Beyond The Crops

Have you ever felt like you don’t quite belong on your own farm, or wondered if what you do really matters? This week, Jena and Mary Pat answer listener questions about imposter syndrome, finding your role in a family farming operation, and giving yourself credit for the work that happens behind the scenes.

They also talk about the transition into marriage and farm life, especially when you’re joining your spouse’s family farm. From communication and changing expectations to building trust and giving yourself grace, they share what they’ve learned along the way—and why you don’t have to have it all figured out right away.

In this episode:

• Feeling like an imposter on your own farm
• Why not all valuable farm work shows up on a balance sheet
• Giving yourself credit for the work you do behind the scenes
• Navigating the first year of marriage and changes in family life
• Communicating with your spouse about your needs and expectations
• Building trust with your spouse’s family
• Giving yourself grace as your role changes
• Choosing to grow through life’s inevitable changes

New episodes every Tuesday!

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Harvest is not going the way Jena and Mary Pat hoped this year. With weeks of rain, delayed harvest, crop disease, and plenty of uncertainty, they’re learning firsthand that sometimes the things you work hardest for are completely outside your control.

They talk about the pressure to have a record year, dealing with tar spot, and the reminder that not every year will be a record year—and that’s okay. Jena also shares about some of the difficult things happening behind the scenes in her family’s life and how faith, prayer, community, and past trials are helping them navigate this season.

In this episode:

• A delayed and difficult harvest
• Excessive rain and crop disease
• Learning to hold things with an open hand
• Why not every year can be a record year
• Finding hope in hard seasons
• Prayer, faith, and leaning on your people
• Creating small, intentional spiritual habits
• Giving ourselves and others grace

New episodes every Tuesday!

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What does it look like to build a future on the family farm? This week, Jena and Mary Pat are joined by Hannah Borg, a sixth-generation Nebraska farmer who found her own path home through an unexpected opportunity: raising chickens for Costco.

Hannah shares how her family diversified their farm to create opportunities for the next generation, what it’s like raising 65,000 chickens, and how the chicken operation fits alongside their crops and cattle. They also talk about the importance of manure management and soil health, entrepreneurship, working with family, and the value of finding your own place within a family operation.

Plus, Hannah shares her passion for farm photography and documenting the everyday moments that become family history, along with a personal health journey that led her to explore tongue and lip ties, breathing, and sleep.

In this episode:

• Creating opportunities for the next generation on the family farm
• Hannah’s family’s diversified chicken, cattle, and crop operation
• Raising chickens for Costco
• The chicken supply chain from farm to processing
• Biosecurity and the challenges of avian influenza
• Using livestock manure and chicken litter to build soil health
• Entrepreneurship and the UNL Engler Entrepreneurship Program
• Finding your own path and purpose on the farm
• Working with parents and siblings
• Farm photography and “finding the magic in the mundane”
• Documenting family, farm, and agricultural history
• Hannah’s personal health and wellness journey
• The legacy of a multi-generation family farm

New episodes every Tuesday!

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What happens when you’re new to farm life, working a job, raising kids, and trying to keep up with the demands of harvest? Jena and Mary Pat have been there—and in this episode, they’re sharing what they’ve learned along the way.

They talk about over-communicating with your spouse and family, setting expectations before harvest, recognizing burnout, making room for rest, and asking for help when you need it. They also get real about motherhood, bringing a new baby into farm life, protecting time for yourself, and why taking a true day of rest can make busy seasons more sustainable.

Plus, Jena shares an update on her home build and the mold issues they’ve encountered, and the two friends talk about finding support through hard seasons, taking care of your mental health, and praying with your spouse.

In this episode:

• Advice for new farm wives and farm moms
• Communicating and setting expectations before harvest
• Balancing an off-farm job with farm life
• Recognizing burnout and knowing when to ask for help
• Bringing a new baby into the farm lifestyle
• Making time for yourself and protecting your rest
• The importance of a true day of rest during harvest
• Jena’s home build and mold challenges
• Finding professional and community support
• Prayer, faith, and getting through hard seasons together

New episodes every Tuesday!

