Construction and Nathan Joraanstad, Product Manager at Bushel.

On this episode of The Scoop, Hunter Carpenter offers insight into the policy and regulatory issues dominating the conversation in Washington, including the push for ag labor reform, support for voluntary regenerative agriculture, new pesticide registrations, and transportation concerns tied to rail consolidation.

Nathan Packer was recently named Senior Vice President of Retail Across North America for Nutrien Ag Solutions. In his first media interview, Packer talks about industry trends and how Nutrien is planning to grow its business. Packer has a career history working for legacy companies in the Nutrien timeline including Crop Production Services. He says Nutrien is staying focused by remaining close to its customers and being ready to adopt technology to reliably serve their needs.

Corbett Kull takes us through his journey from building Tillable's farmland marketplace to pivoting into Camo Ag, a map-first platform designed specifically for ag salespeople. We dive into why generic tools fail in agriculture and how data-driven, agriculture-built solutions are professionalizing the way companies sell to farmers.

Syngenta’s Jeremy Groeteke joins Margy Eckelkamp to discuss the shift from collecting data to taking action. Explore the three buckets of AI, the future of autonomous farming, and how retailers can overcome "data fatigue" to deliver real-world ROI and profitability to their grower customers.

In this episode of The Scoop Podcast, host Margy Eckelkamp speaks with Isaac Wolford, the Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Representative to the Ag Retailers Association (ARA) Board, about the vital role of CCA accreditation in the ag retail industry. Isaac outlines the program's 30-year history as a "boots-on-the-ground" certification that validates expertise in pest, nutrient, crop, and soil management.

In this episode of The Scoop, Margy Eckelkamp sits down with Hunter Carpenter from the Agricultural Retailers Association to break down the critical policy shifts currently moving through Washington, D.C. The conversation centers on the House-passed Farm Bill, highlighting key wins like the TSP Access Act and the new plant biostimulant definition. However, Hunter also addresses the "hiccups" in the House version, specifically the removal of language regarding uniform labeling and NPDES permit reforms—issues the ARA hopes to revive in the Senate. The episode further explores the House's recent passage of year-round E15 sales. Beyond legislation, Hunter discusses the ARA’s cautious stance on the proposed Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern rail merger, emphasizing that maintaining competition is vital for keeping freight rates manageable for retailers.

John Hockett, CEO of Marion Ag Service, is the second-generation leader for this family-run ag retailer located in Oregon. As a previous recipient of ARA’s Retailer of the Year, Marion Ag Service exemplifies excellence in its business in many ways, which Hockett boils down to “little things matter.” This year marks 50 years of business, and Hockett shares a bit on their vision for the next 50.

With recently announced guidance from the Department of the Treasury, to support the documentation of agricultural production required to participate for Section 45Z tax credits, Bushel and Verity have integrated their on-farm data,  sustainability modeling and compliance platform. Kimberly Bowron, president of Verity, and Jake Joraanstad, CEO of Bushel, explain what’s next for traceability in the grain business.  

BenVireo TerraLux (10-0-0 liquid organic nitrogen (N) fertilizer) has been named The Scoop’s New Product of the Year runner-up. Gina Colfer, sustainable solutions agronomy manager for Wilbur-Ellis, explains BenVireo is something organic growers may not have dreamed they’d have access to 30 years ago.

During its annual fly-in, more than 120 Agricultural Retailers Association members visited 130 congressional offices to promote ARA’s policy priorities. “Being engaged, having a voice for the industry is critically important,” says Richard Gupton, ARA’s senior vice president of public policy.

Congratulations goes to Indigo Ag and its biotrinsic Nemora FP being named The Scoop’s new product of the year. PJ Smith, Senior Global Product Manager at Indigo Ag, gives insights on how biologicals have grown as a category and as a brand how “when people hear Nemora, they immediately think, no more nematodes.”

Laura Blome, owner and president of Hedlin Ag, works with agribusinesses and clients for leadership and executive searches and role placements. She shares two key skills needed in the industry right now are financial management and excellence in leadership.

