Beyond The Crops

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where farm life meets real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, as they take a candid look back at their very different journeys into becoming farm wives. From big city dreams to growing up on a dairy farm, they share their unique perspectives, the lessons learned over nearly a decade (for Jena, a 10-year anniversary is just days away!), and hear...

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where farm life meets real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, for a candid and inspiring conversation about making big, intentional changes to remove chaos and prioritize what truly matters. Jena drops some significant news about shifts on their farm and in their family life, leading to a heartfelt discussion about choosing your hard, trusting...

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where farm life meets real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, as they officially kick off summer! With the kids now out of school, they dive into the joys and challenges of shifting family rhythms, managing kids at home, and finding ways to embrace the beautiful chaos of summer. 📌 What We Cover in This Episode: ✅ Summer Has Begun! ✅ The Four...

 Planting season is over! - Or is it?!?! In this candid and relatable episode, Jena and MP are keeping it real about feeling a bit under the weather, the shift in seasonal rhythms, and some interesting health and parenting nuggets they've been exploring. 📌 What We Cover in This Episode: ✅ Planting Season Wrap-Up (Mostly!) ✅ Not Feeling Their Best ✅ Mary Pat's Dizzy Spell Journey ✅ J...

This episode of Beyond the Crops is brought to you by Climate FieldView.   Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where farm life meets real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, as they sit down with Tom Verseman, Digital Enablement Marketing Lead for Climate FieldView. They dive deep into the world of digital agriculture, how FieldView has evolved, and the practical ways it's he...

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where farm life meets real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, as they celebrate a huge milestone – the 100th episode of the podcast! It's also (nearly) their two-year anniversary, and they're taking a trip down memory lane, reflecting on the journey, thanking their amazing listeners, and looking ahead. 📌 What We Cover in This Episode...

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where farm life meets real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, for a heartfelt chat recorded in a rare "sliver of time" just before Easter, as the planting season looms large. This episode blends reflections on faith, the renewal of spring, and the very real hustle (and occasional hilarious chaos) of life on the farm right now. 📌 What...

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where farm life meets real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, as they bring in a special guest – MP's husband Josh and brother in law, Ryan Sass.  With planting season just around the corner, they're diving deep into the process, benefits, and challenges of treating their own soybean seed right on the farm.  📌 What We Cover in This E...

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where we bridge the gap between farm life and real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, as they gear up for the busy planting season. With spring break wrapping up and tractors potentially rolling soon, it's the perfect time to talk about mindset, self-care, and thriving through the chaos. 📌 What We Cover in This Episode: ✅ Catching up on...

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where we bridge the gap between farm life and real life. Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, for a fun collaboration with the CropCast team from BW Fusion live from Commodity Classic 2025 in Denver, Colorado! 📌 What We Cover in This Episode: ✅ We start with the importance of relating holistic human health to soil health, introducing the concept of &...

In this episode of Beyond the Crops , we're coming to you in survival mode....literally. Jena is recording in the dark on day 3 of a power outage from an intense midwest spring snowstorm. We cover what it looks like when the unexpected happens, what we would change to be more prepared in the future, and some miracles and trials on the farm. MP is catching us up on a risky Facebook Marketplace...

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Mary Pat and Jena are live from the Commodity Classic, interviewing Kendall from Case IH, and talking about new technology and the evolution of precision technology, followed by Alex from Case IH to discuss Case IH’s Sense Apply technology. 📌 What We Cover in This Episode: ✅ Kendall's background and how she came to work at Case IH. ✅ How precision techn...

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Mary Pat and Jena give a recap of the Commodity Classic! Listen along and hear them talk about their experience and takeaways from the event. 📌 What We Cover in This Episode: ✅What each of the girls learned and what they’d like to do different next year. ✅All the interesting companies they visited and new information they learned. ✅How it is a great show to...

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Jena and Mary Pat dive back into the important topic of succession planning with succession expert Ashlee Westerhold. They discuss what to consider when planning for the future of the farm, whether passing it down to the next generation, skipping a generation, or connecting with interested individuals outside of the family. Join us as we learn more about practi...

In this episode of Beyond the Crops , we’re tackling something that every farmer, rancher, and family faces—uncertainty. With markets, policies, weather, and world events constantly shifting, it’s easy to feel like everything is out of control. But while we can’t change the outside forces, we can control our mindset, faith, family life, routines, and how we respond to challenges. Join us as we div...

We’re bringing our husbands back to the podcast for a no-holds-barred conversation about the highs, lows, and lessons of the 2024 farming season. From harvest takeaways to hard-earned wisdom, we’re diving into what worked, what didn’t, and what we’re changing for next year. We also reflect on the challenges and wins of raising livestock, share our personal and farm goals for 2025, and discuss the...

We're BACK after a much-needed break, and we're ready to tell you all about it and what's been going on behind the scenes!  On this episode of Beyond The Crops we're catching you up on ALL the things. recapping holiday stomach bugs, much needed vacations, and our exciting new business ventures, as well as what to expect this year on the podcast!  Keep track of your family'...

In the midst of the holiday hustle, it’s easy to get swept up in the busyness and lose sight of what Christmas is truly about. In this episode, we’re pausing to refocus on the heart of the season—our Savior, Jesus Christ. Join us as we share our personal testimonies, dive into the messiness of our faith journeys, and reflect on how God has worked in our lives. Whether your story feels polished or...

Today on Beyond The Crops we are getting all the nitty gritty details of Jena's recent dental surgery and an update on her health journey. We cover everything from what led her down this path, to parasite cleanses, to cost, recovery, and more.   Keep track of your family's farm journey through harvest and beyond. Get your own Grounded Journal today. We’d love to hear your feedback on thi...

Are you ready to transform your holiday season into a time of intention, connection, and joy? In this episode, we’re diving into meaningful gift-giving ideas that go beyond the material, focusing on thoughtful presents that foster connection, support small businesses, and bring joy to both the giver and the receiver.  From unique local finds to heartfelt handmade creations, we’ll explore how to cr...

Harvest season is wrapping up, and we’re sitting down to share our reflections, wins, and lessons learned from the fields. And of course our favorite field meals of the season—think crockpot ribs, homemade rye bread Rubens, and Friday night steak traditions.  Plus, we reflect on our recent farm safety series and the importance of keeping these critical conversations going to protect what matters m...

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops. Today we want to take a moment to thank each and every one of our guests who came on during our farm safety series.   We've compiled the advice from each of our interviewees to share with you today. These are quick, hitting, and impactful pieces of advice from those who experienced farm accidents firsthand. Take this episode and listen to it, then share it wi...

Join us for a special live episode of Beyond the Crops, recorded at Husker Harvest Days with FP Next podcast hosts Kurt Ahrens and Sarah McNaughton. In this live conversation, we dive into strategies for preparing farms for economic shifts, exploring ways to diversify operations and stay resilient in today’s evolving agricultural landscape. Our first-ever live audience made this a memorable experi...

Today, we’re bringing you a special interview sparked from a listener connection made in our DMs. Katie Hammock, an ER nurse and dairy farmer’s wife, reached out after tuning into our farm safety series, offering her insights as a farm safety educator. Katie has a unique perspective on ag safety from her experiences in the ER and is passionate about sharing practical, often-overlooked safety tips...

Farm safety is more than just a checklist—it’s about protecting lives and fostering a culture of awareness in our communities. In this episode, Taylor Sjogren shares her personal story of her dad’s farm accident and why it’s so important to talk openly about safety. We talk about the dangers of complacency, the need for increased awareness, and how preparing our kids and keeping safety top of mind...