Farm4Profit Podcast

Family farms often talk about succession.

The Pendletons are living it. - brought you to by Amrbook.  Learn more at www.ambrook.com

In this Farm4Fun episode, we sit down with Kevin and Amanda Pendleton, a father-daughter duo farming 1,200 acres of corn and soybeans in Northwest Indiana while also running a successful crop insurance and risk management business.

Kevin is a third-generation farmer with 37 years of farming experience and more than three decades in crop insurance. After his father retired in 2023, Kevin stepped fully into the role of managing and operating the family farm, focusing heavily on financials, ROI, and maximizing profitability per acre.

Amanda represents the fourth generation, graduating from Purdue University in 2025 with a degree in Agronomy. While she grew up around the farm, it was the pandemic that gave her the chance to work alongside her dad daily, ultimately leading her to pursue agriculture professionally.

Now the two are working side-by-side, balancing:

• A row crop operation

• A crop insurance agency

• Risk management consulting for other farmers

💻 Farm Financials & Ambrook

In the second half of the episode, we also talk about how tools like Ambrook are helping farmers better track their finances, organize records, and make clearer business decisions.

Because if you don’t know your numbers, it’s almost impossible to manage risk, understand profitability, or build a long-term strategy.

👑 Fun Moments

We also get into some fun conversation about Amanda’s experience being crowned Miss Tippecanoe County 4-H Queen in 2021, and how that journey helped build confidence and leadership skills that carry into agriculture today.

This episode is a great look at generational farming, family partnerships, and the financial mindset needed to succeed in modern agriculture.

Want Farm4Profit Merch? Custom order your favorite items today!
https://farmfocused.com/farm-4profit/

Don’t forget to like the podcast on all platforms and leave a review where ever you listen!

Website: www.Farm4Profit.com
Shareable episode link: https://intro-to-farm4profit.simplecast.com
Email address: [email protected]
Call/Text: 515.207.9640
Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSR8c1BrCjNDDI_Acku5Xqw
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farm4profitllc
Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Farm4ProfitLLC/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When land becomes available — whether for purchase or rent — farmers often have to make decisions quickly.

But making the wrong decision on a parcel can cost years of profitability.

In this What’s Working in Ag segment, Tanner sits down with Daniel English, General Manager of FBN Financial, to talk about tools that help farmers evaluate land opportunities faster and make smarter financial decisions.

Daniel has been with Farmers Business Network (FBN) for more than eight years and oversees the company’s lending, brokerage, and risk management groups.

We discuss AcreVision, a digital tool designed to help farmers evaluate potential farmland quickly by providing insights such as:

• Cropping history

• Percent of tillable acres

• Soil types and productivity

• Field-level data to support fast decision-making

Instead of relying solely on coffee shop rumors or secondhand information, farmers can quickly verify whether a piece of land fits their operation and budget.

We also talk about how FBN Finance helps streamline the lending process with:

• Digital pre-qualification tools

• Experienced loan advisors with 15+ years in ag finance

• Faster approval timelines

• Flexible loan structures tailored to farm operations

The conversation also touches on current interest rate trends and how refinancing opportunities could help farmers reduce borrowing costs.

With tighter margins across agriculture, lowering interest costs can be one of the few financial decisions that directly improves the bottom line without adding risk.

Want Farm4Profit Merch? Custom order your favorite items today!
https://farmfocused.com/farm-4profit/

Don’t forget to like the podcast on all platforms and leave a review where ever you listen!

Website: www.Farm4Profit.com
Shareable episode link: https://intro-to-farm4profit.simplecast.com
Email address: [email protected]
Call/Text: 515.207.9640
Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSR8c1BrCjNDDI_Acku5Xqw
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farm4profitllc
Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Farm4ProfitLLC/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Farmers spend countless hours choosing the right herbicide, the right rate, and the right timing.  But what if the biggest factor in spray performance is something most growers never test?

The water in the tank.

In this episode of Farm4Profit, we sit down with AGX to discuss how water quality and adjuvants impact herbicide performance — and why many spray failures have nothing to do with resistance or product choice.

Because the reality is, You’re mostly spraying water, not chemical.

And if that water isn’t conditioned properly, your herbicide may be neutralized before it even reaches the weed.

We break down the chemistry happening inside the spray tank.

