I was sitting on a podcast recently, walking someone through the history of Farm4Profit, and something clicked for me mid-sentence. I hadn’t planned to say it. I hadn’t really thought about it before that moment. But as I traced the timeline out loud, the pattern became impossible to ignore.

Every single time this thing grew—every meaningful leap, every moment the audience expanded, every time the show became something bigger than the week before—it happened when we stopped thinking about ourselves.

Every. Single. Time.

It Started With a Conference I Built for Myself

Let me be honest about how Farm4Profit really started. In 2014, I was an agricultural banker in central Iowa, newly married into a farming family, and I wanted to grow my loan portfolio. That’s it. That was the whole plan. I created the Ames Ag Summit as a way to get in front of farmers, position myself as a resource, and build relationships that would eventually turn into banking business.

It worked, in the narrow way I intended it to. The conference grew from a small room to over 400 attendees by year four. But if I’m being straight with you, the whole thing was about me building my career. The farmers in those seats were a means to an end.

I’m not proud of that framing, but it’s the truth. And I think it’s important to say it because of what came next.

The Derecho Changed Everything

In August of 2020, a derecho tore through Iowa. If you don’t know what that is, imagine a straight-line windstorm forty miles wide and one hundred eighty miles long, just moving across the landscape and taking everything with it. Crops, bins, barns, livelihoods. Farmers who had done everything right were suddenly facing losses they couldn’t calculate.

We were just a few months into recording the Farm4Profit podcast at that point. Corey Hillebo had recently joined as co-host. And without a lot of discussion, we just—reacted. We did a series of emergency shows. We brought on pastors. Mental health experts. Crop insurance adjusters. Property and casualty people. Agronomists who could talk through short-term grain storage and bagging options. We didn’t do it because we had a content strategy. We did it because farmers were hurting and they were asking us for help.

That’s when the mindset shifted. I remember saying it out loud later: it was no longer about me trying to look like the best banker in the area. It was, “what do farmers need right now?”

The show took off. Not because we were clever. Because we stopped performing and started serving.

Then Came the Swag Auction

The following spring, we saw a TikTok meetup happen around the Travis Burkhart Foundation—an organization built on the idea of helping farmers when insurance runs out. We weren’t there. We had major FOMO watching it from a distance. We loved what they were doing and loved Travis’s story. So we decided to do our own version.

I called it a swag auction. The idea was simple: ag content creators were all starting to build their own brand merchandise, and everybody needs clothes on the farm anyway. What if we pooled that merchandise, put it up for auction, and raised money for the foundation? Laura Farms, Larson Farms, and others donated their swag. Then things started to escalate. Cody Gayer donated a land plane. We started getting larger-ticket items we never expected. Whiskey, bourbon, a vehicle.

We raised over $41,000 for the Travis Burkhart Foundation.

And the Farm Talk community showed up in a way I still think about. That event became another growth moment for Farm4Profit—not because we promoted ourselves, but because we were trying to do something for someone else.

Spring Tornadoes, and What the Platform Had Become

Fast forward to the spring of 2024. Tornadoes tore through Iowa and Nebraska, and the devastation hit farm country hard. By then, Farm4Profit was a different organization than it had been in 2020—more team members, a larger audience, deeper sponsor relationships. And we used all of it.

Corey was in the middle of his campaign to become John Deere’s Chief Tractor Officer, and we channeled that momentum into a fundraiser for Go Serve Global, an organization that provides disaster relief both domestically and internationally. Sukup Manufacturing pledged a $25,000 matching donation. The Sukup Family Foundation came in with another $10,000. Maya America, GFY.AG, Boa Safra, and countless others answered the call.

We didn’t just meet our $50,000 goal. We exceeded it.

I look at that and I think: this is what the platform was always supposed to become. Not a vehicle for me to look good, or even to build a brand. Something that could mobilize real resources for real people when they needed it most.

The Thing I Keep Coming Back To

I’m not sharing all of this to say we’re special. I’m sharing it because I think there’s something in it that applies beyond podcasting or agriculture.

When I started, I was worried about my loan portfolio. My conference. My brand. My numbers. And the whole thing was fine—but just fine. It wasn’t until we responded to a storm, hosted an auction for a foundation we admired, and mobilized our community for tornado relief that things became something I’m genuinely proud of.

The growth followed the service. Every time. Not the other way around.

I don’t think that’s by accident. I think it’s just how it works—in farming, in media, in business, in life. As soon as you genuinely stop asking “what do I get out of this?” and start asking “what does someone else need right now?” things start to move.

I wish I’d understood that back in 2014. But I’m glad I figured it out somewhere along the way.

— Tanner Winterhof

Co-Host, Farm4Profit

Influencer marketing has transformed nearly every industry—but agriculture presents a unique challenge. Farmers are practical people. They can spot inauthenticity from a mile away, and they talk to each other. A bad partnership doesn’t just fall flat; it can damage a brand’s reputation across an entire community overnight.

At Farm4Profit, we’ve built relationships with brands ranging from local equipment dealers to John Deere. Along the way, we’ve learned what works—and watched plenty of companies get it wrong. For brands looking to connect with agricultural audiences through creator partnerships, there are some hard-earned lessons worth sharing.

You Can’t Fake It at Scale

Here’s the reality of producing 104 shows a year: if this were a persona or a personality we were putting on, it would be exhausting. You simply cannot maintain a fake version of yourself across that volume of content. The audience would see through it, and more importantly, you’d burn out trying to keep up the act.

This is why authenticity isn’t just a marketing buzzword in ag media—it’s a survival mechanism. The creators who last are the ones who genuinely care about the topics they cover and the people they serve. When you live your life online, you can’t hide. What you see is what you get, and agricultural audiences respect that.

For brands, this means the first question shouldn’t be “who has the biggest following?” It should be “who actually believes in what we’re doing?” A creator with a smaller but genuinely engaged audience who authentically uses your product will outperform a larger creator doing a transactional read every time.

Start the Relationship Before the Transaction

When we were building Farm4Profit, we used an approach that might sound backwards: we ran ads for companies before they were even sponsors. We picked companies we wanted to work with and started advertising for them without them knowing it. Then we’d reach out and say, “Hey, just so you know, 900 people heard your name on Monday. If this is something you’re interested in, let’s talk.”

It was the same approach I used in my banking career. I called it “Banker on the Bench”—my job was to know who you are and how your business operates, even if there’s no fit today. That way, when the opportunity comes, I’m already on your radar as someone who understands your world.

For brands considering creator partnerships, this principle works in reverse too. Don’t wait until you have a campaign to build relationships with creators. Engage with their content. Show up at the events they attend. Understand their audience before you pitch them. The best partnerships grow from genuine relationships, not cold outreach with a media kit.

The Path to Major Sponsors Has Gatekeepers

You don’t start with John Deere. That’s the reality. There are gatekeepers before you get to the biggest names in agriculture, and we had to figure that out the hard way. Landing a sponsor like Deere—one that supports every episode of your podcast—takes years of consistent work and relationship building.

Brands should understand this dynamic from the creator’s perspective. The creators who have earned partnerships with major agricultural companies didn’t get there overnight. They built credibility through hundreds of episodes, thousands of interactions, and a track record of delivering value to their audience. That history is what makes them valuable partners—and it’s why they’re selective about who they work with.

The flip side is also true: creators who jump at every sponsorship opportunity, regardless of fit, often never make it to the major partnerships. Audiences notice when every other episode is a different brand plug. The scarcity and selectivity is part of what makes authentic endorsements valuable.

Sponsorships Aren’t Always What They Appear

I tell everyone who looks up to content creators with big-name sponsors: sponsorships aren’t always what they appear. We landed Busch Light as a sponsor on the podcast—huge name recognition, right? They didn’t pay us a dollar. But the association was valuable for both sides in ways that went beyond a check.

This is something brands often misunderstand. The most effective partnerships aren’t purely transactional. They’re built on mutual benefit that goes beyond media impressions. Maybe a creator gets credibility from association with your brand. Maybe you get access to their community in ways that traditional advertising can’t buy. The best partnerships find value on both sides of the equation, even when the dollars don’t tell the whole story.

Think Community, Not Just Reach

At the 2024 Farm Progress Show, our after-party brought together over 350 partners, fans, and influencers—people with a combined following of over 100 million across social media platforms. But the real value wasn’t in the follower counts. It was watching people who had only known each other through comments and DMs finally meet face to face. They’d built relationships independent of us, and we just provided the space for those connections to deepen.

For brands, this is the difference between buying impressions and investing in community. When you partner with creators who have genuine communities—not just audiences—you’re getting access to trust networks that took years to build. Those communities talk to each other. They recommend products to each other. That word-of-mouth is worth more than any CPM calculation.

The Connector Model

I don’t think of myself as an influencer in the traditional sense. I’m more of a connector—someone who brings together ideas, people, and expertise. I’m no expert on any single product. What I have is the ability to develop relationships across a lot of different fields and create a whole picture that provides perspective.

This connector role is actually what makes creator partnerships valuable for brands. We’re not just a channel to push messages through. We’re a bridge between companies and the communities that trust us. The brands that understand this—that treat creators as partners in reaching their audience rather than just media buys—are the ones that see real results.

The future of influencer marketing in agriculture isn’t about finding people with the biggest megaphones. It’s about finding authentic connectors who have earned the trust of their communities through years of consistent, genuine engagement. For brands willing to invest in those relationships—not just rent them for a campaign—the returns can be substantial.

Tanner Winterhof is CEO of Farm4Profit Media and co-host of the Farm4Profit podcast, which has amassed over 3.5 million episode downloads and 400,000+ followers across platforms. The show combines education and entertainment to help farmers achieve higher levels of profitability. Learn more at farm4profit.com.

Only 30% of farms transition successfully to the second generation. That statistic should keep every farm family up at night. After years of early mornings, late harvests, and weathering every storm the market throws at you, the idea that your operation has a seven-in-ten chance of not making it to your children’s hands is sobering.

But here’s what I’ve learned after hosting hundreds of conversations on Farm4Profit with succession planning experts, transition specialists, and farm families who’ve been through it: the farms that fail don’t fail because of taxes or land valuations. They fail because of conversations that never happened.

Succession planning isn’t about paperwork. It’s about family, legacy, and identity.

Start with the Family, Not the Forms

One of our most impactful guests on Farm4Profit has been Elaine Froese, a farm family transition expert who’s spent decades helping operations navigate this process. Her core message is simple but powerful: start with the family, not the forms. Create safety for tough talks.

What does that mean in practice? It means normalizing the fear of “losing control” that founders feel—and naming it early. Founders aren’t just worried about money. They fear being pushed off the farm. They fear loss of identity. They fear irrelevance. Until you acknowledge those fears out loud, no amount of legal documents will move the needle.

Froese recommends using structured conversations with an agenda, time limits, and turn-taking rules. It sounds formal, but that’s the point. Process beats personality. When emotions run high—and they will—having a framework keeps everyone focused on solutions instead of old grievances.

The Principles That Actually Work

After distilling insights from dozens of episodes on succession planning, I’ve identified eight principles that separate successful transitions from failed ones.

People over paperwork. Safety, values, and rules for talking come first. Get the human dynamics right before you call the attorney.

Process beats personality. Meeting charters, agendas, and decision rules reduce conflict. Don’t rely on everyone “just getting along.”

Decisions transfer before equity. Confidence builds with staged delegation. Let the next generation prove themselves with responsibility before ownership changes hands.

Governance accelerates growth. Advisory boards and KPIs improve clarity and reduce drama. Treat your farm like the business it is.

Write it down. Visible goals and playbooks align behavior. What’s understood isn’t always what’s agreed upon until it’s documented.

Include the whole family. In-laws and off-farm heirs need a voice and respect. Excluding them creates resentment that surfaces at the worst possible times.

Timeline and milestones. Treat transition as a project with stages, not a single event. Most successful transitions take five to ten years.

Scenario planning. Test retirement and farm access under various market futures. What happens if commodity prices crash? What if a key family member wants out?

The Pitfalls That Sink Farm Families

Knowing what works is only half the equation. You also need to recognize the traps that catch well-meaning families.

The most common pitfall is avoiding the conversation until it’s too late. Health crises, unexpected deaths, and market downturns don’t wait for convenient timing. By the time you’re forced into the conversation, your options have narrowed dramatically.

Second is letting fear of losing control stall progress. I understand this one personally. When you’ve built something with your own hands for forty years, handing over the keys feels like handing over your identity. But control held too tightly becomes a stranglehold on the farm’s future.

Third is confusing fairness with equality. Equal division sounds fair, but it often isn’t. The child who’s worked the farm for twenty years has different standing than the sibling who pursued a career in the city. Fair means proportional to contribution and commitment, not identical slices of the pie.

Finally, too many founders assume the next generation “just knows” what’s happening. They don’t. Communicate explicitly, repeatedly, and in writing.

One Size Fits None

Every farm transition is unique. What works for a 500-acre row crop operation won’t work for a diversified livestock and grain farm. What works for a family with three engaged children won’t work for a family where the only interested heir is a grandchild still in high school.

Design for your family’s values, cash flow, and goals. Stress-test your financing and retirement needs under multiple scenarios. And document the “why” behind your choices—not just for legal purposes, but to preserve relationships when questions arise years down the road.

Build an advisory circle that includes your CPA, attorney, banker, and ideally a facilitator who can navigate family dynamics. Meet with them annually, not just when there’s a crisis.

Your Challenge

Here’s my challenge to you: take one action this month. Schedule a family meeting. Write down your goals. Talk to an advisor. Something. Anything that moves the conversation forward.

Think beyond acres and assets. Focus on people, purpose, and peace.

Don’t just run your farm the way your grandpa or dad did. Treat it like a business to ensure it thrives for future generations. Because if you aren’t farming for the future, you won’t be farming for long.

When I kicked off the first Ames Ag Summit back in 2014, I had one goal: build my loan portfolio. As a banker new to central Iowa, I needed to establish myself, and hosting a conference seemed like a smart way to position myself as someone who knew the right experts.

Looking back, it’s almost embarrassing how self-serving it was. I wanted farmers to see me on stage with agronomists, accountants, and land specialists—basically anyone who could make me look credible. The first event drew maybe 35-45 people in a small hotel room. By year four, we had over 400 attendees.

But here’s what I didn’t expect: the conference would eventually become something much bigger than my banking career.

The Pivot to Podcasting

By 2019, the conference had grown to the point where it needed to become a two-day event. That meant coordinating hotels, venues, and a massive logistical undertaking. I was already listening to podcasts constantly—history shows, mostly—and it hit me: why not take these experts off the stage and interview them on a podcast instead?

