June 5, 2025 • 24 mins
Jesse and Dr. Leah share updates from their farm life, discussing their new high tunnel greenhouse project and the seasonal transition from planting to summer maintenance. They explore the physical and mental health benefits of growing your own food, getting your hands in the dirt, and connecting with the natural world.
• Installation of a 3,100 square foot high tunnel greenhouse after receiving an NRCS grant
• Extensive companion planting with herbs and vegetables to enhance flavor and deter pests
• Growing tomatoes, peppers, berries, green beans, and many other crops for self-sufficiency
• Completion of field crop planting season with successful soybean establishment
• Experimenting with electroculture using copper wires to harness atmospheric energy for plants
• Discussion of the Mitochondriac Manifesto and the importance of connecting with the earth
• Benefits of grounding (walking barefoot) for releasing negative energy from the body
• Using plant trimmings to create natural foliar feeding solutions
• Summer plans for hay making, county fairs, and preserving the garden harvest
• Upcoming wellness trip to Okoboji Wellness Clinic
Visit our website at thefarmersgreatestasset.com to get your copy of the workbook – the most important book you'll ever write.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
the farmer's greatest asset podcast.
We believe the farm's greatestasset is the farmer, their
knowledge, knowledge, experience, mind and health.
Well, welcome back to thepodcast.
(00:40):
I'm Jesse.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
And I'm Dr Leah.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
So today we're just going to kind of wing it and
tell you what's going on on thefarm and what we've been doing.
So what do you got going on,babe?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
This March we put up a large high tunnel.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
It is large.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It's very large.
But you know me, go big or gohome.
Oh wait, we are home.
Yeah, go big at home.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, we are.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
I applied for a grant from the NRCS for four years
and I finally received thatgrant last year.
We were able to put up the hightunnel this spring.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So it's not a greenhouse because it doesn't
have automation or fans in itright Right.
It looks like a greenhouse, butit's just a big plastic
building.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's all naturally ventilated.
I have been working quoteunquote in my free time to fill
the green.
Well, I call it the greenhouse,but it's a high tunnel.
This year I am really trying toraise as much of the food that
(01:53):
we eat as possible for numerousreasons.
Number one health reasons.
It's good for us to dig in thedirt to get dirty.
It's healthy for us to grow ourown food.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
And we don't have all the other chemicals on it
either right.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
So I do a lot of companion planting, and so
that's using various herbs andvegetables together to both
enhance the flavor of thevegetables surrounding it and to
protect it from predators andto bring in beneficial insects.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Keeps the bugs away.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
And maybe it's just because it's undercover.
But you walk in there andthere's like no bugs.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Well, I have a lot of aromatic herbs in there.
A lot, a lot.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
It is full of aromas.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
So a lot of basil, lavender, marigolds, calendula,
sage, thyme, lots of it.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Are you going to divulge how many tomato plants
you have in there?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
I actually have not counted.
Are you going to allow me toknow how many tomato plants you
have?
Well, I'm not gonna keep it asecret.
I will be.
I'll be honest I have notcounted them.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
I don't know what we're gonna do with all these
tomatoes if anybody wantstomatoes, come on by worst case
scenario.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Um, I'm sure there's a lot of food pantries that
would love to have them, so, somany tomatoes I also have a very
large row of green beans, sowe're gonna have a lot of
tomatoes and peppers.
We're just gonna have a lot.
There's a a lot and it's only,like I don't know, two thirds
(03:46):
full maybe right now.
Um, so it is a little over3,100 square feet and I have
been feverishly planting.
I just put in 500 strawberryplants in the last week.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So I am not a strawberry fan, but maybe it's
because all of the store-boughtstrawberries are nothing like
the strawberries you got outhere, because these little
bright red strawberries areamazing.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, it's candy.
It's like candy.
They're awesome.
They are, they are amazing.
So I've been working on that inmy free time, when I am not
also helping run the farm andtake care of the kids.
I mean they don't really needme to quote unquote take care of
them, but manage them chasethem down make sure they are
(04:44):
learning responsibilities intheir role on the farm and their
teenagers.
So it is all done withreluctance.
So then I have to to manage myemotion around their reluctance.
I don't know how mama Sally didit, but man, I I would never
have spoken to her like that.
(05:05):
She would not have allowed it,she would have put the smack
down.
