Your Ag Empire

Jonathon Haralson & Holly Haralson

5.0 (10)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
UPDATED WEEKLY

Your Ag Empire is the no-BS podcast for farmers, ranchers, and ag professionals who are ready to rethink the business of agriculture. Hosted by Jonathon and Holly Haralson, we dive into real conversations about profitability, sustainability, and innovation—without the fluff. If you’re a changemaker in ag, this is where you belong. New episodes drop weekly.

APR 22

68. The Things Leaders Bury

Tyler Dickerhoof grew up on an Ohio dairy farm and spent 25 years building a massive business career. He also spent most of that time operating like a bulldozer. When things got hard, he simply put his head down and pushed. That works in the dirt, but it destroys relationships. In this episode, Tyler sits down with “Your Ag Empire” podcast host Jonathon Haralson to talk about the things leaders bury. They cover the emotional toll of agriculture, why farmers isolate themselves, and what it actually takes to pass the family operation to the next generation without burning it to the ground. In this episode, we cover: When things get tough, the default reaction in agriculture is to put your head down and push harder. That brute force might get the daily job done, but it isolates you and wrecks the relationships you need to survive.Elite military units do not look for the guy who can do everything alone. They look for the guy who links arms with the person next to him. Farming is no different. You have to drop the pride and ask for help.The older generation holds onto the checkbook and the daily decisions because they do not know who they are without the farm. Passing the baton only works when the exiting leader has a real, productive role to step into.The previous generation plowed with horses. You drive a tractor. The next generation might use robotics or artificial intelligence to run the dairy. Adapting to the market and using new tools is exactly how the operation stays alive. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Tyler Dickerhoof: Website: https://www.tylerdickerhoof.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tyler.dickerhoof.3Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler_dickerhoof/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetylerdickerhoofshowLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerdickerhoof/ Connect with Your Ag Empire: Follow on Instagram @youragempireFollow on FacebookSubscribe on YouTubeFollow on LinkedInFollow on TikTokCheck out our website Resources & Links: Learn more about the Elite Mastermind and how to become a memberProtect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutionsJoin The Dirt email subscription Book Jonathon as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services

1 hr
APR 15

67. You’re Treating Your Horse Better Than Your Own Back

There is a farmer right now running on ibuprofen and sheer willpower. He has not seen a doctor because the nearest clinic is an hour away, and harvest does not stop. Farley Schweighart built a business for that exact person. After hitting the wall in a traditional physical therapy clinic, she walked away to start Rural Medex. It is a mobile, cash-pay practice that meets farmers, ranchers, and rodeo athletes where they work. She treats patients on tailgates, in farm shops, and beside horse trailers. In this episode, we talk about why folks in agriculture ignore their health, the reality of building a non-traditional business, and why true champions master the basics. In this episode, we cover: Masking an injury with medication does not fix the root cause. It just guarantees a bigger problem down the line. Listen to what your body is telling you before it forces you to stop.Agricultural and performance professionals will spend thousands on veterinary bills while ignoring their own broken bodies. You cannot operate at a high level if your own mechanics are falling apart.Asking a farmer to lose four hours of a workday to sit in a beige waiting room is a losing battle. Schweighart stripped away the insurance red tape and built a transparent practice that respects her patients' time.Whether you are running a business, competing in the arena, or rehabbing a shoulder, success is rarely flashy. It comes down to doing the simple, unsexy work day after day.Burnout happens when you try to change a massive, broken system. You find momentum when you stop trying to save the whole industry and start doing good work right where you stand. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Guest Farley Schweighart Website: https://www.ruralmedex.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruralmedexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farley-schweighart-a57a1318a/ Connect with Your Ag Empire: Follow on Instagram @youragempireFollow on FacebookSubscribe on YouTubeFollow on LinkedInFollow on TikTokCheck out our website Resources & Links: Learn more about the Elite Mastermind and how to become a memberProtect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutionsJoin The Dirt email subscription Book Jonathon as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services

