Farming on Purpose

  ”A topic we talk about on the podcast or have talked about several times is the stories that we tell ourselves and how much they matter and shape our daily lives.” 

In this episode, I share why the Farming on Purpose podcast is shifting for summer and reflect on the stories we tell ourselves in agriculture. Inspired by The Psychology of Money, I explore how tail events—those rare, life-changing moments—shape our future, and why staying in the game matters more than chasing perfect formulas. It's a heartfelt reminder to keep showing up, even when the path feels un...

 ”We're not six year olds anymore. We're not children anymore. We're adult children and we're trying to raise our families too and continue a legacy. So there has to be grace on both sides.” 

In this episode of Farming on Purpose, I visit with Paige Dulaney, a ranch wife and mom of three from northeast Colorado. We talk about balancing motherhood and ranching, the real-life challenges of farm transition, and raising kids to love the land. Paige shares honest insights about building a life in agriculture, bringing kids along for the work, and why open conversations are key to...

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 ”We're trying to create awareness to critical issues and food production that are important to consumers.” 

In this episode, I visit with Robby Sansom, CEO of Force of Nature, to explore what regenerative agriculture really means—and why more farmers and ranchers are starting to take a second look. We talk about his journey from corporate life to raising bison, how regenerative practices work in real life, and what shifting toward soil health and lower input systems can look like...

 “  I think the biggest thing is just starting that conversation and thinking about it and like coming up with a plan that works for you and your family, and that's gonna look different for everybody based on how old your kids are, how much you trust your kids.” 

When ER nurse and farm wife Katie Hammock started seeing farm injuries too often in the trauma center, she knew more could be done. In this episode, Katie shares practical tools and life-saving tips every farm family should know—plus how to prepare for emergencies, talk to your kids about safety...

” Every little boy wants to be a cowboy when he grows up and so I think that's kind of kinda where it started.”  

First-generation rancher Zak Copeland shares how he built a goat grazing and cattle business from the ground up with no family background in ag. From hatching chicks in a basement to running 120 goats for targeted grazing jobs, Zak’s story is all about grit, creative income streams, and chasing freedom. He talks mentorship, land access, building community, and how he's making a ranching dream work one step at a time. 

Key Topics: 

Starti...

” Just having the confidence and the know-how that, like if something were to happen like 2020 did we'd be good for a while. And I want other people to feel that way too.”  

Homesteader and homeschooling mom Emmaline Newton shares how her family transformed three wooded acres into a thriving homestead. From raising their own meat to growing a garden that feeds six, Emmaline dives into what it really takes to build a life rooted in hard work, healing, and purpose. Whether you're just starting out or looking to grow, this episode is full of encouragement, real talk, and a wh...

 ” No matter what, if you don't care for your animal, no matter what size of farm, if you don't care for it, it's not gonna produce milk. And if they don't produce milk, then we're out of a job.”  

Farming is in yo  

In this episode, I talk with Madi Skubal, a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Iowa, about raising kids and cows, returning to her roots, and building a raw milk business with her husband. From early mornings to big life decisions, Madi shares how she's blending family, tradition, and a new vision for the future of fa...

”I feel like it's my chance to tell my story because if I don't tell it, Netflix and Amazon and somebody else is gonna tell it for me. So it's my chance to tell the truth about how we do things here.”  

On this episode of Farming on Purpose, Taylor Moyer shares his journey from NASCAR to full-time ranching, proving that creativity and adaptability are key to making a farm thrive. From cattle sales and custom grazing to agritourism, he’s found multiple ways to sustain his operation. Through Land Trust, he offers farm tours and photography sessions...

 ”  That's why I always say things don't happen to you. They happen for you.” 

Erica Leubner grew up on a dairy farm, witnessing both the challenges and rewards of multi-generational agriculture. Now a farm business consultant, she helps families navigate farm transitions, communication struggles, and mental health challenges. In this episode, she shares insights on strengthening farm marriages, managing stress, and preparing the next generation for success. Her story is a powerful reminder that farming isn’t just about business—it’s about family. 

Key Topics: 

Navigating farm transitions and intergenerational planning to ensure long-term su...

 ” You have to bring value back to the family operation if you want it to be sustainable for future generations.” 

When Lettie Nickell moved back to her family’s ranch, she knew she had to create her own path. In this episode, she shares how she built a direct-to-consumer beef business, launched a successful Airbnb and wedding venue, and found balance between motherhood, marriage, and entrepreneurship. Her story is one of resilience, creativity, and faith—proving that returning to the farm isn’t just about tradition, but about building a future that works. 

