“Sick animals cost you a lot of money so keeping them healthy is the full goal.”

Join us in this informative episode of Farming on Purpose and learn more about KSX Performance with Kaitlyn Keller. Taking us behind the scenes of her business, Kaitlyn shares about her love for animals, helping people, and how that translates into her business and how she operates. Kaitlyn dives into her products and explains some of the benefits of them. Listen in as we delve into the world of animal supplements and caring for livestock.

“It’s a lot easier to start a dog with a clean slate than erase a bunch of bad habits.”

Join us in this stimulating episode of Farming on Purpose and get up and close with Randall Walker, a renowned stock dog expert from Satus Stockdogs. Taking us through his fascinating journey of employing dogs in rotational grazing, Randall presents an eye-opening narrative on how stock dogs can significantly enhance farming efficiency. Perfectly tailored for those considering incorporating stock dogs into their operations, this podcast is loaded with critical analogues and recommendations. Listen in as we delve deep into the world of stock handling with dogs, the significance of breed-specific traits like fetching in Border Collies, and more.

“I wish there were more opportunities for people to see the day-to-day of it, not just the ‘you want to teach about agriculture, you must want to be a teacher’. There’s other options to do that, especially now that I’ve gotten into the world of entrepreneurship…”

This week we are mixing things up a bit! I had the pleasure of being on the Off-Farm Income podcast hosted by Matt Brechwald back in December. We had such a great conversation about many different topics and I wanted to highlight that episode and share it! We talked about my FFA journey and the many benefits the FFA program gives to high school students as well as the unsung heroes, Ag teachers and FFA advisors. I shared about starting my marketing business and my podcast, Farming On Purpose.

“One of our favorite quotes of all time is, ‘The answer to America’s food problem is not one or two big answers, it’s many small answers.’ And we couldn’t agree more.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Jesse and Lisa Vivian. Jesse and Lisa shared how they started Lane’s End Farm + Creamery. The original plan for the creamery was to make cheese but then Covid hit and like many others their plans had to adapt to the new demand of their community. Once their community got a taste of their milk, they had a huge demand to keep it flowing. Jesse explains how complex it is to have dairy cows and touches on some of the planning that goes into keeping milk production at a consistent level. Jesse and Lisa don’t want to keep their business model a secret, so if it is something you’re interested in, check out their course! Also be sure to check out their Instagram to see some of the creamery’s products!

“It’s not something that happens overnight, it’s a gradual transition. We started making our own bars of soap, I started making my own tallow, I started doing all these little things gradually that are creating a more holistic home, but it definitely takes time and you appreciate everything you have a whole lot more.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking to Kerissa Payne of Covey Rise Farms. Kerissa shared about her journey building her farm operation with her husband in Ohio and then moving their operation to Kansas. As you can imagine, that process did not come without a few bumps in the road, but Kerissa and her family have settled into their new home and are working on expanding their business. Kerissa also delved into how she started making things from scratch and how going without some things, like their dryer, doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

“The mindset of I do belong here. I belong here. Never underestimate your roots and where you came from and just try to find your place.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Liz Fiedler of Sunny Mary Meadow Farms. Liz shared how her flower farm got started as a farm stand and the many different ag operations were run on her late husband’s family farm. Liz also opened up with us about losing her husband unexpectedly and her grief journey so far. Liz is more than just a flower farmer and business owner, Liz is also a nurse practitioner and she noted how the two have some commonalities. One other hat that Liz wears is a coach for other people wanting to start their own flower farms or operations. She has learned a lot in her journey to get where she is and wants to help others by sharing her knowledge and experiences.

“It’s different every day, which I love. That was one of my difficulties with an office job; it was a little bit of monotony and boredom. You’re not going to get bored on a farm.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Gabe Spurgoen from South Baldwin Farms. Gabe shared about his career as an architect and how he didn’t feel fulfilled. What started as a way for Gabe to get away from his office desk by planting some peach trees quickly evolved into Gabe joining his father-in-law on the family farm as a fruit farmer. Gabe expanded on their peach and apple orchard operation and the seasonal employees that have now become like family to him. Gabe also discussed what it’s like to be an employee on the farm and talk about the farm succession and the future of the farm.

“I like animals and I like being a steward of animals and having a pragmatic purpose for having lots of animals.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Matt Brechwald, host of the Off-Farm Income podcast. Matt shared about his childhood and how he first got interested in agriculture. Matt also shared about his journey in the ag industry that eventually led him to start a farm with his wife and host the Off-Farm Income podcast. Matt explained the challenges he sees with the urban sprawl in his area. Matt gave some insight into the marketing around the lab-grown meat and where the funding is coming from. Matt has plenty of stories to share and was kind enough to share a Christmas story from his childhood.