47 min
APR 8

66. Choosing to Start Over

Brett Hicks spent 11 years building what looked like success from the outside: a poultry operation, a thriving real estate business serving poultry growers, and an active role in ministry. Then he walked away from all of it. Not because it failed, but because something else was calling. In this conversation, Brett talks about what it took to close one door before the next one opened, the lessons learned from growing up on a farm when your father worked offshore for 30 days at a time, and what he's discovered about faith, decision making, and the willingness to move forward without a safety net. This is a conversation about what happens when you burn the ships and step into the unknown. In this episode, we cover: The cows have to get fed, no matter what. Growing up in agriculture teaches a level of responsibility and compartmentalization that most people never develop. The work has to get done whether you feel like it or not, and that discipline carries into every area of life.You can't expect the next door to open until you close the one behind you. Moses stepped into the Red Sea before the water parted. Faith isn't waiting for God to move while you stay comfortable. It's taking the step forward and trusting He'll meet you there.Your mind will quit before your body does. Most people never find out what they're capable of because they let their limitations live in their head. The willingness to push past discomfort, to do hard things, is what separates those who grow from those who stay stagnant.If you're not growing, you're dying. In farming and in life, standing still means falling behind. The question isn't whether you'll face challenges. It's whether you'll keep moving forward through them.You're living on house money. At the end of the day, the size of your operation, the success of your business, the legacy you leave on paper doesn't matter in the grand scheme. What matters is what you did with the time you were given and whether you were willing to use it for something bigger than yourself. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Brett Hicks: Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-hicks-56609b11b/ Connect with Your Ag Empire: Follow on Instagram @youragempireFollow on FacebookSubscribe on YouTubeFollow on LinkedInFollow on TikTokCheck out our website Resources & Links: Learn more about the Elite Mastermind and how to become a memberProtect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutionsJoin The Dirt email subscription Book Jonathon as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services

1 hr
APR 1

65. How One Easy A Changed Everything

Terren Moore's journey from accidentally signing up for an FFA class to building a successful insurance agency specializing in farm and ranch coverage proves that sometimes the best opportunities come from unexpected decisions. What started as an easy elective to graduate turned into a life-changing path through agriculture. Moore went from growing vegetables in his grandmother's backyard as a teenager to starting his own insurance agency in a town where he knew no one, using the same relationship-building and work ethic principles farming had taught him. In this episode, we cover: Moore credits his success to older farmers who invested time in teaching him basics like operating equipment and planting techniques. Without experienced mentors believing in him and sharing their knowledge, his farming operation never would have gotten off the ground.The relationship-building, work ethic, and long-term thinking required in farming directly translated to Moore's insurance career. Understanding what's actually at stake for producers (crops, equipment, livelihoods) gives him a significant advantage in serving agricultural clients compared to agents without farming experience.Moore emphasizes that business owners must develop leadership skills and build teams rather than trying to do everything themselves. He invested in coaching and focused on creating systems that could scale beyond his personal capacity.As a business owner with employees depending on him, Moore stresses the importance of maintaining physical, mental, and spiritual health through exercise, reading, and faith practices so he can better serve his team and clients.Moore's choice to take an agricultural elective as a teenager created a ripple effect that shaped his entire career path, demonstrating how pivotal moments often come from unexpected places. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Terren Moore: Website: https://www.mfi-services.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terren-moore-48178314b/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moorefarmsandinsurance Connect with Your Ag Empire: Follow on Instagram @youragempireFollow on FacebookSubscribe on YouTubeFollow on LinkedInFollow on TikTokCheck out our website Resources & Links: Learn more about the Elite Mastermind and how to become a memberProtect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutionsJoin The Dirt email subscription Book Jonathon as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services

