Episode Category: Farming with a Family
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.
“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.”
Starting to farm isn't easy, especially when you're juggling a full-time job. But for Brenna Beard, a beginning farmer from central Indiana, the pull of continuing her family's 200-year farming legacy was too strong to ignore.
“My life does revolve around farming but I also think we have good boundaries where I’m not resentful of that.”
Growing up on a farm, Heather Nienhueser always knew she wanted to marry a farmer. While some people couldn't wait to leave farm life behind, she put "must be a farmer" at the top of her list of requirements for a future spouse. Today, she's living that dream as a farm wife and mom in South Central Nebraska, where she balances raising three kids, running multiple businesses from home, and renovating an 1890s farmhouse.
“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.”
When I first met DL on TikTok, we were chatting about bottle calves. But as I got to know his story, I knew there was so much more to share. His journey from running a 400-head operation to starting over with just five borrowed calf hutches speaks to the heart of what farming is really about - family, resilience, and finding your own path to success.
“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.”
“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 family farm has a story worth telling. When I sat down with Ashlynn Jones, a third-generation cattle woman from Southeast Iowa, we talked about something that hits close to home for many of us - how to share our farming story with the world.
“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.
“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.”
“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 farms in Nebraska and Illinois, Ashlee understood the value of agriculture from a young age. Her passion for helping farm families led her to specialize in farm succession planning. Now, she's dedicated to assisting farmers and ranchers in Kansas with this crucial process.
“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 a few cows, goats, and chickens, we've grown into a thriving operation with crops, more livestock, and even a dairy cow (my pet project).
“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, Derek shared his inspiring journey of becoming a self-made farmer while balancing family life and a full-time job.
“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.
“It’s the season of life we’re in right now and we’re making it work.”
Join us in this powerful episode of Farming on Purpose with Amanda. Amanda shares about her family’s operation and the cattle operation that her and her husband own and run. Amanda delves into the different avenues she has pursued not only for additional off-the-farm income, but to fulfill her own passions. Amanda offers great advice about finding your priorities and making sure what you’re doing aligns with those priorities. Amanda is passionate about fighting to help farmers and ranchers as well as the land needed for agriculture. Listen in as we dive into the importance of knowing and pursuing your priorities and passions, and fighting for your way of life.
“Anybody who is at all a part of agriculture, at all a part of direct-to-consumer knows that there is a lot of money that goes into this.”
Join us in this insightful episode of Farming on Purpose with Amanda. Amanda shares about finding her place on a multigenerational cow calf operation. Amanda opens up about what led her to start selling their beef directly to consumers. Amanda delves into how diversifying your operation can mean different things and reveals some realistic reasons for needing more than one stream of income. Listen in as we delve a variety of topics from finding your role, diversifying your operation to supplement your needs, and Amanda’s great advice on how to get started on a new venture.
“We’ve just had to get our name out there and stop being afraid of saying, ‘We are first generation farmers. I know we’re new but we have some phenomenal products.’ It’s become an education process for us to educate others on, honestly, what little we do know and it’s been a confidence thing. I had to be confident to say, ‘Hey, I raise livestock and I grow some phenomenal products. Would you like to try them?’”
Join us in this inspiring episode of Farming on Purpose and get up and close with Shohni Christensen, a newcomer to the agriculture industry with a great story behind their lifestyle switch. Taking us through her fascinating journey of getting into ag with a few animals for her children getting into 4-H to raising livestock and selling the meat locally and on their website. Shohni also shares about canning and educating others on food storage. Listen in as we delve into the world marketing in agriculture and Shohni is candid about some of her struggles marketing for a small farm.
“But if you actually want your farm to successfully transition and you care about your children and the quality of life they are going to have and the opportunities they are going to have after you are gone, it is your responsibility to understand how that transition will actually play out.”