But I probably did more and shejust had to keep it in tow and
she, I know, did not bother herat all.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
So a lot of stuff going on in the greenhouse.
You're planting lots of stuff,a lot of good food coming in the
greenhouse.
You're planting lots of stuff,a lot of good food coming.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Blackberries, raspberries, green beans what
else there's more.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
So much you don't even know what you got.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah Well, lucy, she planted all my seedlings and oh
yeah, there's like broccoli,brussels sprouts, cauliflower,
cucumbers, cabbage.
Oh, watermelon, cantaloupe,honeyddew.
Yeah, yeah, we got lots of,lots of good things coming our
way, it's so much fun.
I I love to garden between thatand good steak oh yeah we got
(05:56):
chickens coming and ducks coming.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yes, lucey has been preparing to build her coop.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
She is waiting for her papa so she can learn a
little construction and buildher chicken coop.
She has big plans.
Daddy-o Scares me.
She has been researching herchicken coop and chicken care
and her duck coop and duck care.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
She's got a binder full of information Like a
hundred pages of information.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
She's a good researcher.
It's good Good stuff.
All right, Daddy-O, what haveyou been doing on the farm?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Well, planting season has officially come to an end
for 2025.
Woo-woo, yeah right, finally.
So that means we got ourtriticale chopped for cattle
feed, woo-woo and the manurehauled, got some good organic
fertilizer going on, so we plantbeans in after that.
So we got the beans planted ona Sunday.
(06:59):
It actually worked really good.
The ground was pretty mellow,there was good moisture.
We're talking rain coming, sothose beans ought to do pretty
well.
So we got the planter cleanedout and put away already.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
How did the bushels go last year on our soybeans
that followed the triticale?
What was our yield?
Do you remember?
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Off the top of my head no Asking hard questions.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Sorry, too early, too early for hard questions.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Those were well, that's where we had that plot,
so I think they averaged 72 7269 to 72 was in that.
That's what that plot did, soyeah did you use a shorter
season bean?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
no and they were still ready at the same time as
the others, maybe just a littlelater.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Yeah, but I mean.
So actually, rule of thumb onbeans is don't go shorter season
the later you get in the season.
I don't remember exactly whatnumber they were, but they still
did really well.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And we used that extra sugar.
Well, that trial that we didhad a sugar product, part of it.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
That's where we're trying to put more sugar on
because of that trial, becausewhat had the sugar application?
The moisture content was half apercent more, something like
that.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Maybe not quite a half a percent, that's only half
a percent, but it's a half apercent it increases your, your
bushel right, that's moisturethat you're retaining and that
lately has been one of thehardest things for us to manage
with our dry falls.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
That was one factor of why we planted fewer beans
this year, because they tend toget so dry, so quick.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
And prices.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
This last summer.
Right and prices.
Last summer it got hot and dryJuly and August, but then it
kind of.
We got some beneficial rainsthat helped bushels.
Everything got so dry so fast.
Beans were eight, 9%, corn was12%, so we gave up a lot of
bushels.
Just on moisture, anyway, Idigress.
(09:05):
So, yeah, planters put away, weactually brought the combine.
So where we parked the planter,we switched it around and
brought the combine.
So where we parked the planter,we switched it around and
brought the combine up to theshop.
So and start going through it,move on to the next thing.
But we're still spraying postherbicide on the corn.
Beans will be next, but thenwe're.
We've made some foliar passeson corn, so some corn is v4, v5
(09:28):
ish, so it got some extra 318,18 and micros and some more
sugar so yeah I've got to getsome more corn posted, then
we'll move on to beanspost-herbicide and keep running
the sprayer and baling.
They're talking rain this week,so we're holding off on mowing
hay, but we've already done thefirst cutting of alfalfa.
But we've got to do grass hay.
We're not 4x4 farmers.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
What do you mean?
4x4 farmers?
They used to say farmers farmfour weeks in the spring and
four weeks in the fall.
When, when was that?
Because I mean I've been on afarm my entire life.
I don't remember it being likethat when I was a kid and I know
since being married to you andyou farming full time.
It is like we have three monthsoff in the winter.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
And we really don't have time December, January,
February Because we're stillfeeding cattle, but we just take
the time in the winter to slowdown.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
But usually you would start calving in January.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Yeah, we push that off.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
We have been pushing that date back and back and back
which is great.
