Farming on Purpose

 “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, Dire...

“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 ou...

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...

“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-gen...

  “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 mak...

 “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 a...

 “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 ...

“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 w...

“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 applicab...

“I think it’s about figuring out what you’re doing already and finding a home for what you’re already doing.”  While some of the ideas presented in this episode may be different, it's important to recognize that in order for a business to be sustainable, it must also be profitable. This episode presents ideas to consider in food marketing that you may not have considered before.  Join us in this i...

“You have to believe in what you’re doing and everyone involved has to believe and agree.”  Join us in this powerful episode of Farming on Purpose with Harry Frederick. Harry shares about the journey to start their sheep operation in Kentucky. Sheep were not common in their area when they got started so there were some snags they had to iron out, but now they get to help out other sheep farmers wi...

“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...

“Being authentic has really paid off for us. Not necessarily directly in our business, I don’t know that it’s affected our bottom line, maybe it has,... but people love to see people that they can relate to.”  Join us in this enjoyable episode of Farming on Purpose with Macey. Macey shares about owning a cow calf operation with her mom and sister and how the family dynamics changed as the business...

“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...

“I never saw this coming. I never saw the opportunity to come back full circle and continue that.”   Join us in this enjoyable episode of Farming on Purpose with Jess Perez. Jess shares about her family’s history being farmers, how her and her husband moved for his law career, and how Jess found her way back to agriculture. Jess opens up about running a cow/calf operation, getting into selling the...

“I just have a passion for putting farm-fresh products on people’s tables.”   Join us in this informative episode of Farming on Purpose with Joseph Blakeslee. Taking us behind the scenes of his butcher shop, Bare Bone Butcheing as well as his farm, Blakeslee Acres. Joseph shares about how he knew he wanted to be a farmer from a young age, how he and his wife started their farm, and some of the thi...

“Sick animals cost you a lot of money so keeping them healthy is the full goal.”   Join us in this informative episode of Farming on Purpose and learn more about KSX Performance with Kaitlyn Keller. Taking us behind the scenes of her business, Kaitlyn shares about her love for animals, helping people, and how that translates into her business and how she operates. Kaitlyn dives into her products a...

“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...

“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 a...

“It’s a lot easier to start a dog with a clean slate than erase a bunch of bad habits.”  Join us in this stimulating episode of Farming on Purpose and get up and close with Randall Walker, a renowned stock dog expert from Satus Stockdogs. Taking us through his fascinating journey of employing dogs in rotational grazing, Randall presents an eye-opening narrative on how stock dogs can significantly...

“I wish there were more opportunities for people to see the day-to-day of it, not just the ‘you want to teach about agriculture, you must want to be a teacher’. There’s other options to do that, especially now that I’ve gotten into the world of entrepreneurship…”   This week we are mixing things up a bit! I had the pleasure of being on the Off-Farm Income podcast hosted by Matt Brechwald back in D...

“Video is such a powerful tool when it comes to communicating about agriculture with consumers because it’s not a big Hollywood production that’s getting edited. It’s just somebody in their field talking about their cattle. It’s just real and authentic.”   In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Linnea Langusch. Linnea dives into her research she performed while working on her Mast...

“Stuff that we don’t necessarily think is unique actually is unique. Our lifestyle is unique. There’s not a big percentage of us doing this in the world.”   In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Lance Neilson. Lance owns and operates a cow/calf business and he shared how he and his wife started growing their herd shortly after they graduated college and got married. Having both grown...

“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 h...

“One of our favorite quotes of all time is, ‘The answer to America’s food problem is not one or two big answers, it’s many small answers.’ And we couldn’t agree more.”  In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Jesse and Lisa Vivian. Jesse and Lisa shared how they started  Lane’s End Farm + Creamery. The original plan for the creamery was to make cheese but then Covid hit and like many o...