John Pfanner’s interest in the agriculture industry initially began during childhood while working on his family’s farm raising row crops such as corn, beans, and wheat as well as hogs, cattle, and sheep. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Missouri to obtain a degree in Agriculture Business Management and Ag Economy. In 2005, he began working with DeBruce Grain - currently known as Gavilon. In 2017, he began working with Tredas in the commodity brokerage and consulting fields.

John Lenhart grew up in the small town of Bethany, Missouri. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 2008, he also began working with DeBruce Grain. In 2016, he began working with Tredas.

Pfanner and Lenhart join me today to discuss transportation and market fluctuations within the agriculture commodity trading industry. They discuss how the thought process regarding transparency has evolved throughout the industry, how social media has impacted this evolution, and how crop market exposure fluctuates from state to state. They also discuss the potential crop yields for Alabama farmers; the current land values throughout Alabama, Southeast Nebraska, and Central Missouri as well as why they believe social media can help grain buyers compare basis bids.

“You can pick up a lot from a conversation with crop merchandisers.” - John Lenhart

This week on the Agripreneur Podcast:

• Differences in the mindset of southern farmers vs. northern farmers.
• How social media has impacted the thought process of farmers nationwide.
• How cotton farmers pivoted their crop production after the cotton market collapsed.
• How cotton is brokered and traded.
• What it’s like trading crop commodities across multiple states.
• Why crop market exposure fluctuates based on state and farming region.
• How the ethanol market has evolved over the last few years.
• Why grain buyers do not share basis numbers on social media.
• How thoughts on transparency have evolved throughout the agriculture trading industry.
• Potential crop yields for Alabama farmers.
• Average basis numbers for corn crops in Alabama.
• Land value differences between Alabama, Southeast Nebraska, and Central Missouri.

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