It has definitely improved yourrest in the winter.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
So now we use that for traveling, if we can.
We've always.
You grew up on a farm withlivestock, whether horses or
cattle or whatever pigs do, sowe've always said the same thing
cattle and hogs, and so there'salways something to do we know
it's.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
What's that?
That uh meme that's goingaround right now.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
It's something about Farming is.
After tomorrow it'll slow down.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Over and over and over again.
After this week, that's what itis.
After this week it'll slow down.
And you keep saying it over andover and over again.
It's uncanny how much it waslike obstetrics.
You know, I did not want tomarry a farmer.
(11:18):
I was not going to be on a farmbecause it was like 24-7, and
you had to have somebody coveryou while you were gone and you
never got a break unless youleft town.
And that is exactly how ruralobstetrics was.
Holy moly, it was bonkers, itwas bonkers.
It's so much like farming, justa little different but
(11:41):
definitely a very much neededthing.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Kind of got wrapped up this week, but then we're
just moving on.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Now we're starting our summer schedule.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
We'll just make hay and fill some straw.
Hopefully we're starting oursummer schedule.
We'll just make hay and somestraw, hopefully.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
County fair, state fair and lots and lots of
vegetable and fruit preservation.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
So much stuff that you're going to have to can.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
So I talked with my cousin at a graduation party and
he was.
He too has a very large gardenand he and his wife do a lot of
preservation and he was sayinghow he's sold some of his
tomatoes to a grocery store andI thought, oh my gosh, I could
totally do that.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I did that.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
It was like a full circle moment because my third
year of college between mysophomore and junior year I had
what my mom and dad called atruck farm and we planted an
acre of sweet corn and I had 200tomato plants.
We I sold sweet corn atfarmer's markets and I sold a
(12:53):
lot of it to a local grocerystore and then they took a lot
of my my good tomatoes as welland I actually made a fair
amount of money with that thatyear and I thought you know what
I'm gonna have all this extra.
I guess maybe we'll see if wecan do that and it can be a
project for one of the girls.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
They want to make a little extra money.
Here we are again.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Here we are, full circle.
Never thought it'd come back tome, but I can't tell you how
much I love spending timeplanting, yes, playing in the
dirt.
So you're just a big kidplaying in the dirt too.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
So you're just a big kid playing in the dirt too.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Absolutely.
I really love hiking, but inthe summer I don't want to be
taken away from my garden, Ijust love being in the garden.
I would strongly encourageeveryone to just plant a few
plants.
There is nothing better thanspending time in nature to clear
(13:53):
your head and just standbarefoot in the dirt.
Well, and you're reading thatbook, the Mitochondriac
Manifesto, right and it's allabout raising your own food and
eating.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
well, it's not really about raising your own food.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
It is about eating the, the food that is in season
and is that is local.
That is local because ourmicrobiome in our guts, which
really is the first defense ofyour immune system and helps
process vitamins and mineralsand what gets in and goes out of
(14:34):
your body and clearing of waste.
It needs to be fed good things,not just from I don't believe
that it's just the food, it'salso.
Our gut needs dirt.
I know I've said that before.
So just going out and you knowin the morning I'll go out, and
(14:54):
right now we have strawberries,so I'll have a handful of
strawberries on my way out tothe greenhouse when I get up
it's important to reset yourcircadian rhythm and get up and
get light in your face and not ascreen light in your face and
(15:15):
not a screen and go out and beoutside for 10 minutes in the
morning to just take it in, takein the sun and and it's
important to do that at nighttoo, so you can get back on on
that appropriate clock.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
It's about the connection, too, with the earth
and eating what is grown here,and it is beneficial for you to
grow something of your own,whether it be a tomato plant or
whatever, and have that goodhomegrown food, because it's a
connection, it's good nutrition.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
I'm also dabbling a little bit in electroculture,
which I'm kind of excited to dothis year.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
What is?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
electroculture.
Electroculture is and it reallyfits the mitochondriac
manifesto's suggestion that weare energetic beings.
It's all about healthymitochondria, which are like the
powerhouses of the cell and thepowerhouses of your body.
They're what create all of theenergy in your body and and how
(16:13):
a lot of us have sickmitochondria, and how we can
change that for ourselves.