Key Topics: 

Returning t...

 ”The story that we believe is vastly more impactful than facts.”   

This episode is a fun, laid-back look at life on the farm, juggling motherhood, entrepreneurship, and daily challenges. From the satisfaction of milking a cow to the chaos of keeping a house with four kids clean, I’m sharing what’s working, what’s not, and what’s making life sweeter. Plus, a big investment in seeds for my first real vegetable garden—will it be a success or a disaster? Tune in for real talk, farm life, and a few laughs along the way! 

Key Topics: 

”The other thing that really just brings joy to me is the little moments of farm life. So whether that's just like checking cows on pasture in the summer, that's some of my favorite memories growing up. And just holding on to those things when the ag economy or other things seem a little heavy, then it's those little moments that I think really grounds a person and why a lot of us are in agriculture.”   

Hannah Klitz, owner of Oak Barn Beef and founder of Rural Edge Marketing, shares her journey of building a direct-to-consumer beef busines...

 ” So what we're doing is just teaching farmers, ranchers, anybody really, how to utilize money correctly so that we can make the bank plan B instead of plan A.”  

Mary Jo Irmen joins the podcast to discuss how farmers and ranchers can take control of their finances, avoid reliance on traditional banks, and secure their farm’s future. She breaks down the infinite banking concept, estate planning, and strategies to keep family farms in business for generations. With insights on managing cash flow, preparing for transitions, and making smarter financial decisions, this episode is a must-listen for anyone serio...

 “Just know that spring always follows winter. And sometimes that's the only thing we can hang on to.”  

DL Lautenbach shares his heartfelt journey on the Farming on Purpose Podcast, discussing the challenges and triumphs of balancing farming, family, and entrepreneurship. He highlights the power of small victories, embracing honesty, and redefining success on your own terms. From recalibrating his life after struggles to finding joy in everyday progress, DL inspires listeners to lean on their community, celebrate incremental wins, and focus on what truly matters in agriculture and life. 

Key Topics: 

The challenges...

“I get to pass on a legacy of skills, just like my parents did for me, and just like their, their family that taught them and I get to take it on to the next generation and I hope at the very least they'll teach their next generation.” 

Janelle Anderson shares her inspiring journey from rural Wisconsin to building a ranching life in North Dakota and starting fresh on raw land in Tennessee. Balancing family, motherhood, and entrepreneurship, she discusses the challenges of homesteading, mentoring others, and prioritizing food sovereignty. Her story highlights resilience, the importance of passi...

“ I sometimes pinch myself. It's hard. Ranching isn't easy. It's not easy and I don't want to give that impression, but to get to do what you love so much and are so passionate about it…” 

Laura Hicks started ranching at 19, building from nothing alongside her husband Mike in South Dakota. They went from running others' cattle to developing their own herd while raising two sons who now ranch with them. Through health battles, tough seasons, and the challenges of passing down the operation, Laura's story shows how faith, grit, and family can build something lasting. Her journey f...

A Note to Parents 

Dear listeners, 

Tonight's episode is something special - a departure from our usual conversations. As Christmas Eve approaches, I wanted to create something a little different.  

This episode is a bedtime story designed to help your little ones settle into sleep on Christmas Eve, beginning with a gentle relaxation exercise and flowing into a story that captures both the wonder of Christmas and the beauty of childhood on the farm. The story's pacing, sound design, and narrative structure are all crafted to help childre...

“ So yeah the balance of the family and the business and the farming and all that, just trying to get more systematic and efficient so that we can balance it all.” 

Abby and Brooks Bowser started farming conventionally at age 20, but after realizing their corn and soybean operation wasn't sustainable, they transformed their Southern Michigan farm into a regenerative cattle operation. Now they run Bowser Family Farms, raising cattle and pigs on pasture while Abby manages both their retail meat business and a flower farm. Their story shows how determination, adaptation, and family support can help build a thriv...

“I think the most important thing is focusing on what our priorities are, because those priorities give us a purpose even when goals become unattainable or the course shifts or something happens in life that changes our trajectory. If we know what our priorities are.  We can choose to focus on those every single day.” 

After 100 episodes of the Farming on Purpose podcast, this milestone episode reflects on key lessons learned about agriculture, family farming, and finding your path. From starting as a new mom uncertain about her role on a 20-acre farm to now raising the potent...

 “Some years you're going to make more money than other years and I think as long as you  don't outpace your budget, then you'll end up being just fine.” 

