Farming on Purpose Lexi Wright

“I never saw this coming. I never saw the opportunity to come back full circle and continue that.”  
Join us in this enjoyable episode of Farming on Purpose with Jess Perez. Jess shares about her family’s history being farmers, how her and her husband moved for his law career, and how Jess found her way back to agriculture. Jess opens up about running a cow/calf operation, getting into selling their beef direct to consumers, and some of the hurdles they’ve faced along the way. Jess also talks about marketing online, sharing your life and story to an online audience, and gives a great perspective on how you can find ways to share your story. Listen in as we delve into a variety of topics from the ups and downs of having cattle, your online presence being more than just ag related, and Jess’s mentorship.  
 
About our guest: Jess Perez - Sagebrush Farms, Alabama 
Jess comes from a long line of Arizona farmers (5th gen), but Jess and her husband left Arizona for her husband's law career in Alabama in 2015. In 2020 an opportunity to get a ranch that had fallen in disrepair came up, and they took it. Since then, they have learned so much as they’ve tried to heal the ground from overuse, fencing that was falling apart, and start a herd from the ground up. Jess is passionate about her cows living their best lives, and part of that includes transitioning from selling their calves to stockyards to holding and finishing their cattle and selling directly to the consumer.   
You can connect with Jess on her website, TikTok, and Instagram.   
At a glance:  
Getting back into ag after moving to Alabama from Arizona.  
Running a cow/calf operation and selling beef direct to consumers. 
Sharing/ marketing online. 
Bringing femininity into ag. 
Jess’s mentorship to help other ranchers and farmers.
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#38 How to Make Growing Your Local Ag Business Easier with Sammy Gleason
#51 Looking ahead at Ag Finance with a 4th Gen Farmer and Ag Lender
From Off-Farm Income Podcast: Episode 1912: A Million Open Doors | Lexi Wright | The Farming On Purpose Podcast 
 
About the Host of Farming On Purpose, Lexi Wright: 
I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture. 
I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.  

“I just have a passion for putting farm-fresh products on people’s tables.”  
Join us in this informative episode of Farming on Purpose with Joseph Blakeslee. Taking us behind the scenes of his butcher shop, Bare Bone Butcheing as well as his farm, Blakeslee Acres. Joseph shares about how he knew he wanted to be a farmer from a young age, how he and his wife started their farm, and some of the things Joseph learned along the way. Joseph touches on a very important topic in agriculture, mental help, and shares some tools that help maintain his mental health. Listen in as we delve into a variety of topics from first generation farming, butchering and farmer burnout.  
About our guest: Joseph Blakeslee - Blakeslee Acres, New York 
Joseph is the owner operator of Blakeslee Acres, a small first-generation family farm and owner operator of Bare Bone Butchering, a small custom exempt butcher shop in New York.     
You can connect with Joseph on his TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and the Bare Bone Butchering Facebook. You can also listen to Joseph on the Meat the Critters podcast.
Podcasts Joseph listens to: Beyond Labels hosted by Joel Salatin & Dr. Sina McCullough & Full Disclosure Farming hosted by Farmer Joe & Mrs. Yankee Farmer.  
At a glance:  
Joseph and his wife started their farm in 2015 with homesteading and chickens.  
The learning curve of a first-generation farmer. 
The ins and outs of the butcher shop. 
Therapy and other tools to help with mental health to prevent farmer burnout.   
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#2 Navigating First-Generation Dairy Farming
#12 Beginning Farming and Resetting Your Farm Practices with DL Lautenbach
#52 Growing a First Generation Operation with Millennial Rancher Calli Williams
About the Host of Farming On Purpose, Lexi Wright: 
I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture. 
I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.  

“Sick animals cost you a lot of money so keeping them healthy is the full goal.”  
Join us in this informative episode of Farming on Purpose and learn more about KSX Performance with Kaitlyn Keller. Taking us behind the scenes of her business, Kaitlyn shares about her love for animals, helping people, and how that translates into her business and how she operates. Kaitlyn dives into her products and explains some of the benefits of them.  Listen in as we delve into the world of animal supplements and caring for livestock.   
About our guest: Kaitlyn Keller- KSX Performance, Kansas 
Kaitlyn grew up on a dairy and beef cattle operation in Arkansas and always had a passion for animal health. Having always been in the industry from managing a large cow calf operation, her own cattle, showing cattle, and also equine reproduction. Kaitlyn is a mom to 2 girls and lives on the edge of the flint hills and raises gelbvieh cattle.   
You can connect with Kaitlyn on her website, TikTok, and Facebook.  
At a glance:  
KSX is an all natural animal health business aimed to help farmers big and small to care for their livestock. 
Kaitlyn’s passion for helping people and animals extends to her business and consulting. 
“That is the goal, to keep your animals from getting sick.” 
You may also enjoy…
#1 Collaborating for Progress in Ranching with Cassidy Johnston
#45 Diversifying the Ranch with Jess at Perigo Hay and Cattle
#68 Getting Started with Stockdogs 
 
About the Host of Farming On Purpose, Lexi Wright: 
I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture. 
I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.  
 

