Beyond The Crops

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where we bridge the gap between farm life and real life! Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, as they gear up for the busy planting season. With spring break wrapping up and tractors potentially rolling soon, it's the perfect time to talk about mindset, self-care, and thriving through the chaos.

📌 What We Cover in This Episode:

✅ Catching up on life updates, including Jena finally getting power back after a storm.
✅ Shifting your mindset from just surviving planting season to truly thriving through it.
✅ Practical strategies for taking care of yourself during busy times (morning routines, nutrition, sleep, hydration, gratitude).
✅ The importance of setting boundaries – saying no to protect your time and sanity (with specific examples around kids' activities, field visits, and commitments).
✅ How building daily habits and resilience before the chaos hits makes a difference.
✅ Recognizing when you need help and the importance of asking for it.
✅ Understanding that energy often follows action – sometimes you just have to decide to do the thing.
✅ Tips for managing kids' expectations and schedules during the demanding season.

💡 Key Takeaways:

✨ Planting season is demanding, but your mindset determines your experience: choose to thrive, not just survive.
✨ Setting boundaries (with commitments, kids' schedules, field visits) is crucial for managing overwhelm. It's okay to say no.
✨ Consistent self-care (even small things like morning routines, hydration, decent sleep, gratitude) builds resilience for stressful times.

🙌 Join the Conversation!
We’d love to hear from you! What's one boundary you're setting or one self-care practice you're prioritizing for this planting season? Share your thoughts and tag us @beyondthecrops_.

#PlantingSeason #FarmLife #BeyondTheCropsPodcast #FarmWife #AgMentalHealth #FarmStress #MindsetShift #SettingBoundaries #SelfCare #FarmFamily #Resilience #SpringPlanting #FarmHer #WomenInAg

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where we bridge the gap between farm life and real life. Join your hosts, Jena Ochsner and Mary Pat Sass, for a fun collaboration with the CropCast team from BW Fusion live from Commodity Classic 2025 in Denver, Colorado!

📌 What We Cover in This Episode:

✅ We start with the importance of relating holistic human health to soil health, introducing the concept of "crunchy" ag.
✅ Next, we dive into Sean's insights on holistic agronomy and BW Fusion's approach.
✅ You’ll hear a discussion on making small, tangible changes in health and farming practices.
✅ Then, we go over BW Fusion, its beginnings, and how it merges biological products with nutritional strategies.
✅ Later in the podcast, we also address combining modern and holistic approaches in farming and medicine.
✅ Lastly, we hear a conversation about how a better understanding of the soil helps farmers improve and save money.

💡 Key Takeaways:
✨ A balanced approach: integrating conventional methods with innovative regenerative practices.
✨ Taking baby steps in farming and health.
✨ The importance of asking questions and being open to change.
✨ You can not out-supplement a bad diet.
✨ Farmers don’t need to apply all 5 stages of success, just pick something you want to change.
✨ Holistic soil testing has more than just the standard metrics and can save you money.

🙌 Join the Conversation!
We’d love to hear from you! What small changes are you planning to implement on your farm or in your daily health routine? Share your thoughts and tag us @beyondthecrops_.

#BWfusion #regenerativeagriculture #holisticagriculture #conventionalfarming #holistichealth #functionalhealth #FarmLife #BeyondTheCropsPodcast

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, we're coming to you in survival mode....literally. Jena is recording in the dark on day 3 of a power outage from an intense midwest spring snowstorm. We cover what it looks like when the unexpected happens, what we would change to be more prepared in the future, and some miracles and trials on the farm. MP is catching us up on a risky Facebook Marketplace adventure and we both talk about pre-planting season prep - it's going to be here before we know it! 

📌 What We Cover in This Episode:
✅ Jena's spring storm drama and power outages 
✅ MP's FB Marketplace fiasco 
✅ Pre-planting prep- from date nights to decluttering and more! 

🙌 Join the Conversation!
We’d love to hear from you! What’s one thing you’re focusing on controlling this week? Share with us on social media and tag us @‌beyondthecrops_.

🎧 Listen Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

#FaithOverFear #FarmLife #BeyondTheCropsPodcast

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Mary Pat and Jena are live from the Commodity Classic, interviewing Kendall from Case IH, and talking about new technology and the evolution of precision technology, followed by Alex from Case IH to discuss Case IH’s Sense Apply technology.