Meet Brenna Beard, a beginning farmer who's building her operation while working full-time in ag sales. Starting with just 35 acres of her dad's land, she's doubled her acres and even bought her first piece of ground - all while living 50 minutes from the farm. Her story shows how the next generation is finding creative ways to keep family farms alive, proving you don't need hundreds of acres or fancy e...

“Teaching classes and being able to plant the seed itself for other people to get excited for things that have been lost in our generation has also just been something that has brought  tons of happiness and joy.”  

City girl turned farmer Jessica Lewis shares how she built Back to Roots Farm in Thomasville, Georgia, starting with bottle baby goats and growing into a thriving business teaching homesteading skills. With her seven-year-old daughter already sharing her passion for farming, Jessica shows how starting small and being willing to pivot when markets change can lead to success in agricul...

“My life does revolve around farming but I also think we have good boundaries where I’m not resentful of that.”  

Nebraska farm wife Heather Nienhueser shares her journey from ag banker to stay-at-home mom and entrepreneur. She discusses building a successful family popcorn business, navigating farm transitions, and finding joy in farm life. Through her candid stories about balancing motherhood, business, and farm life, Heather offers practical advice for other farm families – from getting through busy seasons to planning successful generational transitions. 

Key Topics: 

“The opportunity is out there, you’re just going to have to do a better job than trying to compete with Walmart on price and volume.” 

In this episode from the vault, farmer DL Lautenbach shares his journey of rebuilding after losing his 400-head operation in 2008. Starting with just five borrowed calf hutches, he shows how thinking differently and staying scrappy helped him build back up. DL's story reminds us that success in farming isn't always about size - it's about finding creative solutions, putting family first, and defining success on your own terms. 

Key Topics: ...

“And it's very important that you're thinking about what's best for the whole family and the whole ranch. Instead of just what's best for you or your individual family.” 

Meet the three sisters of Giles Ranch who are redefining what a family cattle operation can look like. From balancing motherhood with ranch work to growing a direct-to-consumer beef business with two retail locations, Jenny, Katie, and Molly share how working together has helped them build something special. Their story shows what's possible when strong family values meet innovative thinking in agriculture. 

Key Topics: 

Family...

“And at the end of the day, the best thing you can do is, as long as you have good intentions, is to put some piece of your story out there because I promise you somebody will find a connection.” 

Every farm has a story worth telling, but finding the confidence to share it isn't always easy. In this episode, third-generation cattle woman Ashlynn Jones shares her journey of returning to the family farm and finding her voice as an ag advocate. From winter chores to family transitions, she shows how sharing even simple daily moments can help...

“This is what I describe simple living as, it’s figuring out what you want to focus on and doing more of that while figuring out what you want to focus less on or there’s a distraction and eliminating those things.” 

Creating a life that aligns with your values is important. That's why I was thrilled to chat with Ryan Mitchell on the Farming on Purpose podcast. Ryan's journey from city living to homesteading offers valuable insights for anyone dreaming of a simpler, more fulfilling life on the land. 

The Wake-Up Call 

Ryan's story began in 20...

“If you trust the process, the process will reward you back.” 

As a sixth-generation cattle farmer in Southern Minnesota, Haley Ammann-Ekstrom knows a thing or two about juggling responsibilities. She farms alongside her husband and father, manages a cow-calf herd, and has recently ventured into selling beef directly to consumers. But what makes Haley's story truly inspiring is her passion for educating the younger generation about agriculture and her determination to keep her family's farming legacy alive. 

Finding Her Path Back to the Farm 

Haley's journey back to the family farm wasn't a straight path. After h...

“What is so understood to you is not understood to the average person. And I know that sounds really silly as especially multiple generations. Like it's just. It's so ingrained in everything, that outside perspective, like you're missing it. And that's one of the things that I will say as coming in from a total outside perspective, what I didn't know, I realized somebody else didn't know too. So I had to figure out how to communicate it.” 

As a farmer myself, I love sharing stories of other folks who are making waves in agriculture. Today, I want to intro...

“This idea of how all the different sizes of farms co-exist in agriculture today is one of the biggest problems that we have the opportunity to solve.” 

I often find myself thinking about the future of agriculture and where family farms fit into the bigger picture. With fewer small farms and more large operations, it's a topic that's close to my heart and crucial for our industry. 

The Numbers Tell a Story 

Let's look at some eye-opening facts: 

In 2023, there were 1.9 million farms in the U.S., down from 2.2 million in 2007. 

In 2022...

