What the Futures!

Ryan Denis
  • 4.9 (34)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Do you ever have a moment on the farm, where you look around and wonder what the ... is going on? Dive into the market factors impacting Western Canadian agriculture every week with Ryan Denis. With over a decade of experience advising farmers on crop and business decisions, Ryan will tackle the tough selling and buying decisions that each farm faces. This is the podcast for farmers in Western Canada!

  1. What Top 2% Farms Do Differently | Guest Evan Shout

    2D AGO

    What Top 2% Farms Do Differently | Guest Evan Shout

    What separates the top 2% of farms from everyone else? In this episode, Ryan Denis talks with Evan Shout about crop marketing, farm financials, cash flow, diversification, and the management decisions that actually move the needle. If you farm in Western Canada, this one is packed with real perspective. Guest: Evan Shout of Maverick Ag, Farmer Coach, and The Truth About Ag. Timestamps 00:00 Intro 03:31 Meet Evan Shout 04:47 How farmers react when markets get volatile 09:54 The first big farm coaching aha moments 12:10 Why Farmer Coach exists 14:32 What Maverick Ag actually helps farms with 17:48 Ryan’s crop marketing story 19:39 Why future-focused farms think differently 22:54 The top 20% vs the top 2% 27:31 Why crop marketing is still underused 29:51 Cost of production, cash flow, and selling strategy 38:08 Family, advocacy, and why Evan speaks openly 40:12 Why this conversation needs a part two

    42 min

  2. APR 17

    Super El Niño, Spring Prairie Weather and Diesel Buying Strategy | Guest: Lorelei Gress

    Episode 118 of the What the Futures Podcast features meteorologist Bret Walts (BAM Weather) discussing the developing strong-to-potential “Super El Niño,” its definition, and likely impacts on U.S. and Canadian moisture patterns, including continued Kansas winter wheat dryness with a possible pattern change toward more rain later in April/May and a warmer, generally favorable late-April/May outlook for Saskatchewan and Alberta planting. Ryan also shares crop market notes, highlighting wheat strength tied to Kansas dryness, caution on barley and canola, and the importance of being comfortable with hedge and sales positions. The episode then turns to diesel with Lorelei Gress (Fuel Nexus), covering the temporary federal excise tax suspension (April 20–Sept. 7), how Fuel Nexus’ pre-purchase program and delivery works, pricing transparency, and an additional short-term discount promotion. 00:00 Episode Preview 04:37 Positive Moments And Vacation 08:30 Wheat And Canola Markets 11:45 Weather Talk With Bret 17:17 Prairie Spring Outlook 24:07 Weather Wrap And Marketing 27:05 Fuel Guest Introduction 30:12 What Fuel Nexus Does 39:06 Pre Purchase Discounts 46:00 Fuel Myths Busted 50:46 Locked In Price Promise 58:11 Eating Your Veggies 01:02:37 Final Wrap Up

    1h 4m

  3. APR 15 ·  BONUS

    Grain Markets Live: Canola, Wheat Weather Rally, Barley Bids Shift + War Premium & Input Costs

    The host delivers a live grain and energy market update, noting canola slightly higher near 719 on July/November, soybeans up, bean oil lower, KC wheat up about 11 cents on poor hard red winter wheat ratings (around 18% good-to-excellent), and WTI crude down sharply near $95 with the Canadian dollar around 72.97. Prairie cash highlights include a notable shift in Alberta feed barley bids becoming competitive again in the Edmonton region, Lethbridge fall feed barley around 6.30–6.40/bu, malt and feed barley offers in Saskatchewan, old-crop yellow peas at 8.50–9.00/bu, new-crop flax near 16.50, and new-crop green peas around 9.50–10.00. Input prices discussed include NH3 near $1,600/ton in Alberta, urea near $1,300/ton, and diesel about $1.42–$1.44/L plus GST. Headlines include a U.S. naval blockade impacting Iranian imports, improving early Russian winter crop conditions, minor U.S. Corn Belt planting delays, and Brazil’s soybean harvest nearing completion. In discussion with Quintin, they cover chart concerns, managed-money positioning as an alarm bell in veg oils, limited war premium beyond canola, re-owning pre-sold canola on pullbacks, crude oil call-spread hedges, and frustrations in oats where futures gains have not translated to cash prices. 00:00 Live Market Snapshot 00:55 Prairie Grain Highlights 03:13 Input Costs Update 04:00 Geopolitics And Wheat News 05:52 Wheat Market Outlook 07:45 War Premium And Canola 11:26 Re Owning Sold Canola 13:11 Hedging With Crude Options 14:35 Positioning Alarm Bells 19:58 Wrap Up And Next Shows

