More Meeting Thoughts

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Partners & Friends,

Here is a list of takeaways from the meetings we attended over the past few weeks.

AgView Solutions Executive Business Conference
Ag management and consulting

  • Who are the five people you spend the most time with—and do you respect their opinions?

  • Your attention is the most valuable thing you own.

  • 2026 plans: no capital expenditures; focus on cover crops and custom grazing; market more aggressively; more corn-on-corn; rent decreases will be hard to come by.

  • You can’t delegate what you can’t define.

  • What perspective do you need to change, and where do you need to plan better?

  • AI: get familiar with it.

  • Stay close to your lender, insurance agent, and marketing consultant.

  • Japan may be heading toward a financial crisis.

  • Productivity increases are happening—AI isn’t the only reason.

  • Government assistance likely won’t help ag much; it may just prolong the pain.

  • Global corn demand is strong.

  • Success in life comes from your ability to manage the margin of greatness.

  • Living is what we get; life is what we give.

  • Strip-tillage allows for up to a 50% fertilizer rate reduction without economic impact.

  • Equipment technology is advancing fast: spot spraying, smoke spraying, and improved corn seed placement.

2026 Illinois Soybean Association Summit

  • The current crop support structure tilts benefits toward southern producers.

  • The way Farm Bill issues were addressed in OBBB has further fragmented the industry.

  • We are where we are—where we go from here is what matters.

  • Cover crop microbes can remain active at temperatures as low as 15°F.

  • Phosphate prices are expected to be higher in 2026 after the next few weeks.

  • U.S. farmers are paying a premium for inputs due to tariffs and global politics.

  • NH₃ prices should soften in 2026 if global fundamentals align.

  • Brazil has 70 million acres available without rainforest destruction.

  • Land costs in Brazil are minimal compared to the U.S.

  • Government supports are pushing marginal farmers to produce surplus crops, distorting markets and driving up land rent and price supports.

  • On average, there are now 10 fewer days for fieldwork between March 15 and May 30 compared to 20 years ago.

  • What can I do to hand this off better?

Holganix

  • Reducing nitrogen usage helps maintain soil pH longer.

  • 72% of global GDP now operates within a regulated carbon market.

  • The U.S. will need 20% more energy in the next five years to power data server farms.

  • Microsoft purchased 47 million tons of carbon credits in 2025.

  • Farmers can store up to 5 tons of CO₂ per acre, valued at roughly $30 per ton.

  • Estimated farmer share is about $70 per acre.

WHO WE ARE

Enough downloading for now—back to winter farm tasks: keeping livestock warm and watered, office work, and planning time for 2026.

Keep in touch,
Steve