1h 1m
MAR 4

64. Global Ag Perspectives with Pete Debus

In this episode of “Your Ag Empire” podcast, host Jonathon Haralson sits down in Auckland, New Zealand, with Pete Debus, Director of PrincipleFocus based in New South Wales, Australia. Despite being an ocean away, Debus reveals Australian producers are facing the same volatility, succession struggles, and margin compression as their American counterparts. He shares his philosophy on moving from "rearview mirror" accounting to forward-looking navigation, the necessity of treating the farm like a high-value corporate entity, and why "having a crack" (taking risks) is essential for survival. In this episode, we cover: Most accountants just tell you what happened in the past (the rearview mirror). To thrive in modern agriculture, you need financial partners who act as navigators, helping you forecast, budget, and look through the windshield to change the numbers going forward.With land values skyrocketing in both Australia and the U.S., the "holy grail" for a professional farm business should be a 5% return on assets (EBIT). Achieving this requires moving beyond basic production and implementing rigorous business management standards.A farmer has two primary jobs: to build a viable, thriving business, and to successfully hand it over. If the patriarch hasn't stepped out of the way by age 70 to let the next generation drive, they likely never will—turning a succession plan into merely an estate plan.If high-quality talent walks past your gate, hire them immediately, even if you don't think you can afford it. Great people pay for themselves by bringing new energy and ideas that allow the owner to stop working in the business and start working on it.To facilitate fair succession without burdening the farm with debt, families need to start investing in off-farm assets early. Building wealth outside the operation provides a "wash" that allows non-farming siblings to be compensated while the farm stays intact. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Episode Sponsor Figured Website: https://www.figured.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/figuredapp Connect with Guest Pete Debus Website: https://principlefocus.com.au/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-debus-7bb92b15/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrincipleFocus/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principlefocus/ Connect with Your Ag Empire: Follow on Instagram @youragempireFollow on FacebookSubscribe on YouTubeFollow on LinkedInFollow on TikTokCheck out our website Resources & Links: Learn more about the Elite Mastermind and how to become a memberProtect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutionsJoin The Dirt email subscription Book Jonathon as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services

46 min
FEB 18

63. Making Insurance Work Harder for Your Operation

Fresh from the Empire Ag Elite Retreat in San Antonio, this episode features Jacob Little of Crop & Range Insurance delivering a masterclass on navigating the current landscape of government programs and risk management. Jacob cuts through the "alphabet soup" of the Farm Bill, offering a straight-shooting look at how changes to payment limits and entity structures can directly impact your bottom line. He also challenges producers to rethink their relationships with service providers, warning that blind loyalty in a tight margin environment is a luxury you cannot afford. In this episode, we cover: Recent changes mean members of LLCs and C-Corps now receive their own payment IDs. With the limit bumped to $155,000 per program, operations that previously capped out need to review their structure to ensure they aren't leaving valid dollars on the table.The link between crop insurance and FSA elections has been severed. If a decision makes financial sense for insurance, do it. If a different decision pencils out for FSA, do that. Treat them as separate business moves.If you run cattle and don't have a relationship with the FSA, get one. Programs like LFP (drought) often trigger eligibility for ELAP (transportation/feed assistance), but you have to be in the system to collect.Being "married to a memory" puts you at a competitive disadvantage. Whether it is a seed dealer or an insurance agent, ensure your partners are actively earning your business every year. If they aren't bringing new ideas to the table, open-mindedness toward a competitor might save the farm. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Jacob Little Website: https://cropandrange.com/Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087121105405)TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@cropandrange) Connect with Your Ag Empire: Follow on Instagram @youragempireFollow on FacebookSubscribe on YouTubeFollow on LinkedInFollow on TikTokCheck out our website Resources & Links: Learn more about the Elite Mastermind and how to become a memberProtect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutionsJoin The Dirt email subscription Book Jonathon as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services

