The High Ground - powered by Premier Companies

Herbicides, Two Pass Program, & Grower Expectations

Is the two-pass program the right program? Returning guest, Glenn Longabaugh, joins hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama on today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Glenn has been a Regional Agronomist at WinField United since May, 2014, and is highly sought after as an educator and teacher. Ryan, Glenn, and Sal discuss a variety of topics on today’s episode including timing of herbicide applications, alternatives to the two-pass program, and recipes for witches brews. Glenn di...

IN-Climate, Carbon Market, & Sustainable Agriculture

“We’ve got politics and religion. Who else can we offend today?” On today’s episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies, Sal Sama and Ryan Priest are joined by Sarah Beth Aubrey, CEO and founder of Elevate Ag, LLC. Sarah Beth has been in the agriculture world since she was a child growing up on a grain and livestock farm in Illinois. She’s got a B.S. from the University of Illinois and an M.S. from Purdue University. Sarah Beth has recently taken on a special project called IN-CLIMA...

Cornography, Maturation, & Ear Shake Boogie

We’ve got cornography and Bigfoot sightings on this episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies! Returning guest, Glenn Longabaugh, is in-person to join Sal Sama and Ryan Priest in the podcast room at Premier Companies. Glenn is an agronomist at WinField Solutions, and he is taking us to school today. It’s no surprise that most growers went into flowering in less than optimal conditions, but you may be surprised to learn how the early season stress actually helped! Did you know corn...

Crop Production 101, Quality of Grain, & Supply Chain

Have you ever flown over massive fields of corn and wondered how exactly the planting process works? Great news; it’s Production 101 today. Join host Sal Sama and returning guest, Aaron Bledsoe for this episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies. Sal and Aaron will describe the process including ideal planting conditions, planting timelines, and everything that goes into maintenance. Have you ever wondered why there are planes spraying the fields? What happens when the grain hits a...

June USDA Report, Hot Dry Run, & New Crop vs. Old Crop

The Eastern Corn Belt has been on a hot, dry run so far this year. Host Sal Sama is joined by returning guest Aaron Bledsoe on this episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies, headquartered in Seymour, Indiana. Aaron is the Grain Merchandiser for Premier Companies, and as such, he’s got a front row seat to see the fluctuations in the market. Aaron and Sal discuss a variety of topics including break even prices, weather, what drove the market fluctuations, and acreage reports. Aaron...

Agriculture, Energy, & Net Zero World

What is the link between agriculture and energy in a net zero world? On today’s episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies, Hosts Sal Sama and Ryan Priest tackle that topic with guest Matt Makinson, Vice President of Supply and Marketing at farmer-owned CountryMark. Among other things, Matt is responsible for the team of people who purchase crude locally and from other portions of the US and ship it to the terminals to be picked up. You’ll hear a variety of acronyms discussed today...

Truterra, Data Driven Farming, & Younger Generation

Have you ever wished your fields came with a report card? They can. As you’ll hear on today’s episode of The High Ground, hosted by Sal Sama and Ryan Priest and powered by Premier Companies, technology and farming go hand in hand. As the TRAX Ag Technology and Sustainability Lead, Braden Carpenter knows this well and is involved with the precision offerings at Premier Companies. He works to keep Premier Companies on the cutting edge of new technology and sustainability practices and to help grow...

Home Heat, Gold Cap Budget, & Cancer Research

With the temperature touching 90 degrees, it’s a great time to be talking about home heat. On this episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies, Sal Sama and Ryan Priest chat with Scott Heyne in LP sales for commercial and residential customers. Scott will cover what goes into the site survey to set upLP tanks, the requirements for installation, and you’ll hear stories about the types of critters they’ve found under tank covers. Scott will also discuss how the stellar, in shape techs...

Cybersecurity, Email Hygiene, & Triathlons

To click or not to click? Matt knows. On today’s episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies, Matt Persinger, Information Technology Manager, joins hosts Sal Sama and Ryan Priest. Matt has been in the IT business for 20 years, and at Premier Companies, he’s always on the hot seat when it comes to making all of the technology play nice. Ransomware has been taking businesses hostage within the food, fuel, and healthcare industries, and Matt and his team play a crucial role when it com...

Co-Op History, Harold Cooper CEO, & Leadership

How do you go from parking your farm equipment on someone’s windshield as an intern to the CEO of an industry-leading company? To kick off the Employee Spotlight Series, hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama are joined by the CEO of Premier Companies, Harold Cooper. Harold gives a glimpse into the history of Premier and how a career in the cooperative system can be incredibly rewarding. “Farmers tend to be a very independent-minded, a very strong personality group of people, and for them to join and ba...

Late to Plant, Wet Spots, & Weather Conditions

What do we do about this late planting? To provide his grower and agronomist’s perspective, Glenn Longabaugh joins hosts Sal Sama and Ryan Priest on today’s episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies. Glenn is a returning guest several times over, and is an agronomist at WinField Solutions. With his degree in Agronomy from Purdue University combined with his years of experience in crop protection, plant nutrition, and soil fertility, you could say he’s an expert in his field. Glenn...

Winfield United, Leah Anderson, & Amazon Consumer

What does the future hold? Leah Anderson joins hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama on this episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies, to give a look into how we can become better planners. Leah Anderson is the Vice President of Sales and New Markets at WinField United. WinField is a partner of Premier Companies, and Leah plays a key role in helping growers of tomorrow make wise choices and tap into new revenue streams moving forward. Leah, Ryan, and Sal discuss a variety of topics incl...

