Palisades Gold Radio

Stijn Schmitz welcomes Joel Salatin to the show. Joel Salatin is a self described Christian Libertarian Environmentalist Capitalist Lunatic Farmer. Salatin describes a deeply distorted US agricultural landscape, where massive oversupply of corn and soybeans coexists with a historic cattle shortage. Half of domestic corn goes to ethanol, not food, and China’s pursuit of self-sufficiency is eroding soybean exports, yet government bailouts keep older, risk-averse farmers locked into unprofitable cropping cycles. This parasitic dependence on subsidies props up unneeded production while stifling the market signals that would otherwise push farmers toward cattle, a switch he demonstrated could be highly profitable and capital-efficient.

The fertilizer and energy shocks from Middle East conflicts further expose the fragility of input-dependent farming. Salatin noted that rising fuel costs drive farm bankruptcies and accelerate land consolidation into the hands of patient capital, including family offices and billionaires. He emphasized that genuine food security is not threatened by lack of production but by water scarcity and desertification driven by vegetative loss from overgrazing and continuous cropping. Instead, he champions a biological paradigm of farming that builds soil through cover crops, intensive rotational grazing, and on-farm composting to eliminate synthetic inputs.

His own Polyface Farms exemplifies this model, integrating livestock, forest, and direct marketing to create a resilient, local carbon economy. Salatin contends that the path forward lies not in propping up the failing industrial system but in entrepreneurial adoption of regenerative practices that mimic nature’s nutrient cycles and restore hydrological balance.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:00:51 – State of North American Agriculture

00:02:04 – Financial Struggles and Bailouts

00:03:02 – Cattle Herd Shortage Issues

00:03:55 – China Food Self-Sufficiency Plans

00:08:26 – Transitioning Soybean Farms to Cattle

00:11:40 – Conversion Costs and Payback

00:18:49 – Bailouts and Market Disconnect

00:24:20 – Screw Worm and Cattle Imports

00:29:00 – Localized Fertilizer and Carbon Cycles

00:35:15 – Impact of Fertilizer Shortages

00:41:23 – Water Issues and Vegetation

00:45:55 – Corn To Soybeans

00:47:00 – Energy Impacts on Farmers

00:55:00 – Water Rights & Investors

01:03:10 – Polyface Farms Operations

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polyfacefarm

X: https://x.com/JoelSalatin

Joel Salatin, 68, dubs himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Admirers hail him as the world’s most famous farmer, the high priest of the pasture, and Virginia’s most eclectic thinker since Thomas Jefferson. Detractors label him a bio-terrorist, Typhoid Mary, charlatan, and starvation advocate.

Armed with high school and college debate trophies, 16 published books, and a thriving multi-generational family farm, Salatin draws on decades of food, farming, and fantasy to captivate global audiences. Equally at home herding cows or keynoting for Wall Street CEOs, he covers profitable regenerative farming techniques alongside cultural debates like orthodoxy versus heresy.

A staple on radio and podcasts for preppers, homesteaders, ecological farmers, and foodies, Salatin blends practical, can-do entrepreneurial solutions with passionate sustainability advocacy.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes Josef Schachter to the show. Josef is the Founder of Schachter Asset Management Inc. Josef clarifies that the current energy market tightness is not a crude oil shortage but a severe refining capacity problem, particularly impacting Asia. While US production has surged to 24 million barrels daily, allowing for exports, a lack of refined products in Asia has driven local prices to the equivalent of over $150 per barrel. He attributes the volatility to geopolitical tensions, noting that oil prices swung from the high $90s to $67 before rebounding into the mid-$80s on renewed conflict fears.

Schachter outlines three potential scenarios for oil prices. If peace talks succeed and the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab reopen, prices could fall back below $70, aided by China’s massive strategic reserves and floating storage. If the conflict remains contained, a trading range between $70 and $94 is likely. However, a significant escalation involving Iran and key shipping lanes could push prices past the previous high of $119, potentially reaching $141.50. He warns that such a sustained spike above $120 would trigger severe global economic headwinds, combining with AI-driven job losses and high government debt to potentially cause a deep recession.

