Episode 267: View from the Cab with Stuart Sanderson

Since 2005, DTN Progressive Farmer has been selecting two farmers from across the country to participate in the annual View from the Cab project. These farmers spend a full year getting to know DTN’s Pamela Smith through weekly calls and check-ins, sharing their stories and their seasons with the broader farm community. Today, we’re sitting down with one of the 2025 View from the Cab farmers, Stuart Sanderson, a fourth generation farmer from North Alabama, who’s been keeping busy this year growing a mix of corn, soybeans, wheat and canola. He’s just about wrapped up harvest and is in the process of putting the '25 season to bed as the operation simultaneously prepares for 2026. We kick off the conversation talking about the season so far, how he’s thinking about inputs and technology during uncertain times, and how he built the farms’ marketing and finance capabilities from the ground up. We also get into the family side of the business, exploring how he and his business partners — his cousin and uncle — split up tasks and responsibilities, and how his peer group helps him stay sane as he helps manage a big operation that turns on pennies of margin.Finally, we get into Stuart’s vision for the coming years, and what role he sees for community advocacy in the future of his farm and of American agriculture.