📌 What We Cover in This Episode:
✅ Kendall's background and how she came to work at Case IH.
✅ How precision technology trends are going with connectivity.
✅ What are some challenges that precision tech has helped farmers overcome.
✅ Alex's overview of Sense Apply technology.
✅ Key differences between Case IH and other competitors.

💡 Key Takeaways:
✨ Being able to teach farmers how to fix their equipment is huge for uptimes.
✨ Precision technology has improved so much over a short period of time.
✨ Sustainability means a little bit different things to everyone.
✨ Make sure that your customers/producers are involved in the development process.
✨ Sense Apply technologies have an ROI within 1-2 years.
✨ There is no annual subscription for Sense Apply, or per-acre fees.

🙌 Join the Conversation!
We’d love to hear from you! What do you think about these new technologies coming? Share with us on social media and tag us @beyondthecrops_.

#PrecisionAg #PrecisionTech #CaseIH #SenseApply #FarmLife #BeyondTheCropsPodcast

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Mary Pat and Jena give a recap of the Commodity Classic! Listen along and hear them talk about their experience and takeaways from the event.

📌 What We Cover in This Episode:
✅What each of the girls learned and what they’d like to do different next year.
✅All the interesting companies they visited and new information they learned.
✅How it is a great show to attend and well worth the investment to go to.

💡 Key Takeaways:
✨ You should attend the Commodity Classic trade show.
✨ The Commodity Classic is a very progressive trade show.
✨ There are a lot of new and upcoming companies in the agricultural space.
✨ So many new technologies that are just around the corner.

🙌 Join the Conversation!
We’d love to hear from you! Have you ever been to the Commodity Classic? Share with us on social media and tag us @‌beyondthecrops_.

#CommodityClassic #FarmLife #BeyondTheCropsPodcast

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Jena and Mary Pat dive back into the important topic of succession planning with succession expert Ashlee Westerhold. They discuss what to consider when planning for the future of the farm, whether passing it down to the next generation, skipping a generation, or connecting with interested individuals outside of the family.

Join us as we learn more about practical tools for succession planning, valuable advice, and steps to take as you start thinking about the future.

📌 What We Cover in This Episode:

✅ Introduction to Ashlee Westerhold, Director of the Office of Farm and Ranch Transition at Kansas State University.
✅ Ashley’s story of how personal experiences led her to a career in farm succession planning.
✅ What tools the University offers to farm families and students.
✅ A deep dive into the Kansas Landlink program, a matchmaking process for landowners without successors and beginning farmers/ranchers.
✅ Parameters for seekers to share with potential landowners via a 12-page application process.
✅ Best advice for farm families just beginning to think about transition planning, focusing on goals and vision.
✅ The importance of including your spouse in transition planning and the legal implications.
✅ Discuss bringing in an accountant or attorney.

💡 Key Takeaways:

✨ You are always transitioning. Planning should always be ongoing.
✨ Goal setting and vision are essential building blocks to starting the transition process.
✨ It is essential to find an attorney you can trust, who understands agriculture and the emotion that comes with the land and the farm.
✨ Protecting your whole operation is less than what you would pay for a tractor tire.
✨ Succession Estate plans change.
✨ If you're the one carrying the torch, then you should be the one working on this; try to help them through this because it is overwhelming.
✨ Put It In Writing

LINKS

Kansas Land Link Program: https://www.agmanager.info/farm-management/transition-planning/kansas-farm-link
University of Wisconsin: Cultivating Your Farm’s Future

🙌 Join the Conversation!
We’d love to hear from you! What are some takeaways you had about the episode? Share with us on social media and tag us @‌beyondthecrops_.

🎧 Listen Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

#SuccessionPlanning #FarmLife #BeyondTheCropsPodcast

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, we’re tackling something that every farmer, rancher, and family faces—uncertainty. With markets, policies, weather, and world events constantly shifting, it’s easy to feel like everything is out of control. But while we can’t change the outside forces, we can control our mindset, faith, family life, routines, and how we respond to challenges.

Join us as we dive into practical ways to shift our focus, lean into faith, and take charge of the things that truly matter.