“If you don’t send it out, if you don’t publish it, it doesn’t happen. You can’t learn from it. You have to push “go” to learn from it.” 

As a farmer's wife, mother, and business owner, I understand the challenges of juggling multiple responsibilities while trying to grow your farm or ranch. Marketing often falls to the bottom of our to-do lists, but it's crucial for our success. Today, I want to share some practical tips on how to make marketing a manageable part of your routine. 

Why Marketing Matters for Your Farm or Ranch 

M...

“I continuously am impressed with young producers and beginning producers alike of their determination and their resiliency. If they want to be a part of this industry and they want to live in rural America, and they want to find a way to help be on the farm, they have to come up with very innovative things.” 

As a farmer and podcast host, I'm always eager to learn from experts in our field. Recently, I had the pleasure of catching up with my college friend Ben Brown, now an agricultural economist at the University of Missouri. Our chat...

 “I think that a lot of landowners really want someone who's willing to learn and being very open and wanting to learn, being inquisitive, being curious.” 

As a farmer or rancher, you know the importance of planning for the future. But when it comes to passing down your farm or ranch to the next generation, it can be a challenging and emotional process. That's why I invited Ashlee Westerhold, Director of the Office of Farm and Ranch Transition at Kansas State University, to share her insights on the Farming on Purpose podcast. 

Growing up with family...

“Having a spouse that you are on the same page with when it comes to growing your business makes a huge difference. If you guys are both running in the same direction for your dream, you get so much farther, so much faster versus if only one of you has that dream or if you are going in different directions with that dream.” 

As I sit in my hammock on a beautiful day, surrounded by the sounds of our farm, I can't help but reflect on how far we've come. From our humble beginnings seven years ago with...

As I sit here on my farm on August 7, 2024, I can't help but think about the challenges we're facing in agriculture. We've been hearing a lot of tough news lately, and it's got me thinking about how we can stay strong and keep our farms going, even when things look bleak. 

First off, let's talk about what's happening. Big companies are laying off workers, cattle markets are down, and grain prices aren't looking great. Here are some of the numbers we're seeing: 

“Buying the farm is probably the best not only personal but financial decision. Best decision for my family. It’s really opened up a quality of life that we wouldn't have had otherwise.” 

Growing up on his family's dairy farm in Utah, Derek Penrod always knew he wanted to be a farmer. But with no clear path to take over the family operation, he had to forge his own way. Now, Derek runs a first-generation farm in Idaho, growing alfalfa and raising Scottish Highlander cattle. 

In this week’s episode of the Farming on Purpose podcast, D...

“Legacy to me is the culture that you leave for your family so that the next generation has great stories to tell and is grateful for the opportunities they’ve been given. That’s what legacy means to me.”  

As a farmer or rancher, you know that your work is more than just a job - it's a way of life that's deeply connected to family, legacy, and the land. But sometimes, the very things that make farming special can also create challenges, especially when it comes to family communication and farm transitions. 

That's...

 “I think we have to figure out what makes sense for ourselves. And for the amount of effort that we're putting in are we going to reach our goals? Are we going to get there realistically on a timeframe that makes sense? And how does that impact other people in our lives? That can be a very challenging conversation to have with yourself, but I think it is one that is worth having.” 

As farmers and ranchers, we're no strangers to hard work. But these days, many of us are finding ourselves working even harder - both...

 “I believe that farming and agriculture give us an incredible sense of purpose because we have a job to do and we show up to do it every day.”  

In farming, family life and business often mix together. We're not just running farms – we're raising families and shaping futures. Today, I'm sharing my journey of balancing motherhood and running a business in agriculture. 

The Motherhood Motivation 

"What I mean when I say I have four kids" – this phrase I often use means more than just how many children I have. It represents why...

“I think we just respect each other’s time and we know we both are trying our hardest and some days are better than others.”  

Join us in this inspiring episode of Farming on Purpose with Sumiko and Harrison Mills. Sumiko and Harrison share about their background and how they got started on their ranch. They openly talk about the renovations they undertook themselves and what a long journey that was. They also share details about the opening of their Butcher Barn and some of the things they’ve learned along the way. Listen in as we talk about...

“Learning to recognize the season you’re in is the first half of this and learning to live in the season you’re in is the second half.” 

Join us in this midsummer episode of Farming on Purpose. In this solo episode I’m going to share some of The Lazy Genius principles that have helped me over the last few years. This lifestyle shift has helped me in more ways than one and I feel is pretty applicable to farm life, mom life, and being a business owner. Listen in as I go through some of the princip...