Built to Grow: Financial leadership for agribusiness owners who want to cultivate growth.

Mason Brady
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Built to Grow is a podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Hosted by Mason Brady, a 15-year agribusiness supply chain and finance leader, the show focuses on real-world financial leadership for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. We talk about cash flow management, financing, profitability improvement, growth strategy, risk management, and the decisions that matter most as agribusinesses scale.

  1. Oct 1

    How to Prepare Your Agribusiness for a Down Cycle

    How do you know what a bad season will cost you before it hits? This week Mason talks with Kim Dziuk, an agribusiness CFO on the Brady CFO team, about planning for the down years before they arrive. Kim walks through why she tracks cost per pound instead of price, how to model a bad season ahead of time, and what happened when a price drop pushed loan to value from 50% to almost 90%. Topics we cover: (2:36) From school district CFO to 12,000 acres of almonds (6:12) Why a CFO shouldn't just report the news (9:13) What works at $20M won't work at $60M (14:09) Modeling the upside, the downside, and your break even (15:20) The 102 degree day that shrinks harvest to two weeks (17:41) EOS for ag businesses: scorecards and rocks (25:19) Key person risk in owner led ag (31:31) Cost per pound vs. commodity price (33:35) When loan to value jumps from 50% to 90% (38:34) The labor data behind equipment decisions Links from the show: 🌐 Brady CFO | Fractional CFO Services for Agribusiness: https://bradycfo.com/agriculture/  🤝 Connect with Kim Dziuk: : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-dziuk-a25173104/   🎤️ Connect with Mason Brady: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonbrady/  Built to Grow is the podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Every episode brings you real financial leadership and business strategy built specifically for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. Follow, rate, review, and share. Questions or topic ideas? Reach out at marketing@bradycfo.com

    How to Prepare Your Agribusiness for a Down Cycle

  2. Jul 9

    How to Use AI in Your AG Business Without the Legal Risk

    Your team is already using AI, but do you actually know if your business is protected? In this episode, Mason Brady sits down with Skyler Y. Stuckey — practicing attorney and Chief Innovation Officer at Gray Reed, to break down what food and ag businesses need to know before going all-in on AI. From enterprise account basics to data retention, model training, and the human side of adoption, Skyler brings the legal perspective most ag operators are missing. Topics we cover: (0:00) – Meet Skyler Stuckey (7:54) – AI is change management (9:39) – The human side of adoption (15:35) – AI governance basics (16:05) – Enterprise vs. personal accounts (21:29) – Does redaction protect you? (26:45) – Will AI replace ag jobs? (31:42) – Every margin point matters (34:34) – Building AI fluency company-wide Links & Resources 🌐 Gray Reed: https://www.grayreed.com/ 🌐 Brady CFO | Fractional CFO Services for Agribusiness: https://bradycfo.com/agriculture/  🤝 Connect with Skyler Y. Stuckey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skylerystuckey/  🎤️ Connect with Mason Brady: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonbrady/  Built to Grow is the podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Every episode brings you real financial leadership and business strategy built specifically for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. Follow, rate, review, and share. Questions or topic ideas? Reach out at marketing@bradycfo.com

    How to Use AI in Your AG Business Without the Legal Risk

  3. Jun 11

    AI for Agribusiness: Where to Start, What to Automate, and How to Protect Your Data

    What's really standing between your ag operation and AI that actually works at scale?    In this episode, Mason Brady sits down with Ryan Seifert, CEO of Teric Technology, to break down how food and ag businesses can actually deploy AI at an enterprise level, not just for a single employee writing emails, but for real, high-ROI workflow automation across the company. They dig into where AI works best, where it falls short, what it takes to set up a proper data architecture, and how to make sure your proprietary data stays protected.  Links & Resources 🌐 Teric Technology: https://terictechnology.com/  🌐 Brady CFO: https://bradycfo.com/ 🤝 Connect with Ryan Seifert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangregoryseifert/  🎤️ Connect with Mason Brady: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonbrady/    Built to Grow is the podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Every episode brings you real financial leadership and business strategy built specifically for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. Follow, rate, review, and share. Questions or topic ideas? Reach out at marketing@bradycfo.com

    AI for Agribusiness: Where to Start, What to Automate, and How to Protect Your Data

  4. May 28

    Controller vs. CFO: What Does Your Ag Business Actually Need?

