Penn State Podcast Offers Farm Management Resources

Rising fertilizer prices may have you scratching your head for ways to cut back on some on-farm expenses. While we can't provide you with a crystal ball to see what 2026 has in store, the Penn State Agronomy Highlights Podcast features expert interviews and resources to help reduce some of the guesswork.

Economic Episodes:

Are you wondering how to reduce costs and increase profits on your commodity farm? InS4E13: Reducing Costs, Increasing Profit on the Farm, we tackle this question by introducing the utility of an enterprise budget and inviting Clint Schroeder and Rachel Cochran, extension specialists at Ohio State and hosts of the Green Fields Green Dollars Video Series, to discuss creative production strategies to save money.  

While harvest may be a long way off, don’t let the list of concerns deter you; conversations about grain marketing strategies are always important. In S3E7: Grain Marketing Basics, our grain marketing novices, Ryan and Justin, invite grain marketing expert Jon LaPorte of MSU Extension to discuss the basics of grain marketing terms, contract types, and market trends. 

Are you wondering how tariffs may impact the grain market? Maybe you want to learn how to build a grain marketing plan in the first place! In S3E21: Navigating Tariffs and Building Your Grain Marketing Plan, Jon LaPorte returns to talk about tariffs, building a grain marketing plan, scenario planning, and leveraging your local market.  

Testing:

When making input decisions, book values or historical data may get you close, but there is no substitute for an analytical test when making input decisions. Analyses of soil and plant tissue provide data specific to your operation at an inexpensive cost. This list of resources will review types, procedures, and interpretation of some available analytical tests.

Before you can decide whether cutting back fertilizer is the right move, you need a soil test and an understanding of how to interpret it. S4E7: Back to Basics: Soil Fertility Testing, our hosts discuss the importance of soil fertility testing, how to take a soil test, and how to interpret the results. 

To maximize economic returns, it is important to apply nitrogen fertilizer as precisely as possible during corn growth. Measuring in-season soil nitrate levels early in the season is a critical step toward making these precise applications. In S3E16: Managing Nitrogen with the Pre-sidedress Soil Nitrate Test (PSNT),Ryan and Justin discuss the ins and outs of utilizing a PSNT to do this with Penn State Extension specialists Dr. Charlie White and Dr. Robb Meinen. 

While you may be familiar with the benefits of soil nutrient testing, are you familiar with the value of plant tissue testing? In this episode, Ryan and Justin invite Dr. John Spargo, Director of Penn State's Agricultural Analytical Services Lab, to discuss Plant Tissue (Total) Analysis. During S3E24: Plant Tissue Testing, Dr. Spargo shares the value of this type of testing, how it may fit into your agronomic toolbox, and the technical aspects of taking a tissue test.  

Fertilizer and Biological Episodes:

Uncountable products exist as additives, treatments, foliar, fertilizers, and more, promising increased crop production and health. While they all may seem valuable or provide "cheap" insurance, which ones will lead to the loss of a profitable crop?

Nitrogen may be one of the most mysterious and perhaps pricy nutrients that we deal with in agriculture. The dynamic elements of the nitrogen cycle make it quite fickle in our systems. In S4E11: Managing Nitrogen with Soil Organic Matter and Your Microbial Herd, we are joined by Dr. Richard Mulvaney of the University of Illinois to discuss how Soil Organic Matter and Microbial activity drive N availability to our crops. We also discuss the question, are we applying too much chemical N? 

With so many different N fertilizer sources and N loss prevention products on the market, it can be challenging to make sense of it all and decide what to use. During S1E24 Nitrogen Stabilizers, our resident soil fertility expert, Dr. Charlie White, joins us to discuss all aspects of how to make the most of our valuable N fertilizer applications.

Phosphorus is another critical nutrient for crop development, but can be a challenge to manage in a way that keeps it available to the plant. On S4E17: Phosphorus Fertility and New P Technology! Penn State soil fertility management specialist Dr. Charlie White and Chief Administrative & Sustainability Officer of Phospholutions, Stephan Levitsky join us to talk about Phosphorus management, selecting fertilizers, and new high-efficiency phosphorus fertilizer technology

In episode S2E11: Foliar Fertilizer, we are joined by Dr. Glen Harris from UGA to discuss how, when, and why to apply foliar fertilizers. If you think your crop may be deficient in a key nutrient, a proper foliar fertilizer application can remediate the deficiency and help to achieve higher yields.

What are biological amendments, and how can I implement them on my own farm? If you find yourself asking these questions, then this episode is for you! During S3E23: Demystifying Biologicals, Ryan and Justin navigate the wild west of biological products with Dr. Connor Sible, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana. Dr. Sible discusses the definition of biological products, deciphers biological "modes of action", and provides practical advice for implementing them on-farm.  

Additional Resources:

S3E26: What Can a Certified Crop Adviser Do for You? - Are you a farmer looking for information about finding a qualified crop consultant? Maybe you are interested in becoming a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) yourself. In this episode, Ryan and Justin sit down with CCA's Dean Collamer and Lew Frame to talk about the CCA program, the value of the certification, and the value to the farmer. 

S1E7 Farmer Mental Health- During this episode, we speak with dairy Extension Educator, Ginger Fenton, about the emotional roller coaster that is farming. We begin with the basics of what mental health is and how to maintain it. We then venture into the specifics of what makes managing a farm both very challenging and rewarding.