“Farmers markets are great — but they’re a narrow pipe between farmers and consumers.”
This episode of Farming on Purpose features a conversation with Dan Brunner, founder of Market Wagon, a platform designed to reconnect consumers with local food by solving one of agriculture’s most overlooked problems: distribution.
For decades, Dan had been fascinated by the way groceries move through the American food system. As someone with a background in software and logistics, he understood that the system wasn’t broken because farmers didn’t want to sell locally or because consumers didn’t want to buy local food. The challenge was the gap between them.
“Every generation of farmers has asked the same question: What do we do with what we have?”
This solo episode of Farming on Purpose steps back from interviews and into history — not for nostalgia, but for perspective. Agriculture has never stood still. It has been shaped by expansion, collapse, innovation, and transition. And yet through every era, the core challenge has remained the same: how do we allocate our resources wisely enough to survive — and hopefully, to build something that lasts?
This episode explores the major eras that shaped American agriculture and what they reveal about the decisions we’re facing today — especially as the largest generational land transfer in U.S. history unfolds.
“You don’t know what you don’t know — and that’s what keeps people up at night.”
This episode of Farming on Purpose features a candid, direct conversation with Jace Young, founder and CEO of Legacy Farmer. What began as a childhood inside a multi-million-dollar Kansas family farm ultimately became a front-row seat to financial collapse — and later, a mission to help producers avoid the same outcome.
Jace’s story is rooted in generational agriculture, hard lessons in pride and leadership, and a conviction that understanding your numbers isn’t optional — it’s foundational. This conversation moves beyond accounting and into something deeper: responsibility, structure, transition, and the kind of leadership that allows a farm to outlast the person running it.
“You’re going to make mistakes — and then you’re going to learn from those mistakes.”
This episode of Farming on Purpose features a thoughtful, real-world conversation with Hayley Darnielle, the owner of Crooked Creek Farms in Montana. What began as a small, informal way to share farm life online has grown into a diversified, direct-to-consumer operation providing raw milk, pork, poultry, eggs, and more to local families.
Hayley’s story is rooted in first-generation farming, food freedom, and intentional growth — building a business that supports her family while staying grounded in responsibility, transparency, and hard-earned experience.
“You don’t have to have a perfect farm — you just have to open the gate.”
This episode of Farming on Purpose features a candid, energizing conversation with Megan Daluge, a fifth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Milk’n Mamas.
Alongside her sister Erin, Megan is proving that diversification doesn’t have to mean abandoning tradition. From launching farm camps and agritourism to running a women’s boutique and coaching other farmers on social media storytelling, Megan shares what it really looks like to build multiple income streams while keeping the dairy — and the family — at the center.
This episode pulls back the curtain on resilience, risk-taking, and what happens when farmers give themselves permission to evolve.
“If you don’t start early enough to make a plan, it never takes care of itself.”
Farm succession planning is one of those topics most producers know they should address—but often put off because it feels heavy, emotional, and overwhelming. I enjoyed sitting down with Heidi Olson for this episode of the Farming on Purpose Podcast to talk honestly about why waiting is risky, how communication breakdowns derail good intentions, and what it actually looks like to start the process in a way that protects both the business and the family.
“You don’t just clock out of agriculture — it’s a lifestyle.”
This episode of Farming on Purpose features a meaningful, wide-ranging conversation with Olivia Harms — a sixth-generation rancher, country-western artist, and self-employed musician balancing life on the ranch with life on the road.
“You can’t raise a cow that only has steaks on it — it doesn’t exist.”
This episode of Farming on Purpose features a powerful, honest conversation with Nola and Mikaela Schultz, a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo building Schultz Country Market alongside their multi-generation family farm.
From navigating processing challenges and pricing realities to marketing meat, raising kids, and preserving family relationships, this episode pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build a direct-to-consumer business that supports both the farm and the family behind it.