In this episode, I wanted to talk about a topic that is very important but one that isn’t talked about as much as it should be, transition planning. Before purchasing our family farm, I hadn’t put much consideration into planning for our farm transition after my husband and I are gone. After hearing Dr. Ferrell, a professor at OSU, speak about farm transitions, the importance of planning, and why 64% of farm transitions are failing, it made me put more consideration into our own transition in the future. I learned such valuable information and I really wanted to share that with all of you.
“Sometimes when things feel like it’s the worst day, it may turn out to be one of the best experiences in your interest.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Nikki Callison of Callison Ranch. Nikki shared about how she got back into agriculture after being a teacher for ten years. Nikki and her husband, Roger started their direct to consumer beef operation and Nikki talked about her family history in the selling of beef business. Nikki also shared her experience raising three kids on the ranch and noted some of the lasting memories she has. Nikki explained the importance of marketing, not just for her business, but for agriculture as a whole. She likes using Instagram to educate people on agriculture and show some behind the scenes stuff to help people see where their food comes from and just how important agriculture is.
“What you feel like in the moments when it is a hard season is real and even in your mind you know in a few years it’s going to be easier but that’s a few years away. I feel like I try to let myself feel those feelings and for me, writing is how I process a lot of that and remembering that it’s ok to feel hard but just know it’s not going to last forever.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking to Stacy Bronec. While not having an ag background, Stacy has taken to farm life and raising a family on the farm. Stacy shared about what she loves about farm life and some of the struggles she has encountered, like loneliness as a mother and farm wife. Stacy uses writing as an outlet, a way to process aspects of life, and to find community. Be sure to check out some of her essays and listen to the end of the episode to hear about Stacy’s wild third birth story!
“The cattle industry is such a long game. You just have to plan for 10, 20 years in advance all the time.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Meghan Gates. Meghan has a lot on her plate as a mother, rancher, and a business woman. Meghan dove into her background in agriculture as well as how she and her husband started their own cattle operation and selling beef shares. On the side, Meghan also has a western apparel online shop and a soup cookbook! Meghan suggested, if you’re interested in getting started in homesteading but aren’t sure where to start your journey, try the kitchen. Meghan shared where she got her inspiration for her cookbook and some techniques for cooking she wishes to pass on to others.
“There’s help out there. Like there’s a resource or somebody for you.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dawn Krees. Dawn talked about her podcast Harvesting Her Way, her coaching, and what her clients are wanting to learn more about. Diving deeper into Dawn’s coaching, she explained that it is important to work with your body and as a woman, work with your cycle. Dawn also explained Human Design and how she uses that tool to help her clients understand their personalities and motivations. One great piece of advice Dawn shared was to trust your instincts in food and movement.
“I would say the biggest thing is, you definitely have to put your ego aside and your pride and just know that you’re going to do things wrong and you will learn so much more from doing them wrong than doing them right.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Kristin Harms. Kristin shared about the transition she and her husband made from having careers outside of agriculture to having active roles in her family’s Red Angus seedstock operation. Sometimes in agriculture, you have to be creative; Kristin shared some tools they use in their operation that are not ag or business specific. Some of you may know Kristin as The Basic Ranch Mom on Instagram. Kristin talked about the importance of having that page and why she started it.
“I love the marketing work that I do. I love solving the problems I get to solve for all the different clients and all the different capacities that I work with. I love that variety.”
For this week’s episode, I wanted to share my story with you! In most of my previous episodes we got to hear stories from people that have inspired me and I thought it was time to give you a little more insight into my life. I talked about how I started freelancing in college and the jobs I had after graduation. With a young and growing family, I knew I needed to make a career change that more aligned with our goals as a farming family. The transition to being self-employed was scary and full of challenges but for me, was completely worth it. Now our current season of life feels like a dream come true and I’m so excited to continue to share our family’s journey with you all!
“I think it’s good to review every once in a while and make sure that the daily routine that we have matches up with our priorities and how we actually want to spend our time on a day to day basis.”