In July 2019, Dave Whitaker (an auctioneer who’d been one of my first conference presenters) and I launched Farm4Profit. We recorded in his spare bedroom with blankets hung on the walls for sound dampening. We released episodes every other week, interviewing experts about profitability, land values, and business management.

The podcast was fine. But it wasn’t growing the way we’d hoped.

The Feedback That Changed Everything

Then came March 2020, and Corey Hillebo—a farmer who’d attended that very first conference in 2014—agreed to come on as a guest to discuss social media’s impact on farming. After we finished recording, Corey didn’t hold back.

“Your content’s good,” he said, “but your delivery sucks. You guys are trying to give lectures through your car radio.”

He was right. We were still in that banker/expert mode, delivering information rather than having conversations. Corey suggested we grab some beers and just talk—no outline, no script. We called it Farm4Fun, and it would alternate weeks with our Farm4Profit episodes.

Almost immediately, our audience doubled week after week. We went from 100 downloads to 200, then 400, then 800.

When It Stopped Being About Me

The real turning point came in August 2020, during the derecho that devastated Iowa. That 140-mile-wide storm destroyed crops, buildings, and livelihoods. We pivoted immediately, bringing on pastors, mental health experts, crop insurance adjusters, and grain storage specialists—anyone who could help farmers navigate the crisis.

That’s when I realized something fundamental had shifted: this was no longer about positioning myself as a banker. It was about serving the agricultural community.

We started listening to what farmers actually needed. They’d text us questions or reach out on social media asking us to explain complex topics. Our guest list grew into the hundreds. By July 2021, we made another jump—two shows a week, every week.

The Bigger the Audience, the Bigger the Responsibility

One of our most successful growth moments came from feeling like we’d failed. In 2021, the Travis Burkhart Foundation held a meetup in Indiana that we couldn’t attend. We had serious FOMO watching all the FarmTok community gather for such a great cause—the foundation helps farmers when insurance stops.

So we decided to host our own fundraiser. We organized an online auction, asking content creators to donate their merch and swag. Then the donations got bigger—someone gave us a vehicle, Cody Gayer donated a land plane. We ended up raising over $41,000 for the Travis Burkhart Foundation.

Every time we’ve experienced significant growth, I’ve realized in hindsight, it was because we were focusing on someone else. Not us, not our brand—but genuinely trying to help others.

The Lesson I Didn’t Know I Needed

When I entered banking, I wanted stable paychecks. I’d grown up on a farrow-to-finish hog farm in northwest Iowa and watched my parents navigate the ups and downs of commodity prices. I wanted predictability.

But here’s the irony: I left banking in September 2023 to run Farm4Profit Media full-time. I gave up that steady paycheck for something far less predictable but infinitely more rewarding.

We now have a team of 10—writers, video editors, audio editors, photographers, and social media experts. We’ve built a studio in Slater that other podcasters rent for their own shows (including a dog rescue podcast, where I occasionally get to correct misconceptions about agriculture). We produce over 400 episodes with more than 2 million downloads.

And the mission? It’s still the same one we started with in 2014: help farmers achieve higher levels of profitability and run their farms more like businesses. We’ve just gotten a lot better at doing it in an entertaining way.

What Actually Matters

If there’s one thing I’ve learned through this entire journey, it’s this: you can’t fake caring about people. We do 104 shows a year, plus all the episodes that don’t make it to air. If this were just a persona, it would be exhausting.

The podcast succeeded because we stopped trying to be the experts and started becoming connectors—bridges between farmers and the people who could actually help them. My role isn’t to have all the answers; it’s to find the people who do and share them with our audience.

I think back to that first conference in 2014, where I was desperately trying to build my loan portfolio, and I’m grateful for how wrong I was about what really matters. It was never about the loans or positioning myself as an expert.

It was always about the community. It just took me a while to figure that out.

We’re only as good as our audience. And our audience deserves better than lectures through their car radio—they deserve conversations that matter.

Another Farm Progress Show is in the books, and I’m still processing everything from our time in Decatur. If you’ve been following Farm4Profit for a while, you know I’ve been to my share of trade shows—first as a banker trying to build relationships, then as a podcast host trying to capture the pulse of agriculture. But this year’s show reminded me why these live events remain so crucial, even in our digital-everything world.

The Innovation That Actually Caught My Attention

Walking the grounds this year, I couldn’t help but think about how much the technology landscape has shifted since I started attending these shows. The Weed Zapper from Old School Manufacturing was drawing crowds all week, and for good reason. Here’s a machine that uses electricity to zap weeds instead of relying on herbicides. As someone who spent years analyzing farm loan applications, I immediately started running the numbers in my head: What’s the cost per acre? How does this pencil out against herbicide programs? What happens when you factor in labor savings and the growing problem of herbicide resistance?

That’s the banker in me talking, but it’s also the practical farmer mindset that I think gets lost sometimes in all the trade show excitement. Yes, the technology is cool. But does it make financial sense for the farmers I talk to every week?

The White Big Bud tractor from Welker Farms paired with Demco’s Big Buddy 1300 cart was impossible to miss. That setup drew photographers like moths to a flame, and I get it—the sheer scale is impressive. But beyond the spectacle, it represents something important about where farming is heading. The efficiency gains from equipment like this aren’t just about looking impressive at trade shows; they’re about the economic realities facing farms that need to cover more ground with fewer people.

Then there was the Raptor drone, showcasing how aerial technology is moving beyond simple field mapping to handling serious agricultural workloads. I’ve watched drone technology evolve from expensive toys to legitimate farm tools, and seeing this level of capability in one machine shows we’re still in the early innings of this revolution.

The Conversations That Made the Trip Worth It

But here’s what I really want to talk about: the people. The equipment is what gets the headlines, but the conversations are what actually move our industry forward.

Sitting down with Zach Johnson—the Millennial Farmer—is always a highlight. The guy has this ability to make complex farming operations relatable to millions of people, and every time we talk, I learn something new about content creation and community building. Matt and Kelly Griggs brought that Tennessee perspective that reminds you how diverse American agriculture really is. And Farmer King... well, if you know, you know.

Here’s where it gets interesting: we also sat down with IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood. Now, you might wonder what a race car driver has to do with agriculture, but that conversation blew me away. The parallels between high-performance racing and modern farming—precision, technology integration, split-second decision making, equipment optimization—are more similar than you’d think. It’s exactly the kind of cross-pollination of ideas that only happens at live events.

Lee Klancher brought the author’s perspective on agricultural storytelling, and Ryan from Rak’d Audio gave us insights into the technical side of content creation that most people never think about. Each of these conversations will generate content and ideas for months to come.

Why Face-to-Face Still Matters

There’s something about meeting listeners in person that transforms the relationship entirely. When someone comes up to you and says, “Hey, I listen to your show every week,” that’s one thing. But when they start sharing their story—their challenges, their innovations, their family farm’s journey—that’s when you realize the real impact of what we’re doing.

These aren’t just downloads or social media followers. They’re real people making real decisions about their operations, and somehow our conversations are part of that process. That responsibility isn’t lost on me.

I watched our team connect with farmers from across the country, each bringing unique perspectives and challenges. A corn farmer from Nebraska has different concerns than a cotton producer from Georgia, but they’re all trying to solve the same fundamental puzzle: how to run a profitable operation in an increasingly complex world.

What This Show Revealed About Agriculture’s Direction

Looking at the totality of Farm Progress 2025—the innovations, the conversations, the community—I see an industry that’s more sophisticated and interconnected than ever before. The restored John Deere 4555 and 8400 tractors in the John Deere booth weren’t just nostalgia pieces; they were reminders of how far we’ve come.

But they also highlighted something important: the fundamentals of farming haven’t changed. You still need to manage risk, optimize efficiency, and make smart financial decisions. The tools are getting more sophisticated, but the core business principles remain the same.

That’s why I believe content creators like our team play such a crucial role. We’re not here to promote the latest and greatest technology for its own sake. We’re here to help farmers think through these decisions with clear heads and business-focused perspectives.

The Weed Zapper might be innovative, but is it right for your operation? The Big Bud setup might be impressive, but does it make sense for your scale? These are the questions that matter long after the trade show excitement wears off.

Looking Ahead

As I reflect on Farm Progress 2025, I’m optimistic about agriculture’s future. The innovation is real, the community is strong, and the conversations are getting more sophisticated every year. But I’m also reminded that technology alone doesn’t drive progress—people do.

The relationships built at events like this, the knowledge shared in casual conversations, the trust developed through face-to-face interactions—these are what actually move our industry forward. All the digital reach in the world can’t replace the power of looking someone in the eye and having an honest conversation about what’s working and what isn’t.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello, shared their stories, and reminded us why this work matters. Farm Progress 2025 is done, but the conversations it sparked will continue for months to come.

See you at the next one.

Last month, I had a conversation with a marketing director who was frustrated. His company had spent $50,000 on influencer partnerships in the past year, and the results were... underwhelming. "We're not sure we're getting our money's worth," he told me.

I wasn't surprised. After six years of working with hundreds of content creators through Farm4Profit, I've seen the same mistakes over and over again. Companies treat influencer marketing like traditional advertising—throw money at it and hope for the best.

But here's the thing: the most successful influencer partnerships I've seen rarely involved the biggest paychecks.

The Busch Light Lesson

Let me tell you about one of our most talked-about sponsorships. Busch Light wanted to work with us during their corn can campaign. Sounds like a big corporate deal, right?

They didn't pay us a dollar.

Instead, they gave us a year's supply of beer (which, according to their definition, was apparently two cases a month—clearly they don't know farmers very well). But that partnership generated more buzz, content, and authentic engagement than campaigns that cost ten times more.

Why? Because it felt real. It aligned with our audience. And most importantly, we had complete creative freedom to integrate their brand into our content naturally.

The Six Strategies That Actually Work

Over the years, I've identified six core strategies that separate successful influencer partnerships from expensive failures:

1. Build Authentic Relationships First

Before you ever talk money, invest time. Engage with their content. Comment meaningfully. Show that you understand their audience and values. At Farm4Profit, we spend 30 minutes researching each guest's background, family, and farm history. When they see our prep work, they instantly feel valued.

2. Longer Partnerships Beat One-Off Posts

Extended partnerships allow creators to truly experience your product. In agriculture, if you want me to demo your tillage tool for a day, I have to unhook my tractor, learn your settings, teach my crew—it's disruptive. But if we plan it from the beginning of the season? I can run it for weeks, really understand what makes it special, and create authentic content about the experience.

3. Provide Exclusive Access

Give creators something unique to share. One of our partners did this brilliantly at Commodity Classic—they gave us behind-the-scenes access to product releases before even some dealers saw them. The embargo date created urgency, and the exclusive access made our audience feel like insiders.

4. Treat Them Like VIPs

Another partner flew several ag influencers to Florida for a two-day experience. They picked us up from the airport with name signs, gave us exclusive tours, and facilitated networking between creators. Result? We delivered more content than promised, wrote press releases that got picked up by 300+ publications, and we're still talking about it today.

5. Streamline Communication

Nothing kills creativity faster than bureaucratic approval processes. Give creators a direct line to decision-makers. Some of our best partnerships happen because we have the "red phone" to approvers—no layers of middle management slowing things down.

6. Be Human

Everyone buys from people they like. The same applies to influencer relationships. Be real, be understanding, and when something doesn't go as planned, own it. Authenticity resonates with audiences on a deeper level than polished corporate messaging.

What Small Brands Can Do

Think you need a massive budget to compete? Think again. Some of our most successful partnerships have been with smaller companies who got creative:

• Focus on micro-influencers in your specific niche rather than chasing follower counts

• Partner with local creators who understand your community

• Encourage user-generated content from actual customers

• Offer unique experiences instead of just cash—exclusive tours, early product access, or networking opportunities

The Bottom Line

After working with hundreds of creators and seeing both sides of influencer marketing, here's what I know for certain: the companies that treat influencers as partners rather than billboards are the ones that win.

Stop thinking about influencer marketing as a transaction. Start thinking about it as relationship building. The difference in results will astound you.

Want to dive deeper into influencer marketing strategies? I offer 30-minute consultations to help companies maximize their creator partnerships. Reach out at tanner@farm4profit.com.

In 2019, we had a problem. Our podcast was growing, but we had zero sponsors and no budget to pay guests. So we did something that might sound crazy: we started creating fake ads for companies we wanted to work with.

I know what you're thinking. But hear me out.

We'd pick companies that aligned with our values—brands we actually believed in—and create 30-second spots for them. Then we'd send them the audio file with a note: "Just so you know, 900 people heard your company name on Monday's episode. If this interests you, let's talk."

It sounds ridiculous, but it worked. Those "fake" ads became real partnerships. That guerrilla marketing approach taught us something crucial: value comes first, payment comes second.

The "Banker on the Bench" Philosophy

My background is in agricultural banking, where I developed what I call the "Banker on the Bench" strategy. Instead of being pushy about loans, I focused on building relationships and providing value first. I'd run loan scenarios for farmers even when they weren't customers, showing them what different land prices would mean for their payments.

The philosophy was simple: be the person they call when they need help, even if you're not their first choice today.

This same approach revolutionized how we built Farm4Profit. We never paid a guest to appear on our show. Instead, we made the experience so valuable that they wanted to be there.

How We Made Guests Feel Like VIPs (Without Spending Big Money)

Our secret weapon? Preparation and genuine interest.

Before every interview, our team does a deep dive:

• We research their farm operation, family history, and career highlights

• We create detailed outlines showing we understand their story

• We provide clear logistics: where to park, who to call, how long it'll take

• We give them a "safe space" promise—they know content gets edited and they won't be blindsided

When guests see this level of preparation, they instantly feel valued. They know we're investing intentional time in understanding them as humans, not just extracting content.

The result? Guests become advocates. They share episodes, refer other guests, and often become long-term partners in our ecosystem.

The Pivot That Changed Everything

In 2020, during the Iowa derecho storm, everything shifted. We stopped asking "How can this help our brand?" and started asking "How can this help farmers?"

We did emergency episodes on:

• Mental health resources for disaster recovery

• Crop insurance claim processes

• Short-term grain storage solutions

• Property casualty insurance guidance

These weren't sponsored. They weren't monetized. They were just... helpful.

Our download numbers exploded. Why? Because we switched from self-promotion to service.

That's when we learned the most important lesson in content creation: when you focus on serving others, everything else takes care of itself.