From an investment perspective, Schachter sees energy producers as undervalued, trading on long-term price assumptions of $60-$65 oil despite his forecast of $80 average for the year and $90 in 2027. He highlights Canada as a particularly attractive region due to a new, supportive political stance toward fossil fuels, vast undrilled reserves, and discounted valuations compared to US peers. He advises that higher prices will economically transform lower-tier drilling inventory into highly profitable assets, offering significant upside for investors across the energy and service sectors.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:00:42 – Current energy market conditions

00:02:46 – Crude oil supply analysis

00:04:23 – Refined product shortages

00:09:28 – Floating storage discussion

00:14:40 – Oil Shortage Debunking Thesis

00:17:47 – Dire Straits, Situation

00:21:08 – Asia refining crisis

00:25:42 – Asian Demand & Implications

00:29:05 – Recession and price scenarios

00:31:58 – Oil producer investment opportunities

00:35:48 – Canada energy sector outlook

00:41:10 – Other Opportunities?

00:46:47 – Concluding Thoughts

Guest Links:

Website: https://schachterenergyreport.ca

Subscription Discount for Palisade Listeners, $100 off the first year of our subscription, use coupon code “POD100”
https://schachterenergyreport.ca/subscriptions/

Josef Schachter is a 40+ year veteran of the Canadian Investment Management Industry, Josef Schachter has experienced several exceptional and turbulent global economic and stock market cycles. With his primary focus in the stock market and the energy sector, Josef is able to weave global political, economic and monetary issues with current energy data into a compelling story of what’s going on, what is to come, and why.

Josef is a frequent guest on Michael Campbell’s Podcast ‘Mikes Money Talks’ and other podcast and radio shows and is often quoted in the media. He is a regular Guest Speaker at the annual World Outlook Financial Conference in Vancouver and he delivers presentations to various companies and organizations. For several years, he was a frequent and notably colourful commentator on BNN Bloomberg’s Market Call.

Josef provided Oil and Gas research to Maison Placements Canada geared to their institutional clients for 15 years ending April 2017, and was acknowledged as the first analyst in Canada to predict the Oil Price Plunge of 2014.

Prior to establishing his firm Schachter Asset Management Inc. in 1996, Josef was the Chief Market Strategist at Richardson Greenshields, a Director of RGCL and a member of its Investment Policy Committee. He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a past Chairman of the Canadian Council of Financial Analysts.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes back Bob Moriarty to the show. Bob Moriarty is an author, Founder of 321 Gold, and a former Marine Fighter Pilot. Moriarty outlines a deeply concerning global landscape, arguing that recent escalations—including Ukraine’s attack on Iranian vessels and Saudi Arabia’s strike on the Houthis—have rapidly transformed regional conflicts into what could become World War III. He contends that Israel is the primary driver of the war against Iran, with the United States under Donald Trump co-opting the conflict, potentially under duress from compromising information.

Despite the severe supply disruptions, including the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Saudi refineries, oil prices have paradoxically fallen. Moriarty attributes this to widespread manipulation by governments draining strategic petroleum reserves and intervening in paper markets to suppress costs, a tactic he warns is unsustainable and risks permanently damaging storage infrastructure. He believes all the headwinds that previously kept prices low have become tailwinds, setting the stage for a sudden, explosive price spike that could devastate the global economy.

On precious metals, Moriarty notes gold’s resilience, referencing a forecast that it could trade between $4,000 and $6,000 this year due to currency debasement, though he emphasizes that manipulation exists across all markets. He advocates holding physical metals as insurance against chaos and sees extraordinary value in junior mining stocks, which he believes are historically undervalued relative to commodity prices. While acknowledging the high-risk nature of junior investments, he stresses that outsized gains from a few winners can offset losses.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:01:29 – War Escalation and WW3 Risks

