Pioneer Mindset

Garrett Ruskamp
  • 5.0 (7)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Pioneer Mindset! A podcast for rural ag business owners who want to challenge their mindset and address the discomfort in their business and personal lives by finding clarity resulting in bold conviction. Your host, Garrett Ruskamp, is a 5th generation farmer, husband and father from rural Nebraska. In the last 10 years of farming, he has experienced many challenges that business owners face on a day to day basis that stem from disorganization and being financially unaware. He understands the weight of uncertainty that comes from operating in a state of mind triggered by these struggles. Join Garrett as he shares his journey of the struggles he's faced in agriculture as a farmer and family man. He will dive into honest conversations to tackle the mindsets surrounding these issues, that will ultimately help you gain control leading to a profitable and sustainable business. For more conviction through clarity, follow Garrett Ruskamp on Instagram (@garrettruskamp) or Facebook (Garrett Ruskamp).

  1. 6D AGO

    E119 | Don't Let the Farm Win at the Expense of Everything Else

    Episode Summary This is part three of our series on the real stressors of the busy season. We talked about the weight of the workload. We talked about keeping the business from falling apart. Now we're getting into the one thing most farmers won't admit is suffering until it's already broken: the work and family life balance. In this episode, I get honest about the realities of trying to be a good farmer, a good husband, and a good father all at the same time. I talk about why we work the way we do, where that comes from, and why "we'll do it later" is one of the most dangerous things we can say to the people we love most. I also share a different way to think about balance, not as a scale that needs to be perfectly even, but as a checking account. Are you making more deposits than withdrawals? Because the busy season has a way of draining that account fast, and most of us don't notice until we're already in the red. At the end of the day, we say this is all for our kids and our family. But if we're never around to build something they actually want to be a part of, what's it really all for? Key Takeaways: Balance isn't a scale, think of it like a checking account Make deposits before the busy season starts making withdrawals It's the change in your presence that hits hardest, not the absence itself Be aware, communicate, and build your non-negotiables as a family Allow yourself to quit, the work will always be there None of it gets better by accident, it takes intention Resources & Links: To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here! Connect with Garrett: Follow on Instagram - @garrettruskamp Follow on Facebook - Garrett Ruskamp Follow on TikTok - @garrettruskamp Learn more about Pioneer Farmer here! Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    40 min

  2. MAY 12

    E118 | You Wouldn't Not Check Your Crops, Why Wouldn't You Do The Same With Your Business?

    Episode Summary The farm will take every minute you have and every dollar you own. And right now, in the middle of the busy season, it's doing exactly that. This is part two of a three-part series on the stressors we're all carrying this time of year. Last week, I talked about the weight of the workload. This week, I want to talk about what quietly happens to your farm business when you're only focused on the fields. The bills that pile up. The marketing move you meant to make. The invoice you forgot to send. The crop plan you threw out the window because you just needed to keep moving. These things don't feel urgent when the sun is shining and your neighbor's planter is already rolling but they add up fast, and they can cost you more than you realize. In this episode, I get honest about the emotional decisions we make in the middle of the season, why the business side is always the first thing to slide, and what you can actually do about it without pulling yourself out of the tractor on a good day. Because if you wouldn't go a month without checking on the crop, you can't afford to go a month without checking on the business either. Key points from this week's episode: The small things slip first: don't let them Markets, bills, and decisions don't stop because you're busy Pause, detach, and don't make quick emotional decisions Build a plan and know what's important versus what's urgent Think back to your goals, are your actions actually aligned? Resources & Links: To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here! Connect with Garrett: Follow on Instagram - @garrettruskamp Follow on Facebook - Garrett Ruskamp Follow on TikTok - @garrettruskamp Learn more about Pioneer Farmer here! Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    31 min

  3. MAY 4

    E117 | What's Actually Important on the Farm Right Now?

    Episode Summary In this episode, I talk about something most of us just push through without ever stopping to address: the weight of the workload and what it actually costs us when we let it run unchecked. The endless to-do list, the weather decisions, the breakdowns, the mental load of trying to do everything right. It adds up fast. And if we're not careful, it quietly robs us of the very thing that made us fall in love with this life in the first place. This is part one of a three-part series on the stressors we're all carrying right now. I get into the difference between what's truly important and what just feels urgent, why we tend to chase productivity over progress, and how staying present with what actually matters, in the business and at home, can help us carry that weight a little better. Because at the end of the day, we've only got so many seasons. Let's make sure we're actually showing up for them. Key Takeaways: The busy season has a cost, know what it's taking from you Important and urgent are not the same thing Always do what's important first Productivity isn't the same as progress Stay present with what matters, both in the field and at home Resources & Links: To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here! Connect with Garrett: Follow on Instagram - @garrettruskamp Follow on Facebook - Garrett Ruskamp Follow on TikTok - @garrettruskamp Learn more about Pioneer Farmer here! Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    28 min

  4. APR 28

    E116 | The Most Overlooked Metric on Your Farm

    Episode Summary Last week I traded one hour of my time for $7,900. Not from some big investment or a lucky break but just by showing up to my annual farm insurance renewal meeting and being willing to ask a few questions. In this episode, I talk about return on time (ROT) and why it might be the most overlooked metric in your operation. We grind through long days, early mornings, and late nights, but most of us have never stopped to ask: what is my time actually worth? And more importantly, am I spending it on the things that matter most? I share a few examples from our own operation, including signing up for an NRCS program and the decision we made to sell our cow herd, and how return on time played into both of those. I also get honest about the fact that I'm still very much in the middle of figuring this out myself. This episode isn't about optimizing every minute. It's about being more intentional with the hours you have and remembering that not every return shows up in your bank account. Key takeaways: Track Your Time Prioritize Your Tasks Plan Your Day Delegate to Protect Your Operation Schedule Quiet Time, It's More Valuable Than You Think Resources & Links: To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here! Connect with Garrett: Follow on Instagram - @garrettruskamp Follow on Facebook - Garrett Ruskamp Follow on TikTok - @garrettruskamp Learn more about Pioneer Farmer here! Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    37 min

