Pivot Points

Hannah 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.  

Katie 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/  

Jim 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.

Former 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.

Jenny 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.

Jordan 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.

Have 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.