The first recording of 2026 opens with a realistic read on the mood coming out of Crop Production Week. Many producers are still coming to grips with what 2025 actually looked like once yield met real pricing, and the optimism some were hoping for hasn’t fully shown up. The conversation walks through what that means for grain marketing right now, why so much grain remains unsold, and how flat spreads and cautious buyers are leaving more acres exposed than many are comfortable with.

Evan and Kristjan discuss the pressure points showing up inside farm businesses. Fertilizer prices haven’t reset as expected, booking levels are low, and there are real questions about how the system will handle the spring push. They also dig into logistics and grain movement, highlighting how managing trucks and timing can be just as challenging as growing the crop, and why 2026 is forcing more producers to truly understand their numbers.

The episode wraps with a wider look at the industry and the year ahead, pulling in takeaways from Texas and a candid discussion on land, capital, trade uncertainty, and what the next 12 months could mean financially. Things may get tighter before they get easier, but for farms willing to stay engaged and strategic, opportunity can still show up in tough cycles.

In this episode, Evan and Kristjan sit down with first-generation farmer and long-time ag industry leader April to explore what it really takes to build both a business and a life on the farm. April and her husband Chad started their operation from scratch east of Regina over 20 years ago, and she’s spent much of that time balancing “church and state” – growing a farm, raising a family, and leading big teams in corporate agriculture.

They dig into how boots on the ground experience shapes better decisions in head offices, and how boardroom skills like hiring, benefits, leadership, and meeting cadence come back to make the farm stronger. They discuss why communication with retailers and grain buyers is a competitive advantage, and how simple things like pre-planning, targets, and asking better questions can change those relationships completely.

The conversation also goes bigger-picture: optimism about agriculture, the growing weight of policy risk, volatility in inputs and capital, and why the real line between controllable and uncontrollable risk has shifted. April opens up about the decision to step away from a demanding corporate career, come back to the farm full-time, and design a life in balance. From multi-year plans and farm meeting cadence to culture, guilt, and kids growing up fast, this one hits both the business and the human side of modern farming.

It’s a catch-up Christmas special on The Truth About Ag. With nearly 50 episodes behind them, Evan and Kristjan look back at the conversations that shaped the show. From CEOs who started on the ground floor to guests who opened up about health, mindset, and the realities of modern farming. They revisit the moments that stuck, the one-liners they still use, and the guests who shifted how they think about leadership and life.

The conversation moves into the big issues farmers are facing now: grain dryer grants and why infrastructure, not price, is the real bottleneck; rising land values and the wave of recent farm sales; and why some operations are choosing to exit at the top. They dig into succession, working capital pressures, and the growing need for farmers to think beyond the next season and start planning for the next decade.

They wrap with a look at growth, hiring before you’re drowning, performance reviews that don’t blindside anyone, and the mentors and books that shaped their own paths. It’s a reflective, honest episode that sets the stage for where agriculture and the show is headed next.