“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. 

“You can do anything you set your mind to. I say that all the time—and I say that as a working mom. There’s judgment, exhaustion, and chaos, but I’m building a legacy for my daughter. She doesn’t know any different—this is just life for her, and that’s what makes it worth it.” 
— Penny DuSablon 

Building a business is one thing. Building a marriage, a family, and a brand all at once is another. 
In this episode of Farming on Purpose, I sat down with Cole and Penny DuSablon of Springpoint Company in Newton, Illinois — a husband-and-wife team who have built a thriving feed store, western boutique, and trailer dealership from the ground up. 

“If cash is king, cash flow is queen.” 

This episode of Farming on Purpose dives into one of the least glamorous—but most critical—parts of running a farm or ranch: year-end financials. I sat down with Tressie Mitzner, economist with Kansas Farm Management, to talk about how producers can set themselves up for smoother tax seasons, stronger books, and more confident decisions year-round. 

Tressie’s story is one many producers can relate to—starting small, juggling family and work, and learning the business side the hard way. But through it all, she’s built a perspective that’s practical, encouraging, and full of hard-won wisdom. 

“I didn’t want to spend my short years on this earth doing things that were insignificant.”

There are few conversations that capture the tension, grit, and innovation happening in agriculture today as honestly as this one. I sat down with Andrew Miller of Tulip Valley Farms, and we went deep into what it means to build a farm business that can withstand modern pressures—urban development, regulatory battles, community perception, and the weight of keeping farmland in production.

“Imperfect planning is still better than no planning. If you don’t talk about it now, the people you love are going to be in a really hard spot.” 

Estate planning and transition planning tend to be the two conversations farm families avoid the most — and the two conversations that shape whether the next generation can continue the work at all. 

I sat down with Jessica Groskopf, a Nebraska Extension Economist, farm wife, and daughter-in-law in a fourth-generation operation, to talk about how families can approach these decisions with honesty, clarity, and courage. Jessica has worked with farm families for more than a decade and understands the emotional, legal, and financial layers behind passing an operation on. 

In this episode, Jessica breaks down the difference between estate planning and succession planning, how to get started when everything feels overwhelming, and what every family should gather before meeting with an attorney or advisor. Her insights are both practical and deeply human — especially as she shares her own family’s journey navigating a major buyout at age 32. 

Whether you’re the generation stepping back or the one stepping forward, this conversation is one every ag family needs to hear. 

 ”We're not six year olds anymore. We're not children anymore. We're adult children and we're trying to raise our families too and continue a legacy. So there has to be grace on both sides.” 

Building a relationship that can handle these conversations when they need to happen is important. I enjoyed talking with Paige Dulaney for this episode of Farming on Purpose and hearing how she is putting this into practice in conversations with her son, her father in law, and her own family in different ways.. 

” 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.

“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. 

A Note to Parents 

Dear listeners, 

Tonight's episode is something special - a departure from our usual conversations. As Christmas Eve approaches, I wanted to create something a little different.  

“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. 

“My life does revolve around farming but I also think we have good boundaries where I’m not resentful of that.”  

Growing up on a farm, Heather Nienhueser always knew she wanted to marry a farmer. While some people couldn't wait to leave farm life behind, she put "must be a farmer" at the top of her list of requirements for a future spouse. Today, she's living that dream as a farm wife and mom in South Central Nebraska, where she balances raising three kids, running multiple businesses from home, and renovating an 1890s farmhouse. 

 “The opportunity is out there, you’re just going to have to do a better job than trying to compete with Walmart on price and volume.” 

When I first met DL on TikTok, we were chatting about bottle calves. But as I got to know his story, I knew there was so much more to share. His journey from running a 400-head operation to starting over with just five borrowed calf hutches speaks to the heart of what farming is really about - family, resilience, and finding your own path to success. 

“And it's very important that you're thinking about what's best for the whole family and the whole ranch. Instead of just what's best for you or your individual family.” 

“And at the end of the day, the best thing you can do is, as long as you have good intentions, is to put some piece of your story out there because I promise you somebody will find a connection.” 

Every family farm has a story worth telling. When I sat down with Ashlynn Jones, a third-generation cattle woman from Southeast Iowa, we talked about something that hits close to home for many of us - how to share our farming story with the world. 

“If you trust the process, the process will reward you back.” 

As a sixth-generation cattle farmer in Southern Minnesota, Haley Ammann-Ekstrom knows a thing or two about juggling responsibilities. She farms alongside her husband and father, manages a cow-calf herd, and has recently ventured into selling beef directly to consumers. But what makes Haley's story truly inspiring is her passion for educating the younger generation about agriculture and her determination to keep her family's farming legacy alive.