The Pacesetter Pod

Hosted by Joe Mosher

Business Education

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Episodes

172

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

As an agribusiness executive, you operate at the intersection of value creation and preservation. You are challenged every day to take risks and grow the business while protecting the organization, people, and customers with superior execution. From highly fragmented supply chains and capital intensive business models to exceptionally narrow margins and hyper-competitive markets, you need an edge to outperform the competition. Welcome to The Pacesetter Pod, where we explore and reveal the perspectives, insights, and approaches to deliver great results and growth in your agribusiness, through better execution.

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60 recent

June 10, 202649 min

Ep170: Unlocking Value with Commodity Component Monetization | Matt Winsand

Show Highlights: Burnett Dairy's unique ownership and voting structure. [03:57] The complexity and opaqueness of federal milk orders. [08:41] Why is futures trading underutilized in dairy? [10:12] The quota system Burnett uses for supply management. [17:12] Reducing milk component wastage and value leakage. [24:08] Trends in fluid milk demand, protein, and derivatives. [35:18] The power of strategic partnerships for value capture. [37:34] Dairy co-op diversification strategies and emerging value extraction. [40:58] Is it possible to make jet fuel with lactose? [45:57] Pacesetter Pod impact for co-op GMs and how to join in. [47:47] Learn more about Burnett Dairy Cooperative by visiting https://www.burnettdairy.com/. Connect with Matt Winsand on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-winsand-84b01a3ab/. If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

June 3, 202628 min

Ep169: Strategic Clarity and the Pre-LOI Integration Thesis

Show Highlights: Shared vision misconceptions affecting integration success. [02:38] What's often thought of as an integration thesis but isn't. [05:21] What an integration thesis is and three core questions. [06:24] Leadership alignment and consistent interpretability necessity. [08:28] Difficulty executing integration as per deal negotiations. [11:34] Financial vs. strategic framing for M&A success. [12:56] Planning integration theses for scale vs. capability deals. [18:37] Two essentials and key steps in geographic expansion. [20:01] Approaches to vertical integration and defensive acquisitions. [20:56] Why preparing an integration thesis pre-LOI matters. [23:41] Practical questions to test your integration thesis. [25:09] If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

May 27, 202656 min

Ep168: Is the co-op of the future asset free? | Jeff Boyd, The Garden City Co-op,Inc.

Show Highlights: Overreliance on federated patronage to subsidize local co-ops. [03:55] Preserving disciplined strategic focus in favorable cycles. [10:17] How generalist experience supports an enterprise perspective. [17:29] Generalist vs. specialist paths in ag for future talent. [23:36] The importance of matching skills to evolving roles. [29:01] Garden City Co-op's prolific development of CEO talent. [31:57] What's GCC's succession and talent planning strategy? [34:04] Early AI adoption strategy and guardrails for co-ops. [39:40] The need for new talent and agility with AI experimentation. [43:51] Imagining asset-free co-ops and redefining value creation. [49:44] Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-boyd-81220441/. To explore Garden City Co-op, visit https://www.gccoop.com/. If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

May 20, 202639 min

Ep167: Low-Sophistication High-Impact AI Experimentation

Show Highlights: Three guide rails for AI usage in your agribusiness. [04:02] Should an agribusiness have an AI strategy? [07:11] Types of LLMs and enterprise AI applications. [09:21] Multiple AI-driven, custom transcription and notetaking uses. [11:16] How AI performs industry research at lightning speed. [17:09] Tips for ensuring accuracy when using AI for research. [19:44] AI as a "sparring partner" for solo operators or ag execs. [24:13] Content-rich, objective-aligned, 10x faster slides with AI. [29:12] The power of AI meeting assistants and top tools to try. [34:25] The importance of experimentation with AI for adoption. [37:43] If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

May 13, 202635 min

Ep166: Competing on Service, Not Scale | Kevin Walker, Legacy Grain Cooperative

Show Highlights: Avoiding drag in ag by being professional problem solvers. [02:42] The value of hiring for nimbleness with unpredictability. [04:25] Building preparedness with Plan A/B/C and facility redundancy. [06:23] How does Legacy Grain thrive against large competitors? [09:32] Differentiating service as an elevator with no processing margin. [12:23] Felt benefits helping producers pick reinvesting over patronage. [18:59] Tips for communicating reinvestment value to members. [21:18] Solving employee quality issues in business turnarounds. [24:17] What should be done to future-proof the grain industry? [30:40] Find out more about Legacy Grain Cooperative at https://www.legacygrain.com/pages/custom.php?id=70469. If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

