”We're trying to create awareness to critical issues in food production that are important to consumers.” 

Farming and ranching come with a lot of responsibility—and even more moving parts. Most of us are juggling land, livestock, weather, business, and family, all at once. It’s a lot to carry, and there’s no one-size-fits-all path through it. 

That’s why I appreciate conversations that invite reflection without judgment. Robby Sansom is someone whose story did just that. His perspective didn’t ask me to toss out what I know—it just gave me something new to think about. 

He’s the CEO and co-founder of Force of Nature, a regeneratively sourced meat company out of Austin, Texas. He’s also a dad, a husband, and someone who understands that real change doesn’t come from blame—it comes from deeply caring about the land, the animals, and the people who feed the world. 

From Big Business to Bison 

Robby didn’t start out in agriculture full-time. He was raised in the Hill Country of Texas and spent his early years outdoors—hunting, fishing, and running through the greenbelts near Austin. He went the traditional route: business degrees, big job titles, and all the “right” moves. But somewhere along the way, chasing promotions and paychecks didn’t feel right anymore. 

He made a big pivot—left the big corporate world and joined friends to build a meat-based snack company called Epic (yep, the protein bar people). That path eventually led him to co-found Force of Nature, where he works alongside producers to build a more regenerative food system. 

And he does it while raising bison, regeneratively, on his own ranch called ROAM. 

Why Regenerative Matters (and What It Actually Means) 

Let’s get one thing clear: regenerative ag isn’t just a trend or a fancy buzzword. It’s a response to what’s been lost over the years—our soil, our water, and our way of life. Robby didn’t sugarcoat it. The current food system isn’t just broken for consumers—it’s wearing producers down too. 

Regenerative ag is about mimicking nature, not fighting it. It means: 

• Keeping soil covered with plants  

• Letting animals move the way they would in nature  

• Using fewer chemicals and less tillage  

• Letting roots stay in the ground  

• Growing a wide variety of plants, not just one crop  

• Paying attention to your local context and conditions  

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about moving in the right direction. Improving soil health. Letting water soak in. Building up the land instead of stripping it down. 

And Robby made one point I can’t stop thinking about—healthy soil stores more water. Every 1% increase in soil carbon stores 20,000 more gallons of water per acre. That matters in a drought. That matters when storms hit. And it definitely matters when you’re trying to leave something better behind for your kids. 

But What About the Farmers Already Doing Everything They Can? 

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. It’s hard not to feel like folks talking about regenerative ag are pointing fingers at the rest of us. Like we’ve done something wrong. 

But here’s the truth: farmers and ranchers aren’t the bad guys. We’re victims of a system that rewards debt, drives land prices up, and pays us less every year. Robby sees that. He made it real clear—regenerative ag isn’t about blaming producers. It’s about offering another option when the current one just isn’t working anymore. 

Most farmers he knows didn’t jump into regenerative because it was trendy. They tried it because they were desperate. Because their old way wasn’t working. Because they couldn’t afford another year scraping by. 

How Do You Start If You’re Barely Hanging On? 

Robby offered some solid advice here: start slow. This isn’t an all-or-nothing deal. You don’t have to flip the whole farm overnight. You can start with a mindset shift, and one small change at a time. Cover your soil more. Cut back on inputs just a bit. Let your cattle stay in one spot a little less time. 

And there’s help out there: 

• Noble Research Institute  

• Understanding Ag  

• Savory Institute  

• Rodale Institute  

• Local groups or even nearby producers walking the same road  

You don’t have to figure it out alone. And you don’t have to spend a fortune. A lot of resources are free or low-cost. But the key is connecting with people who’ve done it—people who understand your region, your weather, and your crops or livestock. 

What About the Money? 

Let’s be real. We measure a lot by the bank account. And if you’re already stretching every dollar, the idea of a 7-year transition might feel impossible. 

Robby gets that. And he’s not promising a get-rich-quick plan. But he does say there’s hope. A regenerative system might not double your profit right away. But it can reduce input costs. Improve yield over time. And create more revenue streams—especially when you grow more diverse crops or sell direct to consumers. 