Brian Scheid, New Hire Process, & Recruiting

Are you looking to get into the agronomy business? Premier Companies can help! On this episode of The High Ground, hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama are joined by returning guest, Brian Scheid, of Premier Companies. Brian is their Director of Human Resources, Health, Safety, and Environmental, and provides an inside look at the employment process. Today’s episode covers a variety of topics including current open positions, how to apply, and some of the training they offer. You’ll also learn about t...

May USDA Report, Ukraine Corn, & Bean Sellers

May’s USDA report was a doozy! To cover the latest results, returning guest Aaron Bledsoe joins hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama on The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies. As the Grain Merchandiser for Premier Companies, Aaron offers a unique look into the report, which was the first time that the Prospective Planning reports for both acres and yield were used. Aaron, Ryan, and Sal will cover what you should expect as we come off of a record year last year. They’ll dig in to ending stocks, ...

Elon Musk, Twitter, & Ryan Furr Creative

Meet the brains behind the podcast! On this week’s episode of the High Ground, powered by Premier Companies, hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama talk with Ryan Furr, Owner and Creative Director at Ryan Furr Creative. From video and podcast production to social media and photography, Ryan’s done a little bit of everything. Sal and the Ryans discuss a variety of topics including creative resources, podcast platforms and distribution, algorithms, and Glenn and his stink bugs. Are you wondering about Elo...

Jerry Boger, Safety and Compliance, & PPE

Why does everyone scatter when Jerry comes around? On today’s episode, hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama speak with Jerry Boger, Director of Safety and Risk Management. When you’re connected to the agriculture industry, there are some safety concerns by default. That’s why Premier Companies chooses to participate with a national organization called ResponsibleAg. Jerry discusses the training that goes along with being a public auditor, keeping up with changing safety regulations, and handling toxic...

April USDA Report, Sunflowers, & Aaron Bledsoe

Is corn still the king? Will high prices kill high prices? On this episode of The High Ground, powered by Premier Companies, guest Aaron Bledsoe joins hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama. Aaron is the grain merchandiser at Premier Companies, and provides a look into the April USDA report and what goes through his mind from a marketer’s standpoint when he hears it. How should growers look at this report? They’ll touch on what crop should be the focus, when growers might want to sell, and how wet soils...

Chris Turner, Bayer Crop Science, & Global Trends

Input costs are going up. The risks of farming are going up.” These are some of the main things Chris Turner is hearing from farmers. On this episode, hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama are joined by Chris Turner, Head of U.S. Crop Science at Bayer, who describes himself as “just a farm guy from Missouri.” Chris has been with Bayer for 24 years, and he oversees everything related to Bayer Crop Science and how it all goes to market in the United States. Ryan, Sal, and Chris discuss the rapid advancem...

Dinner Discussion, Google, & The High Ground Hosts

What happens when you put chili beans in your spaghetti sauce? Why should you start with grandchildren instead of children? To lighten things up, hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama are joined by Jeff Jarrett, VP of Fertilizer Procurement and Operations, and he should probably be working. Instead of discussing $5 gallons of fuel, today’s episode takes an entertaining turn, touching on a variety of topics including squirrel spaghetti, higher education, whatever PARP training is, and company mergers. N...

Purdue University, Glenn's Arch Enemy, & The Dark Cloud of Supply

On top of his B.S. in Agronomy, how many degrees does Glenn Longabaugh need to earn? Hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama are joined by returning guest, Glenn Longabaugh, who’s been a Regional Agronomist at Winfield United since May, 2014. On top of being a grower, Glenn’s got a background in seeds, crop protection, plant nutrition, and irrigation, so he’s naturally sought-out as a speaker. On today’s episode, Glenn, Ryan, and Sal cover everything from new crop protection, global trends impacting farm...

CDL Training, Driving Regulations, & New Hires

Why is getting your CDL like trying to swat flies with 2x4s? To discuss just that, hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama have brought in Premier Ag employees Brian Scheid and David Grubbs. Brian is the Director of Human Resources, Health, Safety, and Environmental, and has been in the co-op system for 31 years. David, Operations Manager of Transportation, has been in the increasingly complex transportation industry for over eight years. You’ll learn about the requirements to obtain a commercial driver’...

CountryMark, U.S. Pipelines, & Domestic Oil Production

If you’ve missed out on your pipeline pillow-talk, you can catch up here. On this episode of The High Ground, hosts Ryan Priest and Sal Sama are joined by special guest, Ash Titzer of CountryMark, which is headquartered out of Indianapolis, Indiana. Ash is the VP of Production and Midstream, so he knows the ins and outs of oil production and transportation including pipelines and crude transportation. Together, Ryan, Sal, and Ash cover topics related to domestic oil production and the changes ta...

Aaron Bledsoe, USDA Report, & Stock Movement

Josh Linville, Russian Conflict, & Global Market Supply

In this episode we are joined by Josh Linville. Topics include: how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is affecting the global market and fertilizer supply, where we get urea, pot ash, and phosphates, and how we are keeping up with demand, and how this situation differs from the market in 2008. We'll learn about "countervailing duties" and how countries are dealing with unfair trade practices, talk about proper disposal of gypsum, and thoughts on how the Ukraine food supply and exports will...

Company Merger, Annual Report, & Columbus Grain Elevator

Propane Operations, Safety, & The Best Donuts

Aaron Bledsoe, USDA Report, & Bean Prices

Bruce Kettler, Dept. of Agriculture, & Indiana Grown

Glenn Longabaugh, Sharecropping, & Market Variables

Ben Hoene, Fuel Delivery, & Losing Pennies