Pivot Points

Jack Hedin of Featherstone Farm and Maine State Representative Bill Pluecker of Begin Again Farm share how their decades of civic engagement grew directly out of their identities as farmers and their desire to shape the policies that affect rural communities. Both farmers are candid about the real costs of that engagement, whether it's nearly losing a carrot crop while advocating in Washington or...

Organic farmers Kat Becker of Cattail Organics and Janaki Fisher-Merritt of Food Farm share how stepping out of their fields and into civic life — from school boards to food pantries — has made them better farmers and more grounded community members. Both farmers reflect on how structured volunteer commitments create the "hard stops" that farming rarely provides on its own, helping them reclaim ba...

Coming Soon! Farmers share their experiences with civic engagement — from building deeper community connections at the local level to influencing agricultural policy in state and national legislative chambers. Tune in for this special two-episode series of Pivot Points, featuring Janaki Fisher-Merritt, Kat Becker, Jack Hedin, and Bill Pluecker. Hosted by Dan Fillius, with Iowa State University Ext...

Have ideas for future guests? Want to sponsor or support future seasons? Reach out: fillius at iastate.edu or sarah.janesugoretz at wisc.edu In this episode, hosts Dan Fillius and Sarah Janes Ugoretz reflect on the first season of conversations with vegetable farmers about big changes.  Key themes include: Redefining success Recognizing that change requires courage (and shouldn't be seen as failur...

Jordan Scheibel of Middle Way Farm in Iowa, and Adam Montri of Ten Hens Farm in Michigan, speak about stepping away from full-time farming to prioritize other life goals. Both farmers candidly discuss the mounting challenges—from labor management and financial stress to social isolation—that led them to reassess whether their operations were truly sustainable or worth the personal cost. The conver...

Jenny Quiner from Dogpatch Urban Gardens in Des Moines, IA shares why, after a decade farming, she decided the right move for her was to walk away and focus on family in a way she hadn't been able to before. Through multiple pivots—from salad greens to farm stand retail to greenhouse operations—Jenny navigated urban zoning challenges while building a successful $455,000 diversified vegetable opera...

Former farmers Ariel Pressman and Ellen Polishuk share why they left successful operations—Ariel due to burnout, and Ellen because she had accomplished her farming goals. Both now run consulting businesses helping current farmers, with Ariel's Whole Farm Strategies focusing on beginning farmers and Ellen coaching more established operations through business challenges and transition decisions with...

Jim Crawford and Jenni Glenister from New Morning Farm explain how they transitioned ownership over nearly a decade through strategic succession planning. Jim shares how he identified and mentored Jenni through an apprenticeship system that gave employees real management responsibilities, leading to her evolution from apprentice to full owner by 2021. The conversation covers financing farm transit...

Hannah Weber from The Land Loom and Nate Lada from Green Things Farm share how they transformed from struggling solo operations into the successful Green Things Farm Collective in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both farmers faced burnout, with Hannah as a one-woman salad operation working multiple jobs, and Nate managing a complex diversified farm without sufficient expertise, before joining forces with thr...

Katie and Hans Bishop from PrairiErth Farm in Atlanta, Illinois share their transition into organic grain farming after operating an 80-acre diversified vegetable operation with 25 employees and 450 CSA members. Faced with land management pressures, family transitions, and severe burnout after 14 years of intensive vegetable production, they made the difficult decision to pivot their business mode...