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Wheat's On Your Mind

Kansas Wheat Commission

Wheat's on Your Mind is the go-to podcast for anyone involved in the wheat industry, from farmers and agronomists to grain marketers and researchers.
Hosted by Kansas Wheat's Aaron Harries, this podcast covers everything you need to know about wheat—from the latest market trends and technological advancements to practical tips on crop management and sustainability.
Each episode offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing wheat producers, helping you stay informed and ahead of the curve.
Whether you're in the field or behind a desk, Wheat's on Your Mind delivers the knowledge you need to succeed in the world of wheat.

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27 episodes
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Avg 29 min
English

Episodes 27

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S4 · E23
Tuesday · 35 min
From Kansas Water Research to Ukraine’s GPS Risks
What happens when the technology modern farmers depend on suddenly stops working? That question stayed with fifth-generation Kansas farmer Ray Flickner following his January 2026 trip to Ukraine. On this episode of Wheat’s On Your Mind, Flickner joins host Aaron Harries to share what he learned about the country's massive, technologically advanced farms—and how GPS jamming, air-raid alerts and wartime grain transportation challenges complicate everyday agriculture. His observations also revea
S4 · E22
October 21 · 37 min
Wheat’s Future: Better Genetics, Stronger Farm Policy
On this episode of Wheat’s On Your Mind, Aaron Harries and Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin visit with Sam Kieffer, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers, about the gap between what farmers spend and what their crops bring home. Recorded September 30, the conversation covers farm bill uncertainty, wheat’s research needs, export partnerships, and why Kieffer believes farmers’ relationships with elected officials are essential to getting results. He also shares the path that took him fro
S4 · E21
October 13 · 16 min
100 Episodes: Wheat’s Past, Present, and Future
100 Episodes of Wheat’s On Your Mind: Celebrating the People, Research, and Stories Behind Kansas Wheat One hundred episodes. Four seasons. Countless conversations about the crop that helped shape Kansas agriculture. The Wheat’s On Your Mind podcast is celebrating a major milestone, and host Aaron Harries joins producer Dave Deken to reflect on the remarkable people, memorable stories, and fascinating discoveries featured throughout the show's first 100 episodes. Since its beginning, the podcast
S4 · E20
October 6 · 23 min
Global Wheat: What Could Move Kansas Prices
Mike O’Dea of StoneX returns to Wheat’s On Your Mind with a wide-ranging look at what could move wheat markets in the months ahead. O’Dea joins Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin and host Aaron Harries to break down the recent correction in Kansas City wheat futures, Black Sea export disruptions, sluggish domestic demand and why basis and spreads may tell producers more than flat price as the market moves toward spring. The conversation also turns to Kansas and Southern Plains planting conditions,
S4 · E19
September 22 · 23 min
Wheat Farming: Legacy, Markets and Survival
What keeps a Kansas farmer planting wheat after one of the toughest harvests he can remember? Plainville farmer and Kansas Wheat Commissioner Mike McClellan joins Wheat’s On Your Mind to talk about more than three decades of changes on his family farm in Rooks and Graham counties. When McClellan returned to the farm in 1994, he estimates about 80% of its crop acres were planted to wheat. Today, wheat accounts for closer to 20% as corn, milo and other crops have become larger parts of the rotati
S4 · E18
September 8 · 47 min
Can Australian Agronomy Improve Kansas Wheat?
What can Kansas wheat producers learn from farmers halfway around the world? In this episode of Wheat’s On Your Mind, Kansas State University wheat and forage Extension specialist Romulo Lollato Ph.D. joins Australian farming systems agronomist John Kirkegaard Ph.D. to compare two wheat-growing regions that share a major challenge: making the most of limited water while dealing with highly variable weather. Kirkegaard explains how Australian growers, consultants and researchers have worked toget
S4 · E17
August 25 · 33 min
Wheat Demand: Why Bread Needs Defending
Bread has been one of America’s most familiar food staples for generations, but familiarity doesn’t guarantee future demand. In this episode of Wheat’s On Your Mind, Aaron Harries and Justin Gilpin talk with Josh Sosland, president of Sosland Publishing Company and editor of Milling & Baking News, about what more than a century of milling and baking history can teach the wheat industry about today’s challenges. Sosland explains why declining bread consumption deserves attention throughout the wh
S4 · E16
August 11 · 35 min
Kansas Wheat: Lessons From a Brutal 2026 Crop
The 2026 wheat crop started with about as much promise as producers could ask for. Strong fall moisture helped establish excellent stands across much of Kansas, and warm temperatures kept the crop growing. Then nearly everything that could challenge a wheat crop arrived: a warm, dry winter, spring drought, multiple freezes, heat, hail and eventually rain that complicated harvest. In this Wheat’s On Your Mind roundtable, host Aaron Harries is joined by K-State wheat and forages specialist Romu
S4 · E15
July 28 · 34 min
America's Agricultural History Still Matters
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, agricultural historian Douglas Hurt joins Wheat's On Your Mind to explore how farming shaped the nation from the colonial era to today. From the Homestead Act and land-grant universities to the Dust Bowl, global grain markets, and modern farm policy, Hurt explains why agriculture has always been at the center of America's economy, expansion, and national security. Listeners will hear how Kansas wheat became a defining part of American agriculture, wh
S4 · E14
July 14 · 25 min