Building Relationships That Last

The companies that sponsor Farm4Profit today aren't just writing checks—they're partners. Here's how those relationships typically develop:

Stage 1: Mutual Value Discovery

• We feature their products/services because they genuinely help farmers

• They see the authentic engagement from our audience

• Natural conversations start about potential partnerships

Stage 2: Creative Collaboration

• We work together on content that serves our audience first

• They provide access, expertise, or unique experiences

• We create content that feels native to our platform

Stage 3: Long-term Partnership

• Contracts extend beyond single campaigns

• We become extension of their marketing team

• Success metrics align with both brand and audience goals

The Network Effect

Here's something most people don't realize: our best sponsors came through referrals from other sponsors. When you genuinely serve partners well, they become your best salespeople.

Some of those initial partners been with us for years because we deliver consistent value. They've referred other companies to us. Other legacy companies have come partly through industry connections who vouched for our integrity and reach.

This network effect is only possible when you prioritize relationship quality over transaction quantity.

What This Means for Content Creators

If you're building a podcast, YouTube channel, or any content platform, here are the key lessons:

1. Create Value Before Asking for Payment Start with free content that genuinely helps your audience. Prove your worth through action, not promises.

2. Treat Every Interaction Like a Relationship Whether it's a guest, sponsor, or audience member—invest in understanding them as people, not just business opportunities.

3. Serve Your Audience First When you prioritize audience value over monetization, the money follows naturally.

4. Be Patient with Partnerships The best business relationships develop over time. Focus on building trust and delivering results.

5. Authenticity Can't Be Faked Your audience can tell when you genuinely believe in something versus when you're just taking a paycheck.

The Long Game Pays Off

Today, Farm4Profit has partnerships with agriculture's biggest brands, a professional studio, and a team of 10. We've gone from fake ads to real revenue, from borrowed equipment to custom facilities.

But the foundation hasn't changed: we still prioritize relationships over transactions, value over vanity metrics, and service over self-promotion.

The agricultural industry needs authentic voices willing to serve farmers first and monetize second. When you get that order right, everything else becomes possible.

Building authentic partnerships in your industry? I'd love to hear about your approach. Connect with me at tanner@farm4profit.com or check out our full story at farm4profit.com.

Tags: #Podcasting #ContentCreation #AuthenticMarketing #Entrepreneurship #RelationshipBuilding #ValueFirst #AgPodcast #MediaBusiness #Networking #BrandPartnerships

"We can't compete with John Deere's marketing budget."

I hear this from small agricultural companies all the time. They see the big corporate sponsorships and assume influencer marketing is only for brands with deep pockets.

They're wrong.

Some of the most successful creator partnerships I've seen came from companies you've never heard of—local dealerships, family-owned manufacturers, regional service providers. They're winning not because they have more money, but because they understand something the big guys often miss: authenticity beats budget every time.

The David vs. Goliath Advantage

Here's what small brands have that Fortune 500 companies often don't:

Speed: You can say yes to opportunities in hours, not months
Flexibility: You can customize partnerships without layers of approval
Authenticity: Your story is often more relatable than corporate messaging
Personal Touch: You can build genuine relationships, not just transactions

The key is leveraging these advantages strategically.

Strategy 1: Go Niche, Not Broad

While big brands chase millions of followers, smart small brands focus on highly engaged micro-communities.

Instead of targeting: A farming influencer with 500K followers
Target: A precision ag specialist with 50K followers who are specifically interested in your technology

Why this works: Higher engagement rates, more qualified audience, lower partnership costs, and more authentic content integration.

I've seen a small Iowa equipment dealer get better ROI from five micro-influencers than competitors got from one "mega" influencer partnership.

Strategy 2: Leverage Local Connections

Your local market is your superpower. National brands can't replicate the community connections you've built over decades.

Smart moves:

• Partner with local farming influencers who know your reputation

• Sponsor content around regional events or challenges

• Highlight customer success stories from your area

• Use local terminology and references that resonate

Example: A regional seed dealer partnered with farm families in their coverage area to document variety performance through the growing season. Cost? Minimal. Impact? Massive local credibility and several new large accounts.

Strategy 3: Offer Unique Experiences Over Cash

Big brands can outspend you, but they can't always out-experience you.

What small brands can offer:

• Personal facility tours with the owner/founder

• Behind-the-scenes access to manufacturing or operations

• Direct conversations with decision-makers

• Custom demonstrations or trials

• Invitation to exclusive customer events

Real example: A small tillage manufacturer invited an influencer to their shop for a custom tool demonstration. The creator got to see the welding process, meet the craftspeople, and understand the attention to detail. The resulting content felt like a documentary, not an ad.

Strategy 4: Build Long-Term Relationships

While big corporations often think in quarterly campaigns, small brands can think in years.

The relationship-first approach:

1. Start small: Maybe just send your product for honest review

2. Stay connected: Regular check-ins, sharing their content, genuine interest

3. Grow together: As they grow, increase the partnership scope

4. Become indispensable: Be the brand they think of first in your category

This approach costs almost nothing upfront but creates incredibly loyal advocates over time.

Strategy 5: Encourage User-Generated Content

Your existing customers are your best influencers—and they're already using your products for free.

How to activate customer advocacy:

• Create a hashtag for customer posts featuring your products

• Repost customer content (with permission) on your channels

• Offer small incentives for sharing experiences

• Feature customer stories in your marketing

• Create contests or challenges around product use

Pro tip: A customer authentically sharing their experience with your product is worth more than any paid partnership.

Strategy 6: Collaborate with Other Small Brands

Team up with complementary small brands to pool resources and create bigger experiences for influencers.

Partnership examples:

• Equipment dealer + seed company + fertilizer supplier = complete field demonstration

• Feed supplier + veterinarian + livestock equipment = comprehensive animal health content

• Multiple local businesses = farm tour showcasing entire operation

This creates more valuable content opportunities while sharing costs.

The Authenticity Advantage

Here's the secret weapon small brands have: your story is often more interesting than corporate messaging.

• The third-generation family business has heritage

• The startup has innovation and hustle

• The local company has community roots

• The specialized manufacturer has deep expertise

Don't hide these advantages—lean into them. Creators and audiences connect with authentic stories more than polished corporate campaigns.

What NOT to Do

Don't try to act bigger than you are. Authenticity is your advantage—own your size and story.

Don't compete on follower count. Focus on engagement quality and audience alignment.

Don't overthink legal frameworks. Keep initial partnerships simple and build complexity as relationships develop.

Don't expect immediate ROI. Relationship-building takes time, but the results compound.

Measuring Success Differently

Small brands should track different metrics than big corporations:

Instead of just impressions, track:

• Quality of comments and engagement

• Direct inquiries generated

• Relationship development with creators

• Brand mention quality and context

• Long-term partnership potential

Focus on: Building brand advocates, not just generating awareness.

Getting Started Today

Week 1: Identify 10 micro-influencers in your space and start genuinely engaging with their content

Week 2: Reach out to 3 creators with a simple value proposition—no money, just mutual benefit

Week 3: Plan a unique experience you could offer creators (tour, demonstration, access)

Week 4: Execute your first small partnership and document what works

The Bottom Line

Big budgets can buy attention, but they can't buy authenticity. Small brands that focus on relationships, niche audiences, and genuine value creation can absolutely compete—and often win—against corporate giants.

The creator economy rewards authenticity, creativity, and genuine connection. Those are advantages that can't be bought, only built.

Your size isn't a limitation—it's your competitive advantage.

Need help developing your small brand's influencer strategy? I offer consulting specifically for emerging agricultural companies looking to build authentic creator partnerships. Let's talk: tanner@farm4profit.com

Tags: #SmallBusiness #InfluencerMarketing #MicroInfluencers #LocalMarketing #AuthenticBranding #CreatorEconomy #CommunityBuilding #RelationshipMarketing #NicheMarketing #StartupMarketing

After years in agricultural banking and building Farm4Profit into what it is today, I've learned a few things about what separates successful farmers from those who struggle. Here's my advice to the next generation getting into agriculture:

The Business Fundamentals

1. Know Your Numbers
Profit doesn't just happen. Understand your cost of production, breakevens, and margins. You can't improve what you don't measure.

2. Farm for Profit, Not for Looks
Don't get caught up in having the shiniest equipment. Focus on return on investment.

3. Start Small, Scale Smart
You don't have to farm 2,000 acres in year one. Grow responsibly and sustainably.

4. Treat Farming Like a Business
Build a business plan. Have a marketing strategy. Track expenses and income with discipline.

5. Diversify Your Income
Whether that's custom work, off-farm jobs, or value-added sales—build multiple revenue streams to weather the storms.

Technology and Learning

6. Adopt Technology Wisely
Don't be afraid of tech, but make sure it pays. Use tools like precision ag, apps, and data platforms that give you ROI.

7. Don't Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Talk to other farmers, agronomists, and lenders. There's no shame in not knowing; there is shame in staying ignorant.

8. Know the Products You Sell (or Use)
Whether it's seed, tech, or iron—be an expert. People can spot BS from a mile away. Run trials, do tests, take notes.

Building Relationships

9. If You're in Sales, Don't Sell—Serve
Build relationships. Help solve problems. That's how you build trust and long-term clients. Be the "banker on the bench"—someone people know they can call when they need help.

10. Work With People Smarter Than You
Build a strong team: agronomist, banker, accountant, mentor. Surround yourself with people who level you up.

11. Network Like It's Your Job
Whether you're at a farm show, listening to podcasts, or scrolling Twitter/X—make connections that matter.

Mindset and Resilience

12. Failure is Feedback, Not the End
Mistakes will happen. Learn from them. Grow from them. Just try not to make big mistakes.

13. Protect Your Mental Health
Farming is stressful. It's okay to step away, talk to someone, and reset. A clear mind makes better decisions.

14. Stay Humble, Stay Hungry
Be proud of your wins, but never think you've "made it." Keep pushing, keep improving.

The Bottom Line

15. Remember: If You Aren't Farming for Profit, You Won't Be Farming for Long
Passion is great. But passion without profit becomes a hobby—or worse, debt.

The agricultural industry needs young farmers who think like business owners, not just operators. These principles have guided every successful farmer I've worked with, whether as their banker or through the hundreds of interviews we've done on Farm4Profit.

Don't just run your farm the way your grandpa or dad did. Treat it like a business to ensure it thrives for future generations.

The Farm4Profit podcast hit the road once again, this time heading west to Denver, Colorado, for the Commodity Classic farm trade show. This event brought together some of the biggest names in agriculture, and we were excited to be a part of it. From setting up our podcast studios to hosting an awards ceremony and cranking out top-tier content, it was a week filled with great conversations, new connections, and a few unexpected twists.

Getting Set Up in Denver

We arrived in Denver a day early to ensure everything was in place before the show kicked off. Our first task was retrieving our podcasting equipment, which had been shipped out on a semi. Once we had everything in hand, we set up not one, but two separate recording locations. One was in collaboration with our partners at John Deere, and the other with our friends at AgXplore. Having these dual setups allowed us to capture a wide range of conversations throughout the event.
Our team also made the most of our time in Denver by staying together in a penthouse rental. This created an incredible atmosphere for team bonding and provided a great space to relax and connect with friends and listeners after long days at the trade show.

Interviews, Awards, and More

The first day of the Commodity Classic was packed with interviews, and we were honored to cap off the night by hosting an awards ceremony for the winners of the National Corn Growers Association High Yield Contest. The event featured custom appetizers, signature drinks, and well-deserved awards, making for a fantastic evening celebrating some of the top-performing farmers in the country.Day two was another whirlwind, with a full schedule of interviews and content creation for our social media platforms. We also had the opportunity to share a great meal with listeners and fans, reinforcing the strong community that Farm4Profit has built over the years.Final Day

Grind and a Detour Home

The last day of the trade show was our most productive yet. We wrapped up a total of nine podcast interviews and recorded six short segments to share with our audience. The energy was high, and the conversations were insightful, leaving us with plenty of great content to bring back home.Once the event concluded, we packed up our equipment, loaded it back onto the semi, and headed to the airport. However, our journey home didn’t go quite as planned. Instead of flying straight back to Des Moines, our flight was unexpectedly diverted to Kansas City. But in true Farm4Profit fashion, we didn’t let a little detour slow us down. We rented a vehicle and drove the rest of the way home, adding one last adventure to an already unforgettable trip.Key

Takeaways from the Show

A few things stood out to us at this year’s Commodity Classic:

• Podcasting is booming in ag media. When we first started recording live at events, Farm4Profit was one of the only podcasts doing so. This year, we saw over a dozen different live podcast setups, proving that this medium is growing in importance within the industry.

• John Deere’s precision upgrade kits are a game-changer. Instead of purchasing brand-new machines, farmers can now upgrade their existing equipment with the latest technology, improving efficiency and productivity at a fraction of the cost.

• Farmers are still investing in the future. Despite tighter commodity prices, we continue to see farmers committed to making their operations more efficient and sustainable. They aren’t just getting by—they’re finding ways to propel their farms forward.

Looking Ahead

Our trip to Denver was a huge success, and we’re already looking forward to our next big event. The connections we made, the stories we captured, and the fun we had all reinforced why we do what we do. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth, joined us for an interview, or tuned in to the podcast.

Until next time—keep farming for profit, because if you aren’t farming for profit, you won’t be farming for long!"

Each February, Louisville transforms into the epicenter of the farming industry as thousands of people gather for the National Farm Machinery Show—and this year, we were right in the thick of it. From podcasting with some of agriculture’s biggest voices to bourbon tastings, long dinners, and surprise encounters, NFMS 2025 was one for the books.

Our trip was packed from start to finish, filled with insightful conversations, new connections, and a few hilarious moments we won’t soon forget. If you weren’t able to make it this year, here’s an inside look at everything that went down in Louisville.

Hitting the Road & Setting Up in Louisville

We kicked off our journey from Iowa on Monday, February 10th, loaded up with podcast gear, a game plan, and enough caffeine to fuel us through the 7+ hour drive. Pulling into Louisville the next day, the buzz of the event was already in full swing.

Tuesday was all about getting set up and making sure everything ran smoothly for the busy week ahead. First on our list was securing recording locations—we had spots at both the Brandt and John Deere booths, giving us prime real estate to chat with some of the best in the industry.

With logistics locked in, we took a break from the hustle and headed to Old Forester Distillery for a tour. If you’ve never been, it’s an experience in itself—stepping inside, you’re hit with the deep, warm scent of aging bourbon, and the tour guides have a way of making the process feel like storytelling rather than just history. We got to see barrels being filled, learn about the brand’s impact on Kentucky bourbon culture, and, of course, taste a few samples.

