Farm4Profit Podcast Most Common Traits of Successful Farmers
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Main Topic -What traits do the most successful famers, business leaders, clients all have in common?
- Guest – Rob Sharkey @sf28430
- Rob Sharkey, known in digital circles as The Shark Farmer, is not your average Illinois grain farmer. He’s a disruptor who is unwavering in his ability to directly address controversial topics.
- Rob tackles life, alongside his high school sweetheart, Emily, knowing four smaller sharks in their school will be impacted by their choices.
- Rob has elevated his no-nonsense antics from the field to the SiriusXM radio waves and TV with his own show. This is either their strongest move to-date, or their biggest mistake. Tune into to watch and listen for yourself!
- Lastly, the man is solely responsible behind the motivation to start the Farm4Profit Podcast
People/Teamwork/Advisory Team
10/18/21 – F4P – E61 – Travis (?) from Circle U Farms – Exploring Custom Livestock Options
Note: Awesome “What’s working in ag segment” with Peggy from www.fieldpocket.com
Surround yourself with good people. Make good decisions. Have a good banker! The basic rules for good
business are the same rules for farming. Make no business decisions out of emotions.
10/11/21 – F4F – E154 – Jim McArthur, Randy Hammersmith (twin brother?) w/Field Rows
Have the right people in your corner, because you can’t do it (farming) alone.
Get a good crop consultant.
8/2/21 – F4F – E149 – Summer Fun with Rocking R Cross Cattle – Reagan
Surround yourself with good people. Be a businessman first, if the numbers don’t work, don’t do it.
5/18/20 – F4P – E23 – Chad Hutson, HT Plumbing, Goldman Sachs Small Business graduate, Using a 10X Growth
Mentality to get to more profit
Surround yourself with people/things to make yourself better; eliminate people/things that'll bring you down;
elevate yourself to be the best you can be.
11/29/2021 – F4P – E64 Vance Crowe on Negotiations
The willingness to be mentored, to seek out a mentorships and be curious about making yourself better.
Character/Good People
11/15/2021 – F4P – E62 Dave Hedt OutbackWraps
They love what they do
11/8/2021 – F4F – 156 W/ Super Huego Justin Nunley.
They treat everyone with respect. They talk to everyone as professionals. They down talk down or look down on anybody.
10/25/2021 – F4F – E155 w/ Will Brinkley
Patient enough to wait until the timing is right whether it be for planting or harvesting or with care for animals
9/13/21 – F4F – E152 – Delaney Howell
Great time managers; Challenge yourself – never be ok with status quo. Never say no – evaluate every opportunity.
8/23/21 – F4P - E57 – Farm with Stubborn Farmers – Andy Junkin
Change in attitude – we’re not perfect and don’t expect others to change for you – be the better person.
5/17/21 – F4P – E50 – Controlling Compaction with tire royalty, Scott Sloan of Titan International
- Great, nice 2) willing to listen 3) look at themselves; take chances and look/seek technology changes.
3/29/21 – F4F – E140 – Burkhart Family – Mike, Kim and Travis
Legacy! What re you willing to leave behind for your children; leave an impact that’s not about ME;
get away from greed. (Tanner commented his New Year’s resolution was to keep log of successful traits!)
3/15/21 – F4F – E139 – Jen Hartman, John Deere, Director of Public Relations and Social Media
Self-awareness – being strong communicators; Know what to say and when to say it! Gratitude
12/14/20 – F4P – E39 1031 Exchanges and Intro to Drones – David Brown
Relationships - do things the right way; attention to detail; excellence; look for win-win opportunities;
success feeds off itself.
9/14/20 – F4F – E126 – Brady Smith, Keg Creek brewing
Patience, persistence, perseverance; find a way to get around roadblocks; be good with numbers and how to
put a crop in; don't over leverage and don't take unnecessary risks; surround yourself with quality people who
want you to succeed.
7/6/20 – F4F – E121 – Scott, The Foundry Distilling Co – Heritage Bourbon
Genuineness and authenticity in your character and skill set; be honest; whatever you do, do it well; be real,
and it’s ok to not be good at something/everything.
8/17/20 – F4F – E124 – Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, ISU, BrightSide Aleworks
Involvement – put your whole self into whatever you do, and you’ll get that value back. Connections mean
value! The busiest people get the most done.
7/27/20 – F4P – E28 – Matt Brechwald, Off-Farm Income Podcast, Gaining more than money from running a business
Being present – be out there in the field with the crops or the animals. Develop that 6th sense to know when or
if something is wrong. Be the first to know it.
Continual Learning/Willingness to Change
11/29/2021 – F4P – Vance Crowe
Willing to be mentored. Try things that are uncomfortable. Put yourself in the place to ask questions of someone and learn from them.
11/1/21 – F4P – E62 – Market Updates – Casey from moving Iron Podcast
Are avid readers of of books with topics like self help, leadership and ones that provide different perspectives. Having an open mind to learning how others think.
9/20/21 – F4P – E59 – To Lease or Not to Lease - TJ Masker, Sr. Product Manager at TractorZoom
Deep, deep curiosity - ask why? Want to learn more every year. Keep improving - learn for the long run;
may not be used now, but maybe in ten years.
