“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. 

“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. 

“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. 

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. 

“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.” 

“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, Director of the Office of Farm and Ranch Transition at Kansas State University, to share her insights on the Farming on Purpose podcast. 

Growing up with family farms in Nebraska and Illinois, Ashlee understood the value of agriculture from a young age. Her passion for helping farm families led her to specialize in farm succession planning. Now, she's dedicated to assisting farmers and ranchers in Kansas with this crucial process. 

“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 our farm, I can't help but reflect on how far we've come. From our humble beginnings seven years ago with a few cows, goats, and chickens, we've grown into a thriving operation with crops, more livestock, and even a dairy cow (my pet project).