That night, we gathered at Doc’s for an incredible dinner, surrounded by an all-star lineup of agriculture content creators and industry friends: Ethan Clarke, Farmer Grayce, Gavin Spoor, Emily Matzke, Dayne Jessup, the Ellsing Brothers, and more. These are the kind of people who make this industry special—hardworking, down-to-earth, and always up for a great conversation.

First Full Day of Podcasting & A Fun Surprise

Wednesday was game time. We hit the ground running with our first full day of podcast recordings, kicking things off at the Brandt booth. One of the best parts of NFMS is the sheer amount of knowledge in one place—every conversation feels like a deep dive into what’s happening in farming, from emerging technology to how real people are handling challenges in the field.

Midday, we made our way to the John Deere booth for one of our favorite moments of the trip. Decked out as security guards, we had the honor of escorting Zach Johnson, “The Millennial Farmer,” around the show floor—our official role as his security team. If you caught sight of us keeping a serious face while standing guard, now you know the inside joke. Zach is always game for a good laugh, and we were more than happy to play along.

That evening, we found ourselves in an unexpected but fascinating conversation with the owner and master distiller of Monks and a representative from the Archdiocese of Kentucky. You never know who you’ll meet at events like this, and this was one of those random but insightful encounters that stuck with us.

A Podcast Marathon & More Shenanigans

If Wednesday was busy, Thursday took things to another level.

We recorded five full podcast episodes, back-to-back, diving into everything from the future of precision agriculture to what it really takes to make it as a modern farmer on social media. The energy of the show floor was electric—thousands of people moving through, checking out the latest in farming technology, and swapping stories.

One of the day’s highlights was yet another hilarious moment with Zach Johnson. This time, we made it official—naming him the Chief YouTube Officer. We even had him sign some executive orders, which, let’s be honest, might not hold much legal weight but definitely made for a good laugh.

Later in the day, we had a great sit-down with Just a Jackson Thing and Tractor Guy, two voices in the industry who bring fresh perspectives and a great sense of humor.

After a long, productive day, we rewarded ourselves with an incredible dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse—and if you’ve ever been to one, you know it’s a full experience. The endless rotation of perfectly grilled meats, the warm cheesy bread, and the over-the-top tableside service were exactly what we needed.

But we weren’t done yet. The night continued at PBR Bar, where the drinks were flowing, the music was loud, and we let loose after a long day of work.

Wrapping Up & Heading Home

By Friday, it was time to start closing things down. We finished our last few interviews, packed up all of our gear in the pouring rain, and took one last lap around the show floor.

Before heading out, we bowled a few games and had a round of cocktails with the team—a great way to celebrate the end of an incredible week. There’s something about unwinding together after an event like this that makes all the hard work worth it.

The drive back to Iowa on Saturday was long and rainy, but the memories we took with us made it feel a little easier. Looking back, this trip was about more than just the show itself—it was about reconnecting with friends, making new connections, and capturing stories that matter to this industry.

There’s a reason NFMS is one of the biggest events in agriculture, and this year reminded us why. We already can’t wait to do it all again in 2026.

Over the past five years, TikTok has become a cultural and economic powerhouse. Its highly sophisticated algorithm, ability to foster community, and role as a revenue generator for millions of creators have made it indispensable to the digital landscape. However, with the looming prospect of a U.S. ban, we must examine what this means for creators, businesses, and the broader conversation about free enterprise and government intervention.

TikTok: A Revenue Source Redefining Income

For millions of users, TikTok is more than a social platform—it's an income stream. Creators monetize their content through brand deals, product sales, and TikTok's Creator Fund, earning anywhere from supplemental income to full-time salaries.

• Supplemental Income: Small creators leverage TikTok to promote side hustles, Etsy stores, or local businesses.

• Full-Time Livelihoods: Influencers with large followings use TikTok as their primary source of income, working with global brands or launching personal product lines.

• Small Business Growth: For folks like us at Farm4Profit; entrepreneurs have scaled operations thanks to TikTok's organic reach, which allows them to connect with millions without massive marketing budgets.

A ban would threaten these revenue streams, potentially leaving countless creators and small businesses in financial limbo.

The Algorithm: TikTok's Secret Sauce

TikTok's algorithm sets it apart from any other platform. Its ability to deliver hyper-relevant content keeps users engaged, creating a feedback loop of discovery, entertainment, and inspiration. The "For You" page has:

• Democratized Content Creation: A small creator can go viral overnight, leveling the playing field.

• Amplified Niche Communities: From #BookTok to #FarmTok, TikTok has united millions with shared interests, building robust, supportive online ecosystems.

• Enhanced Information Sharing: Whether it's breaking news, DIY tutorials, or cultural trends, TikTok has become a vital tool for education and awareness.

This unique capability makes TikTok invaluable to creators and consumers alike, and its absence would leave a noticeable void in the social media landscape.

TikTok's Role in Community and Information

TikTok isn't just an entertainment platform; it's a hub for connection and education. Over the last five years, the app has:

• Helped marginalized communities find their voice.

• Amplified important social justice causes.

• Provided a platform for information sharing during critical moments, from natural disasters to global pandemics.

It's hard to overstate TikTok's role in bringing people together across borders and backgrounds.

The U.S. Government and the TikTok Debate

The TikTok ban underscores a fascinating intersection of technology, national security, and governance. In the U.S., this debate has played out across the three branches of government:

• Executive Branch: Presidents Trump and Biden have raised concerns about data privacy and national security, leading efforts to restrict or ban TikTok and now working to reinstate it.

• Legislative Branch: Congress has debated TikTok's implications for cybersecurity and data privacy, with lawmakers from both parties voicing concerns.

• Judicial Branch: Courts have stepped in to evaluate the legality of proposed bans, balancing government interests with the First Amendment and economic freedoms.

This multi-faceted scrutiny reflects the complexity of managing foreign-owned tech giants in a global economy.

The Path Forward: A Solution in the Works?

Soo to be inaugurated President Trump recently took to Truth Social to propose a potential solution: a 50% U.S. ownership stake in TikTok. This idea could address national security concerns while preserving the platform’s immense value to creators, businesses, and users. By securing a significant U.S. ownership share, the government could ensure transparency and accountability without outright banning the platform.

Final Thoughts

The potential TikTok ban is more than a policy decision; it’s a moment that challenges how we view technology, innovation, and the role of government in free enterprise. As a society, we must weigh the risks and rewards, recognizing TikTok’s unique ability to generate income, foster community, and revolutionize information sharing.

Moving forward, it’s critical to find solutions that safeguard national interests while preserving the opportunities TikTok has created. The debate over TikTok’s future isn’t just about an app—it’s about the evolving intersection of technology, culture, and governance in our digital age.

Bottom of Form

.

Wanted to give everyone a glimpse into one of our more popular episodes with its transcript!

Enjoy and check us out at Farm4Profit!

Zach Johnson:

A farm's a business like any other business. So you want to keep moving forward and you want to grow, but, yeah, you've got to make your own decisions for yourself, and just because the neighbor does something one way doesn't mean you have to do it that same way. If you don't, it may open you up to criticism, which goes back to what we were just talking about.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

It doesn't matter. It's not his farm. It's yours.

(singing)

Dave:

All right, we are at the John Deere booth at the Commodity Classic, and Zach Johnson, the golfer, has just approached the putting green. It's a nice green. He's got a good lie, about a 10-foot putt left to right. How is he going to read this, Tanner?

Tanner:

I've never seen a green this color. This green is almost John Deere green.

Dave:

It's almost fake. It's so picturesque.

Tanner:

It is, but I think it's going to be a little left to right and almost the shape of a D. Kind of like a John Deere D.

Dave:

A John Deere D. That is right. That is right.

Tanner:

It's hard. I don't know how he's going to make this, but, hey, welcome to the podcast. We're having a little fun, if you can't tell, here at the Farm Progress Show, Decatur, Illinois sitting here in the John Deere booth. It is almost like a putting green.

Corey:

It is beautiful here.

Tanner:

Right in front of the stage.

Dave:

We've had the best weather here. This is awesome. It makes up for staying in Decatur.

Tanner:

It was a little warm the first day.

Corey:

Yeah.

Dave:

Yes.

Corey:

That's to be expected.

Tanner:

Why did you almost forget the first day? Late nights or just too much fun? We're going to leave that question unanswered.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

But, no, this was a ton of fun. Listeners, hopefully you enjoy this as much as we do. That's part of the fun for us putting the show together is personal enjoyment, but hopefully bringing value to you. Make sure you leave your reviews. Let us know what you like hearing and head over to YouTube. Let us know if it's a video you want to see more of, but we do got a listener review to share today, don't we, guys?

Dave:

We do. I better get quiet for this. Mike Putt, Apple Podcasts, KJ Flowers. This used to be a show I looked forward to listening to every week. Used to be? What? Feels like most episodes are just paid advertisement.

Tanner:

First off, that was a negative review, but Dave cannot do something that's not energetic.

Dave:

I know.

Tanner:

But nope, you are not a golf announcer.

So this is a funny review, and I do respect it, but the things that we do cost a lot of money. We have full-time jobs and then we have to travel and take time off to do that. So I just want to emphasize how important our partners are. We are not selling out. This is just so we can continue to bring you guys good content.

Now, we could probably address some things with where we put ads, and how long they are, and how they are.

Corey:

And we've started spreading those out a lot more thanks to listener reviews, but I will let you know that the content, the conversations that we have are not the advertisements. So KJ Flower, thank you for that. I really do.

Tanner:

Yes, we love it, but it is hard. It is difficult to learn about a new product without somebody talking about their product. It's going to sound like an ad because you got to learn as to what it is. Our partners are very clear. I think we do a very good job.

Corey:

And we do limit it.

Dave:

And ...

Tanner:

We don't take anybody.

Dave:

... we're Farm4Profit and the people that we bring you as partners help make you profitable. That's the-

Tanner:

Yeah. And if we didn't podcast for profit, we wouldn't be here to be able to tell them about Farm4Profit. So no, KJ, we're poking fun a little bit, but really, thank you for your comment. It does not go unnoticed. Listeners, we appreciate the feedback because that's the only way we get better.

Corey:

Yep. And if anyone has suggestions for how we should handle the paid advertisements or the partners that we have, 515-207-9640. Send us a text, give us a voicemail.

Zach Johnson:

Can't you just go fast forward and reverse?

Tanner:

Right. Right. So we were trying to do that, put them all in the beginning so you could just skip because everyone listens to [inaudible 00:05:43]. I don't know. I don't know what's right. Should we not start with ads?

Corey:

It's a tough balance.

Tanner:

Because we've been told both ways.

Dave:

Maybe you just avoid these intros and then the ads sound way better.

Tanner:

I've thought about that. I've thought about going intro-less.

Corey:

And dive in.

Tanner:

And then 10 minutes into it, you jump into the public [inaudible 00:06:01].

Corey:

Doesn't Joe Rogan do that or someone does that?

Dave:

Yellowstone does that. Anything that Taylor Sheridan ... Is it Taylor Sheridan?

Tanner:

I don't know, I don't watch [inaudible 00:06:10].

Dave:

The guy who's in charge of Yellowstone, Mr. Sheridan. He does that. Because I just started watching one of his other deals and he always just goes right into it, and then about five minutes in, now is the intro.

Corey:

Well, I tell you what. Now, we've made this intro longer than any of our other intros.

Tanner:

Yeah. So would you rather have a couple ads and get right to it or [inaudible 00:06:26]?

Dave:

Or let's just keep talking.

Tanner:

Thanks to everybody, but we've got a really good show together for you here. Almost a crossover episode, so really fun to share this one.

Corey:

Yep.

Tanner:

Here we go. We've got a lot of beginning farmers that are listening to our podcast and it's a lot of fun for us to put into perspective some tools for them because it's hard to, as a podcast, just focus on one specific group of listeners because we've got a cattle episode that was our fastest episode to climb into the top 10 most downloaded, and we've probably only done four cattle shows out of all of our podcasts.

Corey:

Right.

Tanner:

But then we have an episode like when you and Randy came down and we talked about tile, that shot clear up to the top and has stayed in the top five forever.

Zach Johnson:

No kidding.

Tanner:

Yeah. Still hanging out there. So we want to do something special for our young listeners and those that are getting the desire to start farming because they don't always have to be young. You can start farming at any age, but wanted to jump in and introduce for those who don't know, Mr. Zach Johnson, professional golfer. Oh, wait, that's not right, right? That's wrong Zach. Who put these notes together?

Zach Johnson:

There is one, though.

Tanner:

There is.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Yes.

Zach Johnson:

He must get sick and tired of being asked about farming.

Tanner:

Do you think he gets all your fan mail?

Zach Johnson:

I would imagine so.

Tanner:

I would imagine.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. Because I don't ... It's not coming to me [inaudible 00:07:47].

Tanner:

Mr. Millennial Farmer himself, thanks for joining us.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Tanner:

Farm Progress Show '23 and you haven't seen any of it yet.

Zach Johnson:

I saw the FBN booth and then I was at the Polaris booth for an hour and now I've seen all 40 acres of the Deere booth.

Corey:

All 40 acres. It's half the show.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Isn't it a great place to sit? We had a fun conversation yesterday about this old John Deere D sitting here as they celebrate the birthday. It's a lot of fun to sit here and interact with everybody. So glad you could come over and hang out.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, this is cool. Thank you guys for having me on again.

Corey:

So it's been a couple years since we actually had you on. We've hung out with you a few times between then. I know you've had some life-changing things that you've purchased something, something that's not an ag, like the shooting range. What do you call that?

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. So we bought in with a ... There's three other partners in it, three, so there's four families of us total. But, yeah, we bought into the Alexandria Shooting Park, which is the largest trap range in Minnesota. We've got 20 trap houses there and we have actually the largest shooting event in the world every summer. So it's been a lot of fun.

In June, we bring through about 8,000 to 9,000 high school shooters and about 30,000 people over the course of nine days.

Corey:

Really?

Tanner:

That's a lot.

Corey:

What made you do that? Were you a big shooter?

Zach Johnson:

No, I'm not a huge shooter, so I did a lot of hunting back in high school. Scaled back on that a lot when I got a little bit older and I had to spend more time in the tractors during hunting season, but I've always enjoyed shooting. I've enjoyed hunting and I've got a good friend, Steven Gould, who actually married my wife's best friend, and we had talked for a long time about how cool it would be to have some sort of a business revolving around shooting sports. And he's got great connections within the industry.

So he actually has a YouTube channel, a couple YouTube channels. He's done exhibition shooting with his brother over the years and he's got a YouTube channel now. He calls Target Focused Life and he does a lot of shotgun reviews and he's very well connected within the industry. And when the opportunity to buy that park came along, he talked to me about it and he talked to a couple other friends about it. And we got a good group together and decided we were going to go in and make it happen. They were willing to sell and they wanted to sell to young guys that wanted to keep it as a shooting park because it's right on the outskirts of Alexandria, Minnesota, which is a decent-sized town, I think it says 13,000 on the sign, but the city limits are small. It's at least double that.

