Fresh out of Southern Illinois University, 22-year-old Zach Kampwerth has traded college papers for feed buckets. Now farming alongside his dad and grandfather near Carlyle, Illinois, Zach balances 50 acres of his own row crops with the family’s 125-sow farrow-to-finish hog operation. It’s a full-time return to the fourth-generation farm where he grew up—and his first harvest as a full-time producer.

He shares how those early 25 acres at age 18 taught him financial discipline, why QuickBooks didn’t cut it, and how he brought new precision tools and electronic recordkeeping to a paper-based system. Zach also walks through the nuts and bolts of daily hog chores, GPS upgrades, and managing feed efficiency with homemade rations. Along the way, he talks about his dad’s openness to change, his grandpa’s loyalty to old Olivers, and the gradual family planning that’s setting up a smooth transition.

For Zach, progress means blending generations—new spreadsheets and old tractors, data and sweat equity. “I know I’m lucky to be here,” he says. “So I just want to make the most of it.”

🎙️ Pass the Mic

• Doug’s question to Zach: “How do you get involved with your community through agriculture?”
• Zach’s question for the next guest: “What do you want the next generation of agriculture to bring to the table?”

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

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