    21 min

  4. APR 10

    Markets Tank on Ceasefire News: Crop Price Reality Check, Updated Crop Rankings & My Farm Meeting Agenda

    In episode 117 of the What the Futures Podcast (recorded April 8), Ryan covers a sharp midweek market drop and questions whether a Middle East ceasefire will matter for crop prices, noting markets were already cracking. He compares pre-war and current futures levels, with canola holding gains best while corn and soybeans have erased them, and suggests selling and re-owning risk on paper versus trusting a lasting ceasefire. Ryan updates his crop rankings after raising his fertilizer budget about $40/acre, yet makes minimal price assumption changes (max 3%), with canola still top for margin on his farm, maple peas and flax next, and many cereals and pulses underwater. He discusses 2026 marketing “baskets” (patience, opportunistic, forgiving), shares strategy reminders to review recent hedges and sales, and outlines a detailed farmer meeting agenda covering wins/losses, contracts, hedges, market outlook, cash flow, workflow, future crop plans, and inputs. 00:00 Markets Tank This Week 00:28 Podcast Intro 04:08 Don’t React On Down Days 05:37 Tooth Fairy Break 13:14 Crop Rankings And Fertilizer 24:00 Hat Design Contest 30:48 Meeting Agenda Basics 38:43 Inputs Fuel Logistics 42:02 Wrap Up Veggies Checklist 44:57 Final Sign Off

    46 min

  5. APR 8 ·  BONUS

    Markets Look Bullish… But Something’s Off

    Grain markets look bullish right now… but something isn’t adding up. In today’s Cuppa Coffee, we break down why oil is driving markets higher, yet wheat, canola, and other crops aren’t reacting the way they should. What you’ll learn: - Why this rally feels uneasy - The impact of oil prices on grain markets - What a “blow-off top” means for canola - Why wheat isn’t reacting to bullish news - The real risk behind Middle East headlines - Fertilizer and oil price implications - What farmers should be watching right now Featuring: Trent Klarenbach https://www.klarenbachresearch.ca Subscribe for weekly market breakdowns: https://www.youtube.com/@whatthefutures #GrainMarkets #Canola #Farming Listen to the show on the go. https://open.spotify.com/show/3xz7OvO7P0WDW8mAx25L1y?si=bd51356530834599 https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/what-the-futures/id1715185428 ‍ Follow on Instagram and X for more market insights. https://www.instagram.com/whatthefuturespod/ https://x.com/wtfuturespod Email Ryan: ryan@whatthefuturespodcast.ca What the Futures Podcast Website: https://www. whatthefuturespodcast.ca Thanks to our Sponsors John Deere https://operationscenter.deere.com/ UPL https://www.uplcorp.com/ BrettYoung https://brettyoung.ca/

    21 min

  6. APR 3

    U.S. Acreage Talk + Prairie Fertilizer Reality Check (Allison Thompson & James Mitchell)

    In episode 116 of What The Futures, Ryan welcomes Allison Thompson of The Money Farm for her debut to break down USDA acreage expectations, market volatility and technical levels in wheat, and what early fertilizer bookings and rotation decisions may mean for corn, soybeans, and expanding crops like canola and sunflowers, including a canola acreage jump to 2.685 million. Ryan also answers Cuppa Coffee questions on canola carry and thin liquidity, payback on on-farm fertilizer and fuel storage, the Lunchbox Crew community, and diesel hedging via heating oil or crude. James Mitchell of Crop Management Network then focuses on domestic Western Canada fertilizer, warning of spring allocation, plant turnarounds, tight urea/phosphate, potential multi-day delays, and considerations like UAN availability and summer fill risks amid global supply constraints and export restrictions. 00:00 Show Preview 04:54 Positive Moments Update 08:24 Cuppa Coffee Q And A 09:16 Canola Carry And Spreads 11:08 Fertilizer And Fuel Storage 17:05 Lunchbox Crew Explained 19:37 Hedging Diesel Costs 21:44 Allison Joins The Pod 21:56 Market Technicals And Pullbacks 25:29 USDA Acreage Report Breakdown 38:39 Eating Your Veggies Tips 42:50 Fertilizer Supply Reality 45:05 Allocation and Bottlenecks 46:44 Plant Outages and Turnarounds 53:56 Summer Fill Global Risks 01:01:58 Final Advice and Sign Off