  5. APR 20

    E115 | The Fertilizer Audit: Stretching Your Biggest Input Dollar

    Episode Summary Fertilizer can represent 10 to 20% of total input costs and yet many operations are still running the same rates, with the same suppliers, year after year without questioning whether that money is actually working as hard as it could be. In this week's episode, I dive into some figures within our own operation and how smarter agronomy, supplier shopping, and efficiency-focused thinking can add up to real, meaningful savings.This episode challenges you to find just 5 to 10% improvement in your own operation. In this week's episode on cutting fertilizer costs: Start with better soil data Use an independent agronomist Shop multiple suppliers Poor man's variable rate technology Book fertilizer in the fall Resources & Links: To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here! Connect with Garrett: Follow on Instagram - @garrettruskamp Follow on Facebook - Garrett Ruskamp Follow on TikTok - @garrettruskamp Learn more about Pioneer Farmer here! Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    35 min

  6. APR 14

    E114 | Profit First: Flipping the Farm Business Mindset

    Episode Summary I recently talked with Mary Jo Irmen from Farming Without the Bank and this week I'm reflecting on that conversation, diving into one of the most fundamental and often overlooked mindset shifts in farm business management: evaluating which expenses are truly a need versus a want. This episode challenges you to flip the traditional income-minus-expenses equation on its head. I also touch on concepts from Mike Michalowicz's book Profit First. This episode offers practical examples, honest self-reflection, and challenges you to examine the fear and generational conditioning that can keep farmers from making hard but necessary financial decisions. Highlights from this week's episode: The "Profit First" flip Life insurance and investing as priorities, not afterthoughts Need vs. want, line by line Scarcity vs. abundance mindset Fear and generational conditioning Uncomfortable now or uncomfortable later Resources & Links: To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here! Connect with Garrett: Follow on Instagram - @garrettruskamp Follow on Facebook - Garrett Ruskamp Follow on TikTok - @garrettruskamp Learn more about Pioneer Farmer here! Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    31 min

  7. APR 7

    E113 | From Cornfields to Content: Farming in the Digital Age with Quentin Connealy

    Episode Summary This week I welcome Quentin Connealy, an Eastern Nebraska farmer, social media creator, and podcast co-host to Pioneer Mindset. Tune into our conversation where we cover the realities of modern farming, from flooding and weather extremes to ag tech adoption, mental health, and staying positive through the inevitable cycles of farm life. Quentin shares how wakeboarding in a cornfield back in 2017 accidentally launched his social media presence, and how that platform evolved into a genuine community-building tool and even a business asset. Join us for this grounded conversation that is full of practical wisdom for anyone in agriculture. In this week's episode with Quentin: Farming the Missouri River Bottom Social media as therapy Mental health and peer groups Early adopter approach to ag tech Technology budget discipline Between Two Farms podcast Surviving the down cycle Resources & Links: To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here! Connect with Quentin: Follow Quentin on Instagram @qconnealy19  Follow Quentin on X @qconnealy19  Follow Quentin on Tik Tok @qconnealy  Follow Quentin on LinkedIn  QJ Connealy Family Farms Website  Connect with Garrett: Follow on Instagram - @garrettruskamp Follow on Facebook - Garrett Ruskamp Follow on TikTok - @garrettruskamp Learn more about Pioneer Farmer here! Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    44 min

  8. MAR 31

    E112 | What is the Cross You Carry Teaching You?

    Episode Summary As we enter Holy Week, I wanted to focus this week's podcast episode on faith, perspective, and the weight we all carry. I walk through the parable of The Prodigal Son and how each character, the younger son, the older son, and the father each represent struggles we all face in our own lives. From chasing what we think we want, to feeling overlooked even when doing everything "right," to learning how to extend grace and love, this episode challenges you to see yourself in the story and reflect on where you're at today. I also share how hardship, pressure, and uncertainty often become the very things that draw us closer to faith and how shifting your perspective can change how you carry those burdens. Whether you're strong in your faith, struggling, or somewhere in between, this episode is an invitation to lean in, reflect, and grow, especially during a season meant for exactly that. Resources & Links: To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here! Connect with Garrett: Follow on Instagram - @garrettruskamp Follow on Facebook - Garrett Ruskamp Follow on TikTok - @garrettruskamp Learn more about Pioneer Farmer here! Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    21 min
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Welcome to Pioneer Mindset! A podcast for rural ag business owners who want to challenge their mindset and address the discomfort in their business and personal lives by finding clarity resulting in bold conviction. Your host, Garrett Ruskamp, is a 5th generation farmer, husband and father from rural Nebraska. In the last 10 years of farming, he has experienced many challenges that business owners face on a day to day basis that stem from disorganization and being financially unaware. He understands the weight of uncertainty that comes from operating in a state of mind triggered by these struggles. Join Garrett as he shares his journey of the struggles he's faced in agriculture as a farmer and family man. He will dive into honest conversations to tackle the mindsets surrounding these issues, that will ultimately help you gain control leading to a profitable and sustainable business. For more conviction through clarity, follow Garrett Ruskamp on Instagram (@garrettruskamp) or Facebook (Garrett Ruskamp).

Information

  • Creator
    Garrett Ruskamp
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    120
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Pioneer Mindset

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