Mike Pearson
RFD-TV and Agriculture of America Broadcaster Mike Pearson explains the outlook for the farm markets, technology, and trends in US and global agriculture.
Price range
- $5,000 - $10,000
Expert
- Ag Policy
- Agriculture
- Commodity Price Outlook
- Economy
- Emcees
- Food
- Motivation
- Risk Management
- Supply Chain Issues
- Trends
Experience
- Agriculture
- Banking
Career
- 11 Years
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About
Mike Pearson was born and raised in South Central Iowa, where he grew to love agriculture on his family’s hog and cattle farm.
After graduating from Simpson College, Mike moved to Grinnell, Iowa where he had the chance to build his own cow herd in addition to working as an agricultural lender.
Over the next 10 years, Mike left the world of finance and entered the world of media. He’s previously hosted “Market to Market” on Public Television, the Ag News Daily podcast, and currently, viewers can find him behind the anchor desk on “This Week in Agribusiness” on RFD-TV and listeners can hear him every day as the host of Agriculture of America, a daily ag-focused radio show carried by affiliate stations across the country.
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Videos
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Program
WHAT’S DRIVING AGRICULTURE NOW
Join Mike Pearson, host of the nationally syndicated radio program Agriculture of America as he analyzes the variables moving the agriculture industry. Between the daily radio show and weekly television program “This Week in Agribusiness” which he cohosts with Max Armstrong, Mike interviews over 1000 professionals in the ag industry each year. These folks range from experts on the volatile commodity markets to Washington DC politicians, and trade experts from around the world. In this talk, Mike will synthesize what he’s learned from these professionals and helps the audience understand what might be ahead in the markets, in policy, and in trade.
SUPPLY CHAINS AND GLOBAL TRADE IN THE POST-COVID ERA
Over the past forty years, industry around the world developed global supply chains capitalizing on far-flung resources, the proliferation of Free Trade Agreements and computerized record keeping and ordering systems that allowed for “just in time” manufacturing and warehousing. Those supply chains reduced overhead and brought in new customers; but the coronavirus pandemic changed the game.
Between port closures and labor issues, those same global supply lines that were such an advantage have become a major disadvantage as delays pile up and costs surge. Industries around the world are looking at ways to bring their supply chains closer to home; but will that work for agriculture?
Mike Pearson has spoken with global trade experts for years as the host of agricultural television and radio shows and he brings those insights together in an engaging presentation highlighting the challenges our industry will face as the world moves in to the post-COVID era.
AG POLICY 2022
2020 was a year of unrest economically, socially and politically, and unrest changes our business environment both in the short and long term. As 2021 gets underway, Mike takes listeners on a look at how the world is changing. Some of the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on trade and business will be both regulatory (quarantines/import bans) and social (perhaps a new focus on the outdoors?). Additionally, the Biden Administration is taking shape and Mike will fill listeners in on the key players at USDA, EPA, USTR and FDA and what the new team’s policies might look like. It appears that the tug of war between progressive Democrats and moderates will shape how these agencies address things like racial justice and environmental policy.
THE FOUR MEGATRENDS IN AGRICULTURE
Mike Pearson takes an in-depth look at the way agriculture will be changing in the next 20 years. The past century has been one of non-stop progress in efficiency, technology and yield and Mike pulls together his wide-ranging reports on the industry to analyze the four biggest trends driving agriculture forward.
Analytics: Big Data has been the watchword in production for the past several years, and the future will see new tools that allow producers to analyze the piles of data they have been collecting. The new suite of applications will put growers back in the driver’s seat for decision making; as they’ll be able to model various input application rates, hybrid selection and weather effects on the crops they are contemplating.
Robotics: Many consumers are already familiar with robots taking care of some household chores like vacuuming. It won’t be much longer before we see true robotics in the field, reducing the burden of time-consuming tasks. From weed eradication to manure lagoon agitation, as qualified help on the farm becomes harder to find, robots will be a logical place for farmers to invest capital.
Biotechnology: The field of biotech saw incredible advances over the past decade as science and profits combined to allow geneticists and plant breeders space to try amazing things. In the next two decades, those advances become a springboard for some truly revolutionary changes to the industry. This will encompass not just plant-based biotech, but biological soil amendments and treatments as well.
And finally, the Structure of the industry will continue to change. As record-level profits become just a memory, producers will find new ways to maximize their ROI. There will be continued consolidation at all levels; farm, elevator and coop and input supplier. The lines will blur between retailer and wholesaler as larger growers operate more like elevators and demand greater leverage from suppliers. There will also be a growing number of smaller scale producers dedicated to niche markets; the organic or local food movements are most likely here to stay as consumers continue to have the disposable income to make those food decisions.
The next 20 years in agriculture are going to be a fascinating ride, and American producers are uniquely poised to capture an impressive share of the world’s business. Let Mike Pearson help your group navigate this future to prosperity!
CONFERENCE EMCEE
Mike Pearson knows how to keep the event moving, improvise when needed, and work efficiently with all participants onstage. He has hosted everything from one-hour meetings and multi-day conferences to virtual sessions. He is at ease chatting with company/industry leaders live on stage, or introducing award recipients and other speakers.
