Legacy Farmer The Podcast

Myron Friesen watched both sides of his family's farm fall apart after his grandparents passed: one with no will, the other with a plan that was "almost designed for a fight." After 11 years as an ag teacher, he left to start a farm estate planning business so other families wouldn't go through the same thing. He shares why most families put off succession planning, where attorneys and financial advisors miss the mark on farm transitions, who should be in the room for the first conversations, and why dividing a farm is the opposite of growing one.

Your kids will forgive you for being the bad guy, but they may never forgive each other. If you want a clear plan for your farm's future, call us at (785) 498-8184 today

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