Farmers Grow 60% More Corn Than in 1974. They Keep 75% Less of It.

The Disruption Lab · Oct 22, 2026 · 49m

In 1974, Iowa farmers averaged 125 bushels of corn an acre and cleared about $80 on it. Fifty years later, yields are up 60%, and the return is $20.

Jason Tatge has spent his career chasing that gap. His grandfather was a farmer who told him never to become one. Jason became a commodity trader instead, then built two ag tech companies to successful exits. One of them, Farmobile, put a box on tractors and told farmers the data was theirs to sell. That stance took him to testify before the Senate and put him in the crosshairs of the equipment makers.

Now, as CEO of PrairieFood, he turns cattle…