💧 Why Water Quality Matters

• Roughly 90–95% of your spray tank is water

• Many growers have never tested their spray water

• Hard water minerals like calcium and magnesium can bind with herbicides like glyphosate

• Once herbicide binds to these ions, the reaction cannot be reversed

⚗️ What Happens in the Spray Tank

• What “hard water” actually means

• How calcium and magnesium deactivate herbicides

• Why spray water pH matters

• What alkaline hydrolysis is and why it can degrade chemistry quickly

• Why herbicide effectiveness can decline while you’re driving to the field

🧪 The Correct Mixing Order

Many spray issues come from simply mixing products in the wrong order.

The correct order should be:

Water

Water conditioner / AMS / buffering agent

Herbicides

Surfactants or crop oils

Drift reduction products

If herbicide goes into bad water first, it can bind immediately and lose effectiveness.

🌱 Understanding Adjuvants

• What adjuvants actually do

• The difference between surfactants, oils, buffers, and water conditioners

• Why glyphosate specifically requires conditioning

• The role of ammonium sulfate (AMS)

• Why dry AMS sometimes fails to solve the problem

💰 The Economics of Water Conditioning

We also compare the real costs:

• The cheap cost of conditioning water

• The expense of re-spraying fields

• The yield loss from surviving weeds

And we discuss an uncomfortable truth:

Some weeds labeled as “resistant” may actually be survivors of poor spray applications caused by water chemistry.

Proper adjuvant use and water conditioning can improve herbicide performance, reduce re-sprays, and potentially lower overall chemical usage.

Sometimes the cheapest yield protection available isn’t another chemical.

Want Farm4Profit Merch? Custom order your favorite items today!
https://farmfocused.com/farm-4profit/

Don’t forget to like the podcast on all platforms and leave a review where ever you listen!

Website: www.Farm4Profit.com
Shareable episode link: https://intro-to-farm4profit.simplecast.com
Email address: [email protected]
Call/Text: 515.207.9640
Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSR8c1BrCjNDDI_Acku5Xqw
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farm4profitllc
Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Farm4ProfitLLC/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Farm4Profit, we sit down with Lauryn and Colin Pinkston, a young couple from Lexington, Kentucky, who are building Pinkston Cattle Company while balancing off-farm careers and a rapidly growing social media following.

What makes their story unique is that neither of them grew up directly involved in production agriculture.

Lauryn grew up riding horses with family ties to the Kentucky racehorse industry, while Colin spent time helping friends on local tobacco farms before developing a deeper interest in cattle production.

After getting married in October 2024, the couple planned to build their first farm from the ground up. But when the right opportunity appeared, they made a bold move — purchasing a farm and downsizing their home to make the operation work.

Today they’re renovating the property while growing a commercial cattle and hay business.

Want Farm4Profit Merch? Custom order your favorite items today!
https://farmfocused.com/farm-4profit/

Don’t forget to like the podcast on all platforms and leave a review where ever you listen!

Website: www.Farm4Profit.com
Shareable episode link: https://intro-to-farm4profit.simplecast.com
Email address: [email protected]
Call/Text: 515.207.9640
Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSR8c1BrCjNDDI_Acku5Xqw
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farm4profitllc
Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Farm4ProfitLLC/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Farm4Profit, we sit down with Richard Fordyce, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, for a timely conversation about federal policy and what it means for American producers.

💰 BRIDGE Payment Application Process

• What producers need to know

• How to apply

• Key deadlines and considerations

• How this support fits into today’s margin environment

💻 Moving USDA into the Modern Century

• Online acreage reporting

• Technology upgrades within FSA and USDA

• Reducing paperwork and improving efficiency

• What modernization means for producers at the county office level

🌎 Global & Trade Landscape

• The upcoming meeting between the U.S. President and China’s President

• What trade discussions could mean for U.S. agriculture

• The global backdrop farmers should be watching

📜 The Farm Bill Outlook

• Priorities under Secretary Brooke Rollins

• What’s realistic in the coming year

• How the department is approaching policy in a tight fiscal and political climate

• What producers should prepare for heading into 2026

 

Want Farm4Profit Merch? Custom order your favorite items today!
https://farmfocused.com/farm-4profit/

Don’t forget to like the podcast on all platforms and leave a review where ever you listen!

Website: www.Farm4Profit.com
Shareable episode link: https://intro-to-farm4profit.simplecast.com
Email address: [email protected]
Call/Text: 515.207.9640
Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSR8c1BrCjNDDI_Acku5Xqw
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farm4profitllc
Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Farm4ProfitLLC/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.