    1h 7m

  7. MAR 31 ·  BONUS

    The EPA Just Changed Everything for Canola

    The EPA just handed canola its biggest biofuel win in history, and most farmers haven't caught up to what it means yet. Canola oil demand for U.S. biomass-based diesel is projected to more than double, with massive implications for Canadian producers. This week on Cuppa Coffee, Ryan is joined by Susan Stroud from NoBullAg.com to break down the EPA's final Set 2 renewable fuel standard ruling, Indonesia's surprise B50 biodiesel mandate, and why the global vegetable oil market just got dangerously tight. Check out Susan's work: https://www.NoBullAg.com This week's sponsor: Agi3. Forward Protect insurance for canola. Lock in profits at https://agi3.ai/ New here? Cuppa Coffee airs live every Tuesday. Subscribe and hit the bell for weekly grain market insights for Canadian and U.S. farmers. Catch Friday's episode where Ryan asks: Am I crazy for considering buying nitrogen for 2027? ⏰ Timestamps 00:00 Morning Market Snapshot 00:41 Wheat Price Rant 02:00 Key Headlines Ahead 03:03 Prairie Gopher Control 04:02 Indonesia B50 Biodiesel 07:22 War and Market Uncertainty 08:42 USDA Acres Expectations 09:30 EPA Rule Canola Wins 14:20 Why Prices Sold Off 16:13 2028 Policy Wildcards 19:57 Bullish Cards Left 21:58 Wrap Up and Farmer Notes Listen to the show on the go. https://open.spotify.com/show/3xz7OvO7P0WDW8mAx25L1y?si=bd51356530834599 https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/what-the-futures/id1715185428

    23 min

  8. MAR 27

    Forage Seed Planning, Availability & Establishment Guarantees (BrettYoung)

    In episode 115 of the What The Futures Podcast, Ryan is joined by Mark and Kent from BrettYoung to discuss forage crops, including seed availability, planning timelines, and BrettYoung’s forage establishment guarantee, which offers 100% seed replacement for orders placed before April 1 in the event of natural disasters. They cover common establishment risks such as frost, wind erosion, and increasing gopher damage, and stress the importance of early planning, proper seeding depth, moisture, seed-to-soil contact, and scouting. The conversation also includes cover crop guidance (notably oats and low cereal seeding rates), fertility timing for different nutrients, and herbicide options for early weed control. They highlight BrettYoung’s forage guide and online selector tools, discuss custom versus stock blends, and note that forage seed supply varies annually by weather and production regions. 00:00 Show kickoff and agenda 00:38 Market recap and geopolitics 01:35 Farm talk and episode setup 03:01 Forage guarantee deadline 05:27 Meet Kent and Mark 06:52 Seed availability and planning 10:42 Choosing varieties and blends 13:16 Establishment and agronomy tips 19:48 Forage Guide and favorites 24:08 Plots and seed supply realities 26:50 Forages as rotation crop 29:04 Wrap up and marketing outlook

    32 min
See All (100)

4.9
out of 5
34 Ratings

About

Do you ever have a moment on the farm, where you look around and wonder what the ... is going on? Dive into the market factors impacting Western Canadian agriculture every week with Ryan Denis. With over a decade of experience advising farmers on crop and business decisions, Ryan will tackle the tough selling and buying decisions that each farm faces. This is the podcast for farmers in Western Canada!

Information

  • Creator
    Ryan Denis
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    What the Futures!

You Might Also Like