AgCulture Podcast

About AgCulture Podcast

Embark on a transformative journey with AgCulture Podcast, hosted by Paul Windemuller. Our vision is to unite the global agriculture community, fostering collaboration and continual improvement. Explore new sectors, connect with inspiring individuals, and be moved by real-life stories. Join us in shaping a future where agripreneurs from diverse backgrounds come together, share knowledge, and collectively address industry challenges. Subscribe, share, and become part of our connected global agriculture community propelling the industry toward innovation, sustainability, and success.

Publisher

Paul Windemuller

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Dec 2023

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

2 of 145 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Why the Same Technology Works on One Farm—and Fails on Another: with Paul Windemuller | Ep. 144

   WHAT'S IT ABOUT Why can the same technology create real value on one dairy farm and turn into a disappointing investment on another? In this solo episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul Windemuller shares a framework for understanding what makes technology a good fit for a farm. Drawing on farm visits around the world and his own experience in Michigan, he explores how climate, natural resources, milk markets, labor, and management priorities shape investment decisions. Paul also explains why robotic milking made sense at a particular turning point in his own business—and why it would not have made sense when he first started. Once adding more cows was no longer an option, the opportunity shifted toward creating more value per cow. From identifying a farm’s biggest bottleneck to making sure someone actually acts on the data, this conversation looks beyond product demonstrations to the decisions that determine whether an investment pays off. Whether you manage a dairy farm, advise producers, or build and sell agricultural technology, this episode offers a practical starting point: understand the farm before choosing the technology. MEET THE HOST Paul Windemuller is a Michigan dairy farmer, speaker, Nuffield Scholar, and host of the AgCulture Podcast. His work connects firsthand farming experience with conversations about technology, innovation, and the future of agriculture. Through his own dairy operation and visits to farms around the world, Paul explores how different production systems and management decisions shape farm businesses. In this solo episode, he shares how those experiences inform his approach to evaluating technology and understanding where it can create value. ABOUT THE PODCAST Discover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices. Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com (http://www.agculturepodcast.com) and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

2. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Inside a Fifth-Generation Cranberry Farm: with Amber Bristow | Ep. 143

   Most people picture cranberries floating in water—but that is only one brief part of a year-round farming operation. In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul speaks with fifth-generation Wisconsin cranberry grower Amber Bristow about how cranberries are actually grown, harvested, protected, and marketed. Amber takes us inside her family’s 250-acre cranberry marsh, explaining the specialized equipment, water systems, pollination, winter flooding, and long-term planning required to produce the crop. The conversation also explores the business behind the berries. Amber explains how her family markets its crop through Ocean Spray, how quality and payment are determined, and how growers manage cash flow without knowing their final price until months after harvest. Amber also shares why she created Cranberry Chats, what agriculture can learn from specialty-crop growers, and whether those infamous cranberry spiders are real. Whether you farm, work in agriculture, or have simply wondered how cranberries get from a Wisconsin marsh to your table, this episode offers a fascinating look inside one of agriculture’s most distinctive industries. Follow Amber on Instagram: @cranberrychats Check out her website: https://cranberrychats.com/ MEET THE GUEST Amber Bristow is a fifth-generation cranberry grower raising the beginning of the sixth generation on her family’s farm in west-central Wisconsin. Amber grew up working on the family’s cranberry marsh before leaving Wisconsin to study sports management and work in minor-league baseball. She eventually returned to join the family operation, where she now works alongside her husband, parents, cousin, and farm team. Through her social media platform, Cranberry Chats, Amber gives people a behind-the-scenes look at cranberry farming, challenges common misconceptions, shares unique cranberry recipes, and helps consumers better understand the people and work behind the crop. Amber is also involved with the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association’s communications efforts and the Wisconsin Cranberry Board, supporting industry education, promotion, and research. ABOUT THE PODCAST Discover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices. Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com (http://www.agculturepodcast.com/) and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

3. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Do Farmers Really Have the Right to Repair?: with Willie Cade | Ep. 142