📌 What We Cover in This Episode:
✅ The biggest stressors we can’t control—markets, government policies, weather, and information overload.
✅ How to shift our focus to what we can control—faith, family, daily habits, and our mindset.
✅ Practical steps for managing stress, setting boundaries, and protecting our peace.
✅ Encouragement to lead with faith, create a strong home environment, and make intentional choices.

💡 Key Takeaways:
✨ We may not control the chaos of the world, but we can create peace in our homes.
✨ Faith, prayer, and scripture are powerful tools for navigating uncertainty.
✨ Protecting our mindset and setting boundaries with media can make a huge difference.
✨ Small daily choices—like prioritizing family time and gratitude—help us focus on what truly matters.

LINKS

• Mary Pat’s bible that she loves: ESV Everyday Gospel Bible: Connecting Scripture to All of Life (TruTone, Chestnut)
• Podcast episode with Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East + The Home Edit: Home Edit: Clea and Joanna
• The Home Edit baby book: Let's Put That Away! My First Book of Organizing: A Home Edit Board Book for Kids (The Home Edit for Kids)
• The Home Edit Kids book: The Rainbow Cleanup: A Magical Organizing Adventure (The Home Edit for Kids)
• The Home Edit Teen Book: The Home Edit for Teens: How to Edit Your Space, Express Your Style, and Get Things Done!

🙌 Join the Conversation!
We’d love to hear from you! What’s one thing you’re focusing on controlling this week? Share with us on social media and tag us @‌beyondthecrops_.

🎧 Listen Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

#FaithOverFear #FarmLife #BeyondTheCropsPodcast

We’re bringing our husbands back to the podcast for a no-holds-barred conversation about the highs, lows, and lessons of the 2024 farming season. From harvest takeaways to hard-earned wisdom, we’re diving into what worked, what didn’t, and what we’re changing for next year.

We also reflect on the challenges and wins of raising livestock, share our personal and farm goals for 2025, and discuss the outlook for agriculture in the coming years. Plus, hear our thoughts on how potential policy changes could impact family farms.

In This Episode, We Cover:
🌽 Harvest Recap: The biggest lessons learned from 2024
🚜 What’s Changing: What we’ll do differently next year (and what we won’t repeat!)
🐖 Hog Butcher Recap: What we learned from this year’s process
🎯 2025 Goals: One new thing to try on the farm + personal growth goals
📉 Ag Outlook: What’s ahead for farmers in the coming years
🇺🇸 Policy & Agriculture: Thoughts on the new administration’s potential impact on farming

Join us for an honest and lighthearted discussion about life on the farm, learning from experience, and preparing for the future.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a fellow farmer!

We're BACK after a much-needed break, and we're ready to tell you all about it and what's been going on behind the scenes! 

On this episode of Beyond The Crops we're catching you up on ALL the things. recapping holiday stomach bugs, much needed vacations, and our exciting new business ventures, as well as what to expect this year on the podcast! 

Keep track of your family's farm journey through harvest and beyond. Get your own Grounded Journal today.

Check out Jena's new business venture: Farm Wife Tallow here

We’d love to hear your feedback on this episode on our Instagram page @beyondthecrops_.

We’ve enjoyed connecting with so many of you over there. Let us know if you have any questions or things you’d like us to do a deeper dive on. See ya next time

Connect with us outside of the podcast @‌jenaochsner and @‌marypat.sass @‌beyondthecrops_

In the midst of the holiday hustle, it’s easy to get swept up in the busyness and lose sight of what Christmas is truly about. In this episode, we’re pausing to refocus on the heart of the season—our Savior, Jesus Christ. Join us as we share our personal testimonies, dive into the messiness of our faith journeys, and reflect on how God has worked in our lives. Whether your story feels polished or a little untidy like ours, this heartfelt conversation is sure to inspire you to reconnect with the true meaning of Christmas.

Remember we launch new episodes every Tuesday.

Keep track of your family's farm journey through harvest and beyond. Get your own Grounded Journal today.

We’d love to hear your feedback on this episode and our farm safety series on our Instagram page @beyondthecrops_.

We’ve enjoyed connecting with so many of you over there. Let us know if you have any questions or things you’d like us to do a deeper dive on. See ya next time

Connect with us outside of the podcast @‌jenaochsner and @‌marypat.sass @‌beyondthecrops_