There's a lot of tourism there. It's a busy town. The shooting park is right on the interstate. So it's good real estate.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

And I think they knew there's opportunity there for the shooting park to turn into something else and they didn't want to see that.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

And so that's our intention is to keep it as a shooting park right now.

Dave:

So are you a trap shooter? Have you shot a perfect score?

Zach Johnson:

I have not shot a perfect score. My son has shot multiple perfect scores. He outshoots me pretty easily.

Dave:

Watch the bird.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Dave:

Shoot the bird, right?

Zach Johnson:

Simple as that. That's all you got to do.

Dave:

Yeah, that's all it takes. Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

Have you ever sold a shooting park, Dave?

Dave:

I haven't sold a shooting park, no.

Tanner:

He's been trying to buy one.

Dave:

I've been trying to source one for Ballard trap shooting club. They're looking for one. And so my son just got into trap shooting this last year and they're like, "Hey, you're the guy that sells farmland. We need a spot. Can you get it?" But I don't know how much money they make. I'm still working on that to monetize it for them, but there's some really cool ones out there, but you got to have a love for it. And everybody that gets into it, they're all good shooters and, man.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. It's cool to see how fast that sport has grown with the younger generation because guys our age didn't grow up shooting trap.

Corey:

No.

Dave:

No.

Zach Johnson:

The older generation and the younger generation did.

Dave:

It skipped.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, it did. It definitely did.

Corey:

I shot some skeet and some sporting clays at the Izaak Walton League, but we didn't have it in high school.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, we didn't either.

Corey:

Right? And now it's everywhere.

Tanner:

I felt like I did more target practice.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

There was ... Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. Or shoot plays with your buddies or whatever.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Dave:

In our small town, our school where my kid is, their trap team, I went to the meeting and I thought, "Okay, there'll be five or six kids." There's like 85.

Corey:

Holy cow.

Dave:

There's a lot that are there and they're just one of the schools. I think it's a growing sport.

Zach Johnson:

Oh, very much so, yeah.

Dave:

And a lot of females in the game, they say that they shoot without any emotion, so it's easier. They don't get frustrated. Us guys apparently get really frustrated when we miss and then we keep missing.

Zach Johnson:

Yes.

Tanner:

What? How do they shoot-

Zach Johnson:

That is a real thing.

Dave:

That is a real thing.

Tanner:

Is it really? Because my wife has a ton of emotion. I don't think that-

Corey:

Just towards you.

Tanner:

Oh, that's true.

Dave:

Like when you miss a golf [inaudible 00:12:17].

Corey:

They have a good separation of emotion. So they say that in grain marketing, too. They're better grain marketers.

Tanner:

Yeah. There you go.

Corey:

Because you don't want to have emotion in grain marketing.

Dave:

There you go.

Corey:

Get too tied to the product.

Tanner:

No, you don't.

Corey:

How do crops look up there for you this year, Zach?

Zach Johnson:

I'm hoping we have an average crop.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

We have a bad rootworm problem in our corn again this year.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

Which is weird. I mean, we haven't had that issue in 20 years, but even the SmartStax corn is struggling with it. So we've got rootworm issues. We were really dry until about the third week in July.

Corey:

Okay.

Zach Johnson:

So things were really starting to burn up and twist up pretty good. And then the rain turned on and we've been good since then, but I don't know how much we took off the top before that. So I'm hoping for average, but the good news is we've had a lot of heat, so I think the corn is going to be pretty dry. We're pretty far along right now.

Corey:

How hot did you get last week when we were ... What we were like? 120 heat index, I think.

Tanner:

It was warm.

Zach Johnson:

I think we were 115 or so. 110 to 115.

Corey:

Really? Okay. So it got up there.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

It did some damage to our corn. I know that.

Tanner:

That's probably almost hot enough to start boiling those 10,000 lakes.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, just about.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, but luckily, they don't boil. You just keep standing in them and drinking beer.

Tanner:

That is fair. Well, I've got a favor. Before we get too far into this, to ask you, we've had suggestions that a great interview would be to interview your hired hand.

Zach Johnson:

Jim?

Tanner:

Yes. How can we get that done?

Zach Johnson:

I mean, I can put in a good word for you and we'll see what he says. Jim is one of those guys that, on the outside in person, he's a tough guy, but he's a softie, so he might go for it. The first time I handed him a camera and I was like, "All right, Jim, you have to record this. Oh, geez, that stupid camera." And then we started editing the videos and he's talking to it and he loves it. It's like, "Jim, you've loved the camera the whole time. You just had to be a tough guy around it."

Tanner:

That's good.

Zach Johnson:

So he maybe would. It'd probably be an interesting ... If you could open him up, it'd probably be a pretty good podcast.

Corey:

Is that in his job description as camera guy?

Zach Johnson:

It's not.

Corey:

No.

Zach Johnson:

No, but he's only worked for us for 30 years, so we haven't had a chance to write a description.

Tanner:

No description yet.

Corey:

You can go on the podcast, Jim, but you're clocking out. Not on my dime.

Tanner:

That's good. I bet you it soars right up there and passes that tile in the episode that we did together.

Corey:

Yep.

Tanner:

Probably jump right to the top.

Corey:

Yeah. We need to get him when he's coming through Iowa so we can do it in person. It's always better in person.

Zach Johnson:

Oh, always, always.

Tanner:

So we've got you here and want to be respectful of your time. We always put together a summary episode or a recap episode of the payoff question that we put together for our listeners. So at the end of every show, if you recall, we always have a question and it happens to be the same one for a quarter or for six months of the year, depending upon how good and repetitive our answers start to get.

Corey:

Yep.

Zach Johnson:

Okay.

Tanner:

So what we've got to reflect on today is the answers from some of our guests that is the advice they would've gone back and told themselves at age 18. So that's the base question. It was, what would you do if you could go back and stand next to yourself and give yourself advice at age 18? Now, we know some of us probably wouldn't listen to ourselves.

Corey:

Right.

Zach Johnson:

None of us would.

Tanner:

Yeah, exactly, but this is what some of these takeaways were. We had many more, but I think I just copy and pasted down about eight of them. So we certainly don't need to go through all of them, but that's the premise of the episode. As you work through your YouTube channel and the impressions that you're able to basically hand out, how much of your audience is young under 20 years old?

Zach Johnson:

Under 20 years old, I would say right now, because my audience has noticeably gotten older as I have, under 20, 30%, 40% probably.

Tanner:

That's still a big number.

Speaker 6:

Farmers, level up the equipment you know and love with the latest technology from Ag Leader from SureForce downforce control and SureSpeed high-accuracy planting systems to RightSpot, individual nozzle control for your sprayer. Ag Leader has got you covered. Upgrade your equipment with the latest technology from Ag Leader to reap the benefits of this season. You do it all. So should your technology. Visit agleader.com or contact your local Ag Leader dealer to upgrade your equipment with the latest technology today.

Tanner:

Are you surprised, guys, when we show up at these shows, how many young listeners come up to us and either say thank you or just reach out and say that we're doing a good job? I didn't expect that. I'd expect people to come up and ask for a [inaudible 00:17:07] and want stickers and an air freshener, but to come up and want to tell you that you're doing something they like. So it's neat to put that into perspective.

Corey:

I'm just as surprised, though, when a 75-year-old comes up and says he listens to our podcast.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Corey:

I'm like, "Do you know how to download a podcast?" Yeah. They're smart. They're smart.

Zach Johnson:

Some of those guys are the first guys that caught onto my channel.

Tanner:

Yes.

Corey:

Yep.

Zach Johnson:

And now it's them and their grandkid watching them.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

It's just like the range is all over the board from age one to a hundred.

Corey:

What a bonding time with your grandchild, right?

Zach Johnson:

Right.

Dave:

If you can get ... My neighbor's a grandpa, and if he can send it to his grandson, what a cool thing to text your grandson, "Check this out."

Zach Johnson:

Right, right. Yep. Have that in common with them and have something to talk about.

Tanner:

Yeah. I'm going to start with Joy VanWyngarden.

Corey:

Okay.

Tanner:

So Joy was a really fun episode. One that I don't think we expected to be as good as it was. And I don't mean that as anything against Joy, but her personality was infectious.

Corey:

Yep.

Tanner:

And that was a lot of fun, but I can see where this is. She says, "Pick friends that are where you want to go and hang out with like-minded people." And I can see her doing that.

Corey:

I like it.

Dave:

Well, he does. He's got YouTube friends in the shooting world.

Tanner:

That's right.

Dave:

YouTube for YouTube.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Corey:

I align with that, though, because if you hang out with, I'm not going to say lesser, but you hang out with the same old ones and maybe they're like, "You don't need to go do that. Just sit here and drink beer with us or whatever." They just drag you down.

Tanner:

So as you've grown your YouTube presence, grown your area of content creation, has it changed the people that you've hung out with?

Zach Johnson:

I mean, it's definitely ... I've met a lot of new people. It's broadened my horizons. I've learned a lot about how things are done differently but yet within agriculture. But day to day, week to week, on the weekends, I'm still hanging out with the same people that I was before I started the channel. So I've got the same friends back home, but I have new people that I now keep in touch with, too, and new friends that have come along with it.

Tanner:

I think that's the fun part of having a platform, of having a podcast, is the people that you can correspond with. All the corresponding I do with them is sending TikToks back and forth.

Zach Johnson:

Well, that's fun, too.

Corey:

That is fun.

Tanner:

It is. It is, but I feel like that's a level of personality exchange. Maybe if time suck, right?

Corey:

Right.

Tanner:

But it's ...

Corey:

A little bit.

Tanner:

... time that you enjoy.

Corey:

Yeah. That's your TV time.

Tanner:

That's my TV time.

Corey:

So the next one I'll pick because it's the shortest one on here, and I can't read, Tom Stanton from Redstar said, "Don't be afraid to move and don't be afraid to try something new." For me, personally, sometimes I don't want to do that thing that makes me uncomfortable, but I've gotten to the point of realizing, when I become uncomfortable and get through it, it's so much better for me professionally, personally, mentally. Do you had to have issues or had issues of pushed through something you don't want to do?

Tanner:

He's sitting here right now.

Zach Johnson:

I have a YouTube channel.

Corey:

He's sitting here right here. He did not want to ... His contract obligates him to be here. I'm here so I don't get fined.

Zach Johnson:

Mostly just talking to you guys. Just starting a YouTube channel in and of itself was an idea that I had for three years before I actually took the leap and did it.

Corey:

Right.

Zach Johnson:

And I wish I had done it three years before that when I had thought of it.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

So ... Yeah. I mean, don't be afraid to go outside your comfort zone and don't be afraid of what other people are going to think because it doesn't matter. It's not them.

Corey:

No, not their life.

Tanner:

That's hard. It's hard to not worry about what other people think.

Zach Johnson:

It is, very. Yeah.

Corey:

But once you can get out of that mindset, it's freeing. Yeah.

Tanner:

Yeah. I can't remember who it was that said you have to ... Oh, it was just today with Emily, you have to be comfortable with who you are before you can become something for someone else. You have to understand what you got going on for yourself, what your priorities are going to be, what your desires are.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

That was just an interesting one coming from Emily.

Dave:

I think you guys need to be like the yes man. Have you seen that show? Jim Carey. Where he's got to say yes all the time.

Tanner:

Oh, the movie, yes.

Corey:

Yeah. Liar Liar.

Dave:

Liar Liar.

Corey:

Yeah.

Dave:

No, is it Liar Liar? I don't know what it is, but, yes, he has to say yes to everything. That was like when you asked me to do a podcast, it's like, "Whatever, let's just do it. Yes, I'm in." I wouldn't be here today if we didn't, right? I told you about my story when I was in Vegas. Yeah, just say yes. You might end up somewhere really cool.

Tanner:

Or have a good story.

Dave:

Or have a good story.

Tanner:

I came across a good story in the restroom about 20 minutes ago.

Zach Johnson:

A good story in the restroom.

Corey:

Yeah, there's a good line in there. It's like the women's restroom, I think.

Tanner:

It's a good story.

Zach Johnson:

Is this a story you can tell here right now in this booth?

Tanner:

It is, it is. It's going to be a public service announcement. There are no paper towels left in the bathrooms.

Corey:

Right.

Tanner:

Okay. Out of paper towels. Didn't know that. So, yes, finished doing what I was doing, went and washed my hands, and went to the paper towel dispenser and there was nothing there. So I actually went back and washed my hands again because I just touched the paper towel dispenser. As I'm walking out, the guy goes, "Oh, there must be no paper towels." I'm doing this with my hands. If you can't see this, you should go to YouTube and watch.

And his words were, "Yeah, I'm not going to wash mine. I know where I have all been, but I don't know what all has been in here." And I'd pause for a moment. I stopped outside that door and I went, "What? What does that even mean?" I know where all I have been, but I don't know what has all been in here.

Corey:

In the bathroom?

Tanner:

In the bathroom.

Corey:

I'd say everything's been in there.

Tanner:

Right. That doesn't mean don't wash your hands.

Dave:

I think it means just don't piss on your hands and you're good. It's that simple.

Tanner:

You still go wash your hands. So I want to find him.

Dave:

All right. Fair enough.

Tanner:

We're going to have to find him. He had a red hat on.

Zach Johnson:

That narrows it down.

Dave:

That narrows it down. Carhartt logo maybe [inaudible 00:23:15].

Tanner:

That's right. Yes. Carhartt logo, red hat.

Dave:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Boots, pair of jeans.

Corey:

Got one, Dave?

Dave:

Sure. So Royce John, singer, songwriter, said, "Don't trust everything they say." I'm guessing as you grew YouTube, you were like cautious like, who do I trust, where do I go? Consider what they say and listen, but make your own decisions.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. I mean, I would agree with that for everything in life.

Tanner:

Yeah, what about on the farm? Because the farm grew as your YouTube grew, right?

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, a farm's a business like any other business. So you want to keep moving forward and you want to grow, but, yeah, you got to make your own decisions for yourself, and just because the neighbor does something one way doesn't mean you have to do it that same way. If you don't, it may open you up to criticism, which goes back to what we were just talking about.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

It doesn't matter. It's not his farm, it's yours.

Corey:

I think that's been the best thing that I've gotten from social media is you're in this little bubble growing up that you think it has to be done the way your grandpa did it or the neighbor does it, and then you get on this Twitter or Facebook or TikTok and realize you got a guy over in Illinois or Minnesota or whatever that's doing it differently and, hey, it works for them.

