E191: Farmer Entrepreneurs Find New Revenue Opportunities

Finding space on a farm for a family member to return can be a tough challenge. More and more, returnees are looking to build adjacent businesses to earn their keep, exploring everything from direct to market meats to u-pick operations. Growing these enterprises can be a great way to build confidence and develop the skills that will help them take over the farm, and in many cases, they can also be highly lucrative. 

Today, we’re joined by DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger to hear about three young farm entrepreneurs who have found success building businesses beside traditional crop and livestock operations.

First, we’ll hear about Erik Oberbroeckling, an Iowa farmer who, over the course of the last decade, has also built a trucking empire that’s helped him grow his fleet and the family farm at the same time. Then, we’ll hear Evan Hellerud’s story of finding resources on his Red River Valley family farm led him to a hay and alfalfa cutting business that would give him the chance to feed and bed horses at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. And finally, we’ll hear Leah Pottinger’s story of how a passion for photography, an artistic itch, and a commitment to making a profit led to the growth of a breathtaking flower farm in rural Kentucky. 

We’ll dig into Katie’s insights on everything from how these growers found opportunities and analyzed returns to how they dealt with labor challenges and involving the community.