One thing that really stuck with me was how much damage comes from chasing higher yields while our soil gets worse and our debt goes up. Regenerative ag isn’t a miracle, but it can help stop the bleeding. 

Reaching Consumers (Without Losing Your Mind) 

Force of Nature works hard to educate consumers—not just sell to them. And they do a great job of telling the full story, from land to plate. But Robby was honest: a lot of consumers still don’t know what “regenerative” means. They just want food that’s good for their families, good for animals, and not full of chemicals. 

As producers, that’s our opening. We don’t have to teach them soil science. We just have to tell our story. Share the values behind what we do. Let them see that the same care we put into feeding our families is the care we’re putting into feeding theirs. 

And for those of us who don’t want to manage a website or ship orders every week? There are companies out there—like Force of Nature—who want to partner with us and help get that story and product to people who care. 

You’re Not Alone 

Whether you’re trying to figure out your next move on the farm, struggling to find your place in the food system, or just wanting a better way to raise your kids and run your business—you’re not alone. 

This journey isn’t about doing everything perfect. It’s about doing what’s right for you, your land, and your legacy. 

There’s no single right answer. But there is a better future, and it’s one we can build together—one choice, one season, and one connection at a time. 

To connect with Robby or learn more about Force of Nature, check out their website, Instagram, and Twitter.  

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About the Host of Farming On Purpose, Lexi Wright: 

I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture. 

I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  

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 ” Every little boy wants to be a cowboy when he grows up and so I think that's kind of kinda where it started.” 

I’ve met a lot of folks in agriculture over the years. Some inherited the family operation. Others married into it. But every once in a while, I talk with someone who’s building it all from scratch. That’s what today’s conversation is about: grit, goats, and growing a ranch when no one hands you the reins. 

Zak Copeland is a first-generation rancher running cattle and a goat grazing business out in Idaho. And I’ve got to tell you—his story hit home for me. 

” Just having the confidence and the know-how that, like if something were to happen like 2020 did we'd be good for a while. And I want other people to feel that way too.”  

Back in 2020, my guest Emmaline Newton had no idea that a couple of ducks and a handful of chickens would spark a whole new way of life. Fast forward a few years, and her family has turned three wooded acres into a thriving homestead, raising their own meat, growing a big garden, and teaching their kids the value of hard work. 

 ” No matter what, if you don't care for your animal, no matter what size of farm, if you don't care for it, it's not gonna produce milk. And if they don't produce milk, then we're out of a job.”  

Farming is in your blood. That early morning routine, the smell of silage, the way the cows know you by your boots. It's not something you do—it's something you live. And if you're raising kids at the same time, you know the line between "work" and "life" is pretty much nonexistent. 

 ”I feel like it's my chance to tell my story because if I don't tell it, Netflix and Amazon and somebody else is gonna tell it for me. So it's my chance to tell the truth about how we do things here.”  

Farming is more than a job—it’s a way of life. It’s early mornings, late nights, and everything in between. It’s raising kids in the middle of it all, teaching them lessons in hard work, responsibility, and the beauty of growing something from the ground up. 

”  That's why I always say things don't happen to you. They happen for you.” 

Growing up in a farm family teaches you a lot—about hard work, responsibility, and what it means to build something that lasts. But it also shows you the struggles that can come with it—conflict, long hours, and the pressure to keep the family legacy alive. 

 ” You have to bring value back to the family operation if you want it to be sustainable for future generations.” 

There’s something about growing up on a farm that pulls you back, even when you think you’ll never return. Maybe it’s the land, the family history, or just the way life feels simpler when you’re working with your hands. But for a lot of people, moving back home isn’t as easy as just packing up and showing up. The farm has to be able to support another family, and that’s where creativity, resilience, and a little business sense come in. 

That’s exactly what Lettie Nickell did when she found her way back to her family’s operation in Southwest Kansas. She didn’t just come home—she built something of her own to make it work.

 ” So what we're doing is just teaching farmers, ranchers, anybody really, how to utilize money correctly so that we can make the bank plan B instead of plan A.” 