00:04:40 – Oil Price Manipulation Explained

00:10:00 – Peace Talks and Hidden Agendas

00:14:32 – Infrastructure Strikes Analysis

00:19:22 – Oil Market Headwinds to Tailwinds

00:24:00 – SPR Depletion and Risks

00:27:00 – Crack Spreads and True Prices

00:32:08 – Perfect Storm in Energy Markets

00:35:36 – Imminent Petroleum Shortages

00:38:21 – Opportunities for Oil Producers

00:42:13 – Gold Prices and Investing

00:47:53 – Precious Metals Miners Outlook

00:54:32 – Wrap Up

Guest Links:

Website: http://www.321gold.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Moriarty/e/B01A9I4TJU?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1599932580&sr=8-3

Bob Moriarty founded 321gold.com with his late wife, Barbara Moriarty, more than 16 years ago. They later added 321energy.com to cover oil, natural gas, gasoline, coal, solar, wind, and nuclear energy. Both sites feature articles, editorial opinions, pricing figures, and updates on both sectors’ current events. Previously, Moriarty was a Marine F-4B and O-1 pilot, with more than 832 missions in Vietnam. He holds fourteen international aviation records.

Recorded on: July 21, 2026

Stijn Schmitz welcomes back Lobo Tiggre to the show. Lobo Tiggre is the Author and Founder of the Independent Speculator. The discussion centers on the current state of precious metals and commodities, with Tiggre offering a fundamentally driven, contrarian perspective. He asserts that while gold’s long-term value proposition remains spectacular, driven by de-dollarization and central bank buying, the market is at a critical juncture following a significant correction. He does not believe the bottom is confirmed, suggesting a potential cyclical low could be sub-$3,000 gold, and he is holding cash for such an opportunity rather than chasing current prices.

This patience extends to gold miners, where he acknowledges compelling value but warns that stocks will not be immune to further drawdowns in the metal, advocating for a “buy low” strategy to maximize returns. Tiggre expresses increasing fondness for silver, noting its dual monetary and industrial drivers, though he cautions about political risk in key jurisdictions like Mexico.

On energy, he remains very bullish on oil long-term due to understated supply disruptions but is not chasing the recent price rebound, preferring to sell puts to acquire positions at lower levels. He sees a potential inverse opportunity in copper, where escalating war fears could create an oversold condition in a market with strong structural supply constraints. The conversation highlights uranium as a particularly compelling setup, with the spot price lagging the consistently rising long-term contract price, suggesting an upward snap is likely. Tiggre advises that in a major market drawdown, the safest and best companies become obvious bargains, eliminating the need for high-risk speculation. His overarching strategy is a barbell approach, balancing blue-chip producers with higher-risk, high-reward exploration stocks, all while waiting for truly low-risk entry points.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:00:37 – Gold Value Proposition
00:03:37 – Market Bottom Analysis
00:04:44 – Bull Market Debate
00:08:19 – Price Levels and Drawdowns
00:11:10 – Central Bank Buying Durability
00:14:57 – Gold Miners Value Proposition
00:19:10 – Portfolio Allocation Strategy
00:23:59 – Mining Developers Analysis
00:26:40 – Silver and Silver Miners
00:29:46 – Oil and Gas Sector
00:34:10 – Copper Market Dynamics
00:35:14 – Oil/Copper Shopping List?
00:40:03 – Uranium Investment Setup
00:45:19 – Concluding Thoughts

Guest Links:
Website: https://independentspeculator.com
X: https://x.com/duediligenceguy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louis.james.965580/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lobotiggre/

Lobo Tiggre, aka Louis James, is the founder and CEO of Louis James LLC, and the principal analyst and editor of IndependentSpeculator.com. He researched and recommended speculative opportunities in Casey Research publications from 2004 to 2018, writing under the name “Louis James.” While with Casey Research, he learned the ins and outs of resource speculation from the legendary speculator Doug Casey.

Although frequently mistaken for one, Mr. Tiggre is not a professional geologist. However, his long tutelage under world-class geologists, writers, and investors resulted in an exceptional track record.

