Americans consume nearly twice as much honey as they did 30 years ago, yet U.S. beekeepers are facing one of the most challenging periods in the industry's history. Why is demand growing while domestic producers continue to struggle?

Commercial beekeeper and American Beekeeping Federation Vice President Richard Coy joins Damian Mason to examine the economics behind the U.S. honey industry. They discuss declining domestic honey production, rising production costs, imported honey, honey adulteration, colony losses, pollination economics, and the policy changes many producers believe are needed to strengthen American beekeeping.

The Business of Agriculture with Damian Mason is brought to you by:

• Heads Up Plant Protectants
• Tidal Grow Agriscience
• Nano-Yield
• Good Agriculture

Also, make sure to check out my new show Uprooted, DamianMason.com, XtremeAg's The Cutting The Curve Podcast and The Granary.

This content is protected. ©Damian Mason, all rights reserved.

California produces approximately 80 percent of the world's almonds, making it the global leader in almond production. The industry supports more than 110,000 jobs and contributes roughly $6 billion in annual exports, but profitability has become increasingly difficult.

Oversupply, weak prices, international trade disputes, rising production expenses, water concerns, and California's regulatory environment have created significant challenges for almond growers. Yet moving production elsewhere is far from simple because almonds require a rare Mediterranean climate that exists in only a few regions worldwide.

Damian Mason sits down with Clarice Turner, President and CEO of the Almond Board of California, Alexi Rodriguez, CEO of the Almond Alliance, and Matt Woolf, specialty crop analyst with Terrain, to discuss what is happening in the almond business today and where the industry is headed.

Topics include:

• California almond production
• Almond prices and profitability
• Global almond markets
• Agricultural exports and trade
• California regulations
• Specialty crop economics
• Water and production challenges
• The future of California agriculture

If you are interested in agriculture, agribusiness, specialty crops, agricultural economics, or food production, this episode delivers expert insight into one of America's most valuable agricultural industries.

The Business of Agriculture with Damian Mason is brought to you by:

• Heads Up Plant Protectants
• Tidal Grow Agriscience
• Nano-Yield
• Good Agriculture

Also, make sure to check out my new show Uprooted, DamianMason.com, XtremeAg's The Cutting The Curve Podcast and The Granary.

This content is protected. ©Damian Mason, all rights reserved.

$2.6 billion. That's what U.S. cotton growers stand to lose this year according to USDA, the fifth straight year of red ink for the industry. The Great American Cotton Plan, announced in May 2026, aims to change the economics of American cotton. In short, we've lost acres, we've lost infrastructure, and the producers have lost money. Plains Cotton Growers CEO, Kody Bessent joins cotton farmers Todd Kimbrell and Matt Miles. Along with Damian, they discuss: cotton's current financial condition, how they see the new initiative impacting farmers, consumer apparel issues, and the promise of renewed cotton demand's effect on rural communities. A major component of the new cotton promotion ties to the fiber's natural-ness. American consumers discard more than 70 pounds of apparel each year, nearly three fourths of which is made from petroleum based material. Will all this bode as a positive for one of America's original cash crops?

The Business of Agriculture with Damian Mason is brought to you by:

• Heads Up Plant Protectants
• Tidal Grow Agriscience
• Nano-Yield
• Good Agriculture

Also, make sure to check out my new show Uprooted, DamianMason.com, XtremeAg's The Cutting The Curve Podcast and The Granary.

This content is protected. ©Damian Mason, all rights reserved.