Zach Johnson:

Right.

Corey:

I didn't know you could do it that way.

Zach Johnson:

Yep.

Corey:

It's a resource. I love it. This guy grows mint.

Tanner:

So do you have any-

Zach Johnson:

Carries it around in his pocket [inaudible 00:24:37].

Corey:

I didn't even know there was mint. Yeah.

Tanner:

So do you have any fun projects on the farm that you're going to be taking on next year or two?

Zach Johnson:

Well, we took most of our projects on over the last year after the storm came through. So we ended up building ... I had a new shed built last fall, finally got put up the week of Thanksgiving. Then we had a new bin built to replace the one we lost here earlier this summer. We're still working on that. The bin and the floor are there, but we can't get grain in or out of it yet. So as of right now, it's just a big tin can.

Corey:

How do you plan to get grain in it?

Zach Johnson:

Well, they're hopefully going to come out and finish that so that we can, otherwise we can't.

Corey:

Yeah, it's not a leg or an auger.

Zach Johnson:

Oh, as far as that goes, they got a pipe and air system into it.

Corey:

Yep.

Zach Johnson:

So it'll be an air system and then we're going to have a double run at the top also.

Corey:

Double run.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

So you haven't used the air system yet?

Zach Johnson:

Well, the air system we've had for a while, but not into that bin.

Corey:

Okay.

Zach Johnson:

So there's nothing plumbed into that bin.

Corey:

So I got myself a Sukup air system as well. I wanted the leg, couldn't afford it. And so ... Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

Even with the podcast?

Corey:

Yeah. You know what? A leg ... Just not even the leg. The structure for the leg.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

Have you ever priced that?

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

Yeah, it's ridiculous.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, it is. It is.

Corey:

It's almost as much as one of these tractors.

Tanner:

Yeah. Just to be 200 foot in the air, 150 feet in the air?

Corey:

120, 130, something like that. And then just things you don't think about, how much has to go underground when you go that tall, and if you add stairs to it, you have to get engineering involved because there's wind shear because we get 130 mile an hour derecho winds once in a while.

Zach Johnson:

Once in a while.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

If you take what Tony Latcham said, he says, "Don't stress. Don't worry about it." Just put the leg up.

Dave:

Just put the leg up.

Tanner:

Just put the leg up.

Dave:

Pull the trigger.

Tanner:

Oh, he said more words. He said, "Enjoy your time. Life is too short. It passes by in the blink of an eye."

Zach Johnson:

It makes more sense when you read the whole quote.

Tanner:

Yes, it does. That was just a really poor attempt at the joke.

Dave:

As part of any media, yeah, you only took [inaudible 00:26:35].

Tanner:

That's right, just the headline. That's all.

Dave:

You did.

Tanner:

Don't stress about it. Don't worry about it. Take your time. Enjoy it. And that's hard. We just ... We're having that conversation about our time here at Farm Progress Show today. We are busy.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Corey:

Everyone's busy.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Corey:

Everyone says that. We got to find a way to not say that. How do we say that?

Speaker 7:

Hey, farmers, transform your planting season and get the advantage when you use a seed tender from Meridian Manufacturing. The combination of efficiency, ease of use, and dependability. Meridian's bulk seed tenders and box seed tenders redefine how you sow the seeds of success. Meridian seed tenders are your planting partner engineered for ease of use and design for dependability. Visit your local Meridian dealer or dive into the details at meridianmfg.com. The Meridian advantage helping you improve your planting game today.

Dave:

When somebody asks you, "How's it been?", you're just like, "I'm busy."

Corey:

Right, right.

Tanner:

It's been busy. I've been [inaudible 00:27:35].

Corey:

Everyone's busy.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Corey:

So what do we say?

Dave:

I try and tell them what you're busy with.

Tanner:

I've been good busy. Oh. We don't have an answer for this.

Corey:

No.

Zach Johnson:

I always just go with living the dream.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

That's fair.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Somebody else's dream maybe, but [inaudible 00:27:50].

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, that's what I followed up with. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know whose dream it is, but I'm living it.

Tanner:

Yeah. Hopefully, they're happy with the way it ends.

Dave:

[inaudible 00:27:56] old boys said better than I deserve.

Corey:

Better than I deserve. I like that one.

Tanner:

A lot of cattle guys say that.

Dave:

Yep.

Tanner:

If I was any better, I'd have to be something.

Dave:

Yep. Busier than a one-armed paper hanger.

Zach Johnson:

A one-armed what?

Dave:

Paper hanger.

Tanner:

Paper.

Dave:

Paper hanger [inaudible 00:28:10] paper.

Zach Johnson:

I never had that one.

Dave:

Oh, man. There's all these good quotes from ... Got to go to coffee with the old boys.

Tanner:

That's pretty good.

Corey:

I'll get to the next one. Elaine Froese. We've had her on three or four times talking about farm transitions and all that kind of stuff. She says, "Be aware of what your strengths are, know what you're good at, and what you should be valued at. Have family meetings because you can't assume everyone wants and feels the same as you."

Are we getting applause?

Zach Johnson:

That's what I wondered.

Tanner:

Elaine was.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, Elaine was.

Corey:

Yeah. The family meetings is pretty big. We started doing that after she did. Do you guys try to sit down and have the family meetings, or?

Zach Johnson:

It just doesn't happen. We're too busy.

Corey:

Too busy.

Dave:

Do you have safety meetings?

Corey:

Just you and the dog?

Zach Johnson:

No. Yeah, me and the dog have lots of meetings.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Yeah. What about the second part of that? Do you know what you're good at?

Zach Johnson:

Oh, I mean, I think so. It's pretty hard to be self-aware of everything, right? I think everybody has a sense of what their strengths and weaknesses are, if you're honest with yourself.

Tanner:

Yeah. So do you try to do more of what you're good at and let others do the pieces that maybe you could work on?

Zach Johnson:

I've gotten to be more that way. Yeah. You know what?

Tanner:

I concur.

Zach Johnson:

Used to be a little too proud. If I wasn't good at something, I was going to figure it out anyway and now it's the opposite. No, I'll just go do what I'm good at.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Right.

Corey:

I think that's what took our podcast to the next level was it's been Tanner's baby, there's no hiding that, and he edited everything and did most of the work. Still does a lot of the work, but when he could finally give up control of the things that was causing him the most stress and he could just focus on what he's good at. I mean, we just jumped tenfold.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

It's crazy.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. And it took stress away.

Corey:

Oh.

Zach Johnson:

So it improved what you were trying to do already.

Tanner:

Yeah, made it more fun.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

It's so much more pleasant to be around. But it's still not great.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, I was going to say, this is as good as it gets here.

Corey:

Yeah, way better.

Tanner:

Man.

Dave:

Yep.

Tanner:

This is rough.

Corey:

We're still a banker.

Tanner:

We still have-

Corey:

Hasn't improved that.

Tanner:

We still have to hang up with him tomorrow.

Dave:

I know, right? Yeah.

Tanner:

And drive back with him.

Dave:

Well, I'll go with Tanner's quote. Go do it. You're never going to be ready. I like this. People say, "When are you going to have kids?" As soon as you get married. You can't have kids until you get married, but, boy, golly, as soon as you get married, everybody asks you, "When are you having kids? When are you going to have kids?" Just go do it.

Tanner:

Just go do it.

Dave:

You're never ready. You are never ready was the point of that.

Tanner:

What ... And I will say from the banking side of things, the conversations about those that sit in my office and do some budget preparation. And there is, there's conversations around, well, we'll never be able to afford a family. It always figures itself out. Life adjusts, your way of living adjusts, but the damnedest thing about the fact that I said that is I don't do this.

I do. I still need to go back and listen to myself because there's times to where we've got ideas and we don't just go do it.

Corey:

That's true. We get to the point of almost doing it a lot so that it [inaudible 00:31:11]. Whatever happened to that? Yeah.

Dave:

What happened to that idea? Well, we did. Yep.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

What happened?

Corey:

Well, I think we were self-aware enough, though, in those situations that we knew we couldn't yet do it quality. Yeah, it's not that it's not going to happen, but we know when-

Zach Johnson:

You're too busy.

Corey:

We know when we need to pull the trigger.

Dave:

Listen, he said he would've started three years earlier.

Corey:

I know it.

Tanner:

Right. And learn as you go.

Zach Johnson:

I just wasn't ready.

Dave:

Just wasn't ready.

Corey:

So we need to take our own advice and just hire help [inaudible 00:31:40].

Dave:

You're never fully ready.

Tanner:

Yeah. We're going to talk to Zach about hiring him when we get done with this.

Dave:

Here we go.

So what would it take ... Look at the time. Look at the time.

Corey:

You don't want to know.

Tanner:

Well, that's the fun part that I enjoy about portions of our audience. So we have a unique show structure that is supposed to be entertaining and educational. We try to merge those two together. Sometimes it doesn't always happen, right? It just becomes educational.

Dave:

Remember the question was, what would you tell yourself at 18? You didn't listen to yourself at 18. You still don't know.

Tanner:

I know.

Dave:

So you probably-

Tanner:

It makes this tough.

Dave:

Some of these are more specific like Corey's. Be more specific of 18, but it's not just like feel good, be good.

Tanner:

So Nick Tsiolis. I said that, right?

Corey:

Is that how you say it? Yeah.

Tanner:

I don't know. I assume it is. Nick Tsiolis, Farmer's Keeper, if anybody follows him on Snapchat. He said, "Be a sponge. Absorb and learn as many questions as you can. You have the energy and the time and less commitments. You can really throw yourself into learning your craft. Totally immerse yourself in learning." I mean, it's a really long one.

Corey:

It is.

Tanner:

Who do I want to be, not what do I want to be. Look at people further along in life that are more successful and have more experience. So, yeah, kind of interesting there is a lot of our attentive audience is doing that. They're being a sponge. They're choosing to listen. They're choosing to watch.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

It's interesting. We've had a lot of conversations about what the future of TV is.

Zach Johnson:

That's a really interesting one.

Tanner:

Does it become more millennial farmer? YouTube.

Corey:

Yeah. Well, it's already ... It's all streaming, right? It's all Netflix and Hulu and whatever on-demand type of stuff versus ...

Dave:

We used to have to watch whatever, wait until the time when it came on.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. We had Channel 7, 10, and 42.

Dave:

You couldn't record it. You couldn't wait for it. You had to-

Corey:

Do they still make a TV guide?

Zach Johnson:

I wonder that all the time. Can I find out what's going to be on at 7:00 on Tuesday?

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

That's true. I mean, there's digital.

Dave:

It's Channel 2, isn't it? Isn't Channel 2 the TV guide?

Tanner:

In the hotel rooms?

Dave:

Yes, it's, I'm pretty sure.

Corey:

I've been here for, what, three days now? I have not turned the TV on once.

Tanner:

I haven't.

Zach Johnson:

I haven't turned [inaudible 00:33:53] adult life.

Corey:

I'm not sure if it would go on, though. I got a lot of outlets that don't work in my room.

Zach Johnson:

Do you?

Dave:

Had a little bit of black on the ceiling.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Yes. But that's a good point, right? So the further into that conversation last night was that he had watched his sons consume what they wanted to consume when they wanted to consume it. And they were constantly engaged. They're constantly learning or picking something out of what they were consuming. Gone are the days of watching Cheers and Seinfeld and Mash.

Zach Johnson:

Unless you want to.

Tanner:

Well, that was my response. [inaudible 00:34:27] my wife and I will sit and do work on the podcast, laptops open, but we'll have Seinfeld on the TV. We've seen all of them, but that's what's on TV.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

How many seasons of there, Seinfeld?

Tanner:

19, I thought.

Corey:

Oh shit. My wife watches Friends like that. She's seen every episode 10 times.

Zach Johnson:

Do you get sick of that?

Corey:

Yes.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, I get sick of that one, too.

Corey:

Yeah. Yeah.

Tanner:

What else does your wife watch?

Zach Johnson:

A lot of junk. A lot of stuff that I can't stand to sit and watch.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Corey:

Probably Larson Farms.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah [inaudible 00:34:57].

I like documentaries. Like a good one-hour documentary because I can't stay awake any longer than that. So give me a one-hour documentary.

Tanner:

Yeah. I think Corey just came up with a neat TikTok for you to do is you need to have your wife watching Larson Farms and you walk in on her and she's like, "Oh, crap," she shuts her laptop really fast.

Zach Johnson:

It's nothing.

Tanner:

It's nothing, it's nothing, I swear.

Corey:

Paying taxes.

Dave:

[inaudible 00:35:26] paying taxes.

Tanner:

State Farm [inaudible 00:35:30]. Jake from State Farm. I think you could do it.

Zach Johnson:

I think I could.

Corey:

That would be good.

Zach Johnson:

It seems like it would take some editing skills, though, and I don't have that figured out [inaudible 00:35:41].

Tanner:

See.

Corey:

She'd have to edit it.

Zach Johnson:

She would've to edit it.

Tanner:

That would be dangerous. Yes.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

I'm going to go with mine. I'm going to pick my own. So going back to 18, I would've told myself to buy land however you can. I don't know if I would say that now, but back when I was 18, land was ... Oh, gosh, I'm going to date myself here, but it was like three, four grand an acre.

Tanner:

Man, you are old.

Corey:

And a sale just in our area, sold for 14, 275 this morning.

Tanner:

275. Did you hear that? They cut it all the way down to 25s.

Corey:

Dave doesn't do that.

Tanner:

No?

Corey:

No.

Tanner:

If you can bid 25, you can bid 50.

Dave:

Corey was in the crowd just [inaudible 00:36:21].

Corey:

No. I had no cell service-

Dave:

Half quarter.

Corey:

I couldn't get cell service. I didn't even see the auction. We're busy.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Corey:

See, busy.

Zach Johnson:

Too busy to buy land.

Tanner:

So would you have taken Corey's advice? If you had the wherewithal, looking back on it, would you have bought more land? Would you have bought more equipment? Would you have bought more businesses outside of ag?

Zach Johnson:

Well, that felt like three questions.

Tanner:

It was.

Zach Johnson:

So to answer the first one, would I have bought more land? Probably not because there's no more land that's been up for sale around us. It just doesn't move. It's locked down tight. Land does not move around us. More outside businesses, I mean, just really wouldn't have been an option until recently. There just wasn't really an opportunity for that.

Tanner:

Because we get a lot of conversations around diversifying and that diversification word goes from, we're going to do corn, soybeans, and have cattle.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Or we're going to have corn soybeans in a contract, either a poultry barn or a hog barn to diversify income sources. And then we got way deeper, and I can't remember his ... Dale, Mike. I can't remember the name of the guest that was talking about outside investing, crowdsource investing into apartment buildings and real estate.

