Get to know your Pro Farmer editors and analysts.
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Brian Grete, Editor Brian was raised on a small family grain and livestock farm near Muscatine in southeast Iowa. Through growing up on a farm and his career experience, Brian has been associated with and worked in the agricultural sector his entire life. Brian joined Pro Farmer in January 1996 after graduating from the University of Northern Iowa. He has held multiple titles with the company, with an emphasis on risk management and commodity analysis. Brian served as Sr. Market Analyst at Pro Farmer prior to being named Editor in 2014. Brian is a regular featured guest on AgriTalk, AgDay, U.S. Farm Report, along with multiple analyst spots on rural ag radio stations and has given presentations to many farmer and commodity groups across the country. Brian, his wife Kathy, and sons Drew and Josh live in Cedar Falls, Iowa. |
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Jim Wiesemeyer, Washington Policy Analyst From his office near Washington, DC, Jim Wiesemeyer contributes daily to profarmer.com, providing members with the latest information on agricultural policy and trade developments. He also is a participant in Farm Journal’s Agri-Talk radio program and has his weekly Farm Journal podcast each Monday called Signal to Noise. Mr. Wiesemeyer also is one of the writers for the Agriculture Letter, formerly the Kiplinger Ag Letter, now owned by Farm Journal Media. |
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Bill Nelson, Chief Economist Bill Nelson provides over 40 years of experience in commodity crop research, analysis and forecasting. Bill has specialized in grains, oil seeds, and cotton and is a frequent advisor on weather and climate issues that impact global crop production. Bill has a BS in Meteorology from Iowa State University and a MS in Agronomy from Purdue University. Bill grew up on a corn, soybean, cattle and hog farm in central Iowa, where the family farm is still active in agricultural production. |
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Dan Vaught, Market Economist Consultant Dan generally uses fundamental analysis, the study of underlying supply/demand factors, in seeking to find market opportunities for farmers. In addition, he uses technical analysis, the study of price charts, as a method for timing turning points in the markets. Dan's focus is the livestock markets, and throughout his career has additionally covered precious metals, soft commodities and grains. He has routinely been cited in wire service reports, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, |
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Jim Wyckoff, Technical Consultant Jim Wyckoff is the proprietor of the "Jim Wyckoff on the Markets" analytical and educational markets advisory service (www.jimwyckoff.com). He is also a senior analyst for Kitco Metals and has been a commodity market writer for various international publications, including Forbes, Dow Jones Newswires, Futures magazine, SFO magazine and TheStreet.com. He received his degree from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he studied journalism and economics. Jim has spent 40 years involved with the stock, financial, currency and commodity markets. He was a financial journalist with the FWN newswire service for many years, including stints as a reporter on the rough-and-tumble commodity futures trading floors in Chicago and New York. As a journalist, he has covered every futures market traded in the U.S., at one time or another. He has also covered an analyzed overseas stock and financial markets. |
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Mike Walsten, LandOwner Editor Emeritus Mike has covered major business trends in agriculture for most of four decades. From the southern corn leaf blight of 1970 to today’s bio-fuels focus, he has lived, reported and analyzed the impact of volatile markets on farm and ranch businesses and on land prices. The longtime editor of LandOwner newsletter, Mike is a recognized expert for spotting trends in farmland values and cash rents and with an extensive list of industry contacts, provides short and long-term outlook for land values. A polished presenter, Mike has appeared as the land |
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Davis Michaelsen, LandOwner Editor Davis Michaelsen informs readers of trends in farmland values and cash rents as the editor of LandOwner Newsletter. In addition to land market analysis, Davis compiles a list of eye-catching land sales, that he shares with subscribers each month. Davis can also be heard as the "news guy" for AgriTalk, and also provides popular audio reports on profarmer.com. |
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Bruce Blythe, Market Analyst
Bruce Blythe joined Pro Farmer as a Market Analyst in May 2021. He’s a veteran agricultural journalist and markets reporter and editor who began his career covering grain and livestock futures from the trading floors of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade. He’s since worked as a reporter and editor for Dow Jones Newswires, Reuters, Bloomberg and Crain’s Chicago Business. Bruce has covered industries and subjects including grain and meat processing, energy and biofuels, farm policy, investing and money management, technology and sports. He grew up on his family’s farm outside of Williamsburg in eastern Iowa and holds a degree in agricultural journalism from Iowa State University. He lives in Elmhurst, IL, outside of Chicago, with his wife and two daughters. |
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Hillari Mason, Market Analyst Hillari was raised on a family farm in southeastern Illinois, where an early appreciation and love for agriculture developed. Her very first role in the industry encompassed assisting her grandad tending to livestock, fixing equipment, and socializing at local implement dealers, the Farmers’ Mill and stockyards. Hillari holds a bachelor's degree in Agriculture Business from Murray State University and prior to joining Pro Farmer in 2022, was a grain merchandiser for Cargill, and also a commercial and ag lender, gaining valuable farm business insight and further understand the delicate financial balance that farm operations require. Hillari returned to Cargill in 2018 as a grain marketing advisor, after gaining Series 3 and 30 licenses which she still maintains today. Hillari is based in southwestern Indiana, working towards a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Southern Indiana and teach evening agriculture business and grain marketing courses at a local university. |
