Farm4Profit Host 2
Appearances
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Today on the Farm for Fun show, we meet up with a man that started his life in Missouri growing hogs. And you're going to listen to this story and you're going to go, what the heck? Because there was like 600 some sows, seven different... Breeds? Purebreds. Purebreds? Crazy. From that to now he's a doctor. He started in the seed industry, and now he's in the chemistry side of things for Corteva.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Except for ice season.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So when you came back, it was DuPont, wasn't it?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Okay, so you were on the Dow side in 2008.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Chemistry?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That's why I never ran into you because I was in research, I guess. I was running impact trials, I guess, on the seed side of things. Yeah, just different company. Yep. So, yeah, we just weren't together yet. And then I was an intern for Pioneer and DuPont, you know, throughout college, a PAT intern for seed and all that stuff.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That's wild. You didn't do anything out on pasture?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That's pasture was for cattle. Yeah. My family had 20, 30 acres of the A-frame huts. They farrowed on pasture.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Rock still in your field making farming a challenge? TerraClear understands that and has the solution for you. Introducing TerraClear's Deferred Payment Program. TerraClear now offers their customers potential deferred payments until January 15th of 2026. The program is quite simple.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
No, I had them in a barn inside, but it wasn't heated. But yeah, I only took a... I turned to that and I was done.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Rock still in your field making farming a challenge? TerraClear understands that and has the solution for you. Introducing TerraClear's Deferred Payment Program. TerraClear now offers their customers potential deferred payments until January 15th of 2026. The program is quite simple.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yep. All you have to do is visit their website, www.terraclear.com, place your order for rock mapping and or rock picking services, and then complete your financial application. The entire process only takes about 10, 15 minutes, and you can have your plan for rocks this season taken care of while not worrying about payments until next year. Thank you. Thank you. It's time to wrangle your books.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Visit ambrook.com slash profit today for a 30-day free trial. That's A-M-B-R-O-O-K dot com slash profit.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yep. All you have to do is visit their website, www.terraclear.com, place your order for rock mapping and or rock picking services, and then complete your financial application. The entire process only takes about 10, 15 minutes, and you can have your plan for rocks this season taken care of while not worrying about payments until next year. And I'll see you next time.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So back to the Corteva side. You came in 2008 on the Dow side of things. Yep. And you've been through, I mean, obviously there's been several shakeups in the industry. Oh, yeah. Since then. What's one of the biggest things you've been a part of, I guess, chemistry-wise?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Which Enlist, like, everyone thought Dicama came first. Right. Enlist came first. Enlist was actually first, right?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So, I know this is a fun show, but I do want to nerd out a little bit. Explain... To our listeners, why Enlist is so important and why it's different? Because everyone knows 2,4-D. Right, right. Why does it not drift? Why is it so much different?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So it's just a different salt?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
It's time to wrangle your books. Visit ambrook.com slash profit today for a 30-day free trial. That's A-M-B-R-O-O-K dot com slash profit.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That's a great grass killer.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Absolutely.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
It'll clean your tank.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah. So why could they not do that on the dicamba side?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I mean, the biggest problem that we, one of the biggest problems we face in agronomy is resistance to anything. Right. From a trait to herbicide. I mean, we really haven't come out with new herbicides. We've come out with new formulations. Right.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
It's not Corteva, but Impact. Impact.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah, and probably the biggest problem is Enlist is great, but now that we've lost Dicamba, Now it's Enlist's job until the next technology comes along.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Right.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Mufosinate and Roundup.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah, you can burn them.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So how long do we have to wait for the next technology?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah. I remember talking to agronomists in mid-2000s. They're like, yeah, we're not really needed anymore. You go out and scout. They didn't even scout. They're like, yeah, it looks like needs 32 ounces of Roundup or 24 ounces of Roundup.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah, I was literally a bartender. Literally. Mixology.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Please welcome from Central Iowa, Mr. Dr. Eric Schurter.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
And so their biggest problem was all the crap that they had in there. Crap, in quotation. Yes. But a lot of cool stuff.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I figured that was something more important that was going on.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah. So I'm more interested, like... What's going to happen 50 or a hundred years down the road? Like, is this going to be a bunch of robots out there? You know, if, if once every, all the chemistry fails, are we going to get new chemistry? Is AI going to help with some of this stuff?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Oh, yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
And so I don't think we ever dreamed when we got this studio that this is what it was going to look like. But then I just kept bringing loads of stuff. Like, I'm not throwing this away. Oh, yeah. Can't throw it away yet.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Do you think that CN spray is a big tool for chemistry?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So now you need like a tracer that if it took it in, you can take a sample of it.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
See, Doge should get rid of that, though, because we have all the technology to show how many gallons of water, how many, you know.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
We could. We got the technology. We got technology. We should be able to do that. No, we can't spray that spot again.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I mean, I can tell you, Corteva's already using it. I was at the seed growers meeting today, and that was one of the things I took away. One of their tactics to help with resistance was bulk up your borders. Yep. So, and Tanner, what that means, like, so where is your... Build larger fences. Where is your... Oh, yeah, pick fences. But where is your largest weed... What am I trying to look for?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Like a weed pressure. It's around the edges and around waterways and all that, that first pass or two.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