Corey:

Oh, yeah.

Tanner:

And-

Zach Johnson:

I listened to that one while I was blowing snow.

Tanner:

Wasn't that interesting?

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, it was.

Tanner:

That there's groups in agriculture pooling their money to buy investments outside of ag.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

To generate cashflow.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. Some people are corn soybeans, a YouTube channel, and a shooting partner.

Tanner:

That's right.

Corey:

I don't know if you can be more diversified than that. It's all about mitigating risk.

Zach Johnson:

Oh, you could. I got some ideas.

Dave:

I got some ideas.

Corey:

Okay.

Dave:

I'll go with Jackie Wilson. Saw her this morning. Flying Diamond Beef says that life will have challenges. Keep a positive attitude, think about the big picture, and do things for others. So a little bit of giving back. And I think the positive attitude is the main portion of that whole deal is there's a whole lot of negativity ... Well, you're on Twitter, so-

Corey:

Yeah.

Dave:

Yeah. You get the drift. Keep a positive attitude.

Corey:

I'm on X.

Dave:

You're on X.

Tanner:

What is that? Zach, what do you do now? Instead of tweeting, what is it?

Zach Johnson:

I don't know. Yeah. Do you X? You cross out.

Tanner:

Do you cross up? What is it?

Corey:

I don't know.

Zach Johnson:

I don't even know ... Why did he do that? What's the idea behind it?

Corey:

Because we're talking about it right now probably.

Dave:

Because you leave your mark.

Zach Johnson:

Oh, that's a good answer.

Tanner:

You leave your mark.

Dave:

Yeah, X marks the spot. Leave your mark.

Tanner:

I just figured he was young and bought up a web domain, had bought x.com thinking it was funny, and finally had an excuse to put it to use.

Dave:

He probably did.

Zach Johnson:

Is that what it is? You can go to x.com and that's Twitter?

Dave:

Yeah.

Corey:

Do you think he's got every other letter of the alphabet?

Tanner:

I don't know.

Corey:

Dave, get on it right now.

Dave:

I don't know [inaudible 00:39:12]. Go, daddy.

Tanner:

We're going to start renaming companies to letters.

Corey:

Yep.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Dave:

Well, when you're typing it in, it is easier to remember and spell.

Tanner:

I don't like that it looks like the TikTok app.

Corey:

Yeah. Black.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Corey:

Same color scheme.

Zach Johnson:

It's right next to TikTok on my phone. Now that you say that.

Dave:

If the government outlaws TikTok, then he's got old Vine that used to be Twitter and maybe he wanted it to look like TikTok. He's just all strategy. I bet.

Corey:

I do miss Vine. Did you get on Vine?

Zach Johnson:

No, I never was.

Corey:

Yeah. Just YouTube and MySpace.

Dave:

Just MySpace. I was waiting for MySpace.

Zach Johnson:

ICQ.

Tanner:

What's that? I think you said that the last time we had a conversation. You and Randy [inaudible 00:39:52]. You and Randy were talking about that.

Dave:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

You guys don't know what that is?

Tanner:

No.

Corey:

No.

Zach Johnson:

Well, if we talked about it last time, then I'll skip it.

Corey:

What is Randy up to? I haven't seen him for a while.

Zach Johnson:

He's working.

Corey:

Yeah. He's busy.

Zach Johnson:

He's busy. Yeah.

Tanner:

Jason Cope said to understand that perseverance is an important factor. Stay focused so you can achieve and accomplish. Minimize the background noise. We had to do that with our mics earlier today.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Was to get rid of some of those high-pitch whining. Just make sure everybody could stay focused on what we're doing. Do it in a way, though, that is good for yourself, but also good for others. That ties into what Jackie was saying about taking care of others. We had an interview with Gavin Spoor and Ethan Clarke. And Gavin and Ethan both framed up that you have to be aware in your community that everybody's watching. And that doesn't mean, oh, they're trying to spy on you or keep an eye on you. They're watching for you to do good things because that makes them feel good about you doing good things, which potentially allows you for new opportunities.

Speaker 8:

Spraying crops is one of the most demanding jobs on your farm. It's time sensitive. It requires precision. It needs RightSpot, Ag Leader's latest entrusted application technology. RightSpot's nozzle-by-nozzle control allows you to maximize the effectiveness of your inputs with the right droplet size coverage area to give your crop what it needs while minimizing wasted product and time. Level up your spraying operation, Ag Leader it. Contact your local Ag Leader dealer or visit agleader.com for more information.

Dave:

I got a question on that. So everybody's watching, right? I'll ask you this, Zach. I work out with a gal, she's a principal, and she says, "Dave ...

Tanner:

And she watches you?

Dave:

... I always have to be the principal no matter where I'm at." And I'm like, "Well, yeah, but there's times when you're not the principal. You're mom, you're whatever. You're go to the game. You're a tailgate person." Said, "Nope, I have to be the principal all the time." But you're a guy that gets watched a lot. Do you feel like you have to be on point all the time or do you finally just say, "You know what? I don't even care."

Zach Johnson:

I'm going to say in my case ... So in the case of the principal, I can see that, right? I understand that. I get that. Everywhere she goes, if she wants to sit down and have a beer, there's another family or the family of a kid over there watching the principal have a beer or whatever, right?

Dave:

Yep. Don't pick that job.

Zach Johnson:

Right.

Dave:

Got it.

Tanner:

No more principals.

Zach Johnson:

That does seem like something you just can't escape from.

Dave:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

Until you leave your community.

Dave:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

Right? For me, with what I've done, I've never been anything different than myself. So I don't feel like I ever have to worry about that. That doesn't seem like a thing to me. I don't feel trapped in having to be the millennial farmer because the millennial farmer is me.

Dave:

Got it. Very good.

Corey:

How sad is that, that she feels that way and that's her career that's supposed to be a 40-hour-a-week job and it's her whole life?

Dave:

That's what I thought.

Corey:

That's not worth having.

Dave:

She's like, "I would have to go to Germany or somewhere where no one knew me to" ... I don't know what she wants to do. I'm just saying the fact that you have to be on point principal all the time, but I guess it'd be like being the president. You're always watched.

Tanner:

Did you just hear what you said? Aren't farmers on all the time?

Zach Johnson:

Yes, but it's probably more because we love to do it. And if we don't want to be on, go to the lake.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

Right? There's not ... I mean, it goes back again to where if you're going to judge me for being a farmer and enjoying some time off, then go ahead and judge me.

Dave:

Well, and relatable is what farmers like. I mean, that's exactly.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

I'm guessing she didn't grow up playing principal.

Tanner:

How do you do that?

Corey:

I don't know.

Tanner:

You'd line up a bunch of stuffed animals as teachers. Yeah.

Corey:

You boss people around and send them in detention.

Tanner:

You need to use your work hours better.

Corey:

You need to call me doctor. You're not a doctor.

Tanner:

You're not a doctor.

Dave:

Doctor, doctor, doctor.

Corey:

You have a doctorate.

Tanner:

Well, this goes into what Veren said, which another ... What is he? He's the most attractive short man. No.

Dave:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Fat guy.

Corey:

That's what he calls himself.

Tanner:

He called himself the most attractive fat guy.

Corey:

In agriculture.

Tanner:

In agriculture.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Keep taking chances. Don't worry about others' perception of you. Do your own thing and go for it. That's hard.

Corey:

And he's done a lot of stuff and gone for a lot of stuff.

Tanner:

Yes.

Corey:

Wrapping bales and products and all that stuff. That was a good one.

Dave:

Is there a farmer adage to Michael Jordan's you miss 100% of the shots you don't take? Should we make one?

Zach Johnson:

It seems like maybe you've already made one.

Dave:

I haven't. I haven't. I'm asking right now, hot on the spot, do we have anything?

Tanner:

Dave, just go do it.

Corey:

You don't grow any seed that you don't plant.

Dave:

I like that.

Corey:

There you go.

Dave:

You re-put yourself. Maybe that was the ... Yeah.

Tanner:

It was already there.

Zach Johnson:

It was already there.

Dave:

It wasn't, it so wasn't.

Corey:

You think that's what the guys-

Zach Johnson:

You're the first one to say that.

Tanner:

That's great. We should start saying that. Yeah.

Corey:

That's probably what they're saying when they're going across. They're the guys that are out there two weeks too early and the soil's 30 degrees and it's like, "If I don't plant it, it ain't going to grow."

Tanner:

It ain't going to grow. Don't plant it.

Well, the last one we have on this list, except for Dave's, is Jacqueline Loeffler, not Jackie. We learned that.

Corey:

Yep.

Tanner:

Jacqueline. No matter how you grew up in life, no one can take away your education. But I would change now, in her opinion, the word education to experience. If you can figure out that the sky is the limit, you're going to go far. There's no limit to success. If you have that mentality, you have success already. Her episode was the last recap episode of what does success look like to you? So she sat in your role, Zach, and gave that answer. And I don't think she's wrong. I got more out of the experiences since college than I ever did in the education that I got while I was there, but I wouldn't trade having gone to college for something else.

Corey:

I think you go to college to learn how to learn and deal with other people sometimes, but then I also learned that you don't have to go to college.

Dave:

See, I think you go to college for ... I want to hire people that went to college. Here's why. Because they can complete a goal. So they set a goal, they finished it. I don't even care if it's basket weaving. You set a goal and you finished it. The second thing is you can put up with somebody's bull crap. What I mean by that is I guarantee during your time at college, there was a class that you didn't want to go to or an assignment that you didn't want to do. Now, I'm the employer or a job that I would like you to go do that you're going to do it because you want to complete the goal. I like that.

I like the fact that you want to do it. I don't even care what your degree is, but it tells me a couple things about you that you can complete a goal. You can set a goal and you can put up with a little BS.

Corey:

Right.

Tanner:

I don't know how he's this philosophical at the end of day two at Farm Progress.

Dave:

I tell you what, got all the good stuff. Go back to when I was 18, what I would tell myself, don't be in such a hurry to grow up because I wanted to do nothing but work and didn't want to go to college and just wanted to get right into it, and there is some cool experiences and some relationships I probably would've made at college, but I was in a hurry to grow up. So I would tell myself, be patient.

Corey:

Did you go to college?

Zach Johnson:

I went to tech school.

Dave:

Same here.

Zach Johnson:

Yep.

Corey:

There you go.

Tanner:

Tech school for what?

Zach Johnson:

High-performance engine building.

Tanner:

Oh, that's right.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, I went to school to learn how to build race car engines.

Tanner:

How has racing been?

Zach Johnson:

It's been a decent year, decent summer.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

We've got a good car right now, so we got a few big shows left and hopefully we can make them go our way.

Corey:

Are you coming down to nationals in Boone?

Zach Johnson:

In Boone, yeah. We don't run any IMCA stuff.

Corey:

Oh.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

So I've always been curious about that comment. Well, we've got a good car right now. Is that like Corey saying, "Well, we've got a good sprayer right now?" What does that terminology mean?

Zach Johnson:

It means that any track ... For me, what I mean by that right now is any track we go to under any condition, our car is pretty balanced. We're going to be running good. We're competitive right now. There's times where you spend a year or two and you just struggle. You're just not up to par and you just fight and fight and fight and trying to find the balance of the car and find what it wants, find what you want, figure out how to set it up at different tracks. When you get the balance of the car and things are right, that's when it's good. That's when you start picking off winds.

Corey:

So it's not that you feel like you have 20 extra horse or anything like that, it's just balance.

Zach Johnson:

No, it's the balance of the car. Yeah.

Dave:

Is that like a farming deal, too, when you're combining, when you're harvesting, the right speed, your cart drivers are coming at the right? We have no downtime. Everything's set up just perfect to where we're ... Just getting enough, just unloading right. All the trucks are going just right.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. And nobody has to talk on the radio for six hours and you knock out a hundred acres, right?

Dave:

There you go.

Zach Johnson:

Everybody's got the rhythm going.

Dave:

Yep.

Zach Johnson:

But then you move to the next field and you're screaming at each other on the radio while you take out end rows.

Dave:

Yep.

Zach Johnson:

That's the difference.

Dave:

Corey, I'm going to hear you say that on the radio. It's like that ... My combine is just we got a good combine right now.

Corey:

Yeah, I got a good combine.

Dave:

You got a good combine.

Corey:

[inaudible 00:49:10] good about it.

Dave:

You feel good about it.

Corey:

[inaudible 00:49:12] season. Yields are okay.

Tanner:

Look at this. We're coming up with content while making content.

Dave:

Yeah.

Tanner:

I think we could.

Zach Johnson:

That's art.

Tanner:

It is. I still think Corey has always had the idea of putting on a racing suit with all the sponsor patches.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

For Farm4Profit.

Dave:

Oh geez.

Zach Johnson:

I actually ... I suggested that to Farm Focus that does all my shirts one time. I'm like, "Why don't we come up with a NASCAR shirt?" So every company I worked with is on the shirt. They thought that was a terrible idea.

Tanner:

Oh really?

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

[inaudible 00:49:41] on the-

Zach Johnson:

Then the more I thought about it, I'm like, "Yeah, it's not." It might be funny, but I don't think ... That's not a hot seller.

Tanner:

It's one of those you make 10 and it's a limited edition.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. Or I just wear one one day and don't say anything about it and just watch the comments.

Dave:

Just run against Tony and get for president. Put your name on it.

Zach Johnson:

That's a good idea.

Dave:

You guys could have the [inaudible 00:50:00]. We'd be the moderators. This would be great.

Tanner:

Sorry, go ahead.

Zach Johnson:

I could put in a 30-second ad at the end of it slamming Tony. It's like something he said 15 years ago.

Dave:

Yes, yes.

Corey:

When you put a new shirt out, so you came out with a farmer around to find out, right? Isn't that yours?

Zach Johnson:

Yes, yeah.

Corey:

And that just came out a couple months ago?

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Corey:

How many do you sell? It's crazy, it's got to be [inaudible 00:50:21].

Zach Johnson:

It's a very wide range of from the good ones to the ones that don't sell.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

I mean, it's literally from zero to 10,000. And I think that's been a good shirt, but honestly, I haven't talked to him yet to see how that one's doing.

Corey:

Really?

Zach Johnson:

I like it. I think that's a great shirt.

Tanner:

Yeah, I think it's funny.

Corey:

It is. It's great.

Tanner:

I do think it would be funny, too, if you saw these politicians standing up and they had to wear the logos of all of their sponsors.

