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Trevor is the fourth generation on his family's Southwest Wisconsin dairy, established in 1937, where seven family members milk about 350 cows and grow all their own corn and alfalfa. He shares why he left the farm to drive a concrete truck and came back five months later, how the family is planning a new freestall barn and a bigger parlor to win back hours of milking every day, why working harder isn't always the answer, and what it's like to be 30 years old with nothing on paper about his future in the operation. The longer succession gets pushed off, the harder it gets. If you want a clear plan for your farm's future, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

Casey Tebos grew up on a Michigan dairy, but with an older brother already back home, he had to find his own way in. In 2023 he took over a retiring dairyman's equipment and rented ground near Battle Creek, raising forage for the dairy that bought the cows and hauling all of its manure. He shares how he lost $100,000 in his first year without a real balance sheet or cash flow, how rebuilding his crew changed the business, why he now runs every bill through his operating line, and how clear numbers changed the conversation with his loan officer, even in a losing year. Farming is death by a thousand cuts. Knowing your numbers is how you stop the bleeding. If you want total control over your finances and your farm's future, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

Aaron Wetzel farms ground in northern Illinois that his family has owned since 1878, running cattle, hogs, row crops, and Pioneer seed corn. After losing his grandfather and uncle and taking on thousands of new acres and a large hog facility in a short time, the bank sent them to special assets the week before Thanksgiving and told them to start selling land. He shares how eight straight weeks at the kitchen table rebuilt their balance sheet and cash flow, the old credit line they never knew they owed, and how they got operating money for the next crop year without selling another acre. Banks will always want their money. Make sure you have someone on your side. If you want total control over your numbers and your farm's future, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

James Pieper grew up in the suburbs of Fargo, but he never lost the dream of farming his grandparents' Minnesota ground. With no machinery and only 360 acres, the credit analyst and skip-generation farmer shares how he saved through college, eased into equipment instead of buying it all at once, protected his working capital, and made it through the tough 2023 and 2024 seasons by staying off-farm and never getting overextended. Starting or growing an operation takes more than grit. It takes knowing your numbers. If you want a clear plan for your farm's finances, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

Aaron Wilson started farming in 2012 while hauling hogs at night and sleeping in his truck. Since then he's built a wean-to-finish hog barn, a full grain system, a field tile business, and a turkey farm 100 miles away, growing to 2,300 acres with three kids at home. But after going through a restructure, he realized he'd never tracked cash flow, and that he was working his tail off for nothing on the row crop side. He shares what his numbers revealed, how small changes like buying LP in bulk can cut a $90,000 cost in half, why he's looking at taking his row crops organic, and why it's okay to ask for help. Working harder isn't the answer. Knowing your numbers is. If you want less stress and more clarity this fall, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

Luke Schultz has spent 25 years in ag lending while helping run his family's 5th-generation Kansas cattle ranch. Now with Conterra Ag Capital, he breaks down how input price shocks can make an operation unbankable fast, why cow-calf producers are in the driver's seat right now, and exactly what impresses a lender: a verified balance sheet, a borrowing base, budgets tracked against actuals, monthly income and expense records, and a 1–5 year plan. Your lender is going to look at your numbers either way. If you want to walk in with a clear budget and a plan, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

After a crop failure and the loss of his father on their 5th-generation Florida farm, Marshall and his family started the Mind Your Melon Foundation to get farmers talking about stress and mental health. He shares what their University of Florida research revealed about the biggest pressures in ag, why peer support and community matter before things reach a crisis, and how a budget and a succession plan can take real weight off your shoulders. Stress doesn't have to be something you carry alone. If you want clarity on your numbers and a plan for what's next, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

"Hope is not a grain marketing strategy." 8th-generation farmer Zoe breaks down navigating land buyouts, overcoming farm labor bottlenecks, and implementing structured grain marketing plans to keep her operation profitable in volatile markets. Harvest isn't an excuse to ignore the business side of your operation. If you want to talk strategy and get total control over your numbers, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