And grounding, which is, likeyou know, being barefoot on the
dirt or in, you know, wet sand,that type of thing you can
release a lot of the negativeenergy, the negative electrons
that are that needs to bereleased and you're holding onto
(16:35):
and, like all the plastic inour clothes, increases that
static electricity within and onour bodies and that we collect
a lot of that.
And when we're just sitting andnot being outside and we wear,
you know, sold shoes, we are notallowed to pass that energy
back to the earth.
(16:55):
And that is the groundingeffect.
That has to do with the healthof our bodies and the health of
our mitochondria, which processall of our energy so the
electroculture.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
So back to the electroculture, the
electroculture.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
So back to the electroculture.
The electroculture is you usebasically copper wires and pipe
Right.
Or you can just put it on apiece of wood or bamboo or
something and you put it up inthe air and down into the ground
and it collects energy from theair environment around it and
(17:34):
puts it into the ground to givethe ground the appropriate
charge to then release all ofwhat the plants need.
And I am going to use thatinstead of fertilizer this year
and I'm also going to be usingfoliar feeding that I am making
(17:57):
from all of the extra stuff thatI'm cutting off of my plants.
So I do a lot of trimming of mytomatoes to have them put more
energy into the fruit and not asmuch into the leaves, and then
I chop that off and I willbasically bake it in the sun and
water and then I'll use that tospray back on onto the plants
(18:20):
in my foliar feeding.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
It's a feedback system.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
It is totally a feedback system, just like what
happens in the human body.
Our nature does the same thing,you know.
It drops all the stuff rightthere and it gets rained on and
everything goes back into theearth and it's just cycled.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
So the feedback system like in sow farms,
they'll grind up the afterbirthand feed it back to the sows,
because in a, you know, modernfarrowing house the sows are in
a crate.
They can't turn around and eattheir afterbirth like cows do I
mean?
It's just a natural thinghorses do that too.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Yeah, it's a natural thing I am so glad I did not
have to do that, but how healthywould that?
Speaker 1 (19:04):
be.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
There's so much good stuff in there like so much good
stuff, but like saying that isgross sow farm I worked at, we
actually had a garbage disposalon the wall.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
We'd run it through the garbage disposal and then
mix it in with the feed I didnot know that.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, very, very interesting.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Good for those sow farmers yeah, we do it for our
animals, but we don't do itbecause we think it's gross the
paths we go down on our podcastRight.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
I didn't think we'd be talking about electroculture
today, but it's exciting.
I love all that natural science.
I guess it is fun, and to seewhat's going to come of it is
really exciting as well.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Lots of good things happening on the farm.
We're growing our own stuff.
We actually are going to try totake care of our health a
little bit too this week.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
We're going to go visit our friends at Okoboji
Wellness Clinic in Okoboji, Iowa.
Dr Brad Meyer and his amazingwife Carrie.
They've gotten to be goodfriends.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
So we're going to go take care of ourselves and see
what we need to do to get better.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
That's where we got our hyperbaric chamber that
helped you with your healingfrom your hip.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
So if you're in Iowa so Okoboji from us is five hours
, so we're willing to take thetrip.
But if you're, you knownorthwest Iowa, anywhere in that
area, like look them up,they're doing some pretty
amazing things just trying tomake people better, get people
better live healthy.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Some really amazing things.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So again, kind of like we've said before, you know
, we try to take the opportunityto take a break, and here's our
opportunity to go up and seeBrad and Carrie.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
And, let's face it, we love to travel.
Like if we have a three daybreak, we're like, okay, where
can we go?
What can we do?
We need to get away.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Well, we've been planning on this, and then this
morning I said well, we're goingto drive through Des Moines and
we're going to do a littleshopping.
I haven't broken to you yet.
Well, here's the breaking news,babe.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
I want to stop and look at something on the way.
Oh, I'm shocked.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I'm shocked that you weren't just wanting to go to
the clothing stores.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Uh, such a farmer thing, right, if there's one
thing that jesse loves to shopfor it's coats, shirts and most
of all equipment.
There is an implement dealer onthe way we are driving through.
Yeah, I'm not the only one.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
That's why I'm sure of it as an implement dealer on
the way we are driving through.
Yeah, I'm not the only one thisway, I'm sure of it.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
No, I'm sure of it as well.
Oh, that's funny.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Anyway.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
I love my well-dressed farmer.
