Your Ag Empire

68. The Things Leaders Bury

Tyler Dickerhoof grew up on an Ohio dairy farm and spent 25 years building a massive business career. He also spent most of that time operating like a bulldozer. When things got hard, he simply put his head down and pushed. That works in the dirt, but it destroys relationships. In this episode, Tyler sits down with “Your Ag Empire” podcast host Jonathon Haralson to talk about the things leaders bury. They cover the emotional toll of agriculture, why farmers isolate themselves, and what it actually takes to pass the family operation to the next generation without burning it to the ground. In this episode, we cover: * When things get tough, the default reaction in agriculture is to put your head down and push harder. That brute force might get the daily job done, but it isolates you and wrecks the relationships you need to survive. * Elite military units do not look for the guy who can do everything alone. They look for the guy who links arms with the person next to him. Farming is no different. You have to drop the pride and ask for help. * The older generation holds onto the checkbook and the daily decisions because they do not know who they are without the farm. Passing the baton only works when the exiting leader has a real, productive role to step into. * The previous generation plowed with horses. You drive a tractor. The next generation might use robotics or artificial intelligence to run the dairy. Adapting to the market and using new tools is exactly how the operation stays alive. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Tyler Dickerhoof: * Website: https://www.tylerdickerhoof.com/ [https://www.tylerdickerhoof.com/] * Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tyler.dickerhoof.3 [https://www.facebook.com/tyler.dickerhoof.3] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler_dickerhoof/ [https://www.instagram.com/tyler_dickerhoof/] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetylerdickerhoofshow [https://www.youtube.com/@thetylerdickerhoofshow] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerdickerhoof/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerdickerhoof/] Connect with Your Ag Empire: * Follow on Instagram @youragempire [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/ig] * Follow on Facebook [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/facebook] * Subscribe on YouTube [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/youtube] * Follow on LinkedIn [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/linkedin] * Follow on TikTok [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/tiktok] * Check out our website [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/website] Resources & Links: * Learn more about the Elite Mastermind [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/elite-mastermind] and how to become a member * Protect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutions [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/stockguard] * Join The Dirt [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/the-dirt] email subscription * Book Jonathon [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/speaker] as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/financial-services]

67. You’re Treating Your Horse Better Than Your Own Back

There is a farmer right now running on ibuprofen and sheer willpower. He has not seen a doctor because the nearest clinic is an hour away, and harvest does not stop. Farley Schweighart built a business for that exact person. After hitting the wall in a traditional physical therapy clinic, she walked away to start Rural Medex. It is a mobile, cash-pay practice that meets farmers, ranchers, and rodeo athletes where they work. She treats patients on tailgates, in farm shops, and beside horse trailers. In this episode, we talk about why folks in agriculture ignore their health, the reality of building a non-traditional business, and why true champions master the basics. In this episode, we cover: * Masking an injury with medication does not fix the root cause. It just guarantees a bigger problem down the line. Listen to what your body is telling you before it forces you to stop. * Agricultural and performance professionals will spend thousands on veterinary bills while ignoring their own broken bodies. You cannot operate at a high level if your own mechanics are falling apart. * Asking a farmer to lose four hours of a workday to sit in a beige waiting room is a losing battle. Schweighart stripped away the insurance red tape and built a transparent practice that respects her patients' time. * Whether you are running a business, competing in the arena, or rehabbing a shoulder, success is rarely flashy. It comes down to doing the simple, unsexy work day after day. * Burnout happens when you try to change a massive, broken system. You find momentum when you stop trying to save the whole industry and start doing good work right where you stand. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Guest Farley Schweighart * Website: https://www.ruralmedex.com [https://www.ruralmedex.com/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruralmedex [https://www.facebook.com/ruralmedex] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farley-schweighart-a57a1318a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/farley-schweighart-a57a1318a/] Connect with Your Ag Empire: * Follow on Instagram @youragempire [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/ig] * Follow on Facebook [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/facebook] * Subscribe on YouTube [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/youtube] * Follow on LinkedIn [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/linkedin] * Follow on TikTok [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/tiktok] * Check out our website [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/website] Resources & Links: * Learn more about the Elite Mastermind [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/elite-mastermind] and how to become a member * Protect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutions [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/stockguard] * Join The Dirt [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/the-dirt] email subscription * Book Jonathon [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/speaker] as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/financial-services]

66. Choosing to Start Over

Brett Hicks spent 11 years building what looked like success from the outside: a poultry operation, a thriving real estate business serving poultry growers, and an active role in ministry. Then he walked away from all of it. Not because it failed, but because something else was calling. In this conversation, Brett talks about what it took to close one door before the next one opened, the lessons learned from growing up on a farm when your father worked offshore for 30 days at a time, and what he's discovered about faith, decision making, and the willingness to move forward without a safety net. This is a conversation about what happens when you burn the ships and step into the unknown. In this episode, we cover: * The cows have to get fed, no matter what. Growing up in agriculture teaches a level of responsibility and compartmentalization that most people never develop. The work has to get done whether you feel like it or not, and that discipline carries into every area of life. * You can't expect the next door to open until you close the one behind you. Moses stepped into the Red Sea before the water parted. Faith isn't waiting for God to move while you stay comfortable. It's taking the step forward and trusting He'll meet you there. * Your mind will quit before your body does. Most people never find out what they're capable of because they let their limitations live in their head. The willingness to push past discomfort, to do hard things, is what separates those who grow from those who stay stagnant. * If you're not growing, you're dying. In farming and in life, standing still means falling behind. The question isn't whether you'll face challenges. It's whether you'll keep moving forward through them. * You're living on house money. At the end of the day, the size of your operation, the success of your business, the legacy you leave on paper doesn't matter in the grand scheme. What matters is what you did with the time you were given and whether you were willing to use it for something bigger than yourself. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Brett Hicks: * Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-hicks-56609b11b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-hicks-56609b11b/] Connect with Your Ag Empire: * Follow on Instagram @youragempire [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/ig] * Follow on Facebook [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/facebook] * Subscribe on YouTube [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/youtube] * Follow on LinkedIn [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/linkedin] * Follow on TikTok [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/tiktok] * Check out our website [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/website] Resources & Links: * Learn more about the Elite Mastermind [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/elite-mastermind] and how to become a member * Protect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutions [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/stockguard] * Join The Dirt [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/the-dirt] email subscription * Book Jonathon [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/speaker] as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/financial-services]

