A BAU Farm Intelligence podcast
Decision Season
One real farm decision per episode — what to plant, what it costs, who to sell to, whether you can borrow — walked to a number and an answer. Plain talk for Southeast specialty-crop growers, hosted by founder Dorian Cleary.
Spotify
Available with episode one
Apple Podcasts
Available with episode one
YouTube
Clips at @businessasusual150
A letter from the host
Why this show exists
Fellow grower,
I started BAU Farm Intelligence because the hardest part of farming was never the work — it was the decisions. What to plant, what it will really cost, who will buy it, and whether the bank will stand behind you. Those calls get made at the kitchen table, often alone, and usually with numbers scattered across notebooks, extension PDFs, and memory.
Decision Season is my answer to that. Every episode takes one real farm decision and walks it to a number and an answer — no jargon, no hype, and every figure tied to a source you can check. Some episodes are solo breakdowns; others bring in the extension agents, buyers, and lenders who see the other side of the table.
If a number on this show ever changes a decision on your farm for the better, the show has done its job. Write to me — I read every note.
Dorian ClearyFounder & President, BAU Farm Intelligence
Season one — the first ten episodes
Every episode takes one decision and walks it to an answer, with the sources linked in the show notes. Solo breakdowns are recorded by Dorian; guest episodes bring in the agents, buyers, and lenders around the farm.
- 01
Your Records Are Worth More Than Your Tractor
SoloThe most valuable thing on your farm isn't in the equipment shed — and most growers never put a price on it.
Thu, Oct 15
Episode plan - 02
What 12 Acres of Summer Squash Actually Costs
SoloA real 12-acre block walked line by line through the NC extension budget. The number surprises most growers.
Tue, Oct 20
Episode plan - 03
H-2A Math: The Real Cost of a Crew of Five
SoloThe wage rate is the number everyone argues about. It's not the number that sinks the budget.
Thu, Oct 22
Episode plan - 04
What Extension Agents Wish Growers Tracked
GuestAgents see hundreds of operations a year. We asked one: what do the best-run farms write down that the rest don't?
Tue, Oct 27
Episode plan - 05
The Three-Year Rotation Decides Year-One Profit
SoloThe rotation you plan this fall is already setting the price you'll get on every crop for the next three years.
Thu, Oct 29
- 06
What a Produce Buyer Looks for Before the Season Starts
GuestBuyers write next season's volume commitments months before a single seed goes in the ground.
Tue, Nov 3
Episode plan - 07
Can You Pay the Bank? DSCR in Plain English
SoloTwo letters decide whether your loan gets approved, and most growers have never been shown the math.
Thu, Nov 5
- 08
Veteran to Farmer: What Transfers and What Doesn't
SoloMilitary service teaches planning, logistics, and doing hard things in bad weather. Farming teaches you which of those was the easy part.
Tue, Nov 10
- 09
What Makes a Small-Farm Loan Approvable
GuestA farm credit lender on the other side of the desk: the applications that get approved, the ones that don't, and why.
Thu, Nov 12
Episode plan - 10
Seven Days Out: Running a Weekly Farm Brief
SoloGreat growers don't make better decisions in the moment. They make them seven days earlier, with a forecast and a plan.
Tue, Nov 17
Episode pages with full show notes, transcripts, and listen links arrive with episode one — links are added here as each episode goes live.
Want to be a guest?
Extension agents, buyers, lenders, and growers: we're booking 30-minute conversations for season one. No sales pitch — just your experience, with links to your work in the show notes.
Guest episodes in season one
- 04 · What Extension Agents Wish Growers TrackedA county Cooperative Extension agent (booking now)
- 06 · What a Produce Buyer Looks for Before the Season StartsA produce buyer from a Southeast food hub or wholesaler (booking now)
- 09 · What Makes a Small-Farm Loan ApprovableAn agricultural lender from a Farm Credit association or CDFI (booking now)
Use the tools from the show
Every calculator and planner we talk through on the episode is free, with no sign-up required.