   If you buy a $500,000 piece of farm equipment, do you actually have the right to fix it yourself? That question has been at the center of a years-long fight over agricultural equipment repair—and it has now reached a major turning point. In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with longtime right-to-repair advocate Willie Cade to unpack the proposed $99 million John Deere class action settlement, the separate FTC settlement, and what both could mean for farmers who own Deere equipment. The FTC settlement requires Deere, for 10 years and subject to court approval and oversight, to make repair resources available to farmers and independent repair providers on terms equivalent to those available to authorized dealers. Willie explains how the litigation developed, what plaintiffs alleged about Deere's control over diagnostic software and repair tools, and why he believes the bigger issue goes beyond one manufacturer or one settlement. Paul and Willie also walk through the choices facing farmers receiving class-action notices—including filing a claim, objecting, opting out, or doing nothing—while making clear that farmers should evaluate those choices for themselves and seek legal advice when appropriate. The current deadlines are December 4, 2026 to object or opt out and December 31, 2026 to submit a claim, with a final approval hearing scheduled for January 19, 2027. The conversation ultimately goes much further than repairing tractors. Willie argues that as machinery becomes increasingly software-driven, agriculture needs to think seriously about what ownership means—and who controls the increasingly valuable data generated by the machines farmers purchase and operate. MEET THE GUEST Willie Cade has spent more than nine years advocating for farmers' right to repair their own equipment, combining a deep interest in technology and ownership with a unique family connection to the agricultural machinery industry. His grandfather, Theo Brown, spent decades with John Deere, serving as Chief Engineer and holding 158 patents. Willie now directs the Theo Brown Society, which preserves and celebrates that engineering legacy. Willie has testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, briefed Federal Trade Commission staff on agricultural equipment repair issues, and serves on the board of Repair.org. Through Graceful Solutions LLC, Willie also consults with law firms involved in agricultural antitrust litigation, including litigation concerning Deere's repair restrictions. His career extends well beyond agriculture. Willie founded PC Rebuilders & Recyclers, a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher that employed more than 300 formerly incarcerated individuals, and has co-authored roughly 25 peer-reviewed papers on electronics sustainability through NSF-funded research with Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also CEO of Kamo Nano Solutions, a startup working on nanowire solar-cell technology. His work today sits at the intersection of technology, ownership, repair, competition, and farm data—questions that will become increasingly important as agricultural machinery becomes more connected, computerized, and autonomous. ABOUT THE PODCASTDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels, and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at http://www.agculturepodcast.com (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUZZTVljRlUxTW1nUThpUlAyXzlpUnVjM3pDYXxBTl9pYzRjTVlGWDJQa0ZIbk9nRE5IaGFkOUxDSmFyaWNBX292YzVqMUcyUV85dXIyMUszMWc5V2R5My1ZcEF0eFpxSHBqbkJaeU1kM1pwZ05yV0NZVERIbVMyNUg5a3NzaUVz&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.agculturepodcast.com%2F&v=V-Xm2vRqEwE) and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

Inside a recent episode

R&D Tax Credits in Agriculture: The Opportunity Most Farmers Miss: with Louie Pitman and Sid Speir

Published 26 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So, Louis, could you explain to us why research and development tax credits actually exist? Absolutely. And great question, Paul. So R&D tax credits exist because innovation and research and development is risky and it comes at a cost. And when businesses are looking at ways to improve a product or a biological outcome or looking at ways to improve the health of the animal or the quality of the produce, then these things can come at a risk and sometimes go wrong. And the government understand that. And this is to drive those kind of projects drive that kind of innovation and reward businesses for being involved in them. […]

Who has been a guest on AgCulture Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Gabe Brown
• Steve Sweet
• Will Lydgate
• Dr Michael Boland
• Nikolas Badminton

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

176,093

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

18 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

14 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 88 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

95

Social presence

91

YouTube

82

Engagement

77

Contact AgCulture Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about AgCulture Podcast