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Harvest has officially started for some farmers, and Jena and Mary Pat are talking about what that means—from getting equipment ready to having serious conversations with their kids about farm safety.

They also recap their time at the Farm Progress Show, including a family rail bike adventure, Seed Life, Red Ants Pants, Case IH equipment, unpredictable weather, and plenty of farm-show fun.

Plus, they talk about bringing kids to farm shows, making time for family, and learning to slow down and enjoy the experience—even when things don't go exactly as planned.

In this episode:

• Harvest is starting earlier than expected
• Farm safety and keeping kids safe during harvest
• Family adventures at Farm Progress Show
• Rail biking with the kids
• Seed Life and Red Ants Pants
• Case IH’s 2026 America 250 display
• Farm show weather drama
• Bringing kids to farm shows
• Getting ready for the rhythm of harvest

New episodes every Tuesday!

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Harvest is right around the corner, but before the combines roll, Jena and Mary Pat are squeezing in a little fun, faith, and family time.

This week, they recap Becknology Days and Farm Wives Club, talk about independent agricultural research and Beck’s incredible Root Reveal greenhouses, and share some of the women who inspired them along the way.

They also get personal about adult baptism, motherhood, mom guilt, and learning to make time for yourself—even when it feels like there’s always something else that needs to be done.

Plus: House of Colour, women’s workwear from Red Ants Pants, a 20-mile run, and getting ready for Farm Progress!

In this episode:

• Jena’s adult baptism and growing deeper in faith
• Becknology Days & Beck’s Practical Farm Research
• Root Reveal technology and hybrid selection
• Farm Wives Club and inspiring women in agriculture
• House of Colour and finding colors that work for you
• Mom guilt and making time for yourself
• Red Ants Pants women’s workwear
• Getting ready for harvest and Farm Progress

New episodes every Tuesday!

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What happens when a challenging crop year has you questioning every decision you made? In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Jena and Mary Pat welcome back Faith Pearson, agronomist, seed business owner, farm wife, and self-proclaimed “crunchy agronomist,” for a conversation that goes way beyond what’s happening in the field.

The challenge this year has been a corn disease called Tar Spot. Faith breaks down what tar spot is, the weather conditions that can contribute to its spread, and the reality that sometimes farmers can make the best decisions they can with the information they have—and Mother Nature still has the final say.

The conversation quickly becomes about something bigger: the pressure farmers put on themselves. Jena shares how much Levi has been beating himself up over the tar spot situation, and the three women talk about the importance of checking in on the farmers in your life, learning from difficult seasons, and remembering that a crop that doesn't meet your expectations isn't necessarily a failure.

From there, they dive into the very different roles women can have in agriculture. Whether you're working directly in the field, running a business, marketing grain, raising kids, managing the home, supporting the farm behind the scenes, or doing some combination of all of it—there is no one “right” way to be a farm wife or a woman in agriculture.

And, as always, there's a little encouragement woven throughout: you don't have to have everything figured out. Your role can change. Your passions can change. And you can grow through those changes instead of fighting them.

In this episode:

• What tar spot is and how it affects corn
• Why weather and leaf wetness matter when it comes to disease
• Hybrid selection and fungicide management
• What this year's unusual weather has meant for crops
• Learning from difficult farming seasons instead of beating yourself up
• The importance of checking in on the farmers in your life
• Why you can't have a record-breaking crop every year
• The many different roles women play in agriculture
• The value of the work that happens behind the scenes
• Marketing grain with a different perspective
• Finding your own place in agriculture
• Following what fuels your passion
• Embracing change through the different seasons of life

Connect with Faith:
🎙️ Rhizometrics — available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
📧 infinityagsolutions@gmail.com

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What started as a way to blow off some steam turned into half-marathons, early morning runs, sore muscles, and a whole lot of lessons about doing hard things. In this episode, Jena and Mary Pat talk about how running has challenged what they thought their bodies were capable of and what it has taught them about discipline, resilience, comparison, and making time for themselves in the middle of busy seasons of life.

