Doug’s farming story started in the veal barn—long before he had the acres or the equipment to call himself a grain farmer. What began with milk-fed calves in a specialized building grew into a 5,000-acre grain operation, a rebuilt bin site after a 2012 derecho, and a transition plan that now includes his son, grandkids, and two full-time employees.

In this episode, Doug shares the labor-intensive world of raising veal calves, the near-disasters that taught him persistence, and the homegrown innovations that carried his farm from 600 to 5,000 acres. He talks about tile machines and strip-till rigs he built himself, the 2012 storm that flattened 13 bins, and why he still believes in doing the work with family first.

But Doug’s story doesn’t stop at the fencerow. As a past chair of the U.S. Wheat Board, he traveled nearly 100,000 miles in a single year, shaking hands with world leaders and sitting front-row at global trade agreements. Through it all, he’s carried one lesson home: farmers matter most when they speak for themselves.

🎙️ Pass the Mic

• Kent & Melissa’s question to Doug: “If you had to start over, would you follow the same path—or would you make different choices along the way?”

• Doug’s question for the next guest: “How are you getting involved in your local community or farm organizations to help promote and educate people about agriculture?”

Thanks for listening to Beyond the Bushels, where farm stories go deeper than yield.

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