Today our team had the opportunity to dive into the world of agriculture and commodity marketing with Heather Hampton Knodle. Heather shared insights on the capital-intensive nature of farming, the importance of budgeting and unit cost analysis, and how outside forces—like weather and government policies—can drastically impact the bottom line.

She emphasized the importance of diversification, encouraging farmers to look at the entire mix of crops they grow rather than relying on a single product. To bring these lessons to life, Heather led our team-members through an interactive activity on commodity pricing, managing risk, and farm profitability—complete with spreadsheets, real-world data, and an M&M-based simulation.

We’re grateful for Heather’s time and expertise and for helping our team understand the complexity and strategy involved in modern farming.