The team at River Valley Cooperative shares the backstory and gives insights into their industry-leading programs and initiatives. With the mantra “On the ground all year round,” the co-op has integrated all four divisions—agronomy, grain, feed, energy—and invested in internal and customer-facing technologies.

With its upcoming legislative fly-in, ARA’s policy team has been working on its priorities for the year ahead. ARA’s senior director of government affairs Hunter Carpenter gave a status report in mid-January as funding and appropriation bills were starting to move.

Anna Cardoze, vice president of strategic accounts at Growers, shares how ag retailers’ approach to growing customer loyalty has changed alongside the technology available to make the programs perform. She also gives insights on how every ag retail business is nuanced and which may have low hanging fruit to build their businesses bigger with customers.

Just before his retirement from Nutrien, Jeff Tarsi talks about his career and how ag retail has evolved over the past four decades. He shares the role technology has played in the transformation and the importance of staying on top of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

IFCA President KJ Johnson gives an update on the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and how retailers across the state are putting effort into reducing nutrient loss and enhance water quality.

Grower's Edge CEO Matt Hansen shares how his company has pivoted and changed in the ag fintech space to help ag retailers and manufacturers grow and improve their marketing, product placement and revenue.

Hunter Carpenter from ARA’s public policy team joins the podcast to discuss the bill reopening the federal government, and what’s included for ag. He also gives an update on trade including USMCA, China, and the critical minerals listing. You can join the ag retail industry as it gathers from the annual ARA Conference and Expo in Salt Lake City. Learn more at aradc.org.

Matt Makens from Makens Weather will present at the 2026 ARA Conference and Expo. In this podcast, he shares a recap of the weather trends most effecting agriculture in 2025, and gives a preview for his outlook going into 2026.

With at least 95% accuracy at key estimate timings in late July and early August, Growmark’s myFS agronomy platform gives its retail advisors and farmers new insights. Brendan Bachman, FS Agronomy Director, explains how the tool works and what it means for the future.

Galynn Beer, vice president of global sales for Tidal Grow, says the current dynamics in agriculture bring opportunity to think about fertilizer differently. Tidal Grow is bringing crop fertility products to the market to elevate yields and solve for environmental loss and sustainability.  

Keith Byerly, commercial sustainability lead for Mosaic, says retailers need to celebrate their wins and take more credit for the recommendations they’ve made that have resulted in higher yields and profitability for their grower-customers. As farmers are harvesting their fields and thinking about their results, it is a great time for retailers to build their equity with their customers and humbly remind growers of how their recommendations helped grow a successful crop.  

Lukas Koch is CEO of Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems, which spun out of an ag retail business. From bigger, faster drones that could fly farther, Koch shares more about what the future of application via drone looks like.

Ken Zuckerberg, leads the global research team at CHS through its CHS Market Advisors division, and he says the winds of change are blowing as the crop cycle continues to search for a bottom. Zuckerberg discusses what this means for farmgate economics and the future of ag retailers.

It is September, and many farmers, agronomists, and retailers are already focused on the 2026 season, and leading the charge of those agronomic decisions is seed. Mark Menke, seed products agronomist with Wilbur-Ellis, shares how with the tough economic situation in row crops, stubbing your toe with a seed selection can be even more painful.

ARA’s Richard Gupton discusses the bill aiming to modernize the seasonal ag CDL used by many ag retailers and other industries. There are two key provisions: online renewal and a federal definition for implements of husbandry.

With decades of experience in agribusiness, Clayton Becker, Chief Operating Officer at Vane, says his company answers a question unlike anyone else—while farmers have crop insurance or other risk management tools, what’s available for ag retailers? For the past five years, Vane has been providing coverage policies for those who sell and service product to farmers. And he says there’s more to come.