Always looking good babe.
Yeah, and I digressed into bibsmost of the time.
Where does that go?
Speaker 1 (22:19):
You were practicing medicine.
You were wearing pajamas allthe time.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Well it was scrubs and then I wore dresses a lot
Like when I was just in theclinic.
I wore scrubs on call and whenthe kids were little.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
The scrubs are like pajamas.
They're so comfortable.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Oh it is, it's pajamas, and then went to
dresses and now I'm in bibs mostof the time.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
And you didn't want to be married to a farmer.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Well, I mean, I guess I never really thought I would
be the farmer.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Yeah, you're just a farmer yourself.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
It's amazing.
It's amazing how God bringsthings into your life,
everything that you needed anddidn't even know that you needed
.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Just got to be looking for them.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Got to be open.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
God's showing you what you need.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And if you don't look , he'll hit you over the head
with a two-by-four.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
And if you don't look , he'll hit you over the head
with a two by four.
So with that we are.
We're going to head to Okobojiand report back next week.
Thanks for listening.
Subscribe, tag a friend or fiveor 20.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Spread the word, send us a message at farmersgreatest
, greatest asset, at gmailcom.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
We'd love to hear what you'd like to hear more of.
Check out all of the socialsinstagram, facebook.
There's a little bit on tiktok.
Go check it out.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
A lot of good things father's day is coming up, so if
you're not sure what to get, wehave the workbook the workbook
is on the website the farmersgreatest asset dot com.
Click on the workbook link themost important book you'll ever
write well with that.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
It is a good day to have a great day bye.
the farmer's greatest asset podcast.
We believe the farm's greatestasset is the farmer, their
knowledge, knowledge, experience, mind and health.
Well, welcome back to thepodcast.
(00:40):
I'm Jesse.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
And I'm Dr Leah.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
So today we're just going to kind of wing it and
tell you what's going on on thefarm and what we've been doing.
So what do you got going on,babe?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
This March we put up a large high tunnel.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
It is large.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It's very large.
But you know me, go big or gohome.
Oh wait, we are home.
Yeah, go big at home.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, we are.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
I applied for a grant from the NRCS for four years
and I finally received thatgrant last year.
We were able to put up the hightunnel this spring.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So it's not a greenhouse because it doesn't
have automation or fans in itright Right.
It looks like a greenhouse, butit's just a big plastic
building.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's all naturally ventilated.
I have been working quoteunquote in my free time to fill
the green.
Well, I call it the greenhouse,but it's a high tunnel.
This year I am really trying toraise as much of the food that
(01:53):
we eat as possible for numerousreasons.
Number one health reasons.
It's good for us to dig in thedirt to get dirty.
It's healthy for us to grow ourown food.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
And we don't have all the other chemicals on it
either right.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
So I do a lot of companion planting, and so
that's using various herbs andvegetables together to both
enhance the flavor of thevegetables surrounding it and to
protect it from predators andto bring in beneficial insects.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Keeps the bugs away.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
And maybe it's just because it's undercover.
But you walk in there andthere's like no bugs.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Well, I have a lot of aromatic herbs in there.
A lot, a lot.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
It is full of aromas.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
So a lot of basil, lavender, marigolds, calendula,
sage, thyme, lots of it.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Are you going to divulge how many tomato plants
you have in there?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
I actually have not counted.
Are you going to allow me toknow how many tomato plants you
have?
Well, I'm not gonna keep it asecret.
I will be.
I'll be honest I have notcounted them.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
I don't know what we're gonna do with all these
tomatoes if anybody wantstomatoes, come on by worst case
scenario.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Um, I'm sure there's a lot of food pantries that
would love to have them, so, somany tomatoes I also have a very
large row of green beans, sowe're gonna have a lot of
tomatoes and peppers.
We're just gonna have a lot.
There's a a lot and it's only,like I don't know, two thirds
(03:46):
full maybe right now.
Um, so it is a little over3,100 square feet and I have
been feverishly planting.
I just put in 500 strawberryplants in the last week.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So I am not a strawberry fan, but maybe it's
because all of the store-boughtstrawberries are nothing like
the strawberries you got outhere, because these little
bright red strawberries areamazing.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, it's candy.
It's like candy.
They're awesome.
They are, they are amazing.
So I've been working on that inmy free time, when I am not
also helping run the farm andtake care of the kids.
