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S2|Ep3 Chosen One Nov 15, 2021

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Ethanol’s rise was fueled by the introduction of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Often lost in debates about implementing RFS has been the motivation, political shuffling, and history of two historic pieces of legislation. How exactly did RFS come to be, and what can we learn as it applies to the voluntary programs proposed for carbon?

This episode, you’ll join Ag Economic Insights David Widmar and Brent Gloy, as well as economists, historians, policy advisors, and entrepreneurs as they share their perspective on the birth of two environmental ag policies.

Learn more about becoming and AEI Premium subscriber at AEI.ag/premium.

S2|Ep2 Origin Story Nov 08, 2021

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Corn alcohol has a long history as a fuel, going back well into the 19th century. Over time, it’s fallen in and out of favor, from being a pet project of Henry Ford’s to being outlawed during prohibition. By the 1970s, an oil crisis prompted farmers and lawmakers to take ethanol off the shelf, but it would languish until environmental concerns in the 1990s brought it back into the agricultural mainstream.

Carbon markets are still very much experiencing their origin story, but by understanding how ethanol rose to prominence, we can gain a new understanding about what the next several years might look like for ag carbon markets.

Learn more about becoming an AEI Premium subscriber at AEI.ag/premium.

S2|Ep1 Are Carbon Markets the New Ethanol? Nov 04, 2021

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Fifteen years ago, corn ethanol was a wunderkind, set to cure the U.S.’ addiction to foreign oil, reduce the pollution caused by driving, and revitalize American agriculture and rural economies. In the intervening years, the problems evolved while ethanol remained, and today many question what the future of the sector might look like. Today the U.S. is facing a different set of challenges, particularly around climate change, and the search for a solution - perhaps a silver bullet - remains. Ag carbon markets look promising, and advocates and entrepreneurs are flocking to them in the hopes that saving the planet might be a lucrative endeavor.

Might the history of ethanol, ag’s past environmental policy, offer insight on what might be ahead for carbon markets? Join Ag Economic Insights David Widmar and Brent Gloy as they peak into the history books to see the future.

Corn Saves America is sponsored by AEI Premium. Join the community for decision makers in agriculture. Free 14-day trial: https://aei.ag/premium/.

S2|Trailer AEI.ag Presents: Corn Saves America Oct 27, 2021

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Returning from the successful and award-winning “Escaping 1980,” the AEI.ag team presents the second season of the podcast series. In Corn Saves America, Brent Gloy, David Widmar and Sarah Mock again use lessons learned from history, but this time as it applies to the future of carbon markets through the lens of corn ethanol.

Rather than picking a side of the debate, the team is joined by a host of additional experts to review the rise of biofuel for lessons that are applicable to the current enthusiasm about carbon offsets.

S1|Ep7 Escaping 2020 Dec 16, 2020

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Exploring the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of one of the most infamous events in American agriculture history, the 1980s farm crisis.
In this final episode of Escaping 1980, we’re training our gaze on the horizon, armed with a solid understanding of what happened during the last farm crisis. The 1980s and today are not perfect foils for one another, but there are certainly similarities. And though the differences might offer some comforts, those similarities should give us pause. Dig into where we are now, where the biggest risks lie in for the modern farm economy, and how to prepare your thinking for less predictable world. Because myths left unchallenged are sure to make the next crisis more devastating than it could have been.
Escaping 1980 is sponsored by AEI Premium. Join the community for decision makers in agriculture. Free 14-day trial: https://aei.ag/premium/. Be your own guru.

S1|Ep6 Stability Dec 09, 2020

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Exploring the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of one of the most infamous events in American agriculture history, the 1980s farm crisis.
We’re going to put the crisis of the 1980s to bed, understand how the farm economy clawed its way out of peril, and evaluate how close we are today to achieving the same end: stability. But what exactly does "stability" mean?
Escaping 1980 is sponsored by AEI Premium. Join the community for decision makers in agriculture. Free 14-day trial: https://aei.ag/premium/. Be your own guru.

S1|Ep5 USDA Steps In Dec 02, 2020

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Exploring the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of one of the most infamous events in American agriculture history, the 1980s farm crisis.

The culture of farming in the U.S. is a paradox. On one hand, American farmers and ranchers are the very picture of rugged individualism. When times are tough, they're looking for a hand up, not a handout. But in reality, American agriculture has needed a lot of hands up over the years, largely through the policies embodied in the farm bill.
Dig deep into the farm policy response of the 1980s, which represented some of the largest direct payments and government programs ever attempted to prop up the farm economy. Better understand how today's farm policies, within the farm bill and beyond, might play out in the coming years.

Escaping 1980 is sponsored by AEI Premium. Join the community for decision makers in agriculture. Free 14-day trial: https://aei.ag/premium/. Be your own guru.

S1|Ep4 Bottoming Out Nov 25, 2020

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Exploring the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of one of the most infamous events in American agriculture history, the 1980s farm crisis.

At the lowest point of the 1980s, farmland prices had collapsed by 60%, and thousands of farmers were underwater and losing their farms.

Excessive leverage and too much financing came up against spiking interest rates, and the combination became incredibly unsustainable.

Learn about what was happening in farmland markets back then and how we price farmland today. Farmland can either create balance sheet security and insecurity, depending on outside factors. Then dig deeper into what today's more stable farmland prices mean for the farm economy - and whether they're really a good indicator of economic health.
Escaping 1980 is sponsored by AEI Premium. Join the community for decision makers in agriculture. Free 14-day trial: https://aei.ag/premium/. Be your own guru.

S1|Ep3 The Slide Nov 18, 2020

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Exploring the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of one of the most infamous events in American agriculture history, the 1980s farm crisis.

In the wider economy, two oil shocks hit the U.S. in the 1970s. The economic and political disruption that resulted was global, national, regional, and local, and led not only to gas rationing and unprecedented lines at the pump, but also to deep financial and psychological impacts that would nudge the farm economy over the edge.

Wade into the murky waters of the broader U.S. and global economy to understand how causes well outside the agriculture sector started to push an industry at its peak toward a long slide into crisis.
Escaping 1980 is sponsored by AEI Premium. Join the community for decision makers in agriculture. Free 14-day trial: https://aei.ag/premium/. Be your own guru.

S1|Ep2 The Boom Nov 11, 2020

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Exploring the causes, impacts, and lasting effects of one of the most infamous events in American agriculture history, the 1980s farm crisis. Every farm crisis is unique, although they all follow a common trajectory of stability, boom, bust and recovery. But where does the “boom” end and the “bust” start? In this episode, we dig into what happened to the farm economy during the 1970s to better understand where we might be headed today. Houston, we have a problem.
Escaping 1980 is sponsored by AEI Premium. Join the community for decision makers in agriculture. Free 14-day trial: https://aei.ag/premium/. Be your own guru.
Dig deeper into the 1980s. Read more from AEI (and sign up foo receive free weekly insights in your inbox): https://aei.ag/

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