What’s it like to manage 135,000 acres of farmland in Ukraine… for foreign investors… during a time of economic uncertainty and political chaos?In this wild and eye-opening episode, we sit down with Justin Bruch, a fifth-generation Iowa farm kid turned international ag operator with an MBA and endless life stories from his travels abroad. Justin shares his journey from farming in Iowa to managing mega-scale farms across Brazil, Ukraine, and Russia — including for a Russian oligarch-backed fund. From blacked-out Mercedes full of chain-wearing enforcers to navigating post-Soviet land ownership and corruption, this episode is filled with lessons in global ag business, leadership, grit, and entrepreneurship.Justin is currently the CEO of Maya America, a U.S.-based ag equipment importer revolutionizing corn harvesting technology — but his story is anything but ordinary.👉 If you’re into farming, entrepreneurship, international business, or just love a wild business story — don’t miss this one.🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes featuring trailblazers in business, agriculture, and beyond.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS – Podcast Show Notes:00:00 – Justin’s wild intro: A Ukrainian farm, three blacked-out Mercedes, and sketchy enforcers01:29 – Intro to Justin Bruch & his company Maya America02:11 – Farming roots: 5th-generation Iowa farm kid03:00 – Managing farmland, running two businesses, and farming 750 acres organically05:39 – Growing up on the farm: bean walking, detasseling, and hard work11:20 – Life lesson: Honesty, effort, and transparency will take you far13:00 – Early career: Sales in California, Arizona, Utah14:12 – Family investment in Brazil and transitioning into Ukrainian ag17:03 – Building a farm team in Ukraine with multi-lingual local hires20:00 – Taking on 20,000 acres for foreign investors — and discovering corruption23:15 – Post-Soviet land ownership: fragmented, restricted, and impossible to finance26:04 – Ukraine’s collective farm history and the challenges of restructuring ag systems29:12 – Performance-based pay system for workers — an initial struggle that worked32:03 – Farming in dry Southern Ukraine and shifting to no-till34:44 – Comparing Lviv to Wisconsin: rich soil, plenty of rain, and expansion37:47 – MBA vs. Ukrainian ag: “I learned more in 6 months in Ukraine than in 2 years of business school”40:31 – Managing theft and dishonesty — unique challenges in post-Soviet ag43:18 – Harvest frustrations: Crops sold out from under him46:12 – Life as a foreign expat farmer in Ukraine48:53 – Learning Ukrainian and Russian, working with international investors51:41 – The early 2010s: travel guides, payphones, and sketchy calls to Spain54:13 – Transitioning from rebuilding old corn heads to importing from Italy57:11 – Founding Maya America: flying to Spain, building the brand from scratch1:00:31 – Entering Nebraska market with durable corn heads1:02:54 – Word-of-mouth growth, farmer testimonials, and the power of product performance1:05:50 – Partnering with Farm4Profit podcast and expanding dealership network1:08:38 – Working with AGCO-aligned and New Holland dealers1:11:16 – Farmers’ biggest concern: downtime and harvest efficiency1:14:09 – Competing with OEMs: Standing out with price, durability, and dealer margin1:16:30 – ⚡ Lightning Round: Manure, soil health, cover crops, and ag trivia1:22:11 – The million-dollar answer: ag quiz and cranberries1:25:20 – Delegation, leadership, and accountability on the farm1:28:02 – The farmer’s big investment: why corn heads matter1:30:37 – Advice to aspiring entrepreneurs in ag: don’t get lost in the “how”1:33:23 – Where there's a will, there's a way: mindset for starting something from scratch1:35:48 – Outro: Leave a review, subscribe, and check out Snod Media GroupThanks for tuning in for this episode of the Rhymes with Odd podcast. Make sure to subscribe to catch future interviews. Follow on TikTok: @rhymeswithoddFollow on Instagram: @rhymeswithodd#RhymeswithOdd #BusinessPodcast