TACTICS TO IMPROVE ONLINE IMPACT
“Preaching to the Choir – Tactics to Improve Online Impact”
Description:Social media has changed the way people around the globe communicate, advocate, (and procrastinate!), but how can it be utilized to shape public policy outcomes?Self-described Twitter superfan and media personality Mike Pearson will help audience members assess their own social media usage and engagement levels to determine how to best advocate for the things they believe in. We know some tactics just don’t work on social media – copy/pasting policy proposals, for example, or appealing to science when the debate is truly about emotion. And sometimes, WHO we engage can be just as important in communication success as WHAT we are engaging about.Pearson will utilize examples drawn from three major social media hubs; Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to show both positive and negative outcomes of policy advocation on the internet, as well as a few ‘best-practice’ ideas that can be implemented in everyday public outreach.A LOOK AT THE COMMODITY MARKETS, SUPPLY CHAIN, AND GLOBAL TRADE IN THE POST‐COVID ERA
Mike Pearson looks at the MANY variables impacting agriculture today. Over the past forty years, industries around the world developed global supply chains capitalizing on far‐flung resources, the proliferation of Free Trade Agreements, and computerized record keeping and ordering systems that allowed for “just in time” manufacturing and warehousing. Those supply chains reduced overhead and brought in new customers, but the coronavirus pandemic changed the game. Between port closures and labor issues, those same global supply lines that were such an advantage have become a major disadvantage as delays pile up and costs surge. Industries around the world are looking at ways to bring their supply chains closer to home; but will that work for agriculture?
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Review
20 people have recommended this speaker
“Exceed Expectations! Everyone loved his enthusiasm – certainly not your typical dry economist!”
“The Ag Committee of the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce walked away feeling like Mike was one of the most gifted speakers that we had ever brought to town. We were impressed with his energy and enthusiasm and the broad scope of his knowledge, and we enjoyed working with Mike and his team every step of the way.”
“Mike took our annual farm meeting to a new level. He did an excellent job of conveying information in a fun and engaging way and put a lot of effort into learning about our customer base. His enthusiasm and the time he took for one on one conversations before and after the event made it memorable for everyone in attendance. We’ve had nothing but raving reviews.”
“Mike Pearson knows agriculture! Mike provided a thorough outlook for 2023 commodity markets for ag lenders and producers to consider as their 2023 planning begins.”
“Max and Mike are as good as it gets, virtual was a first for us this year, and they carried us home. The show style delivery was such a change from our normal presentation, we truly took it up several notches this year and feedback from our audience was fantastic!”
“Mike has the perfect combination of passion, competency, and charisma. We’ll be inviting him back next year.”
“11/23/20: The best word I can come up with for Mike is AWESOME. He has become part of the SD Farm Bureau Family and our members absolutely love him. He is exceptional at what he does and has more energy than most 20 year olds I know.”
“Mike was great! I was happy to see how well he interacted with leadership, facilitating speaker Q&A flawlessly and his knowledge of the ag industry helped a lot with this. He could definitely talk the talk with speakers and attendees and it showed. It was by far the easiest emcee experience I’ve had.”
“He was FANTASTIC! Such a pleasant gentleman to work with. I have received raved reviews about his presentation and his content. They found it relatable, interesting and we got a good laugh at times.”
“We had evaluations from our guests and they scored Mike a 4.8 on relevance out of a total of 5. He has great enthusiasm and humor. There were several evaluations stating they’d like to hear Mike again at future meetings. It was also nice that he was at our meeting from the start, it gave our guests chances to talk with him individually or as a table.”
“Mike was very well received and did a great job even though the ag economy looks bleak for the next few years. Mike has a great personality and full of energy so it was good to have a vibrant speaker especially for a morning session.”
“We have used Mike Pearson on two occasions to lead panel discussions with great success. Mike has all of the attributes we look for - a great understanding of the ag industry, professionalism, energy and an engaging personality. You can’t miss with Mike Pearson.”
“Mike was very entertaining and really connected with the audience. He had us all laughing out loud from beginning to end!”
“Mike Pearson brings energy and enthusiasm to the crowd when speaking during this volatile Ag cycle, and keeps the atmosphere upbeat during this downturn in Agriculture. Mike’s message resonates well with Ag Lenders on focusing on their mission to keep Farmers Farming, yet maintaining solid marketing plans for the future. I would highly recommend any organization engaging with Mike Pearson for a top-notch performance.”
“Mike was fabulous! He was so easy to work with and his presentation was both informative and entertaining. I had the chance to visit with him for a bit afterward and told him he hit a home run! Thank you and Kelly; it was a pleasure to work with you both!”
“Mike did an amazing job. What an interesting and entertaining speaker. What I liked the most was that you could tell he did his research for our area and knew the crops in the area and what the future looked like for here. I will be highly recommending him to my other state association colleagues.”
“Howdy, you are one of the best speakers I have heard concerning Agriculture. Thank you for the Information, humor, and education today.”
“We had nothing but positive feedback amongst our staff and from our customers about Mike’s presentation. I personally thought Mike did a good job of breaking up all the charts and graphs and marketing talk, with some personal stories and humor. Everybody enjoys a good laugh. But more importantly, I think our customers were able to leave with some valuable information about current issues effecting the commodity markets that pertain to their operation. That’s really what we look for in a presenter or a topic. We want them to take away information they can use to make their business more successful. Mike was on time, well prepared, and very professional. I hope we can have him back for another event in the future. I was a little unsure about dealing with Mike’s “Agent” at first, but I will also say it was very nice working with you and Kelly as we got this event planned. Kelly replied quickly when I e-mailed with questions and that is really great when working on a project like this.”
“Our customers, staff, and management team were very, very, impressed with Mike’s presentation! I had several customers come up to me letting me know what a great, fun, and an informing presentation Mike had. I could go on and on! One younger producer said he hated to see it come to an end!”
“Mike was great. Arrived early, met with our local media and mingled with the crowd. His presentation was excellent, informative and funny at times. Mike stayed until our last guest left, talking with anyone that wanted to see him. Very pleased with Mike.”
