Podcast
Pivot Points
Hosted by Dan Fillius; Sarah Janes Ugoretz · EN
Season 1 is a wrap! Help us with future seasons:
- Sponsor or partner with us to support future seasons
- Send us ideas for farmers or topics to feature in future episodes
Contact us at fillius at iastate.edu or sarah.janesugoretz at wisc.edu
What happens when a vegetable farmer decides it's time to completely reinvent their operation—or even walk away entirely? From candid exit interviews to stories of creative collaborations and dramatic business makeovers, Pivot Points explores creative solutions that turn farming challenges into new possibilities. Whether farmers are scaling up, scaling down, or finding entirely new ways forward, Pivot Points asks the big question: when your farm stops working for your life, what's your next move? Hosted by Sarah Janes Ugoretz, farm labor educator with UW Extension and Fair Share CSA Coalition, and Dan Fillius, Iowa State University Extension field specialist for commercial vegetables.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Statewide and National Civic Engagement as a farmer with Jack Hedin and Bill Pluecker
2w ago01:06:02Tap to summarizeJack Hedin of Featherstone Farm and Maine State Representative Bill Pluecker of Begin Again Farm share how their decades of civic engagement grew directly out of their identities as farmers and their desire to shape the policies that affect rural communities. Both farmers are candid about the real costs of that engagement, whether it's nearly losing a carrot crop while advocating in Washington or scaling a farm down from $120K to $10K in gross sales to make room for legislative work. From practical first steps like calling your rep's agriculture staffer to big wins like Maine's first-in-the-nation ban on sludge application, this episode showcases how farmers can play both the inside and outside game of civic power.
Transcribe →Local Civic Engagement as a farmer with Janaki Fisher-Merritt and Kat Becker
3w ago01:04:48Tap to summarizeOrganic farmers Kat Becker of Cattail Organics and Janaki Fisher-Merritt of Food Farm share how stepping out of their fields and into civic life — from school boards to food pantries — has made them better farmers and more grounded community members. Both farmers reflect on how structured volunteer commitments create the "hard stops" that farming rarely provides on its own, helping them reclaim balance without sacrificing their drive to contribute. Whether you're feeling the urge to get involved in your community, or simply curious about what civic engagement looks like in rural America, this conversation will leave you rethinking where your skills could make a difference beyond the farm gate. This episode is made possible by the support of the Wisconsin Farmers Union
Transcribe →Preview: Farmer Civic Engagement Special
Apr 300:02:31Tap to summarizeComing Soon! Farmers share their experiences with civic engagement — from building deeper community connections at the local level to influencing agricultural policy in state and national legislative chambers. Tune in for this special two-episode series of Pivot Points, featuring Janaki Fisher-Merritt, Kat Becker, Jack Hedin, and Bill Pluecker. Hosted by Dan Fillius, with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and Sarah Janes Ugoretz, of Dane County Extension and FairShare CSA Coalition.
Transcribe →Season 1 Wrap Up
Oct 1500:29:36Tap to summarizeHave ideas for future guests? Want to sponsor or support future seasons? Reach out: fillius at iastate.edu or sarah.janesugoretz at wisc.edu In this episode, hosts Dan Fillius and Sarah Janes Ugoretz reflect on the first season of conversations with vegetable farmers about big changes. Key themes include: Redefining success Recognizing that change requires courage (and shouldn't be seen as failure) And challenging the unhealthy cultural expectation that farmers must sacrifice their physical and mental health to be "real" farmers. The hosts emphasize how making strategic pivots can lead to more joy, better work-life balance, and opportunities to pursue other passions.
Transcribe →Jordan Scheibel of Middle Way Farm and Adam Montri of Ten Hens Farm on Focusing on Family and Personal Life
Oct 801:11:40Tap to summarizeJordan Scheibel of Middle Way Farm in Iowa, and Adam Montri of Ten Hens Farm in Michigan, speak about stepping away from full-time farming to prioritize other life goals. Both farmers candidly discuss the mounting challenges—from labor management and financial stress to social isolation—that led them to reassess whether their operations were truly sustainable or worth the personal cost. The conversation explores how giving yourself permission to change course can open up new possibilities, challenging the cultural expectations around what it means to be a "legitimate" farmer and offering hope that scaling back or exiting doesn't mean failure. This episode was sponsored by Practical Farmers of Iowa. Practical Farmers of Iowa equips farmers to build resilient farms and communities. PFI's farmer-led programming brings farmer's stories to other farmers so they can learn from each other, which is also what we're trying to do here at Pivot Points.