“Probably one of the top three reasons the sheep industry is slowly dwindling is just the amount of work that goes into it is a lot, like you don’t really get paid for that. I wish that was something that, I would still have gotten the sheep anyways, but I wish I would have known that going into it.”   

In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Charity Epperson. Charity and I cover quite a few topics in this episode. Charity had the unique childhood experience of growing up on a preserve in rural California and Charity shares what that was like as well as living off-grid. Charity explains why she chose the breeds of sheep and pigs that she raises with her husband and son as well as why she chose to get into ranching. Living in rural, serene California does not come without its challenges, like getting vet services or other services to come out to their home and ranch. Charity dives into that more and some of the ways she’s had to be creative to overcome some obstacles. Charity talks about her new ventures with the sheep wool and pig lard and where you can find those products from her ranch.   

“I think that it’s important for consumers to know that when you are in a rural area you cannot receive the same products, sometimes at all.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ashley Comeau. Ashley and her husband, Adam, are the current owners of Brant’s Meat Market in rural Kansas. Brant’s Meat Market has been in operation for over 100 years and Ashley talks about the history of the store and the Brant family and the processes they had in place to run the meat market. While still wanting to hold and honor traditions of the family and the store, Ashley and Adam also want to expand their customer reach and opportunities the meat market is able to fulfill. Ashley also shares about opening a second location and the highs and lows that came with a second store. Ashley and Adam love working with their community to provide high quality meat as well as local meat.

“That is where when you are starting a new business, you have those challenges. You have to think around the corner. You have to think, ‘I know what I want, now how can I explain it to someone who’s never met me?’”  

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brad Fourby of Leafy Green Farms. Brad’s farm is unique and innovative. Situated in Southeast Kansas, Brad is able to grow his leafy green vegetables year round using climate-controlled shipping containers. Brad shares how his farm got started and the challenges he faced, like getting the bank to believe in his vision like he did. Brad also shares about ventures getting small farms like his into schools to not only help the students but their families and the community as well.  

“It’s a balancing act of just being your authentic self and figuring that out. As humans we are always evolving, interests change, stages of life change, all of those things. If you look at what I shared 6 or 7 years ago, it’s still the same basis of agriculture but I have changed a lot myself.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Andrea Flemming. You might know Andrea better as That Fit Agvocate. During our chat, Andrea opened up about her mental health and how fitness started out as an outlet for her anxiety and stress, but evolved into a new lifestyle and career. Andrea also shared about adding more to her plate like adding apparel to her website and doing brand collaborations, and transitioning to a full time fitness coach, then shifting to agriculture advocate. One of Andrea’s passions is farming and ranching with her family, and she talked about what that looks like for her as well as how hard it is to expand the farm with factors like land prices hindering growth.

Don’t forget to join our Facebook group, Farming On Purpose, to enter for our one year anniversary giveaways, check out our merch for the podcast, to share your stories, and support other farmers and ranchers.

“I think there are still a lot of questions about what the future of the farm is going to look like and what we’re going to do with it. People want to be involved and I’m honestly really grateful for that, that they feel so proud of the family farm, that they want to see things do well and see it succeed and be the beautiful place that they remember it being.”

For this week’s episode, I wanted to share our farm transition story. In past episodes I mentioned our move and a little about our farm transition, but today I wanted to dive deeper into what that move looked like for our family. I talked about our previous acreage that we bought not long after getting married and the downside of that property. After deciding we needed to move to expand our operation, I shared about our farm shopping experience. Then when we wanted to move forward purchasing my husband’s family farm, there was a lot that went into making that possible as well as renovations that have happened and are still in progress on the family farm. Now we are getting settled and into new routines and continuing to make progress on our forever homestead and farm.

“There’s so many things to do on the farm. So many jobs and so many places to fit in but, I just didn’t  feel like any of them were where I wanted to be or where I wanted to fit.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brandi Lahey, or as you might know her, The Tipsy Farmer. I had so much fun learning about Brandi’s journey growing hops and all that goes into growing, harvesting, and drying hops. Brandi shared why she started The Tipsy Farmer Mobile Bar and the highs and lows that came with it. 

Creating a pathway to farming

Tod Bunting joins us this week to share about the resources he and his team have developed to support veterans and introduce them to farming as a career. Tod is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Servicemember Agricultural Vocation Education (SAVE) Farm, based in Manhattan, Kansas.

The SAVE Farm exists to provide therapy, as needed, and hands-on teaching to veterans and transitioning service members through experienced professionals. Tod believes that farming or ranching is a natural transition for veterans, because both paths provide a tangible purpose.