They used John Deere data from sea and spray, and they said that 70% of the weeds that were sprayed with sea and spray was along the borders. 70%. So what their tactic was, was, hey, if you're not using a full rate, use it on your borders, you know, or throw in that extra, like, go picture frame your fields with a higher dose because that's where the pressure's at.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I actually feel like the last year or two, consolidation of screens has come along with John Deere Ops. I mean, even Ag Leader has some, you know, they've got a larger screen now coming.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
You had to have the planter monitor and all that. So I, for one, a few years ago have started. It's like, okay, I'm tired of this. Like, it was cool at first, right? It's cool. And then it's like, okay, now we can actually do all that.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Oh, yeah, if you were trying to look at that stuff.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
My favorite is some of the people on social media that get TVs in there and they'll hang them right in the middle. That's just to watch TV. Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That was ridiculous.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I think it was over 50% of the planters going out the door.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So you have one or two sizes. That's all that comes in is like the eighth or the quarter inch.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Is that regulation from other countries? Is it truly because they're scared of how safe it is to consume, or is it because they just don't want us to get ahead?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Well, all you do is just keep grinding it down or cut it down. Yeah, there you go. It's still good. That's right.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
But eventually, guys, like in Leicester or whatever, eventually you get it. It took a long time.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
And you're not allowed to change your battery.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I know. Right. Right. I need a better battery and you can't do it.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I had, yeah. I sold one, but I got a 12-row cultivator. It was fun for about a half a day. Yeah, it was maybe 30 minutes. Well, you had a lot more fun than I did. You can say maybe about 30 minutes.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I'm going to tell you right now, GPS doesn't help you that much in that. It's fair. I mean, it gets you to the right row, but if you start... I mean, it's a game of... Like, you make it a game. Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah, they get a little stressed. Spacing, right? I do think getting a little oxygen in the soil helps out, especially on a wet year.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
As we say, what does a chemistry nerd doctor do on the weekends when you're not? Well, you already did.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So what do you do on the weekends when you're not doing the marketing stuff?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That's cool. Yeah. I used to duck hunt a lot around here. I got a trailer full of decoys and all that, but I retired. I had to.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I have got offered Stuttgart. I actually hunted at Stuttgart for years. Yeah, I have got offered that to go hunt some flooded timber, and I've got offered the oldest duck club in California, out in Rice Country, out in California, by Sacramento.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So when you go bow hunt, do you go back to the family farm?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah, they're pretty good around here. I got five or six on the wall that I've shot from right around here.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That's a small one. I mean, my wife hasn't made me take them down. She didn't want them in the house, so they're in the garage. Did she pet them?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I got a curse. I just can't get over 160. I'm like, I'm in the 150 to 160 club.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah, that's too bad.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah, yeah. I didn't even get a go this year. Or didn't go. That's probably my fault, isn't it? No, honestly, shoot, we got done with harvest early because it was so dry, and then it rained for three weeks. I could have went, you know, rut, late rut.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That is true.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
so i mean i went through the same stage where i hunted when they were smaller then you'd quit hunting as much for about 10 years and you get back into hunting again i mean there was i i would if you we would go hunting every weekend no scouting whatever for ducks and i would just run myself i was so tired by time sunday night came around i'd fall asleep six o'clock you know oh yeah and uh
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I wouldn't miss. And now you got to the point where you could tell me we're going to shoot a limit of pintail and I've never shot a bull sprig pintail before. And I, and I would be like,
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I did say doge once, I guess. Does that count? Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I'm just saying, you were like, how are we going to figure that out regulatory-wise? I'm like, well, because we have the technology available. Yeah, yeah. But previously, it would be a problem.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
That's true.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Remember, if you aren't farming for profit, you won't be farming for long.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
The Farm for Profit team is heading to Denver for a commodity classic, and we'll be at the Sukup booth each day.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Once again, Sukup's motto of store now and profit later is proving that having the right grain storage system pays off. Whether you're upgrading bins, dryers, or grain handling equipment, Sukup has you covered.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
From sure force down force control and sure speed high accuracy planting to right spot individual nozzle control, Ag Leader has you covered.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
You guys did? Or the whole club did? Oh, yeah, no, just that one. Seven purebred breeds?
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Visit agleader.com or contact your local Ag Leader dealer to get started.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah, they're seeing up to 25% more power, better fuel efficiency, all with smarter injector duration and not altering the rail pressure for safe and reliable performance.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Absolutely.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
It's a full-time job breeding that many pigs, let alone keeping all those breeds separate.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I try.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Some of the generics get pretty loose with their names. That's kind of funny. Yeah, they don't have a lot of lawyers.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
It's kind of funny.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
I knew right where you were going. He's going for the calculator to see how many miles you drove a week.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
Yeah. That ain't much. That's crazy. So, but you're not in the seed industry anymore.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
See. Did you go get your doctorate immediately after your master's? Okay, so you didn't go to the industry.
Farm4Profit Podcast
Hunting, Bourbon, and Ag Tech: Hanging out with a Doctor! - Eric Scherder
So you came back in 2008. You came here to central Iowa. Yep. Been in the same house ever since. Yep. Yep. So you've pretty much made it home.