I mean they don't really needme to quote unquote take care of
them, but manage them chasethem down make sure they are
(04:44):
learning responsibilities intheir role on the farm and their
teenagers.
So it is all done withreluctance.
So then I have to to manage myemotion around their reluctance.
I don't know how mama Sally didit, but man, I I would never
have spoken to her like that.
(05:05):
She would not have allowed it,she would have put the smack
down.
But I probably did more and shejust had to keep it in tow and
she, I know, did not bother herat all.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
So a lot of stuff going on in the greenhouse.
You're planting lots of stuff,a lot of good food coming in the
greenhouse.
You're planting lots of stuff,a lot of good food coming.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Blackberries, raspberries, green beans what
else there's more.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
So much you don't even know what you got.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah Well, lucy, she planted all my seedlings and oh
yeah, there's like broccoli,brussels sprouts, cauliflower,
cucumbers, cabbage.
Oh, watermelon, cantaloupe,honeyddew.
Yeah, yeah, we got lots of,lots of good things coming our
way, it's so much fun.
I I love to garden between thatand good steak oh yeah we got
(05:56):
chickens coming and ducks coming.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yes, lucey has been preparing to build her coop.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
She is waiting for her papa so she can learn a
little construction and buildher chicken coop.
She has big plans.
Daddy-o Scares me.
She has been researching herchicken coop and chicken care
and her duck coop and duck care.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
She's got a binder full of information Like a
hundred pages of information.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
She's a good researcher.
It's good Good stuff.
All right, Daddy-O, what haveyou been doing on the farm?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Well, planting season has officially come to an end
for 2025.
Woo-woo, yeah right, finally.
So that means we got ourtriticale chopped for cattle
feed, woo-woo and the manurehauled, got some good organic
fertilizer going on, so we plantbeans in after that.
So we got the beans planted ona Sunday.
(06:59):
It actually worked really good.
The ground was pretty mellow,there was good moisture.
We're talking rain coming, sothose beans ought to do pretty
well.
So we got the planter cleanedout and put away already.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
How did the bushels go last year on our soybeans
that followed the triticale?
What was our yield?
Do you remember?
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Off the top of my head no Asking hard questions.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Sorry, too early, too early for hard questions.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Those were well, that's where we had that plot,
so I think they averaged 72 7269 to 72 was in that.
That's what that plot did, soyeah did you use a shorter
season bean?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
no and they were still ready at the same time as
the others, maybe just a littlelater.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Yeah, but I mean.
So actually, rule of thumb onbeans is don't go shorter season
the later you get in the season.
I don't remember exactly whatnumber they were, but they still
did really well.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And we used that extra sugar.
Well, that trial that we didhad a sugar product, part of it.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
That's where we're trying to put more sugar on
because of that trial, becausewhat had the sugar application?
The moisture content was half apercent more, something like
that.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Maybe not quite a half a percent, that's only half
a percent, but it's a half apercent it increases your, your
bushel right, that's moisturethat you're retaining and that
lately has been one of thehardest things for us to manage
with our dry falls.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
That was one factor of why we planted fewer beans
this year, because they tend toget so dry, so quick.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
And prices.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
This last summer.
Right and prices.
Last summer it got hot and dryJuly and August, but then it
kind of.
We got some beneficial rainsthat helped bushels.
Everything got so dry so fast.
Beans were eight, 9%, corn was12%, so we gave up a lot of
bushels.
Just on moisture, anyway, Idigress.
(09:05):
So, yeah, planters put away, weactually brought the combine.
So where we parked the planter,we switched it around and
brought the combine.
So where we parked the planter,we switched it around and
brought the combine up to theshop.
So and start going through it,move on to the next thing.
But we're still spraying postherbicide on the corn.
Beans will be next, but thenwe're.
We've made some foliar passeson corn, so some corn is v4, v5
(09:28):
ish, so it got some extra 318,18 and micros and some more
sugar so yeah I've got to getsome more corn posted, then
we'll move on to beanspost-herbicide and keep running
the sprayer and baling.
They're talking rain this week,so we're holding off on mowing
hay, but we've already done thefirst cutting of alfalfa.
But we've got to do grass hay.
We're not 4x4 farmers.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
What do you mean?
4x4 farmers?