Zach Johnson:

Right.

Dave:

Oh, my.

Tanner:

We might start a trend that moves over into politics.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, that'd be awesome.

Tanner:

I think that's probably right now is the most politics we've ever talked about on this podcast.

Dave:

I think so.

Zach Johnson:

How deep do we want to get?

Tanner:

Nope. Nope. We're going to skate-

Dave:

Did you guys see that?

Corey:

My plant thing.

Tanner:

Oh, I was actually ready to segue into something away from politics and it's this fly. I think we're going to have to call this episode the fly episode. It has pestered all of us.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

So they are. You're going to have to go to YouTube and watch just to see which one of us because I almost hit you just to end it. Zach's getting it right now.

Zach Johnson:

Did you guys watch Breaking Bad?

Corey:

Yeah

Tanner:

I have.

Zach Johnson:

You remember the fly episode?

Corey:

Yes.

Tanner:

Yes.

Zach Johnson:

That was a weird one, wasn't it?

Corey:

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Tanner:

That's funny.

Corey:

There's several weird episodes on that.

Tanner:

God, yeah, I hadn't remembered that.

Zach Johnson:

None as weird as the fly episode.

Corey:

Yeah. Yep. You wrote some things down there. What do you got?

Dave:

You just say, what was your point of this? Were you having him make something?

Tanner:

No, I just was going through these. We just get to spend time with Zach, but I think he knows.

Dave:

Did you write your own? What would you tell yourself at 18?

Zach Johnson:

I did because I felt the pressure like that was probably coming, so I was rolling through that in my own head. And I wrote down ... I don't know if you were watching or not, but I wrote mine down because I wanted to put it into some words. And I wrote it before you read Jacqueline's quote here, but it would branch off of hers. But I wrote that your success shouldn't be measured by your acres, your money, or your work hours. Concentrate on quality of life and being happy.

Tanner:

Work hours. Work hours. That's tough. We all know the people that are proud of the hours that they work.

Zach Johnson:

I saw ... So I'll give Twitter or X a little credit for this, but I saw on there a couple of months ago, somebody mentioned something about farming doesn't need to be a competition of who can work themselves to death the quickest.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

And that's true. Nobody else does that, do they? Other industries wouldn't take pride in that.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

The electrician that wired the new studio doesn't work weekends unless there's an emergency.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

And I said, "Well, how do you deal with that?" Because he owns his own business. He's, "Well, it took a long time for me to discipline myself and now I don't answer and my voicemail says that if this is in case of an emergency, you need to call another number," which is just a Google number that comes back to his phone, but he knows that that's-

Zach Johnson:

That's an emergency coming through.

Tanner:

Yeah.

Dave:

Yep.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Sometimes I still answer those and it's people that their outlet doesn't work and the TV won't turn on. And I can classify that as a nonemergency, but sometimes it's a branch fell on a line and we really have an emergency.

Zach Johnson:

Yep.

Tanner:

But otherwise, it was neat because you think of farmers as business owners. That's what we've preached on this podcast for so long is we want you to farm more like a business, be more profitable. And other business owners take weekends off.

Zach Johnson:

Right.

Dave:

See, that almost ties into ... What he said almost ties into one of the other questions we asked. How do you define success?

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Dave:

And I think of that, your work hours, as you said, it's not a race to who can work the most. Sometimes it is because we've been somewhat brainwashed that success is money. And so that takes more work hours and more work hours to make that happen. Yeah. Success might not be that for everybody.

Zach Johnson:

Right. Yeah, it's flexible, right? Success for all you guys is probably different than what I would view it as for me.

Corey:

Right.

Tanner:

You're right.

Dave:

I'm good with the big score in golf, but Tanner's not. Success is just making it to the 18th hole.

Corey:

Yeah.

Dave:

And I still have balls in my bag.

Corey:

Right.

Tanner:

Hey, sometimes that's how I gauge around a golf is how many balls I found compared to what I lost, yeah. But you know I found those looking for one that I had lost.

Corey:

Have you played the golf game where each beer you drink, you get one less point?

Tanner:

I have not.

Corey:

I think I'd be a little more successful with that.

Dave:

You think you'd be more successful.

Tanner:

If I could golf like that. I might rival Tanner.

Dave:

You might.

Corey:

Yeah.

Zach Johnson:

It's worth trying.

Corey:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Don't try anything once.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

Right. So what's on the horizon for Zach? What's coming up? What's new? Any fun projects you're working on?

Zach Johnson:

Boy, specifically right now, I mean, nothing's jumping out to me as far as being totally out of the box. We're getting ready for harvest and-

Tanner:

Yep. Time to start filming harvest content.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah. Yeah. So that's always busy. It's weird. Harvest is, obviously, our busiest time on the farm. And then we've doubled down on making it the busiest time because that's when we produce the most content on the YouTube channel as well.

Corey:

Yep.

Dave:

New cameras this year or anything? New equipment.

Zach Johnson:

I've always got new cameras because I destroy them.

Dave:

Oh, fair enough.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Tanner:

It's an expensive hobby, isn't it?

Zach Johnson:

It is, yeah. Yeah, I have a drawer full of cameras that ... I mean, they're junk, I should just throw them away, but it's like you don't want to, right?

Corey:

Yep.

Zach Johnson:

Paid money for it. But-

Corey:

You got a new sprayer, didn't you?

Zach Johnson:

We did. We got-

Corey:

With the John Deere technology on it?

Zach Johnson:

Yep. We got a 410R and put a bunch of upgrades on that and it was a big upgrade from our 4830.

Corey:

So you're doing the See & Spray stuff?

Zach Johnson:

We are not doing the See & Spray just because when it came down to looking at how much residual chemical we're always putting on, and then we bought a used sprayer, so you can't really ... It was tough to do that because you can't get two different tanks on there is where you have a residual tank and the See & Spray tank.

Corey:

Got you.

Zach Johnson:

But I've seen that technology work and it's crazy. I mean, the places where they need and can benefit from that is going to be a game changer.

Corey:

Yep. Yep. Do you get the Fast Fill System?

Zach Johnson:

I don't know.

Corey:

You don't know?

Zach Johnson:

No. It feels really quickly.

Corey:

Okay. Well, because I should know. So that Sage-

Tanner:

I thought you knew.

Corey:

Yeah, Sage said, "Hey, we've got millennial farmer sprayer over here," a mile from my place. They upfit for Deere.

Zach Johnson:

Okay. Yeah.

Corey:

And they said they were putting it on there.

Zach Johnson:

It probably doesn't.

Tanner:

So you've got fast food.

Zach Johnson:

It'll take it as fast as we can push it.

Tanner:

Did you also find the present Corey left for you in the camp?

Corey:

Did not. It would've been good, though.

Tanner:

[inaudible 00:56:50].

Corey:

It would've been good, though.

Tanner:

Yes.

Zach Johnson:

I did ... When I bought the first 780 we had, there was a note in the refrigerator from just some kids in that town that had heard I had bought that combine.

Corey:

Okay.

Zach Johnson:

And they wrote a note, gave it to their sales guy buddy, and he put it in the fridge in the combine.

Tanner:

That's funny.

Corey:

That's cool.

Zach Johnson:

It was pretty funny.

Tanner:

That's dedication.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, it was. Yeah.

Tanner:

Absolutely. That's good. Well, I would say this has been a fun conversation, but that wasn't going to be your challenge.

Corey:

No.

Tanner:

You did extra credit because we've got a new question.

Zach Johnson:

You changed it up on me.

Tanner:

We do because we're going to create another episode summarizing all of the answers from Farm Progress.

Dave:

Home page, blank sheet.

Tanner:

That's pretty easy.

Corey:

It is easy.

Dave:

It is.

Tanner:

What do you enjoy most about being a farmer or farming?

Zach Johnson:

I got to pick one thing?

Tanner:

No, it could just be the answer of what you enjoy most. It's been fun to get some of these answers, guys, that we've had specific to the interactions with other people or specifically to I love driving tractor.

Corey:

Yep.

Tanner:

And then some get really broad and really insightful. So no pressure.

Zach Johnson:

I would say if I'm going to pick one thing, because I'm going to, to keep it a little shorter, I would say raising my kids on the farm is probably the most rewarding. And raising them, being able to see the cycle of life and what it takes to work hard and watch a crop come to fruition every year, and if you've got livestock, I have to imagine it's that much more rewarding and there's that much more experience involved with it. So that's what I would say would be raising my kids on the farm.

Tanner:

Yeah. Would you agree, Dave?

Dave:

Yeah, next gen. I was thinking even in my case, because my wife's the farmer, so I enjoy watching her enjoy it.

Corey:

You just enjoy watching her, period.

Dave:

Yes.

Zach Johnson:

As you should.

Tanner:

We had a Dallas State Fair in the ag education building where they have sows giving birth to piglets and cows having calves and chickens laying eggs, but this year, they had a John Deere cab that kids could climb in and take a picture. I don't know how you could take pictures through the windshield for all the fingerprints and hand prints on it, but my daughter saw the line and we asked, we said, "You guys want to get in there and take a picture?" And she goes, "No, I'll take a picture when I'm driving one."

Zach Johnson:

There you go.

Tanner:

So just, all right, perfect.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah.

Dave:

Yep.

Tanner:

I like that answer.

Dave:

Well, cool.

Tanner:

That's good. Zach, if our listeners don't know who you are, for some reason, how do they find you?

Zach Johnson:

I'm a professional golfer. No, the best place would be YouTube. Head over to Millennial Farmer on YouTube, but it's Millennial Farmer on everything. So I've got Instagram and Facebook as well. I'm on TikTok, off and on, but I'm over there.

Tanner:

Good. Thank you.

Zach Johnson:

Yeah, thank you, guys. I really appreciate it.

Tanner:

You had a busy day and hopefully you had a little bit of fun with us.

Zach Johnson:

I did, for sure.

Tanner:

Listeners, I hope you had some fun, too. And just in case, Corey, why don't you send them out?

Corey:

Oh, I always say crack a Busch Light. You deserve it.

Speaker 9:

Are you ready to unlock the true potential of your equipment? Look no further than STEINBAUER USA. USA, USA. STEINBAUER offers cutting-edge performance upgrades that deliver more power, torque, and efficiency to your engine. Visit steinbauerusa.com today and unleash the full capabilities of your equipment. Farm smarter and stronger with STEINBAUER.

Farm4Profit, powered by STEINBAUER.

Around five years ago, I started my “Farm4Profit” podcast. Today, it’s closing in on 350 episodes and ranks in the top 1% of podcasts in the world. I learned a lot of lessons along the way — here are some I wish I learned sooner.

Understanding Our Audience Better

Over time, podcasters gain a deeper understanding of their audience's preferences, interests, and demographics. Through listener feedback, analytics, and engagement metrics, they learn what resonates most with their audience and can tailor their content accordingly. This understanding allows them to create more targeted and engaging episodes that keep listeners coming back for more.

Refining Content and Format

Podcasters often experiment with different content formats, episode lengths, and topics during their first year. Through trial and error, they discover what works best for their show and audience. They may refine their content strategy, streamline their format, and focus on producing high-quality episodes that align with their niche and goals. This process of refinement helps podcasters hone their craft and elevate the overall quality of their show.

Improving Technical Skills

Producing a podcast involves various technical aspects, such as recording, editing, and publishing episodes. Over time, podcasters become more proficient in these technical skills, learning to optimize audio quality, master editing software, and navigate podcast hosting platforms. As you gain experience, they can produce episodes more efficiently and effectively, resulting in a smoother production process and higher-quality output.

Building a Community and Network

Podcasting isn’t just about creating content; it’s also about building a community around your show. After a year of podcasting, many podcasters develop a dedicated fan base and forge connections within their niche or industry. They may interact with listeners on social media, respond to feedback and questions, and even collaborate with other podcasters or influencers. Building a strong community and network not only enhances the podcasting experience, but also opens up opportunities for growth and collaboration. For us, going to trade shows and meeting fans and guests is a huge part of our success.

Monetization Strategies

 While some podcasters start their journey purely out of passion, many eventually explore monetization opportunities as their audience grows. After a year of podcasting, they may experiment with different monetization strategies, such as sponsorships, advertising, merchandise sales, or crowdfunding campaigns. They learn how to balance monetization efforts with providing value to their audience and maintaining the integrity of their show.

Staying Consistent and Persistent

Consistency and persistence are key to long-term success in podcasting. After a year of producing episodes, podcasters understand the importance of sticking to a regular posting schedule, even during challenging times. They learn to overcome obstacles, adapt to changes, and stay motivated in the face of setbacks. This resilience and commitment are essential for sustaining their podcasting journey and achieving their long-term goals.

Overall, the first year of podcasting is a transformative period filled with valuable lessons and experiences. We have certainly emerged from this journey with a deeper understanding of our audience, refined content and technical skills, a growing community, and a newfound appreciation for the dedication required to succeed in the medium.

Houston, Texas - March 4, 2024 - Tanner Winterhof, host of the Farm4Profit Podcast, recently returned from an exhilarating trip to the 2024 Commodity Classic held in Houston, Texas. The event, which brings together farmers, industry experts, and agricultural enthusiasts from across the nation, proved to be an unforgettable experience for Winterhof and his team.

Among the many highlights of the event was the eagerly anticipated unveiling of John Deere's 2025 product releases. Winterhof had the privilege of attending this exclusive event, getting a firsthand look at the cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions that John Deere has in store for the agricultural community.

In addition to exploring the latest offerings from John Deere, Winterhof also took the opportunity to visit Farmer Froberg's You Pick strawberry farm. Immersing himself in the farming community, and receiving a tour of his entire farm before recording a Farm4Fun podcast.

As a dedicated podcaster, Winterhof didn't miss the chance to record episodes on-site at the Commodity Classic. Farm4Profit set up shop in both the Sukup booth and the John Deere booth, engaging with industry leaders and sharing valuable content with his listeners.

But it wasn't all work and no play for Winterhof. He made time to connect with fellow creators and listeners, forging new friendships and strengthening existing relationships within the agricultural community. And when the sun went down, Winterhof embraced the vibrant nightlife of Houston, soaking in the sights and sounds of the city.

Of course, no trip to Houston would be complete without attending the world-famous Houston Rodeo. Winterhof enjoyed an adrenaline-filled evening watching the thrilling rodeo events and capping off the night with a performance by country music sensation Hardy.

Reflecting on his time at the 2024 Commodity Classic, Winterhof expressed gratitude for the opportunity to connect with industry leaders, learn from fellow farmers, and experience the excitement of the agricultural world firsthand.

Connect with Tanner on Crunchbase and F6s.

Subscribe now