A fully transparent, documented, and verifiable track record is a central feature of the IndependentSpeculator. Mr. Tiggre will put his own money into the speculations he writes about, so his readers will always know he has “skin in the game” with them.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes back Steve Hanke back to the show. Steve Hanke is a Professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University. Hanke highlights the two major wars—the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and the Ukraine war—as critical disruptors of global commodity flows. He notes that the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, with Iran controlling it, and the Houthis threaten the Red Sea chokepoint, severely constricting crude and refined product supplies. Russia’s cutoff of diesel exports and domestic fuel shortages compound the strain. Oil markets are in backwardation, with spot prices above futures, signaling dangerously low inventories that have cushioned prices so far but are nearing depletion. Hanke warns that once physical inventories run out, oil prices could spike dramatically, potentially later this summer. He advises going long on oil, especially major producers, as a straightforward trade for most investors.

On gold, Hanke maintains a bullish outlook, projecting a peak around $6,000 per ounce based on historical ratios to real disposable income. He attributes recent pullbacks to dollar strength and rising interest rates but sees central bank buying as a fundamental driver. He also discusses the pressure on the Fed to monetize debt, which could fuel inflation and support gold. The conversation shifts to the broader commodity supercycle, fueled by deglobalization, underinvestment, and the need for larger precautionary inventories. Copper and tungsten are identified as clear bullish plays due to supply deficits. Hanke notes that high diesel prices are squeezing mining and agriculture, potentially raising output prices. He also touches on dollarization, recommending developing countries adopt the U.S. dollar to expand its use rather than de-dollarize.

The interview concludes with Hanke emphasizing the importance of money supply growth as the key determinant of nominal GDP and inflation.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:01:05 – Key Developments on Radar

00:04:58 – Oil Predictions vs Reality

00:10:53 – Inventory and Flow Analysis

00:14:40 – Crack Spreads and Refining

00:16:27 – Demand Destruction Dynamics

00:20:51 – Anticipated Oil Price Spike

00:22:32 – Long Oil Opportunity

00:27:37 – Gold Bull Market Outlook

00:29:38 – Central Bank Buying Drivers

00:45:54 – Concluding Thoughts

Guest Links:

X: https://x.com/steve_hanke

Website: https://thegoldsentimentreport.com

Amazon Book: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Money-Work-Rewrite-Financial/dp/1394257260

Amazon Book: https://www.amazon.com/Capital-Interest-Waiting-Controversies-Additions/dp/3031633970

E-Mail: mailto:hanke@jhu.edu

Steve H. Hanke is a Professor of Applied Economics and Founder & Co-Director of the Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

He is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Troubled Currencies Project at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., a Senior Advisor at the Renmin University of China’s International Monetary Research Institute in Beijing, a Special Counselor to the Center for Financial Stability in New York, a contributing editor at Central Banking in London, and a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal’s Opinion pages. Prof. Hanke is also a member of the Charter Council of the Society of Economic Measurement and of Euromoney Country Risk’s Experts Panel.

In the past, Prof. Hanke taught economics at the Colorado School of Mines and at the University of California, Berkeley. He served as a Member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors in Maryland in 1976-77, as a Senior Economist on President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisors in 1981-82, and as a Senior Advisor to the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress in 1984-88. Prof. Hanke served as a State Counselor to both the Republic of Lithuania in 1994-96 and the Republic of Montenegro in 1999-2003. He was also an Advisor to the Presidents of Bulgaria in 1997- 2002, Venezuela in 1995-96, and Indonesia in 1998.

He played an important role in establishing new currency regimes in Argentina, Estonia, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ecuador, Lithuania, and Montenegro.

Prof. Hanke has also held senior appointments in the governments of many other countries, including Albania, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, and Yugoslavia.

Prof. Hanke has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Universität Liechtenstein, the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, the Free University of Tbilisi, Istanbul Kültür University, Varna Free University, and the D.A. Tsenov Academy of Economics in recognition of his scholarship on exchange-rate regimes.

Prof. Hanke and his wife, Liliane, reside in Baltimore and Paris.