U.S. Wheat Quality: Winning Beyond Price
U.S. wheat exports finished the 2025/26 marketing year with strong sales across core and price-sensitive markets—but the next challenge may be even more important. With a smaller hard red winter wheat crop and higher prices expected, can the industry turn last year’s bargain-driven purchases into lasting customer demand? Brian Liedl, vice president of overseas operations for U.S. Wheat Associates, joins Aaron Harries and Justin Gilpin to discuss the outlook for global wheat trade. Liedl explain
S4 · E13
June 30 · 30 min
FSA Overhaul: Faster Help for Kansas Farmers
USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce and Kansas FSA State Executive Director David Schemm join Aaron Harries to talk about the future of USDA service delivery for Kansas wheat producers. The conversation covers USDA reorganization, FSA staffing and county office service, the One Farmer, One File modernization effort, acreage reporting improvements, crop insurance coordination, trade, input costs and the mood across farm country. Fordyce and Schemm explain ho
S4 · E12
June 23 · 22 min
Kansas Wheat Harvest: Smaller Crop, Bigger Stakes
Kansas wheat harvest is moving again after an unusually early start, followed by rain delays and high humidity across parts of the state. In this episode of Wheat’s On Your Mind, Aaron Harries and Justin Gilpin visit with Mike O’Dea and Josh Linville of StoneX about what the 2026 crop is showing so far, including low yields in continuous wheat, stronger results in good summer fallow fields, and protein that varies sharply by region. The conversation also digs into why hard red winter wheat has
S4 · E11
June 16 · 30 min
Farmer-Owned Bread: Keeping Wheat Value Local
What if Kansas wheat did not have to leave wheat country before becoming bread? In this episode of Wheat’s On Your Mind, Aaron Harries visits with Brian Linin and Alan Townsend of Golden Waves Grain, a planned farmer-owned wheat milling and bakery project in Goodland, Kansas. The concept is simple but ambitious: receive wheat directly from farmer-owners, mill it into flour, bake it into bread, and move it through a grocery warehouse distribution model that could return more value to producers an
S4 · E10
June 2 · 29 min
Wheat, Fiber, and the Food Pyramid
The ultra-processed food debate is getting louder, but this episode asks a question wheat farmers should care about: Are we judging foods by how they’re made, or by what nutrition they actually deliver? Erin Ball and Leah Johnston explain why wheat-based foods should be part of a science-based conversation about fiber, enrichment, school meals and better diet quality—not just another casualty of a confusing label. Federal nutrition guidance, school meal standards and ultra-processed food conver
S4 · E9
May 19 · 30 min
Farm Program Changes Kansas Farmers Need
Kansas wheat producers have important farm program decisions ahead, and some of the biggest changes involve base acres, ARC/PLC elections and disaster assistance. Aaron Harries visits with David Schemm, state executive director for the USDA Farm Service Agency in Kansas, about how recent federal farm program updates affect Kansas farmers. They cover the new wheat reference price, 2026 ARC/PLC sign-up, base acre notices for landowners, Farmer Bridge Assistance, Supplemental Disaster Relief Prog
S4 · E8
May 12 · 23 min
Drought Tests Kansas Wheat Genetics
In this episode, Aaron Harries visits with Justin Gilpin, CEO of Kansas Wheat, and Bryson Haverkamp, CEO of the Kansas Wheat Alliance, about crop conditions heading into harvest, variety performance under stress and what growers should be watching before making fall seed decisions. They also discuss wheat streak mosaic virus, the Wheat Quality Council’s Hard Winter Wheat Tour, K-State field days, new wheat lines in the pipeline and why the next K-State wheat breeder matters for the future of Kan
S4 · E7
April 28 · 25 min
Wheat Lessons From The East Coast
What can Kansas wheat growers learn from a farmer on Maryland’s Eastern Shore? Aaron Harries talks with Jason Scott, a sixth-generation farmer from Hurlock, Maryland, about growing soft red winter wheat in a humid, disease-prone environment shaped by poultry demand, nutrient rules, and double-crop soybeans.Scott explains how Maryland’s fertilizer regulations and audits affect the farm, why chicken manure remains a valuable local fertilizer source, how domestic and export markets both influence
S4 · E6
April 14 · 20 min
Hybrid Wheat In Kansas Soil - WOYM
Hybrid wheat has been talked about for decades, but this episode makes it feel real. Aaron Harries sits down with Dan Wiersma of Corteva to explain why Kansas is set to become the center of a planned hard red winter hybrid wheat launch in fall 2027. Wiersma walks through the science, the seed production challenge that held wheat back for years, and the new non-GMO system Corteva says could finally make hybrid wheat commercially viable. He also shares the on-farm promise: a consistent 10 percent
S4 · E5
March 31 · 26 min
New Leadership for Wheat’s Next Chapter - WOYM
New U.S. Wheat Associates President and CEO Mike Spier joins Wheat’s On Your Mind to discuss his path through the wheat industry and what he has learned from decades of work in export markets. From Portland to Cairo, Manila, and Singapore, Spier has seen firsthand how wheat trade has shifted over time and why trust, education, and customer relationships remain central to U.S. Wheat’s success around the world. In this episode, Spier, Aaron Harries, and Justin Gilpin break down what is driving s
S4 · E4
March 17 · 19 min
The Farm Impact of World Conflict - WOYM
In this timely episode of Wheat’s on Your Mind, Aaron Harries talks with StoneX experts Mike O’Dea and Josh Linville about how the Iran conflict and closure of the Strait of Hormuz are rattling both grain and fertilizer markets. O’Dea explains that wheat had already been rallying on fund short covering before crude oil volatility added even more fuel to the move, while Linville outlines why fertilizer markets are under intense pressure just ahead of the peak U.S. spring import window. The conv

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