    Does your ag business actually need a CFO — or is a great controller the smarter move right now? In this solo episode, Mason Brady breaks down one of the most common questions he gets from growing ag operations: what’s the real difference between a controller and a CFO, and how do you know which one your business actually needs? Mason walks through the distinct roles, what great looks like in each seat, and the revenue and complexity thresholds that should guide your decision — including when fractional makes more sense than full-time. Topics We Cover (0:00) – Why ag businesses ask the controller vs. CFO question (3:35) – What a great controller actually does (5:30) – Controller vs. accounting manager vs. bookkeeper (7:54) – What a CFO focuses on that a controller doesn’t (9:00) – Budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management (9:47) – Managing bank and third-party relationships (13:28) – Big-picture decisions: acquisitions, expansion, financing (15:00) – The $20M revenue threshold and what it means (17:26) – When entity complexity changes the equation (20:18) – Fractional vs. full-time: how to decide (21:16) – Getting the right fit — and not overspending on overhead Links & Resources 🌐 Brady CFO: https://bradycfo.com/ 🎙️ Connect with Mason Brady: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonbrady/ Built to Grow is the podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Every episode brings you real financial leadership and business strategy built specifically for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. Follow, rate, review, and share. Questions or topic ideas? Reach out at marketing@bradycfo.com

    Controller vs. CFO: What Does Your Ag Business Actually Need?

  5. May 14

    How to Identify, Buy, and Turn Around a Distressed Ag Business

    Is the ag business you’re looking at truly distressed — or is there something valuable buried underneath the balance sheet? In this episode, Mason Brady and returning guest Landon Friend dig into the growing wave of distressed ag businesses what’s causing them, how to spot one worth buying, and what a real turnaround looks like from day one through the first year. They cover the buy-vs-build decision, what to look for in a distressed asset, a 30/60/90-day playbook for operators, and why transparent communication with stakeholders is the move most owners get wrong. Links & Resources 🌐 Brady CFO | Fractional CFO Services for gribusiness: https://bradycfo.com/ 🤝 Connect with Landon Friend: https://www.linkedin.com/in/landonfriend/ 🎤️ Connect with Mason Brady: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonbrady/ Built to Grow is the podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Every episode brings you real financial leadership and business strategy built specifically for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. Follow, rate, review, and share. Questions or topic ideas? Reach out at marketing@bradycfo.com

    How to Identify, Buy, and Turn Around a Distressed Ag Business

  6. Apr 30

    Sales Tax Compliance for Agribusiness: How to Avoid a Costly Audit

    Is your agribusiness selling into multiple states without knowing the tax obligations that come with it? Most agribusiness owners don’t think about state and local tax until they’re in an audit. In this episode of Built to Grow, Mason sits down with Robin Klinghagen, CPA and Managing Director at Andersen with over 25 years of SALT (State and Local Tax) experience, to break down what every ag owner needs to know about sales tax compliance, exemption certificates, and the Wayfair decision before it becomes a costly problem. Topics We Cover 00:19 - What SALT (State and Local Tax) actually means and why it matters for ag businesses 03:00 - The 12,000+ sales tax jurisdictions and why every state is different 06:00 - The Wayfair Supreme Court decision and how it changed everything for businesses shipping product 10:00 - Sales tax thresholds: when does your agribusiness become responsible to collect and remit? 13:00 - Exemption certificates: the #1 audit risk most ag businesses aren’t managing 16:00 - Tax incentives and exemptions available for agribusinesses expanding into new states 19:00 - When to hire a SALT specialist vs. relying on your general CPA 21:00 - How to scale your tax function as your agribusiness grows Links & Resources Andersen | State & Local Tax Services: https://andersen.com/ Brady CFO | Fractional CFO Services for Agribusiness: https://bradycfo.com 🤝 Connect with Robin Klinghagen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-klinghagen-cpa-766b8127/ 🎤️ Connect with Mason Brady: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonbrady/ Built to Grow is the podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Every episode brings you real financial leadership and business strategy built specifically for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. Follow, rate, review, and share. Questions or topic ideas? Reach out at marketing@bradycfo.com #agribusinessmanagement #agriculture #agribusiness #businessowner #taxes2026 #agribusinesspodcast #salt