65. How One Easy A Changed Everything

Terren Moore's journey from accidentally signing up for an FFA class to building a successful insurance agency specializing in farm and ranch coverage proves that sometimes the best opportunities come from unexpected decisions. What started as an easy elective to graduate turned into a life-changing path through agriculture. Moore went from growing vegetables in his grandmother's backyard as a teenager to starting his own insurance agency in a town where he knew no one, using the same relationship-building and work ethic principles farming had taught him. In this episode, we cover: * Moore credits his success to older farmers who invested time in teaching him basics like operating equipment and planting techniques. Without experienced mentors believing in him and sharing their knowledge, his farming operation never would have gotten off the ground. * The relationship-building, work ethic, and long-term thinking required in farming directly translated to Moore's insurance career. Understanding what's actually at stake for producers (crops, equipment, livelihoods) gives him a significant advantage in serving agricultural clients compared to agents without farming experience. * Moore emphasizes that business owners must develop leadership skills and build teams rather than trying to do everything themselves. He invested in coaching and focused on creating systems that could scale beyond his personal capacity. * As a business owner with employees depending on him, Moore stresses the importance of maintaining physical, mental, and spiritual health through exercise, reading, and faith practices so he can better serve his team and clients. * Moore's choice to take an agricultural elective as a teenager created a ripple effect that shaped his entire career path, demonstrating how pivotal moments often come from unexpected places. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Terren Moore: * Website: https://www.mfi-services.com/ [https://www.mfi-services.com/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terren-moore-48178314b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/terren-moore-48178314b/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moorefarmsandinsurance [https://www.facebook.com/moorefarmsandinsurance] Connect with Your Ag Empire: * Follow on Instagram @youragempire [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/ig] * Follow on Facebook [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/facebook] * Subscribe on YouTube [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/youtube] * Follow on LinkedIn [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/linkedin] * Follow on TikTok [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/tiktok] * Check out our website [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/website] Resources & Links: * Learn more about the Elite Mastermind [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/elite-mastermind] and how to become a member * Protect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutions [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/stockguard] * Join The Dirt [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/the-dirt] email subscription * Book Jonathon [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/speaker] as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/financial-services]

64. Global Ag Perspectives with Pete Debus

In this episode of “Your Ag Empire” podcast, host Jonathon Haralson sits down in Auckland, New Zealand, with Pete Debus, Director of PrincipleFocus based in New South Wales, Australia. Despite being an ocean away, Debus reveals Australian producers are facing the same volatility, succession struggles, and margin compression as their American counterparts. He shares his philosophy on moving from "rearview mirror" accounting to forward-looking navigation, the necessity of treating the farm like a high-value corporate entity, and why "having a crack" (taking risks) is essential for survival. In this episode, we cover: 1. Most accountants just tell you what happened in the past (the rearview mirror). To thrive in modern agriculture, you need financial partners who act as navigators, helping you forecast, budget, and look through the windshield to change the numbers going forward. 2. With land values skyrocketing in both Australia and the U.S., the "holy grail" for a professional farm business should be a 5% return on assets (EBIT). Achieving this requires moving beyond basic production and implementing rigorous business management standards. 3. A farmer has two primary jobs: to build a viable, thriving business, and to successfully hand it over. If the patriarch hasn't stepped out of the way by age 70 to let the next generation drive, they likely never will—turning a succession plan into merely an estate plan. 4. If high-quality talent walks past your gate, hire them immediately, even if you don't think you can afford it. Great people pay for themselves by bringing new energy and ideas that allow the owner to stop working in the business and start working on it. 5. To facilitate fair succession without burdening the farm with debt, families need to start investing in off-farm assets early. Building wealth outside the operation provides a "wash" that allows non-farming siblings to be compensated while the farm stays intact. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Episode Sponsor Figured 1. Website: https://www.figured.com/ [https://www.figured.com/] 2. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/figuredapp [https://www.facebook.com/figuredapp] Connect with Guest Pete Debus 1. Website: https://principlefocus.com.au/ [https://principlefocus.com.au/] 2. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-debus-7bb92b15/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-debus-7bb92b15/] 3. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrincipleFocus/ [https://www.facebook.com/PrincipleFocus/] 4. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principlefocus/ [https://www.instagram.com/principlefocus/] Connect with Your Ag Empire: 1. Follow on Instagram @youragempire [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/ig] 2. Follow on Facebook [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/facebook] 3. Subscribe on YouTube [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/youtube] 4. Follow on LinkedIn [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/linkedin] 5. Follow on TikTok [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/tiktok] 6. Check out our website [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/website] Resources & Links: 1. Learn more about the Elite Mastermind [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/elite-mastermind] and how to become a member 2. Protect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutions [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/stockguard] 3. Join The Dirt [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/the-dirt] email subscription 4. Book Jonathon [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/speaker] as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services [https://your-ag-empire.captivate.fm/financial-services]