When you think of the midwest, you may not think of “black gold,” but maybe you won’t discount it after this episode. Special and returning guest Matt Smorch joins hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett for today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Matt is the President and CEO of CountryMark Cooperative.

Matt joins us to discuss the quality of CountryMark diesel and fuel and what sets them apart from other suppliers in the area. In addition to speaking about blue hydrogen, Matt will put on his chemical engineering hat and share about the ISO Technology that is used to help increase the quality of their diesel fuel and add power and cetane while still keeping exceptional winter performance. You’ll also learn about the refinery in Mount Vernon, Indiana that processes 35,000 barrels of crude oil from Indiana each day. For many reasons including their use of soybeans in their biodiesel and renewable diesel, you’ll learn how CountryMark stands behind growers. “We’re a cooperative, so when we make money, it helps all of Ag in Indiana and the money stays here.”

Is there more roadwork happening or does it just feel that way? Special guest Josh Haley joins hosts Jeff Jarrett and Sal Sama for today’s episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Josh is the CEO at Temple & Temple Excavating and Paving in Salem, Indiana.

Josh, Jeff, and Sal will explore how Josh went from a general laborer to the CEO of Temple & Temple, an excavation business that’s been around for over 75 years. From underground work to roadways and epoxy coating, Josh will share the variety of jobs Temple & Temple can complete. You’ll also learn about the roadwork cycle and they’ll shed some light into why it seems there’s an increasing amount of road construction these days. Josh will also share how his company faced labor challenges head on by forming a partnership with local high schools to help students become licensed and skilled operators. If you’re considering a career in excavation and paving, you’ll want to tune in!

Considering skipping that treated Nitrogen application next year? Stu Hirt and Cody Hornaday join hosts Sal Sama and Jeff Jarrett in the podcast room for this episode of The High Ground powered by Premier Companies. Stu is the Territory Business Manager and Cody is the Technical Agronomist for Koch Agronomic Services. Though they’re rookies to the podcast, Sal and Jeff have known them for a long time, so they’re no strangers to Premier.

In addition to hearing how Stu and Cody ended up working for Koch Agronomic Services, you’ll learn about the three main forms of nitrogen loss and how Koch Agronomic Services can help protect against that loss. You’ll also learn about volatilization inhibitors,symptoms of nitrogen deficiency, how nutrients are all connected, and why the data shows that more untreated Nitrogen actually drives losses higher instead of protecting a lower amount. Think of Nitrogen as an insurance policy. “If I could get you 12 to 15, sometimes 20 bushel more off of treated Nitrogen versus untreated Nitrogen, I mean, to me that’s a no-brainer.”