Episode Category: Independence & Ownership

“You don’t have to be on one end of the spectrum or the other. It’s okay to find the middle ground.” 

This episode of Farming on Purpose features a conversation with Ali Lightfoot of Lightfoot Farmstead in Tennessee. Ali is a high school math teacher, first-generation farmer, mother, educator, and co-owner of a growing direct-to-consumer farm business alongside her husband, Wesley. 

What started as a simple desire to feed their own family has steadily grown into a thriving operation producing beef, pork, chicken, eggs, jams, jellies, and more — all while balancing full-time jobs, raising children, and building a business largely during evenings and weekends. 

But what makes their story especially unique isn’t just the scale they’ve achieved. It’s how they’ve done it: through consistency, creativity, education, and a willingness to meet customers where they are. 

And yes — through a bright blue converted school bus turned mobile farm store. 

“We have to evolve to keep what we have.” 

This episode of Farming on Purpose features a conversation with Hannah and Ashley Rainville, two sisters from a multi-generational dairy farm in northern Vermont who are walking through one of the hardest transitions a farm family can face. 

Their story doesn’t begin with a plan to leave dairy. It begins with pressure—slow at first, then all at once. Rising costs, stagnant milk prices, aging equipment, and a system that no longer supports the kind of farm they were raised on eventually forced a question they couldn’t ignore anymore: what does the future actually look like from here? 

“Convenience replaced skill, and we stopped noticing what we lost.” 

This episode of Farming on Purpose features a conversation with Kody Hanner, founder of The Homestead Education and a lifelong advocate for reconnecting families with food, health, and practical life skills. 

Kody’s story didn’t begin with a business plan or a content strategy. It began with a crisis. 

“Policies built for emergencies rarely stay temporary.” 

This solo episode of Farming on Purpose continues the conversation about resource allocation in agriculture, but shifts the lens toward something deeper. Instead of only asking how farmers allocate resources today, this episode asks a more foundational question: who shaped the choices we have available in the first place? 

American agriculture didn’t arrive at its current structure by accident. Over the last century, it has been shaped by crises, policy decisions, infrastructure investments, and attempts to protect producers from catastrophic risk. Many of those decisions were made during moments of genuine emergency — moments when the stability of the entire food system felt uncertain. 

This episode explores how policies designed to stabilize agriculture during the Great Depression gradually became the framework that guides modern agricultural production. It also examines how those policies influenced which crops dominate the landscape, how infrastructure developed across rural America, and why certain production decisions now feel almost inevitable. 

Understanding that history helps reveal an important tension in agriculture today: the balance between stability and flexibility. 

“People really want the agricultural life. They want to learn how to do it right—they just need someone willing to show them.” 

This episode of Farming on Purpose features a conversation with Frank Baggiolini, asset manager and content creator for Outlaw Ranch Care, a company dedicated to helping new rural landowners learn how to manage their property, livestock, and equipment. 

“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. 

“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. 

Finding your place in agriculture isn’t always simple—or straightforward. In this special mashup episode of Farming on Purpose, we’ve pulled together stories from past guests who share how they discovered (and sometimes redefined) their role on the farm or ranch. From balancing family dynamics and business decisions, to stepping into unexpected responsibilities, to building side ventures that make staying on the land possible—these voices remind us there’s no one-size-fits-all job description in ag. Their journeys show the heart, grit, and creativity it takes to carve out a role that fits both your skills and your dreams. 

Starting a farm from the ground up isn’t easy—but it’s possible. In this episode, I pulled together stories from beginning farmers who are doing just that. Some bought back family ground. Others started with just a few acres, raising food for their own families and learning as they went. A few had help, and many didn’t. But every single one had to work through doubts, learn from failure, and find their own way forward. These are the stories of grit, family, long days, and the kind of deep belief it takes to build something that lasts. Whether you’re dreaming of your first 10 acres or trying to prove yourself in a family operation, I hope this episode reminds you—you’re not alone, and your story is worth building. 

” A topic we talk about on the podcast or have talked about several times is the stories that we tell ourselves and how much they matter and shape our daily lives.” 

This summer, we’re shifting gears. No new guest interviews for a while. No solo deep dives. Instead, I’m pulling together the best insights from past episodes—nuggets of wisdom from the people who’ve shared their stories with us—to give you something meaningful to chew on while you’re feeding cows or folding laundry. 

 ”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.. 

 ”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. 

“  I think the biggest thing is just starting that conversation and thinking about it and like coming up with a plan that works for you and your family, and that's gonna look different for everybody based on how old your kids are, how much you trust your kids.” 

On today’s episode of the Farming on Purpose Podcast, I had the chance to talk with someone who’s seen both sides of the farm accident conversation—Katie Hammock. She’s not just a dairy farmer’s wife and mom of a toddler, she’s also an ER nurse at a level one trauma center in Virginia, where she sees agricultural injuries more often than any of us would like to imagine. 

 ” 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.

 ”The story that we believe is vastly more impactful than facts.”   

There’s something about this time of year—the almost-spring season—that gets me excited. The cold days are numbered, the days are getting longer, and plans for the farm and family are starting to take shape. 

Between raising kids, running a business, and keeping things moving on the farm, life is full. And honestly? It’s a little chaotic. But in the best way. 

So, in the spirit of making life a little more fun and slowing down to enjoy the moments, I thought I’d do a top ten list of what’s on my mind right now. Consider this a peek into real life on the farm—what’s working, what’s not, and what’s making life a little sweeter.