They used to say farmers farmfour weeks in the spring and
four weeks in the fall.
When, when was that?
Because I mean I've been on afarm my entire life.
I don't remember it being likethat when I was a kid and I know
since being married to you andyou farming full time.
It is like we have three monthsoff in the winter.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
And we really don't have time December, January,
February Because we're stillfeeding cattle, but we just take
the time in the winter to slowdown.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
But usually you would start calving in January.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Yeah, we push that off.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
We have been pushing that date back and back and back
which is great.
It has definitely improved yourrest in the winter.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
So now we use that for traveling, if we can.
We've always.
You grew up on a farm withlivestock, whether horses or
cattle or whatever pigs do, sowe've always said the same thing
cattle and hogs, and so there'salways something to do we know
it's.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
What's that?
That uh meme that's goingaround right now.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
It's something about Farming is.
After tomorrow it'll slow down.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Over and over and over again.
After this week, that's what itis.
After this week it'll slow down.
And you keep saying it over andover and over again.
It's uncanny how much it waslike obstetrics.
You know, I did not want tomarry a farmer.
(11:18):
I was not going to be on a farmbecause it was like 24-7, and
you had to have somebody coveryou while you were gone and you
never got a break unless youleft town.
And that is exactly how ruralobstetrics was.
Holy moly, it was bonkers, itwas bonkers.
It's so much like farming, justa little different but
(11:41):
definitely a very much neededthing.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Kind of got wrapped up this week, but then we're
just moving on.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Now we're starting our summer schedule.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
We'll just make hay and fill some straw.
Hopefully we're starting oursummer schedule.
We'll just make hay and somestraw, hopefully.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
County fair, state fair and lots and lots of
vegetable and fruit preservation.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
So much stuff that you're going to have to can.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
So I talked with my cousin at a graduation party and
he was.
He too has a very large gardenand he and his wife do a lot of
preservation and he was sayinghow he's sold some of his
tomatoes to a grocery store andI thought, oh my gosh, I could
totally do that.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I did that.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
It was like a full circle moment because my third
year of college between mysophomore and junior year I had
what my mom and dad called atruck farm and we planted an
acre of sweet corn and I had 200tomato plants.
We I sold sweet corn atfarmer's markets and I sold a
(12:53):
lot of it to a local grocerystore and then they took a lot
of my my good tomatoes as welland I actually made a fair
amount of money with that thatyear and I thought you know what
I'm gonna have all this extra.
I guess maybe we'll see if wecan do that and it can be a
project for one of the girls.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
They want to make a little extra money.
Here we are again.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Here we are, full circle.
Never thought it'd come back tome, but I can't tell you how
much I love spending timeplanting, yes, playing in the
dirt.
So you're just a big kidplaying in the dirt too.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
So you're just a big kid playing in the dirt too.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Absolutely.
I really love hiking, but inthe summer I don't want to be
taken away from my garden, Ijust love being in the garden.
I would strongly encourageeveryone to just plant a few
plants.
There is nothing better thanspending time in nature to clear
(13:53):
your head and just standbarefoot in the dirt.
Well, and you're reading thatbook, the Mitochondriac
Manifesto, right and it's allabout raising your own food and
eating.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
well, it's not really about raising your own food.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
It is about eating the, the food that is in season
and is that is local.
That is local because ourmicrobiome in our guts, which
really is the first defense ofyour immune system and helps
process vitamins and mineralsand what gets in and goes out of
(14:34):
your body and clearing of waste.
It needs to be fed good things,not just from I don't believe
that it's just the food, it'salso.
Our gut needs dirt.
I know I've said that before.
So just going out and you knowin the morning I'll go out, and
(14:54):
right now we have strawberries,so I'll have a handful of
strawberries on my way out tothe greenhouse when I get up
it's important to reset yourcircadian rhythm and get up and
get light in your face and not ascreen light in your face and
(15:15):
not a screen and go out and beoutside for 10 minutes in the
morning to just take it in, takein the sun and and it's
important to do that at nighttoo, so you can get back on on
that appropriate clock.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
It's about the connection, too, with the earth
and eating what is grown here,and it is beneficial for you to
grow something of your own,whether it be a tomato plant or
whatever, and have that goodhomegrown food, because it's a
connection, it's good nutrition.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
I'm also dabbling a little bit in electroculture,
which I'm kind of excited to dothis year.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
What is?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
electroculture.
