North American Ag Spotlight: Agriculture & Farming News and Views

Women are becoming increasingly visible across agriculture, from the farm and the boardroom to policy, technology and global agribusiness. In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, host Chrissy Wozniak welcomes back Svitlana Synkovska, Portfolio Director for Women in Agribusiness, for a conversation about the changing role of women in agriculture and what attendees can expect from the 15th anniversary Women in Agribusiness Su...

 On this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak welcomes back Mindy Patterson, President and Co-Founder of The Cavalry Group, for an in-depth discussion on protecting agriculture through legislative advocacy, grassroots action, and informed leadership. Mindy explains how The Cavalry Group's Legislative Flash Map is helping farmers, ranchers, and animal owners stay informed about legislation affecting their liv...

As planting and growing season continues across the country, stewardship remains one of the most important responsibilities for growers and applicators. In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, host Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Mike Aerts, Vice President of Science and Regulatory Affairs at the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, to discuss the 2026 BeSure! Campaign and the role stewardship plays in protecting pollina...

With input costs remaining high and profit margins under pressure, producers are increasingly looking for ways to improve productivity without simply adding more fertilizer, more irrigation, or more crop inputs. In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, host Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Chad Godsey, Chief Agronomist at Green Evolution Technologies, to discuss how growers are evaluating new technologies, why efficiency has b...

Season 5: Episode 217

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak welcomes back Gwendoline Legrand, Co-Director of FIRA, to discuss the upcoming FIRA USA 2025 event taking place October 21–23 in Woodland, California. Known as the premier gathering for agricultural robotics and automation, FIRA USA brings together growers, innovators, OEMs, startups, and investors for three days of live demos, collab...

Season 5: Episode 216

 In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Jacqui Fatka, Lead Economist for Farm Supply and Biofuels at CoBank, to discuss the shifting landscape of biofuels and the growing role of aviation fuels in agriculture. With over two decades of experience in ag policy, trade, and renewable fuels, Jacqui provides valuable insights into how demand for aviation fuel is re...

Season 5: Episode 215

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Xinnan Li, VP and Senior Packaging Analyst at Rabobank, to discuss how customer trends and evolving food preferences are reshaping agricultural markets. Xinnan shares her journey from studying biology and food science to analyzing packaging, logistics, and consumer-driven change for one of the world’s largest agri-focus...

Season 5: Episode 214

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak is joined by Matt Durian, Livestock Manager at the American Royal, and Mae Boedeker, Livestock and Rodeo Coordinator, to talk about the upcoming American Royal Fall Livestock Show. A Kansas City tradition since 1899, the American Royal has been inspiring and educating generations through its nationally recognized livestock shows, rodeos, eq...

Season 5: Episode 213

 In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Raquel Gottsch Koehler, Co-Owner and Chief Marketing & Creative Officer of Rural Media Group, to talk about how agri-marketing is shifting in 2025 and what’s truly working in today’s uncertain economy.

Raquel shares her unique perspective as the next generation leading RFD-TV, Rural Radio on SiriusXM, and...

Season 5: Episode 212
 
In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak is joined by Jaime Jerrels, Senior Director of Policy and Outreach at the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, to discuss one of the most powerful and overlooked challenges in agriculture today: farmer mental health. Florida Farm Bureau, in partnership with UF/IFAS and the Mind Your Melon Foundation, has released its first-ever statewide m...

Season 5: Episode 211

As the ag tech sector matures, the industry is finally shifting its focus from flashy innovations to solving real problems on the ground. In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak explores how the ag tech space is becoming more practical, profitable, and proven — especially when it comes to addressing the core issue that keeps most farmers up at night: labor. Joining the conv...

Season 5: Episode 210

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Jeffrey Smith of Valent U.S.A. and Dr. Frank Wong of Bayer Crop Science to discuss the essential and often misunderstood role of crop protection in modern agriculture. Representing the Growing Matters coalition, Jeff and Frank dive into the importance of science-based advocacy, the value of stewardship, and the continued figh...

Season 5: Episode 209

This special episode of the Ag Sales Professionals Podcast is being featured on North American Ag as Chrissy Wozniak was recently invited by host Greg Martinelli to join him for a conversation about ag marketing, media, and the rapidly evolving world of ag technology. We're excited to offer this episode to our listeners, as Chrissy shares her perspective on how to effectively communicate in the ag space, the im...

Season 5: Episode 208

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Brenda Heymer, owner of Heymer Management Accounting in Amarillo, Texas. With a deep-rooted background in agriculture and over three decades of accounting experience, Brenda shares her passion for helping producers move beyond traditional, tax-based accounting to embrace management accounting rooted in accrual principles. Thr...

Season 5: Episode 207

In this North American Ag Spotlight podcast episode, host Chrissy Wozniak interviews Katie Pasitney from Universal Ostrich, a family-owned ostrich farm in British Columbia, Canada. The farm, which has been raising ostriches for 35 years, is facing a crisis due to a government order to cull over 400 ostriches amid an avian flu outbreak, despite most birds showing resistance and antibodies to the virus.

Season 5: Episode 206
In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight podcast, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Svitlana Synkovska, a global event management expert with two decades of experience in agribusiness. Svitlana has organized and marketed nearly 50 international events across 12 countries, bringing together key players in commodities trading, biofuels, and more. Now serving as the Portfolio Director for Women in Agrib...

Season 5: Episode 205

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak welcomes back Matt Durian, Livestock Manager at the American Royal, to discuss the highly anticipated 2025 American Royal Spring Youth Livestock Show. The American Royal, a Kansas City tradition since 1899, has long been committed to championing food and agriculture. After celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2024, the organization is excited to br...

Season 5: Episode 204

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight podcast, host Chrissy Wozniak welcomes Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller for an in-depth discussion on the Biden Administration’s recent changes to the Horse Protection Act. Commissioner Miller explains how the new regulations, originally intended to curb the inhumane practice of soring in Tennessee Walking Horses, have been drastically expanded t...

Season 5: Episode 203
In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, host Chrissy Wozniak is joined by Rusty Rumley, Senior Staff Attorney at the National Agricultural Law Center, to explore the shifting landscape of agricultural policy under the new administration.

They discuss the recent election outcomes, highlighting the Republican control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, and speculate on what this m...