The reality of farming today is that it takes more than grit and hard work to keep an operation going. The numbers matter. The way we handle money matters. And, unfortunately, a lot of farmers and ranchers find themselves navigating uncertain financial waters when the banking system shifts. 

“I get to pass on a legacy of skills, just like my parents did for me, and just like their their family that taught them and I get to take it on to the next generation and I hope at the very least they'll teach their next generation.” 

Janelle Anderson grew up in rural Wisconsin, where her family raised animals as much for necessity as for the love of the lifestyle. Life was practical—they ate what they grew, and the lessons learned in the fields and barn stuck with her. But she never imagined how deeply those roots would shape her journey as an adult. 

“ I sometimes pinch myself. It's hard. Ranching isn't easy. It's not easy and I don't want to give that impression, but to get to do what you love so much and are so passionate about it…” 

On this episode of Farming on Purpose, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Laura Hicks, a remarkable rancher who, alongside her husband Mike, built their operation from scratch starting at just 19 years old. Their story is one of grit, faith, and family working together to create something lasting. 

“I think the most important thing is focusing on what our priorities are, because those priorities give us a purpose even when goals become unattainable or the course shifts or something happens in life that changes our trajectory. If we know what our priorities are.  We can choose to focus on those every single day.” 

“Some years you're going to make more money than other years and I think as long as you  don't outpace your budget, then you'll end up being just fine.” 

Starting to farm isn't easy, especially when you're juggling a full-time job. But for Brenna Beard, a beginning farmer from central Indiana, the pull of continuing her family's 200-year farming legacy was too strong to ignore. 

“Teaching classes and being able to plant the seed itself for other people to get excited for things that have been lost in our generation has also just been something that has brought  tons of happiness and joy.”  

City girl turned farmer Jessica Lewis shares how she built Back to Roots Farm in Thomasville, Georgia, starting with bottle baby goats and growing into a thriving business teaching homesteading skills. With her seven-year-old daughter already sharing her passion for farming, Jessica shows how starting small and being willing to pivot when markets change can lead to success in agriculture, even without prior experience. 

 “This is what I describe simple living as, it’s figuring out what you want to focus on and doing more of that while figuring out what you want to focus less on or there’s a distraction and eliminating those things.” 

Creating a life that aligns with your values is important. That's why I was thrilled to chat with Ryan Mitchell on the Farming on Purpose podcast. Ryan's journey from city living to homesteading offers valuable insights for anyone dreaming of a simpler, more fulfilling life on the land. 

“What is so understood to you is not understood to the average person. And I know that sounds really silly as especially multiple generations. Like it's just. It's so ingrained in everything, that outside perspective, like you're missing it. And that's one of the things that I will say as coming in from a total outside perspective, what I didn't know, I realized somebody else didn't know too. So I had to figure out how to communicate it.” 

“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-generation farm in Idaho, growing alfalfa and raising Scottish Highlander cattle.

In this week’s episode of the Farming on Purpose podcast, Derek shared his inspiring journey of becoming a self-made farmer while balancing family life and a full-time job.

“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 and ranchers, we're no strangers to hard work. But these days, many of us are finding ourselves working even harder - both on and off the farm. Let's talk about this growing trend and what it means for our families and our futures in agriculture.

“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 with their knowledge and working dogs. Border Collies are utilized on the farm to help corral and drive the sheep and they are trained on the farm as well. Harry talks about finding your market and being transparent to teach and connect with others. Listen in as we dive into some of the aspects of being a sheep farmer and training dogs to being transparent in your operation.

“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 Butchering 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 things Joseph learned along the way. Joseph touches on a very important topic in agriculture, mental help, and shares some tools that help maintain his mental health. Listen in as we delve into a variety of topics from first generation farming, butchering and farmer burnout.

“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 to try them?’”

Join us in this inspiring episode of Farming on Purpose and get up and close with Shohni Christensen, a newcomer to the agriculture industry with a great story behind their lifestyle switch. Taking us through her fascinating journey of getting into ag with a few animals for her children getting into 4-H to raising livestock and selling the meat locally and on their website. Shohni also shares about canning and educating others on food storage. Listen in as we delve into the world marketing in agriculture and Shohni is candid about some of her struggles marketing for a small farm.