9/6/21 – F4P – E58 – Solve your labor shortage - Lori Culler with Ag Hires
Always looking forward, educating themselves. Keep their heads up and not down, looking ahead; strategic
7/19/21 – F4F – E148 – Summer Fun with Ag Pilot Chick – Emily Daniel
Not complacent. Never stop learning. Able to change and adapt.
6/7/21 – F4F – E145 – Snarkosaurous – Rupert (Snark after Dark ) 2 hours
Curiosity - want to learn more; Eagerness – try what other people haven’t; Humility. If it doesn’t kill you, just
keep getting up. Always want to learn more. Some may have failed, but learn from it. Don’t live in fear of
failure. Fight “off” your back. Pin Tweet: Keep shifting; keep moving in your despair; blame nobody; expect
nothing, do something. Win more days than you lose.
5/24/21 – F4F – E144 – Grant and Michelle Wells of Wells AG Supply, Fonda, Iowa
Open minded, don’t get stuck doing business the conventional way; critical thinking; willing to see if things can
benefit them, adjust, and want to get and be better.
3/22/21 – F4P – E46 – Busting Planting Myths with Dr. Mary Gumz, Agronomy Manager, Pioneer Hi-Breds
Willingness to consider change; evaluate all practices; (Dave-Data-Driven-Decisions) (Dr. Kyle Glienke fan review)
2/22/21 – F4P – E44 – Your Soil is the Key to More Profit – Bodie Kitchel, National Director of Agronomy at Biodyne USA
and Brody Benton – 365 Next Level Ag
They all ask Why? – don’t accept status quo. Know something’s out there – surround yourself with others who
want and will make you better.
2/8/21 – F4P – E43 – Future of Agriculture Crossover – Tim Hammerich, Ag Grad Dr. Dir. Of Strategic Communication
(Tanner mentioned his New Year’s resolution to keep successful trait log.) for Congent Consulting
- Curiosity – not close-minded (2) grit – overcome challenges (3) empathy – see thru someone else’s eyes
1/25/21 – F4P – E42 – Will the US and China play nice together? Dr. Wendong Zhang, Professor ISU
Curiosity; Globally minded; willingness to learn and listen
12/28/20 – F4P – E40 – Equipment and Land Values with Machinery Pete
Listen and be open to learn new things; slow down and pay attention. (1) long-term thinking, even if it’s hard to
do. Needs discipline. (2) realize that you CAN be wrong; admit your mistakes, learn from them-it’s a strength,
not a weakness.
11/16/20 – F4P – E37 – Could you farm more precisely? With Josh Kayser, Granular CSA
Constantly learning and improving; curious; flexible and adaptable - things change and willing to make changes
10/19/20 – F4P – E35 – Jessman Smith, Principal Financial Group Your Farm’s Future; transferring wealth, knowledge
Willing to try something new; step out of your comfort zone; big farms are made up of little farms that failed
to plan.
6/8/20 – F4F – E119 – Elena Magnimonte, Loup River Distillery
Don’t be afraid to try something new for your business and life.
Hardwork/Dedication
11/15/2021 – F4P – E62 – Naeem Zafar (Telesense) – Productivity
They all have passion. Not just for farming but passion in general. When you have passion for one thing you have passion for others and it gives you the drive to get things done.
9/27/21 - F4F - E153 - Andrew Blake, Blake's Hard Cider - Everything Borrowed podcast
Show up everyday - "put-in-the-work" type culture; don't expect something for nothing; Keep your head down and work hard and the universe will provide; obviously, some days will be better than others.
8/9/21 – F4P – E56 – Summer Fun with Andrew Uphill (Uppy)
Go Getters! Don’t sit on their hands. Find what you want to do and do it. Chase your dreams. (Dave says,
Thomas Edison – “Opportunity is missed by most because it’s dressed in coveralls and looks like hard work.”)
7/26/21 – F4P – E55 – Summer Fun with Taylor Sumption (BTO)
Very innovative; driven – fining new ways to get ahead. Don’t care what the neighbors think or do.
Always want to get better.
7/12/21 – F4P – E54 – Summer Fun with Dan the Iowa Dairy Farmer
Ambition- be driven – this is not learned or taught, you’re born with it. You either have it or you don’t.
4/5/21 – F4P – E47 – Talking Combines in the Spring! Ryan Bloes, Mobile Inspection Ag Service, Janesville, Iowa
Disciplined and efficient; the owners run the planters and combines.
2/15/21 – F4F – E137 – Chuck Weldon and Blvd Brewing Co.
Hard work, dedication, passionate, love – open-mindedness – willing to try new things; you’ll never work a day
in your life if you love what you do.
12/7/20 – F4F – E132 – Carson King – The Midwest Legend
Drive – see what they want, and do what they can to make it happen, don’t stop until they get it done.
Find a way to get it completed. Never get bored. (Dave says: Winston Churchill “We make a living by what we
get, but we make a life by what we give.”)
7/20/20 – F4F – E122 – Jenny Sauer-Schmidgall, Danenberger family Vineyards
Work ethic and faith. You can’t know what tomorrow will bring or plan for it. Work hard and stay positive.
