AgCulture Podcast

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 and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

For years, it appeared that the entire American egg industry was heading toward cage-free production.
State governments passed new housing requirements. Major retailers, restaurant chains and food-service companies made cage-free commitments. Egg producers invested billions of dollars in new barns, equipment and management systems to meet that expected demand.
But the transition has not gone quite as predicted.
Today, cage-free hens represent roughly half of U.S. egg production—and that growth has begun to level off. In markets where consumers still have a choice, many continue buying conventionally produced eggs because they remain the most affordable option.
In this episode, Paul sits down with Steve Walcott of Big Dutchman to explore how housing regulations, retailer commitments and consumer purchasing decisions have reshaped the laying-hen industry. Steve explains why changing the equipment was often easier than changing the way farms managed their birds, how the European transition differed from the American experience and why producers are once again investing in conventional housing.
They also discuss how avian influenza changed biosecurity and farm design, why some producers are splitting large operations across multiple locations and how equipment companies prepare for rules that may change faster than farms can adapt.
This is a practical look at what happens when legislation, consumer expectations, farm economics and biological risk all collide inside one agricultural industry.
MEET THE GUEST
Steve Walcott is Vice President of Sales for Big Dutchman’s U.S. and Canada Egg Business Unit. He works with egg producers, distributors, installers, and industry partners to develop practical equipment solutions that support efficient, reliable, and sustainable commercial egg production. With a strong understanding of the operational realities facing poultry producers, Steve brings a field-informed perspective to discussions about housing systems, automation, production performance, and the future of the egg industry.

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 and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

What does it take to move thousands of cattle or sheep across an ocean—and why do importing countries want live animals rather than packaged meat?
Australia’s livestock export industry connects producers across northern and western Australia with markets throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East. It is a complex supply chain involving farms, exporters, quarantine facilities, veterinarians, livestock vessels, overseas feedlots and processors. It also plays an important role in food security for countries that cannot produce enough livestock domestically or lack the cold-chain infrastructure needed to distribute refrigerated meat.
In this episode, Paul speaks with Mark Harvey-Sutton of the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council about how the trade works—from selecting animals and preparing them for transport to caring for thousands of livestock during voyages lasting anywhere from four days to three weeks.
They also examine Australia’s controversial decision to phase out live sheep exports by sea in 2028. Following a major animal-welfare failure in 2018, the industry introduced substantial reforms that dramatically reduced mortality. Yet despite those improvements, the government moved forward with the ban.
Mark explains how the decision is already affecting sheep numbers, processing capacity and rural communities in Western Australia. More importantly, the conversation raises a question relevant to every agricultural sector: What happens when public opinion and political pressure become more influential than evidence, industry reform and the realities of food production?
MEET THE GUEST
Mark Harvey-Sutton was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary of the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council on 18 January 2019.
Previous to ALEC, Mark was the Manager of Rural Affairs at NFF, the a/g CEO of the Sheepmeat Council of Australia and Policy Director of Cattle Council of Australia. Before joining those organisations Mark worked for the Australian Government across a range of roles and issues including as Assistant Director, Meat and Livestock Policy at the then Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, and as Departmental Liaison Officer for the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Laws for James Cook University, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Mark is also admitted as a Lawyer in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.
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 and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

A freestall may look like a fairly simple piece of bent steel. But behind its modern design lies decades of observation, experimentation, failure and research into how cows naturally move, rest and behave.
John de Jonge grew up on a dairy farm in British Columbia before entering agricultural manufacturing and dairy barn equipment. In the 1990s, he became part of a small group that began using time-lapse video and early sensor technology to study cows in pasture and inside freestall barns.
What they discovered challenged many of the industry’s assumptions.
Freestalls were often too short, too narrow and too restrictive. Neck rails were positioned incorrectly. Pipes were placed in the cow’s natural movement path. The industry had focused heavily on the strength and durability of the steel—but not enough on how the cow actually used the space.
In this episode, John shares how that research helped reshape freestall design around the world. He and Paul also examine why the “best” housing system depends on climate, bedding, manure handling, labor and management—and why copying a successful neighboring dairy can still end badly.
The technology inside dairy barns continues to change, but one principle has not: the entire system is only as strong as the environment it creates for the individual cow. Listen now!
MEET THE GUEST
John de Jonge grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, where he developed an early interest in machinery, manufacturing and dairy housing.
After studying agricultural mechanics and engineering at Olds College, John worked in several manufacturing environments before purchasing a small agricultural fabrication business at age 25. He went on to help develop and expand dairy housing equipment across North America and international markets.
During the 1990s, John worked alongside researchers, veterinarians and other industry specialists to study cow behavior using time-lapse video and early sensor technology. That work helped challenge conventional assumptions about freestall dimensions, neck-rail placement and the space cows require to rise, rest and move naturally.
John is now focused on InBarn, where he continues to help dairy producers and their advisors design facilities around cow comfort, management realities and long-term operational performance.

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 and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.

Agriculture runs on more than data.
It runs on judgment.
The experienced operator who knows when the weather forecast doesn’t quite feel right. The manager who can recognize a problem before it shows up clearly in the numbers. The farmer who has spent 20 years learning which constraints matter most when there is no perfect answer.
But much of that knowledge has never been written down—and as experienced farmers and operators leave the industry, it can disappear with them.
In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Paul sits down with Shail Khiyara, CEO of SWARM Engineering and co-author of Agentic Artificial Intelligence, to explore how AI could change that.
Shail argues that the biggest opportunity isn’t replacing the operator. It’s giving operators the ability to combine decades of human experience with real-time data, optimization, and AI-supported decision-making.
They explore the “decision gap” between when information becomes available and when a good decision actually gets made, why operators lose enormous amounts of time gathering and reconciling information, and how decision fatigue causes valuable opportunities to simply go unaddressed.
The conversation also digs into the difference between general-purpose AI tools and vertical AI designed specifically for agriculture, why context may matter more than raw intelligence, and how farmers should identify their first AI use cases.
From forage harvest decisions on a dairy farm to fruit allocation and global seafood supply chains, this episode moves AI away from hype and toward a much more practical question:
Can AI help the people who actually run agriculture make better decisions, faster, without losing the human judgment that made them good operators in the first place?

MEET THE GUEST
Shail Khiyara is the CEO of SWARM, a decision intelligence company for the operators who feed the world, and the co-author of "Agentic Artificial Intelligence" a Forbes Top 10 tech book. He has co-authored earlier books on intelligent automation, and his work has appeared in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and CIO.SWARM recently raised a $10M Series A. A recent example of Shail's writing is his AgFunder News piece, "Farming knowledge is dying but AI can save it," which argues that when farmers retire without a successor, the operational wisdom they've built over decades disappears with them, and makes the case for AI as a way to capture that knowledge before it's gone.
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 and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.