They talk about starting from very different places, learning to embrace slow runs and recovery, fueling for longer distances, avoiding injury, and realizing that you don't have to be an athlete to become a runner. They also get very honest about the less glamorous side of running… including nervous bathroom emergencies, cornfields, and the surprising freedom of ditching your underwear. 

Most importantly, they talk about how building physical resilience can help us carry the other hard things life throws at us and why sometimes the biggest victory is simply proving to yourself that you can do something you once thought was impossible.

In this episode:

•  How Jena and Mary Pat accidentally became runners 
•  Why you don't have to be an athlete to start running 
•  Learning to slow down and embrace easy runs 
•  Fueling, hydration, and what they wish they'd known sooner 
•  Injuries, recovery, and the importance of not rushing the process 
•  The mental game of running and pushing past what your brain tells you 
•  Comparison and learning to run your own race 
•  Finding time to run as a mom 
•  The very real (and very funny) bathroom side of running 
•  Building resilience through physical challenges 
•  Learning that you're capable of more than you think 
•  Keeping fitness in perspective and remembering what matters most

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Traveling with kids can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to keep everyone fed, entertained, and happy without relying entirely on screens or fast food.

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Jena and Mary Pat are talking about their best healthy travel and road trip hacks for families. They share tips for packing food through airport security, traveling with kids, keeping road-trip meals simple, and finding ways to entertain kids without handing them an iPad for the entire trip.

They also chat about 75 Hard, healthy eating, protein goals, canning salsa, farm life, and the realities of keeping up with healthy habits during a busy summer.

Whether you're heading out for a family road trip, flying with kids, or just looking for easier ways to keep your family fed while traveling, this episode is full of practical ideas you can actually use.

In this episode:

•  Healthy foods and snacks to pack when flying 
•  TSA rules for traveling with food, ice packs, and breast milk 
•  Easy road trip meals for families 
•  Road trip organization and reducing car messes 
•  Screen-free travel activities for kids 
•  Travel scavenger hunts, books, podcasts, and Yoto players 
•  How to keep kids entertained without constant screen time 
•  75 Hard and creating healthier habits 
•  Canning salsa and preparing for harvest season

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In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Jena and Mary Pat catch up on the realities of late summer farm life, about starting a new homeschool year, choosing curriculum, creating routines, and finding flexibility when farm life, harvest, and family responsibilities don’t always go according to plan. Jena also shares an update on their tiny house project and the challenges of figuring out housing and homeschooling while preparing for harvest and a new baby.

The conversation also covers drought, wildfires, farm stress, and the impact of weather on farmers and ranchers, along with a recent family trip to Idaho, hot springs, and making the most of time together before harvest.

Plus, they dive into homesteading and food preservation, including canning salsa, marinara, tomato juice, applesauce, pickle relish, and beef.

And finally, Mary Pat opens up about struggling with her mental health and ongoing dizziness, finding a new hobby in crochet, and the importance of giving ourselves grace when life feels overwhelming.

In this episode:

• Homeschooling and choosing curriculum
• Creating routines around farm life and harvest
• Building a tiny house on the farm
• Pregnancy, health, and family transitions
• Drought, wildfires, and farming challenges
• Family travel and making time for fun
• Canning, gardening, and preserving food
• Salsa, marinara, tomato juice, and canned beef
• Finding hobbies and coping with difficult seasons
• Mental health and giving yourself grace
• Encouragement for farm moms heading into a busy season

🙌 Join the Conversation!
Tag us or send us a DM @beyondthecrops_. And don't forget to leave us a message on our new voicemail line! 

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We love hearing from you and continuing the conversation off the podcast. Click here to leave us a voice note!