Show Highlights:

• Is M&A a strategic lever or a standalone strategy? [04:09]

• Motivations and processes in sell-side vs. buy-side M&A. [07:35]

• Key data a pre-deal internal evaluation should find. [12:10]

• Assessing feasibility and financing capacity before a deal. [13:10]

• Verdant Partners' role in mid-sized agribusiness M&A. [17:21]

• Cash vs. equity deals in co-op and corporation scenarios. [24:05]

• The complexity of merging co-ops and member benefits. [27:55]

• Why does early data-backed storytelling matter in M&A? [30:59]

• How M&A partners provide objectivity and stress-testing. [33:48]

• Overview of Verdant Partners and their industry impact. [35:45]

Connect with Marijn Hendrickx on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marijnhendrickx/.

Explore Verdant Partners at https://www.verdantpartners.com/.

Link to "Ep25: Future-Proofing your Agribusiness with Garrett Stoerger of Verdant Partners": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep25-future-proofing-your-agribusiness-with-garrett/id1674259917?i=1000626158549

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• USDA data on the generational shift in agriculture. [03:09]
• Consolidation trends and stats proving uneven impacts. [06:28]
• Check out this ag podcast by Damian Mason. [07:59]
• Brand loyalty vs. next-gen farmers' ROI-driven choices. [14:24]
• The surprising demographic truth on ag's fastest tech adoption. [15:34]
• New-gen purchasing, family time, and co-op priorities. [18:32]
• Why leadership pipelines could secure farming's future. [25:56]
• The value of digitizing all things co-op now. [27:33]
• Patronage/equity ideas to retain capital-constrained younger members. [29:19]
• Can co-ops become transition planning hubs? [30:46]
• Be the next generation's go-to for precision ag and data. [32:33]

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• What an operationalized finance capability means in ag. [05:00]
• Understanding accounting vs. FP&A, and building talent. [08:42]
• Pricing and working capital strategy in the real world. [14:33]
• Decision-making benefits of an effective finance function. [21:13]
• Centralization of finance and its impact on local players. [27:08]
• What are the risks and gaps in CFO hiring models today? [35:43]
• AmpliFi's "finance-as-a-service" CFO alternative solution. [40:10]
• How AmpliFi became an agribusiness specialist. [45:03]
• The power of operational finance readiness in M&A. [49:42]

Contact Kevin Griffith on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevingriffith14/.

To explore AmpliFi, go to https://amplificap.com/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Key hurdles for ag co-ops today, plus top differentiators. [04:04]
• How co-ops can evolve beyond assets to a farmer-support model. [07:17]
• Does farm consolidation outpace operational change? [09:29]
• Why patronage "and" broader shared co-op value can coexist. [14:34]
• Why are there so few closed deals despite M&A chatter? [20:30]
• Differentiating mega-local and regional/federated co-ops. [23:30]
• Strategies for successful co-op mergers and integration. [29:35]
• How to foster a strong board–management partnership. [38:36]
• New vs. experienced board member roles, and legacy in ag. [42:04]
• Carl Dickinson's post-retirement chapter helping co-ops. [45:56]

Connect with Carl Dickinson on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-dickinson-09725b36/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Cyclical vs. structural changes in the crop protection industry. [02:59]
• The four forces of change in crop protection at a glance. [05:19]
• Global rise in generics expansion with China/India stats. [07:00]
• Impact of a 9% agrochemical cost hike from China's rebate cuts. [11:05]
• Prospects and risks in generics for co-ops and retailers. [12:31]
• Crop protection molecule discovery decline with data by decade. [17:11]
• Will AI have a greater role in molecule development? [22:45]
• Regulatory dynamics affecting new molecule approvals. [25:19]
• Effects of FTC anticompetitive scrutiny of manufacturers. [26:30]
• Is value shifting from chemicals to application technology? [35:07]
• The value of scenario planning and jobs-to-be-done thinking. [41:10]

Connect with Shane Thomas on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanethomasag/.

Learn more about Upstream Ag Insights by visiting https://upstream.ag/.

Read the "Four Forces Reshaping the Crop Protection Industry" article: https://upstream.ag/p/the-four-forces-reshaping-the-crop-protection-industry-and-what-comes-next

Links to our past episodes with Shane:

Episode 88: Innovation Theater: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep88-innovation-theater-with-shane-thomas-of-upstream-ag/id1674259917?i=1000676749349

Episode 33: Paying Strategy Tax: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep33-paying-strategy-tax-with-shane-thomas/id1674259917?i=1000632526569

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Key ag co-op challenges and how top cop-ops thrive. [04:42]
• Costs causing pain for co-ops and strategies to defend their gross margins. [06:34]
• Oversight and the crucial role of high-performing boards. [13:58]
• The need for systems over GMs to absorb rapid change. [17:22]
• Continuity risks "yes boards" pose under strong GMs. [23:02]
• Should cop-ops develop their next leaders internally? [31:18]
• Balancing traditional services with profitability as co-ops. [39:10]
• Services the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives offers co-ops. [45:14]
• Why it's critical for co-op directors to pursue training. [50:06]

Connect with Bobby Martens on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbymartens/.

Learn more about the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives at https://iowainstitute.coop/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Cheaper retention and untapped SOW in ag customer loyalty amid farm loss. [05:12]
• The $5.6B cost of 7.2% yearly churn with 72% non-returns in ag retail. [13:05]
• Detecting "relative" churn for faster growth in 2026. [15:42]
• Why GROWERS created AI for predictive churn analytics. [18:24]
• Pro tip: Drive customer loyalty with cross-segment sales. [19:15]
• Do young farmers prefer visible rewards over patronage? [20:51]
• GROWERS' powerful AI-enabled, white-label loyalty program. [26:59]
• Differentiation strategies for single-segment companies. [34:13]
• How ERP hygiene improves readiness for tech adoption. [42:06]
• Integrate sales with loyalty tech for 13% more sales. [46:53]
• GROWERS' farmer-first model vs. anticompetitive tactics. [54:41]
• Farmer, retailer, and manufacturer alignment for win-wins in GROWERS. [57:34]

Contact Steven Valencsin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenvalencsin/.

To explore GROWERS, visit their website: https://growers.ag/

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Why a co-op is a set of business lines, not "one co-op." [02:08]
• Assessing strategic clarity in business line optimization. [04:18]
• Where alignment breaks in grain, feed, agronomy, and energy lines. [08:25]
• Quick profiling of five co-op member segments. [14:44]
• Key diagnostic questions for co-op leaders to segment by line. [16:44]
• How legacy and inertia cause drag in co-op performance. [19:52]
• Capital allocation as the key signal of business line alignment. [21:27]
• Reality check questions for capital investment decisions. [24:46]
• What are the characteristics of aligned multiline co-ops? [26:54]
• Open invitation to leaders to share stories on the pod. [30:30]

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.