“We’ve just had to get our name out there and stop being afraid of saying, ‘We are first generation farmers. I know we’re new but we have some phenomenal products.’ It’s become an education process for us to educate others on, honestly, what little we do know and it’s been a confidence thing. I had to be confident to say, ‘Hey, I raise livestock and I grow some phenomenal products. Would you like to try them?’” 
Join us in this inspiring episode of Farming on Purpose and get up and close with Shohni Christensen, a newcomer to the agriculture industry with a great story behind their lifestyle switch. Taking us through her fascinating journey of getting into ag with a few animals for her children getting into 4-H to raising livestock and selling the meat locally and on their website. Shohni also shares about canning and educating others on food storage. Listen in as we delve into the world marketing in agriculture and Shohni is candid about some of her struggles marketing for a small farm.   
 
About our guest: Shohni Christensen, KB Farm And Pantry - Arizona 
6 years ago they traded their converse shoes in for cowboy boots. Travis and Shohni had 5 kids, 6 years old and under, and quickly realized how broken our food and education system was. What started out as homeschooling and homesteading, it quickly turned into farming and regenerative agriculture. With little knowledge about growing crops or raising livestock, they quickly started growing their farm. It didn’t take long before they knew where they called home couldn’t be home for much longer. They took a leap of faith and moved 4 hours away from everything they knew and loved to follow their dreams. With the help and push from their 5 kids, Travis and Shohni started KB Farm And Pantry. Travis, Shohni and their 5 kids pride themselves on the quality of meat they produce at KB Farm.  
You can connect with Shohni on her website, Instagram, and Facebook.  
At a glance:  
Shohni’s family lifestyle change from converse shoes to cowboy boots.  
Marketing for a small farm. 
Learning and educating others how to create a food reserve. 
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#20 Farm Kid Parenting and Moving the Farm Across State Lines with Kerissa Taylor of 1984 Farms
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#61 Strategies to Calm the Chaos and Balance "It All"
 
About the Host of Farming On Purpose, Lexi Wright: 
I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture. 
I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.  

“But if you actually want your farm to successfully transition and you care about your children and the quality of life they are going to have and the opportunities they are going to have after you are gone, it is your responsibility to understand how that transition will actually play out.”   
In this episode, I wanted to talk about a topic that is very important but one that isn’t talked about as much as it should be, transition planning. Before purchasing our family farm, I hadn’t put much consideration into planning for our farm transition after my husband and I are gone. After hearing Dr. Ferrell, a professor at OSU, speak about farm transitions, the importance of planning, and why 64% of farm transitions are failing, it made me put more consideration into our own transition in the future. I learned such valuable information and I really wanted to share that with all of you.  
 
At a glance:  
Planning financially for transition.  
Plan for success by understanding how the transition will play out.  
It’s never too early to start planning for transition, just update the plan as needed.  
Dr. Ferrell’s 5-step plan. 
Resources: Oklahoma State Farm Transitions and Kansitions with Kansas State University.  
You may also enjoy…
#21 Systems for Managing Life & Work on the Farm with Natalie Egger
#43 Returning to & Growing on the Ranch with Kristin Harms
#44 Our Farm Transition Story Part 1
 
About the Host of Farming On Purpose, Lexi Wright: 
I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture. 
I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.  

“It’s a lot easier to start a dog with a clean slate than erase a bunch of bad habits.” 
Join us in this stimulating episode of Farming on Purpose and get up and close with Randall Walker, a renowned stock dog expert from Satus Stockdogs. Taking us through his fascinating journey of employing dogs in rotational grazing, Randall presents an eye-opening narrative on how stock dogs can significantly enhance farming efficiency. Perfectly tailored for those considering incorporating stock dogs into their operations, this podcast is loaded with critical analogues and recommendations. Listen in as we delve deep into the world of stock handling with dogs, the significance of breed-specific traits like fetching in Border Collies, and more.  
About our guest: Randal Walker, Satus Stockdogs - Washington 
Randal is a 3rd generation rancher and the dogs are a big part of that. He also raises registered Dorper sheep. Without dogs Randal would never dream of owning and raising sheep. Randal started trialing in 2012. 
You can connect with Randal on his website and Facebook.  
At a glance:  
Trying out different dog breeds to work cattle. 
How to find a working dog for you. 
What to look for when buying a working dog, especially if you’re a first time stockdog owner. 
Resources to help learn more about stockdogs. 
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About the Host of Farming On Purpose, Lexi Wright: 
I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture. 
I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  
Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.