High input prices have escalated the scrutiny farmers are putting toward their fertilizer products, placements and rates. How can retailers navigate these challenges? And what does it take to bring new products in such a dynamic time? Greg Sanford, vice president of sales at Verdesian, leans on his own previous retail experience and shares what retailers expect from suppliers right now, the key points to scale up biostimulant use, and the next big trend in fertilizer products.

With nearly three decades of experience in ag retail, Cory Wermert has started a consulting business focusing on helping businesses and potential employees find their best fit in roles in the industry. He shares insights in how to recruit and retain successful employees and leaders.

ARA’s Richard Gupton and Hunter Carpenter share insights on the latest legislation and policy effecting the ag retail industry. This includes, the One Big Beautiful Bill, the future of a Farm Bill, DOT regulations and more.

Heather Thompson, Executive Director of enterprise marketing at Growmark, shares the details behind the new campaign—Start to Finish. She explains how Growmark is investing in its retail footprint and optimizing farmer customer relationships.

Thad England, director of U.S. strategic accounts with Groundwork BioAg, shares his experience in taking carbon market opportunities to farmers, and how those programs are changing.

As director of R&D and Innovation at Forge Genetics International, Emily Meccage has a lot to share about the breeding work being done for alfalfa.

From the west coast to Wisconsin and through the central corn belt, Cody Steinkamp with Doyle Manufacturing helps ag retailers outfit their dry fertilizer warehouses to serve customers today and into the future.

Kyle Barton, procurement manager at Simplot Grower Solutions, manages the supply chain of crop protection, adjuvants, micronutrients, and biologicals for the company’s retail locations west of the Rocky Mountains. In total, that’s over 100 supplier relationships.

Benny Andres, who oversees the product management team at Bushel, shares how technology—and specifically software—can be used to strengthen the relationship between farmers and their trusted advisers. He says the Bushel team is applying a focus on how to do business better, and when value is demonstrated in the technology adoption, farmers the first in line to be adopters.

With the final herbicide rule and final insecticide rule announced by EPA, new product labels and FIFRA re-registration comes with additional regulation. Hear from independent consultants James Todd and Steve Hoffman about what everyone should know and how this year is pivotal to the future of pesticide use.

Andrew Moore, president of the National Ag Aviation Association, shares how this progressive, and mature industry contributes to the agricultural industry applying on more than 127 million acres each year. With an expanding industry of crewed and uncrewed aircraft, Moore gives top tips and best practices for every aerial application.

Ken Zuckerberg, head of global research at CHS Inc., says while current times are VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous), ag retailers should avoid making any quick decisions and spend even more time with customers. Zuckerberg also shares his latest thesis for where U.S. agriculture can find success, and it has to do with “Shake ‘N Bake”…. The key qualities for the next growing markets.

For more than 10 years, ResponsibleAg has been an industry-led program where retailers receive compliance audits to stay on track with their regulated safety standards. Industry ambassador Tim McArdle and ARA CEO Daren Coppock share case studies in how ResponsibleAg is an asset for ag retailers in their everyday business across 2,356 locations.

Nick Sawyer is the agronomy director at Five Star Cooperative in northern Iowa. He shares what is driving their business forward, and the three things that stand out as tools to bring value to customers and differentiate their business in the marketplace.

Trey Malone, Boehlje Chair in Managerial Economics for Agribusiness at Purdue University, says he is working to reshape the way the industry thinks about economic principles in agriculture.

Richard Gupton and Hunter Carpenter from the Agricultural Retailers Association give their updates and insights on top policy issues for the ag retail industry. 

Now with two full years of experience in the field, Jeff Crissinger and the team at Nu-Way K&H Cooperative are ready to share their takeaways and insights on how selective spraying is changing custom application. With positive grower reception, impressive results, and demand for more, they are adding a second machine this year–using both Greeneye Technology and John Deere See and Spray.

The team at Growers Edge aims to de-risk a farmer from adopting new practices or new products. They have financial technology tools, offered commonly via ag retailers, which can be used to strengthen their relationships with customers and lead to faster adoption of those products and services.