6/29/20 – F4P – E26 – Nikki Boxler, NY, Your Farm’s Marketing Plan
Hard working and trustworthy. Someone you want to have a beer with and be friends.
Financially Savvy/Treat it Like a Business
6/28/21 – F4P – E53 – Organic Farming with Adam Bissell
Know your operation and its breakeven. Put work and time into making your operation better.
6/14/21 – F4P – E52 – What Really Happens in a Peer Group – Shay Foulk with Ag Solutions
(he loved the question) Identify that they need to spend more time working “on” the business and not just “in”
the business; know the cost of production; develop strategy to profitability; take a step back and know where
to start.
5/31/21 – F4P – E51 – Tools to Protect Downside Risk in Commodity Pricing – Tommy Grisafi with Advance Trading
Luck, gratitude, grateful and incredibly hard-working. Educated at different levels, change with the world;
don’t be afraid to ask for help mentally or physically or financially.
4/26/21 – E142 – Brittany & TR Jones of Richlands Dairy
- Versatility – Jack of all trades 2) adaptability – the farmers that are left need to market themselves and add value where needed.
4/12/21 – F4F – E141 – Seth Davis, Geringhoff sales rep.
Able to crunch the numbers; plans ahead, use spreadsheets, don’t fly by the seat of their pants, know your data
1/11/21 – F4P – E39 – Small Changes for BIG Impact with Hotrod Farmer, Ray Bohacz
Attention to details – bring efficiencies to your operation through your equipment.
11/30/20 – F4P – E38 – Update for Tax Planning Season with Kyle Woiwood CPA
Care - they understand their business, more than what's in the bank; ask questions; assemble a team: attorney,
CPA, banker, financial advisor, consultant. You need more than one person.
10/5/20 – F4P – E34 – Amanda De Jong, State Executive Director for Iowa USDA Farm Service Agency.
What Can the FSA/USDA do for you now?
Approach your operation like a business; be open to change that may improve profitability; make sure
technology is "worth" it for your operation; good planners - plan ahead; have a risk management plan; know
your data and numbers.
9/28/20 – F4F – E127 – Royce Johns, Back Pocket Brewing
Know what's your definition of success; freedom to make choices; you're the master of our own success.
7/13/20 – F4P – E27 – Laura Carlson, NE, Referrals lead to more profit
Know your operation and what you want it to become. Be clear and honest. Don’t be afraid; set goals.
6/22/20 – F4F – E120 – Adam Kleiss @moo4isu, Fire Trucker Brewery
You have to be ‘next level’; it’s not easy, you have to go above and beyond the others; get organized; find out
what works and what’s not working.
6/15/20 – F4P – E25 – Jamie Pollard, ISU Director of Athletics, What Can Farmers learn from football?
Have vision; build a successful culture; have passion; have heart; be motivated; trusting and listening; strong
core values; stay grounded; when you’ve been successful, remember who you were and are; communicate and
empower those you work with/for.
Taking Chances/Trusting Your Gut
7/5/21 – F4F – E147 – Mark Thomas of Thomas Farms
Resilience and adaptability – can face negatives every day, learn from it and adapt.
6/21/21 – F4F – E146 – Huey B Cool – Huey Boelen
Risk takers (trait from parents); risk loving and hard workers
11/23/20 - F4F – E131 – Tony Reed @GrowinCorn2020 featuring Sierra Nevada beers, holiday gift list and more
Don't be afraid to go for it.
11/2/20 – F4P – E36 – Dallas Welp, CO - Preparing for a Successful meeting with your banker- Vision Bank, sponsor n/a
Desire to stay up on trends.
10/12/20 – F4F – E128 – Tyler Richton and the High Bank Boys, Big Grove Brewery
Take a chance even though there is big risk of failure; take a leap of faith and go for it.
9/21/20 – F4P – E33 – Fall AG Technology Update with Chad Colby
Be on the edge; make a conscience effort to keep up with technology and they want to improve the use of their
time, whatever makes you more efficient.
8/10/20 – F4P – E29 – Loran Steinlage, Maximize Profitability with Cover and Relay crops
Survival instinct – you have no other options. Learn how to make it work, no matter what it is.
1st episode ever 6/27/19 Traits of Top performing farmers - they have a plan and budget in place; know cost of production and break even; business needs an advisory team-CPA, agronomist, banker, livestock guy, farm manager, attorney, technology advisor, peers (2 ears, 1 mouth-listen), financial advisor, auction professional; be proactive, not reactive; predict challenges and overcome. Get better before you get bigger. Always learning. Money is made in the margins. Let's try this, test theories, techniques and technology. Ask questions, surround yourself with those with knowledge you need. Don't spend the money you don't have. Kmart/Amazon in business, be progressive and look forward. What you aren't good at, find someone who is, know your strengths.
- Anything else you’d like our listeners to know?
- Reminder to share CONTACT INFO and say thank you
Summary
Challenge
Closing
- Switching our question for 2022 to
- What do you know now that you wished you would have known when you were younger or just sooner in general?
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