    Sales Tax Compliance for Agribusiness: How to Avoid a Costly Audit

  7. Apr 16

    How to Get an Ag Loan: What Ag Capital Providers Are Really Looking For

    Are you walking into your lender’s office with a loan application or with a strategy? Mason had Landon Friend back on the show for a second conversation about understanding how to secure ag loans and position yourself as a serious operator when it's time to make the big capital ask.  Topics We Cover 00:00 -  What capital providers are really looking for: durability, cash flow and real estate 04:15 -  The two buckets: real estate collateral vs. working capital and what each requires 07:08 -  Why vertical integration makes your ag business more attractive to investors 09:23 -  How to prove you’re a good operator on the working capital side 11:04  The four steps to setting yourself up for a successful capital ask 15:49 -  Why the bank relationship is mutual — and how to interview your lender 18:00 -  Understanding credit thresholds: who makes decisions at what level 20:25 -  Why the best interest rate should never be your only decision factor Links & Resources Brady CFO | Fractional CFO Services for Agribusinesshttps://bradycfo.com 🤝 Connect with Landon Friendhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/landonfriend/  🤝 Connect with Mason Bradyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/masonbrady/ Built to Grow is the podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Every episode brings you real financial leadership and business strategy built specifically for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. Follow, rate, review, and share. Questions or topic ideas? Reach out at marketing@bradycfo.com

    How to Get an Ag Loan: What Ag Capital Providers Are Really Looking For

  8. Apr 2

    The Software Implementation Guide Every Agribusiness Owner Needs

    Is your agribusiness investing in new software without a real plan to get your team ready for it? The truth is, most agribusiness owners don’t fail at buying software. They fail at implementing it. We sat down with Bryan Burkholder, founder of Cadence and specialist in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementation and change management, to talk about what separates the ag businesses that get it right from the ones that end up with a costly mistake and a team ready to quit.   This episode is for you if you’re an agribusiness owner considering a major systems upgrade, trying to recover from one that didn’t go as planned, or wondering how to use AI and IoT tools to scale your operation without blowing up your overhead.     Topics We Cover •      00:00 -  Why your software vendor’s team isn’t enough •      06:05 -  A real $70K implementation nightmare and what Brady CFO walked into •      08:32 -  The nightmare PE rollup: four companies, one project manager, zero results •      12:40 -  The real cost of underestimating change management •      14:41 -  The marching band metaphor every agribusiness owner needs to hear •      20:00 -  How to think about ROI from a systems upgrade •      26:10 -  Why your ERP dashboard probably isn’t your analytics tool •      28:52 -  The role of a fractional CIO in agribusiness •      36:17 -  IoT, AI, and how even $40M ag businesses can afford to build at scale     Links & Resources •      Cadence — ERP Implementation & Change Management: https://cadenceconsultants.com/  •      Brady CFO — Fractional CFO Services for Agribusiness: https://bradycfo.com/ •      🤝 Connect with Bryan Burkholder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanburkholder1/  •      🎤️ Connect with Mason Brady: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonbrady/    Built to Grow is the podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Every episode brings you real financial leadership and business strategy built specifically for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. Follow, rate, review, and share. Questions or topic ideas? Reach out at marketing@bradycfo.com

    The Software Implementation Guide Every Agribusiness Owner Needs
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Built to Grow is a podcast for agribusiness owners who want to grow valuable enterprises. Hosted by Mason Brady, a 15-year agribusiness supply chain and finance leader, the show focuses on real-world financial leadership for farming, food, and ag-based businesses. We talk about cash flow management, financing, profitability improvement, growth strategy, risk management, and the decisions that matter most as agribusinesses scale.

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