Transcribe →Jenny Quiner of Dogpatch Urban Gardens on Pivoting out of Farming
Oct 100:57:09Tap to summarizeJenny Quiner from Dogpatch Urban Gardens in Des Moines, IA shares why, after a decade farming, she decided the right move for her was to walk away and focus on family in a way she hadn't been able to before. Through multiple pivots—from salad greens to farm stand retail to greenhouse operations—Jenny navigated urban zoning challenges while building a successful $455,000 diversified vegetable operation. She shares why she thinks that closing a farm doesn't equal failure, and how she was surprised by how many other farmers told her they had been quietly considering similar transitions. This episode is sponsored by Practical Farmers of Iowa. Practical Farmers of Iowa equips farmers to build resilient farms and communities through farmer-to-farmer learning and farmer-led research.
Transcribe →Ellen Polishuk of Plant to Profit and Ariel Pressman of Whole Farm Strategies: Former Farmers who Support Current Farmers
Sep 2401:04:51Tap to summarizeFormer farmers Ariel Pressman and Ellen Polishuk share why they left successful operations—Ariel due to burnout, and Ellen because she had accomplished her farming goals. Both now run consulting businesses helping current farmers, with Ariel's Whole Farm Strategies focusing on beginning farmers and Ellen coaching more established operations through business challenges and transition decisions with Plant to Profit. Their conversation reveals how leaving farming can be a positive choice, and highlights the need for farm transition models that enable newer farmers to step into established infrastructure rather than starting from scratch each generation.
Transcribe →Jim Crawford and Jenni Glenister of New Morning Farm on Transitioning to New Ownership
Sep 1700:58:39Tap to summarizeJim Crawford and Jenni Glenister from New Morning Farm explain how they transitioned ownership over nearly a decade through strategic succession planning. Jim shares how he identified and mentored Jenni through an apprenticeship system that gave employees real management responsibilities, leading to her evolution from apprentice to full owner by 2021. The conversation covers financing farm transitions, building profitable farmers market operations, and the benefits and career development that help New Morning Farm retain 90-100% of staff.
Transcribe →Katie and Hans Bishop of PrairiErth Farm on Quitting Vegetables to Raise Row Crops
Sep 1000:40:30Tap to summarizeKatie and Hans Bishop from PrairiErth Farm in Atlanta, Illinois share their transition into organic grain farming after operating an 80-acre diversified vegetable operation with 25 employees and 450 CSA members. Faced with land management pressures, family transitions, and severe burnout after 14 years of intensive vegetable production, they made the difficult decision to pivot their business model entirely. In this candid conversation, the Bishops discuss the challenges of letting go of their identity as vegetable farmers, the relief of finding work-life balance, and why sometimes "quitting" may be the smartest business decision you can make. This episode is sponsored by Practical Farmers of Iowa. Practical Farmers of Iowa equips farmers to build resilient farms and communities through farmer to farmer learning and farmer led research. https://practicalfarmers.org/
Transcribe →Hannah Weber and Nate Lada of Green Things Farm Collective on Joining Forces to Survive
Sep 1000:50:53Tap to summarizeHannah Weber from The Land Loom and Nate Lada from Green Things Farm share how they transformed from struggling solo operations into the successful Green Things Farm Collective in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both farmers faced burnout, with Hannah as a one-woman salad operation working multiple jobs, and Nate managing a complex diversified farm without sufficient expertise, before joining forces with three other local farmers in 2020. Green Things Farm Collective now employs 25 people and has evolved from trying to do everything to strategically focusing on what works best while allowing spin-off enterprises and thereby demonstrating how collaboration can create both financial viability and work-life balance.
Transcribe →