What will the yields look like with the dry summer heat? On this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies, hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama are joined by returning guest and fan favorite, Aaron Bledsoe. If you’ve been around The High Ground very long, you already know Aaron is the Grain Merchandiser for Premier Companies, and he’s the best person around to answer that question.

Aaron, Sal, and Jeff tackle a variety of topics including the recent WASDE (World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates) Report and current grain markets including recent construction projects and the struggle some of the midwest has with soybean yields. The Bledsoe dictionary also makes an appearance to help us understand what the “basis” is and why it can be positive or negative. Aaron will also explain the variety of tools available to help the grower work through their options if they have a yield that exceeds their on-farm storage including locking in a basis and DP (delayed pricing). “I’d rather be proactive right now than kicking that can down the road.”

Have you ever heard a podcast recorded from a combine? Today you will! Returning and special guest Glenn Longabaugh joins hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama from the field. Glenn is a fan favorite and the Agronomist for Premier Companies.

In addition to discussing highly important topics like their favorite ice cream, Glenn, Sal, and Jeff will dive into a variety of topics associated with the harvest season. Glenn will share how he handled drainage issues on a field he farms but doesn’t own and the end results of the adjustments he made. You’ll also learn about Glenn’s thoughts regarding preparing a field with cover crops and various ways to improve your land. “To me, it’s all about making the best acres better.”

“Worst start to a podcast ever!” Hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama are joined by returning guest Brian Scheid for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Jeff and Sal better watch what they say, because Brian is the Director of HR, and Environmental Health and Safety.

On today’s episode, you’ll learn a lot about the Human Resources side of Premier Companies. With around 550 people in a company, there’s a lot to juggle, from recruiting and onboarding to payroll and benefits. Brian and his team have a lot on their plate! Brian, Jeff, and Sal will share about the turnover they’ve seen across departments and the generational makeup of their staff and the safety component of Brian’s role, including wild safety stories! We’ll leave it up to you as to whether or not it’s actually the worst start to a podcast episode.

Welcome to Geek Week! For this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies, Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama are joined by James Driscoll and Matt Persinger in the podcast room. James is the Chief Technology Officer, and Matt is the IT Project Manager, both of Premier Companies.

You’ll learn about Premier’s IT department and the variety of adventures that come at them on a daily basis. From last-minute trips due to router failures to everyone’s favorite question, “Is it plugged in?” you never know what you’ll get in Premier’s IT department. You’ll learn more about why Premier takes cyber security seriously and the types of tests they give their internal employees to make sure they’re not just clicking on any old link. From learning about the team’s protection against hackers and ransomware to protection against credential harvesting, you’ll learn about the steps Premier Ag takes to keep their information and their customer information safe.

How should you time your nutritional and fungicide applications? To shed insight on that topic on this episode of the High Ground powered by Premier Companies, Glenn Longabaugh joins Sal Sama, VP of Agronomy Sales and Marketing and Jeff Jarrett, VP of New Business Ventures and Fertilizer for Premier Ag. Unless you’re brand new to the podcast, you already know and love Glenn, who is the Agronomist for Premier Companies.

Glenn will share his thoughts about the current state of our crops and why certain soilborne pathogens including brown stem rot and red crown rot can’t be influenced much by fungicides and how they can cause significant yield loss. You’ll also hear about the ideal application and timing of fungicides and nutritionals on soybeans and how Premier account reps can help growers figure out the correct timing for their fields. “If we can do what’s best for the crop, it’ll almost always make the grower more money.”

What does it mean when we say we’re in a “carry market”? Returning guest, Aaron Bledsoe, joins hosts Sal Sama and Ryan Priest for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. As the Grain Merchandiser for Premier Companies, Aaron has a front row seat to the changing markets and is here to provide some insight for what that could mean for growers in the Midwest.

Aaron will share his thoughts on the impact of on-farm storage on overall grain movement, and how another high yield harvest could impact the overall market. You’ll also hear about how Premier Companies is growing to accommodate higher yields and what the need for exports may look like in the coming years in light of our increased use of used cooking oil for biodiesel products. Aaron will share his advice for the new crop and proactive measures that can be taken between now and harvest. “It’s gonna do you no good to look at the past on this one!”

Grain prices stink. So why shouldn’t we talk about fertilizer, too? On this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies, our favorite fertilizer guy, Josh Linville, is joining hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama fresh from the Southwestern Fertilizer Conference. Josh is the Vice President of Fertilizer at StoneX, and with over 20 years of experience in fertilizer, he’s got a plethora of topics to cover today.

Are you curious about the fertilizer tariffs and how those are impacting the fertilizer market and how flows happen? Have you wondered how the war in Ukraine has impacted exports from Russia? In addition to discussing fertilizer application, supply, and timing, you’ll hear how an election year complicates things even further. Josh will explain why he thinks urea prices will get worse and why we’re still trying to get our stores filled up from the last couple of years. “Don’t let the markets lull you to sleep. Keep an eye on it! …Now’s the time we actually gotta start putting pen to the paper.”

You see insects and say, “Let’s go bomb ‘em,” right? Well, maybe. Everyone’s favorite guest, Glenn Longabaugh, joins hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Glenn is the Agronomist for Premier Companies, and he’s here to talk about all things involving pest management.

You’ll learn about why the presence of certain insects means you should hold off on treatment and why the threshold for integrated pest management has changed since the 1980s. Are you wondering what makes the many varieties of aphids so difficult to manage? Glenn’s got the scoop. He’ll also share why hoverflies are actually beneficial and why the correct timeline on the integrated pest management program is not only beneficial to the wallet but beneficial to the environment as well. Ryan, Glenn, and Sal also dig into what we should be doing with our late season soybeans to enhance or protect yield. Buckle up for another information-packed episode of The High Ground!