18 min
FEB 11

62. Love and Leverage in Ag

In a surprise solo appearance, Empire Ag CFO Holly Haralson takes the mic for a candid Valentine’s Day conversation that has nothing to do with flowers or chocolates. Holly digs into the complicated relationship between producers and their operations, exploring how deep love for the land can sometimes blind us to the hard decisions necessary to save it. From navigating bankruptcy to facing tough succession talks, Holly challenges listeners to redefine what "loving well" looks like in agriculture—moving from destructive loyalty to wise, strategic action. In this episode, we cover: True love for an operation isn't just about holding on at all costs. Sometimes, the most loving thing a producer can do is file for Chapter 12 bankruptcy, diversify revenue streams, or have the difficult succession conversation to protect the family’s future.When a producer’s entire identity is wrapped up in the farm, financial struggles feel like personal failures. Holly emphasizes that you are not the land, and separating your self-worth from the operation is critical for making clear-headed business decisions.There is a difference between "pride dressed up as loyalty" and building a sustainable legacy. Loving well means recognizing when old patterns are destroying the family dynamic and choosing to pivot, even if it feels like a betrayal of tradition.Building an empire requires protecting the marriage amidst the stress. Holly shares how she and Jonathon balance their different strengths—his visionary agricultural roots and her systems-thinking healthcare background—to ensure the business doesn't consume their relationship. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Your Ag Empire: Follow on Instagram @youragempireFollow on FacebookSubscribe on YouTubeFollow on LinkedInFollow on TikTokCheck out our website Resources & Links: Learn more about the Elite Mastermind and how to become a memberProtect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutionsJoin The Dirt email subscription Book Jonathon as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services

13 min
FEB 4

61. Bankruptcy, Profitability, and the Reality of 2026

The agricultural economy is tightening, and the strain is revealing cracks in even the most established operations. In this candid, unscripted solo episode of “Your Ag Empire” podcast, Jonathon Haralson addresses the heavy realities facing producers right now—from Chapter 12 bankruptcies to the mental toll of financial instability. Haralson talks about the work Empire Ag is doing behind the scenes, sharing stories of clients navigating identity crises and others finding new revenue streams in a down market. The conversation shifts to the broader economic landscape for 2026, analyzing the potential for severe inflation, land value corrections, and the dangers of the "yield trap" in row crops. Haralson challenges producers to stop relying on hope or government payments that won't cover losses. Instead, he advocates for a ruthless focus on profitability, diversification into livestock, and the grit required to make hard decisions before the bank makes them for you. In this episode, we cover: Financial failure often triggers an identity crisis for producers, but a Chapter 12 filing can be a strategic tool to restructure and survive. Empathy is essential, as many neighbors are struggling with factors outside their control, such as elevator insolvencies or sudden market shifts.Chasing record bushels is a losing strategy when input costs outweigh returns. Producers must focus on net profit per acre, even if it means reducing inputs and accepting lower yields to protect working capital.While the "land never goes down" mantra is popular, historical precedents like the 1980s and recent corrections in California suggest otherwise. High interest rates and a potential dollar devaluation could lead to significant repricing in farmland.Relying solely on row crops is increasingly risky. Adding a livestock component or other cash-flowing assets can provide the liquidity needed to weather downturns in the grain markets.The disconnect between the older generation holding onto control and the younger generation needing equity is a systemic threat. Families must have difficult conversations now to avoid fighting over assets later, ensuring the operation survives the transition. Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode. Connect with Your Ag Empire: Follow on Instagram @youragempireFollow on FacebookSubscribe on YouTubeFollow on LinkedInFollow on TikTokCheck out our website Resources & Links: Learn more about the Elite Mastermind and how to become a memberProtect your livestock investment with Empire Ag’s risk management solutionsJoin The Dirt email subscription Book Jonathon as your next speaker Mentioned in this episode: Farming is a business—and at Empire Financial Services, we treat it like one. Our team helps farmers and ranchers get clarity on their finances, streamline bookkeeping, and build long-term stability. Click below to learn more. Empire Financial Services

27 min

5

out of 5

10 Ratings

Your Ag Empire is the no-BS podcast for farmers, ranchers, and ag professionals who are ready to rethink the business of agriculture. Hosted by Jonathon and Holly Haralson, we dive into real conversations about profitability, sustainability, and innovation—without the fluff. If you’re a changemaker in ag, this is where you belong. New episodes drop weekly.

Creator

Jonathon Haralson & Holly Haralson
Years Active

2023 - 2026
Episodes

71
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2025 Empire Ag, LLC.
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Your Ag Empire

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