Returning to a 130-year-old family operation comes with a heavy weight of history and a demand for real business growth. Tucker Brown, a 6th-generation rancher from Throckmorton, Texas, sits down to discuss expanding their registered Angus bull program, scaling a direct-to-consumer beef business through social media, and proactively shifting management practices ahead of the screwworm threat. We dive deep into why historical high cattle prices demand strict risk management (LRP, puts, hedges) and how third-party facilitation helps families execute multi-generational succession without blowing up the ranch. Harvest isn't an excuse to ignore the business side of your operation. If you want to talk strategy and get total control over your numbers, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

Rapid expansion, grain bin failures, and brutal weather can quickly push a family farm to the edge. JC shares his candid journey of operating 3,900 acres on gut instinct and annual shoe-box accounting, the toll it took on his family life, and how shifting to a month-to-month cash flow model completely turned his mindset around. We break down why cash flow statements beat annual balance sheets every time, how to manage lease debt, and how to negotiate better terms with bankers and input suppliers. Harvest isn't an excuse to ignore the business side of your operation. If you want to talk strategy and get total control over your numbers, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

When summer pasture leases disappear overnight in the middle of a massive drought, young producers face a sink-or-swim moment. Trent and Kaylee Ramsey of Ramsey Cattle Co. join the show to share how they navigated a sudden loss of grazing land, built a 150-head cow-calf operation with zero college debt, and leveraged social media to diversify revenue. We dive into the harsh reality of Western land prices, why sweat equity must be accounted for in succession planning, and how young cattle producers can position their balance sheets to survive market volatility. Harvest isn't an excuse to ignore the business side of your operation. If you want to talk strategy and get total control over your numbers, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

When herd cull rates skyrocket and milk production plummets despite changing management, the root cause isn't always feed or genetics—sometimes, it's coming straight from the ground. In this episode, brothers Colton and Jace Den Hoed share their family's journey from Washington State to Wisconsin, dealing with stray voltage, unmanageable equipment costs, and millions in debt. We discuss how financial clarity, monthly pro formas, and smart equipment purchasing are helping them take aggressive control of their dairy operation's future. Harvest isn't an excuse to ignore the business side of your operation. If you want to talk strategy and get total control over your numbers, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

High debt loads, sky-high equipment prices, and shrinking margins are putting immense pressure on farmers and cattle producers across the country. In this episode, we sit down with Phil, Chief Lending Officer at Capital Farm Credit, to expose the hidden pitfalls in ag finance, why traditional equipment buying is chewing up balance sheets, and how top producers shift focus from short-term profit to building long-term equity. Harvest isn't an excuse to ignore the business side of your operation. If you want to talk strategy and get total control over your numbers, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

Leaving a career to return to the family farm often comes with an overwhelming emotional burden. In this episode, Tork from Barn Talk joins us for a raw, honest conversation about how running a farm on emotion and incomplete numbers nearly destroyed his marriage, health, and peace of mind. Tork opens up about the frustration of repeating multi-generational mistakes, the stress of nursing home costs eating away at family equity, and the weight of feeling obligated to save the farm for the next generation. He shares how shifting from "checkbook accounting" to mastering real operational metrics brought him back from the brink—restoring his family relationships, building confidence with his banker, and transforming how he passes down knowledge to his sons.

For Den Hoed Dairy, perfect management wasn't enough to stop a hidden, invisible force from silently bleeding their family dairy dry. When the Den Hoed family transitioned their operation from Washington state to Wisconsin, they expected a deeper land base—but they walked straight into a multi-million dollar production trap. Despite harvesting their own feed, running their own logistics, and keeping iron costs low, their dairy herd was hit with a devastating 44% cull rate and calf losses exceeding 50%. The culprit wasn't their work ethic; it was stray voltage—up to 7 volts of earth current pulsing through the facility, shocking their cows every time they tried to drink. In this episode of Legacy Farmer Live, Colton Den Hoed reveals how standard utility tests failed to see a $1.5 million annual drain, the dangers of 100% loan-to-value equipment financing, and how they used data-backed pro-formas to secure a miracle bank approval to build on completely clean ground