The Breakdown with INFB

An interview with John Shoup, director of the Indiana Agricultural Law Foundation , and Chatney Gelfius, INFB member who has participated in our succession planning workshop.  This episode, we’re talk about planning for the next generation of farmers. If something unexpected happened to your farm operation tomorrow, would you be okay? Visit www.infb.org/events for more information about our upcomi...

Advocating for agriculture is a pillar of Indiana Farm Bureau membership, and our staff is constantly on the move making sure local, state and federal policies are beneficial and not burdensome to farmers and rural communities.  On this episode, we're talking to two of our policy experts to give us a rundown of what to expect in the coming months and how members can get involved. Brantley Sei...

On this episode, we’re diving into some of the challenges Indiana’s rural communities face and how we might address those challenges in the future. Rural counties represent 70% of Indiana's land and 64 of its 92 counties, yet they account for just 29% of the state's population. These communities often experience lower income levels, limited access to healthcare services, and worse health...

Diversification on the farm these days is almost essential to withstand the ebbs and flows of the various commodity and input markets.  This episode features two farm families who have found some success in building onto the business of their family farm - Suzanne and Lauren Flanders with Simply From Scratch , and Katie Pennington with Brock Farms .

In 2026, the world celebrates the International Year of the Woman Farmer – a United Nations initiative recognizing the vital role women play in agriculture and agribusiness. To celebrate, Indiana Farm Bureau is highlighting the important work of female members across the state, as well as welcoming three new district education and outreach coordinators to the INFB Women’s Leadership Committee, whi...

A conversation with Mary Pat Sass,  a farm wife, mom and ag advocate from northern Illinois. With a background in agricultural technology, she transitioned from a corporate ag career to life on her family’s farm, where she discovered the power of storytelling in modern agriculture.  Through social media, MP has built a large and engaged audience by sharing honest, everyday moments from farm life a...

This week we kicked off an eventful season in the Indiana Farm Bureau world with the continuation of the 2026 Indiana General Assembly. Engaging in policy is a foundation of Farm Bureau membership, and there is no shortage of issues on the docket this year that could impact agriculture. For this episode, we brought two of our policy experts and INFB leaders to the podcast to give us a rundown of w...

This interview provides a sneak peak into of some of the topics that will be discussed at the Indiana Ag Gathering, formerly known as State Convention, to be held Dec. 12-13, 2025, at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, Indiana. Damon West, best-selling author, philanthropist and college professor, talks about his personal story of overcoming extreme adversity. West shows that no matter what th...

A conversation with Ben Wicker and Hans Schmitz from the Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance (IANA). They talk about what their organization does and how Farm Bureau members can use their assistance to fine-tune nutrient management practices, maximizing productivity while protecting Indiana’s resources. Visit keepitmidwest.com  for more information.

A discussion with representatives from Indiana's three Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters: Jayden Simpson from Purdue University, Tara de Jong from Huntington University, and Emma Buening from Vincennes University. These three students talk about issues they care about in agriculture, where they see the industry going and how to get involved at the college level. Visit the INFB website for more...

The Indiana State Fair is over, but Indiana Farm Bureau is celebrating a successful showing at the annual weeks-long event and quality time spent with the youth involved in agriculture. Annie Romine, INFB's youth engagement coordinator, shares more about her work with youth and collegiate level Farm Bureau activities and how more young people can get involved in agriculture. Want to learn mor...

An interview with Mark Sigler, INFB chief operating officer and treasurer, who is retiring Sept. 1 after 38 years with Farm Bureau. Sigler started at INFB in 1987 as marketing assistant in the commodity department and in the years since has held a number of positions within the organization. He talks about the changes that have happened in the industry since he began and what he hopes his legacy w...

Delaware County Farm Bureau board member Katie Nixon talks about her county’s experiences with HEA1012. The bill was passed during the 2025 Indiana General Assembly and was a direct result of Delaware County Farm Bureau’s policy development process. It requires law enforcement agencies to inform property owners of damage to property in the event of a motor vehicle accident. Nixon discusses the imp...

June is National Safety Month and summer is a busy season for farmers using large machinery, so rural road safety becomes an increasingly important topic. We sat down with John Nagle, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance farm training specialist, who talks about road safety, particularly as it relates to safety at intersections and the vital importance of both seeing other drivers and being seen.  Click...

A conversation with Hancock County Farm Bureau member and retired Army Col. Joe Ricker who was recently named the very first recipient of the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence from American Farm Bureau Federation.  May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, so Ricker shares some of the impactful activities he’s taken on to make a difference for those who struggle with mental health.

A conversation with Tracey Wiedmeyer, Indiana Farm Bureau member from Marion County and the co-founder and CEO of Gripp , the winner of the 2025 American Farm Bureau Federation Ag Innovation Challenge competition. Gripp, which offers farmers an operator-centric way to keep records of assets in combination with communication tools to keep everyone connected, received a total of $100,000 for winning...

A conversation on unique ways to grow food with Joe McGuire. Joe is a St. Joseph County Farm Bureau member and CEO of Pure Green Farms in South Bend, Indiana, where they grown hydroponic lettuce.

A conversation with Braxten Nielsen, keynote speaker for the upcoming Young Farmers & Ag Professionals Conference in Indianapolis (Feb. 21-23, 2025). Braxten talks about overcoming setbacks and challenges related to a rodeo accident that almost left him paralyzed.

Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron and Andy Tauer, INFB executive director of public policy, discuss INFB’s 2025 legislative priorities. The organization’s top issues for the 2025 General Assembly are taxation and water rights. More information is available at www.infb.org/statepriorities . In addition to the priorities themselves, Kron and Tauer also talk about how members can get involved....

Here's a sneak peek at two of the keynote speakers at the upcoming Indiana Farm Bureau State Convention! Jack Uldrich, global futurist and author, speaks to the future of the ag industry, and Nina Teicholz, science journalist and Ph. D. in nutrition, discusses a cornerstone of her work - studies on saturated fats and fats in general as part of our diets.

An interview with Indiana’s top doctor. Among her many roles, Dr. Lindsay Weaver is the Indiana state health commissioner, adjunct assistant professor of emergency medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine and an emergency medicine physician with IU Health.  INFB talks to Dr. Weaver about the state of rural health, access to quality care and what solutions there are to improving public hea...

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 19% of U.S. farmers and 9% of U.S. farmworkers had a disability at some point between 2008 and 2016. INFB had a conversation with Paul Jones, an education and resource specialist working on the AgrAbility project at Purdue University, to learn more about the resources available to h...

Interviews with two of Indiana's agritourism destination owners, Linda Baird with Cornucopia Farm in Scottsburg, and from the northern part of the state, Maureen Kercher and Mollie Kieffer from Kercher's Sunrise Orchards in Elkhart County. The conversation focuses on what it takes to run a successful agritourism operation, the ins and outs of specialty crop growing and why these business...

A conversation with John Shoup, director of the Indiana Agricultural Law Foundation, and Clint Fischer, an attorney at Ribstein and Hogan Law Firm, a firm based in South Dakota that specializes in helping family farms navigate the often-daunting process of farm succession planning. As farmers continue to age, proper succession planning is crucial to help protect the farm and ensure a smooth transi...

A conversation with U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, who represents the second congressional district in northern Indiana, to help Indiana farmers and listeners better understand agricultural issues from the federal level. He touches on everything from the farm bill, trade, labor, inflation and handling relationships in Washington, D.C.