May 6, 202625 min

Ep165: Buying the Dip and How Coops Turn Downturns Into Durable Advantage

Show Highlights: Ag cyclicality and downturn pressures on co-op leaders. [03:28] Countercyclical investment opportunities for co-ops. [04:42] What's the "balance sheet paradox"? [05:26] Key inaction traps co-ops must avoid during downturns. [07:59] Building member buy-in as an essential step in strategy. [09:57] Stanley Black & Decker and more proof of countercyclical M&A success. [12:30] Benefits of talent acquisition during downturns. [15:23] Designating capital for future countercyclical investing. [17:36] How to frame opportunities for members and engage boards. [18:24] Why are downturns a great time to upgrade technology? [20:47] The value of open communication on the paradox. [22:04] If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

April 29, 202624 min

Ep164: Equity, Patronage, and the Long Game in Member-Owned Ag

Show Highlights: The preserve vs. create dual mandate tension in co-ops. [00:31] What's ahead in our new capital allocation miniseries? [04:53] Navigating the trade-offs involved in balancing co-op priorities. [06:21] Risks of one-sided over-indexing of capital distribution. [10:34] The legacy vs. younger member demographic tension. [12:02] Real-world signals of co-op imbalance to watch for. [13:10] Why must co-ops create patronage structure flexibility? [14:43] Adopt transparent multi-year capital planning. [16:12] Aligning member behavior with co-op performance. [18:04] The power of service culture as a "permission structure." [20:20] Best practices for benchmarking your co-op's equity positions. [21:14] If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

April 22, 202621 min

Ep163: The Strategy Recitation Challenge

Show Highlights: Why board retreats for agribusiness strategy matter. [00:32] The key issue surfacing from my pre-retreat client test. [01:43] What's the core benefit board retreats must deliver? [04:14] What exactly is alignment beyond executive teams? [04:36] The unique role of co-op boards in alignment. [06:32] Unpopular decisions anchored to strategy vs. strategy slippage. [08:21] The Strategy Recitation Challenge for senior leadership. [14:02] Distill clear vision and strategy into these three objectives. [16:12] How to effectively articulate co-op strategy to anxious members. [16:53] If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

April 15, 2026Episode 16234 min

Ep162: Cash & Carry or Full Service - A Case Study in Agribusiness Strategy Tax

Show Highlights: The trade-offs dilemma in strategic choices in ag. [00:32] How is strategy different from goals and tactics? [05:36] Understanding strategy tax. [07:17] Cash-and-carry and full-service ag retail models explained. [10:31] The merits and risks of cash-and-carry vs. full-service. [11:35] Why trying to follow both models simultaneously fails. [15:34] Member pressure, board dynamics and strategic inertia in co-ops. [17:43] Key diagnostics on profitable customers and geography. [21:51] Getting realistic about capabilities and talent pipelines. [24:01] The hard truth of members and activities to stop optimizing for. [26:03] A question for your team that must produce one answer. [31:54] Links to our past episodes to check out with today's show: - Ep33: Paying Strategy Tax with Shane Thomas, Upstream Ag: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep33-paying-strategy-tax-with-shane-thomas/id1674259917?i=1000632526569 - Ep153: Co-op Profitability, Member Fragmentation, and the Shared Prosperity Dilemma: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep153-coop-profitability-member-fragmentation-and/id1674259917?i=1000749186302 If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

April 8, 2026Episode 16139 min

Ep161: M&A Feasibility, Story Telling, and Value Creation | Marijn Hendrickx, Verdant Partners

Show Highlights: Is M&A a strategic lever or a standalone strategy? [04:09] Motivations and processes in sell-side vs. buy-side M&A. [07:35] Key data a pre-deal internal evaluation should find. [12:10] Assessing feasibility and financing capacity before a deal. [13:10] Verdant Partners' role in mid-sized agribusiness M&A. [17:21] Cash vs. equity deals in co-op and corporation scenarios. [24:05] The complexity of merging co-ops and member benefits. [27:55] Why does early data-backed storytelling matter in M&A? [30:59] How M&A partners provide objectivity and stress-testing. [33:48] Overview of Verdant Partners and their industry impact. [35:45] Connect with Marijn Hendrickx on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marijnhendrickx/. Explore Verdant Partners at https://www.verdantpartners.com/. Link to "Ep25: Future-Proofing your Agribusiness with Garrett Stoerger of Verdant Partners": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep25-future-proofing-your-agribusiness-with-garrett/id1674259917?i=1000626158549 If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.