For this week’s episode, I switched things up a bit and am flying solo. Seeing lots of moms, ranch moms, farm moms, etc. on social media, it’s hard not to compare their life to yours, and that comparison is something I wanted to talk about. While I don’t think it is fair to you to compare yourself to another mom on social media because we don’t get to see the behind-the-scenes to her life, comparison can be beneficial in a different way. Being able to hear someone else’s story and how they tackle everyday challenges gives you an opportunity to potentially try something new or see a new way to handle an obstacle. I hope listening to my typical daily routine gives you an opportunity to try something new or I would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for me!
“I still would like to share stories for rural women written by rural women because I feel like it brings people together and makes us feel like we’re not alone in our situation. We live a very unique lifestyle, like it’s one thing to be a mom or a wife, but it’s a whole other added thing to be a farm wife or mom, or a ranch wife or mom. We literally live where we work and work where we live.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jesse Thompson. To me, Jesse feels like a kindred spirit so it was such a joy to listen to her story and hear about her season of life. Jesse shared about her experiences as a ranch wife and mom and the changes she went through from growing up on her family “franch” to her ranch now with her husband and children. Jesse also talked about the joy cooking brings her and why she tries to make as much as she can from scratch. Being a ranch wife and mom is no simple task, especially while also having a job off the ranch, so Jesse shares a few methods that work for her to keep her household running.
“It’s great that we get to bring in Michael’s family’s experience and we’re taking building blocks from that family, but we’re also passing on lessons. With every experience comes a lesson.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jordan Farquhar. Jordan and her husband Michael farm in rural Alberta, Canada with Michael’s family. Jordan shared what farm succession looks like for them and the key to a smooth transition is communication. Jordan explained what their current cattle operation looks like and how they plan to expand and grow their herd. Growing up, Jordan did not have much exposure to farm life until she met Michael and now she’s a part time farmer and soon to be mom to raise the next generation on their family farm.
“That is something that I absolutely love about where we’re living and our neighbors is just everybody helping out and you know you always have somebody that you can call.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Lindsey Huseman. Lindsey and her husband, Mark, manage Huseman Ranch with the help of their two kids ages 7 and 9. Lindsey explained what it's like for her to homeschool her kids and be active on the farm. It was quite the shift for Lindsey to go from being a high school Ag teacher to a farm mom homeschooling her kiddos during the pandemic. Lindsey also shared some stories from the farm and how having such a supportive village has impacted her and her family.
“I feel like we’re able to do what we do because we have evolved over time.”
In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Lydia Hiesterman. Lydia shared a little about her family’s farm operation and the complexities that come with farming with multiple families. Lydia expressed the value of planning and farm succession and shared her personal experience with farm succession. Lydia also gave advice on how to find and select a financial advisor that would work for you and your family’s needs.
“Everybody has their role and that’s another thing, know your role; delegate as well. Because when you try to do everything on your own, that’s when it’s going to fall apart. That’s where overwhelm sets in.”
In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kerissa Taylor of 1984 Farms. I recently came across Kerissa and her family’s farm on Instagram and I’m so glad I did! Kerissa shared how she and her husband, Steve, along with their 6 kids, started their farm in Colorado and recently moved everything to Missouri to continue living out their dream life. Kerissa and I also talked about raising our kids on the farm and the ups and downs that come with it.
“I would say we are more of a farm than a homestead but to me it’s more this is how our grandparents were living and how they were raised and they were pretty self-sufficient and independent people and we just feel like that for us right now is the best thing we can do.”
In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with my friend and neighbor, Jada Sharp. Jada shared with us how her and her family got started on their farm with goats and sheep and how their farm has changed along with her family’s roles. Jada also dove into how a few bars of goat milk soap and bottles of goat milk lotion lead to her starting her business, 14 Hands Ranch.
“Nothing looks like you think it will in motherhood.”
In this episode, I wanted to talk about motherhood and what being a mother on a farm looks like for me. My motherhood journey was not what I had anticipated and I had a hard time accepting that I couldn’t be as active on the farm as I wanted to be or thought I would be. Once I accepted that in this season of motherhood, my roles on the farm are different but will change one day, I am able to enjoy where I am in this season and find tasks that utilize my strengths.