S2:E2 – Allen Williams: Why Net Profit — Not Yield — Should Be the Agronomist’s Job

What if everything we’ve been told about maximizing yield is leading us in the wrong direction?

And if you’ve ever asked, “Where’s the premium?” or “Does changing on-farm practices mean a certainty of more risk in exchange for uncertain gain?” — this episode of The Business of Soil Health offers a counter-narrative from one of the most experienced regenerative agronomic advisors in the world.

Your hosts, Patrick and Sami, sit down with Dr. Allen Williams — rancher, scientist, and founding partner at Understanding Ag — for a wide-ranging conversation that reframes how we think about profitability, risk, and the true function of soil. Allen shares why he left a tenured academic career, what most agronomists get wrong, and how regenerative agriculture offers a path off the input treadmill.

We explore:

• How common practices like tile drains and center pivots are treating symptoms rather than root causes
• Why yield is a poor north star metric — and how most agronomists are solving for the wrong outcome
• The “Rule of Compounding” and how every decision creates cascading effects on biology and economics
• The three barriers holding producers back: lack of education, peer pressure, and debt
• The path from regenerative to organic — and why they’re complementary, not competitive
• Why corporate investment is being driven more by supply chain resilience than by climate action