Electroculture is and it reallyfits the mitochondriac
manifesto's suggestion that weare energetic beings.
It's all about healthymitochondria, which are like the
powerhouses of the cell and thepowerhouses of your body.
They're what create all of theenergy in your body and and how
(16:13):
a lot of us have sickmitochondria, and how we can
change that for ourselves.
And grounding, which is, likeyou know, being barefoot on the
dirt or in, you know, wet sand,that type of thing you can
release a lot of the negativeenergy, the negative electrons
that are that needs to bereleased and you're holding onto
(16:35):
and, like all the plastic inour clothes, increases that
static electricity within and onour bodies and that we collect
a lot of that.
And when we're just sitting andnot being outside and we wear,
you know, sold shoes, we are notallowed to pass that energy
back to the earth.
(16:55):
And that is the groundingeffect.
That has to do with the healthof our bodies and the health of
our mitochondria, which processall of our energy so the
electroculture.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
So back to the electroculture, the
electroculture.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
So back to the electroculture.
The electroculture is you usebasically copper wires and pipe
Right.
Or you can just put it on apiece of wood or bamboo or
something and you put it up inthe air and down into the ground
and it collects energy from theair environment around it and
(17:34):
puts it into the ground to givethe ground the appropriate
charge to then release all ofwhat the plants need.
And I am going to use thatinstead of fertilizer this year
and I'm also going to be usingfoliar feeding that I am making
(17:57):
from all of the extra stuff thatI'm cutting off of my plants.
So I do a lot of trimming of mytomatoes to have them put more
energy into the fruit and not asmuch into the leaves, and then
I chop that off and I willbasically bake it in the sun and
water and then I'll use that tospray back on onto the plants
(18:20):
in my foliar feeding.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
It's a feedback system.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
It is totally a feedback system, just like what
happens in the human body.
Our nature does the same thing,you know.
It drops all the stuff rightthere and it gets rained on and
everything goes back into theearth and it's just cycled.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
So the feedback system like in sow farms,
they'll grind up the afterbirthand feed it back to the sows,
because in a, you know, modernfarrowing house the sows are in
a crate.
They can't turn around and eattheir afterbirth like cows do I
mean?
It's just a natural thinghorses do that too.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Yeah, it's a natural thing I am so glad I did not
have to do that, but how healthywould that?
Speaker 1 (19:04):
be.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
There's so much good stuff in there like so much good
stuff, but like saying that isgross sow farm I worked at, we
actually had a garbage disposalon the wall.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
We'd run it through the garbage disposal and then
mix it in with the feed I didnot know that.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, very, very interesting.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Good for those sow farmers yeah, we do it for our
animals, but we don't do itbecause we think it's gross the
paths we go down on our podcastRight.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
I didn't think we'd be talking about electroculture
today, but it's exciting.
I love all that natural science.
I guess it is fun, and to seewhat's going to come of it is
really exciting as well.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Lots of good things happening on the farm.
We're growing our own stuff.
We actually are going to try totake care of our health a
little bit too this week.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
We're going to go visit our friends at Okoboji
Wellness Clinic in Okoboji, Iowa.
Dr Brad Meyer and his amazingwife Carrie.
They've gotten to be goodfriends.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
So we're going to go take care of ourselves and see
what we need to do to get better.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
That's where we got our hyperbaric chamber that
helped you with your healingfrom your hip.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
So if you're in Iowa so Okoboji from us is five hours
, so we're willing to take thetrip.
But if you're, you knownorthwest Iowa, anywhere in that
area, like look them up,they're doing some pretty
amazing things just trying tomake people better, get people
better live healthy.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Some really amazing things.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So again, kind of like we've said before, you know
, we try to take the opportunityto take a break, and here's our
opportunity to go up and seeBrad and Carrie.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
And, let's face it, we love to travel.
Like if we have a three daybreak, we're like, okay, where
can we go?
What can we do?
We need to get away.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Well, we've been planning on this, and then this
morning I said well, we're goingto drive through Des Moines and
we're going to do a littleshopping.
I haven't broken to you yet.
Well, here's the breaking news,babe.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
I want to stop and look at something on the way.
Oh, I'm shocked.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I'm shocked that you weren't just wanting to go to
the clothing stores.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Uh, such a farmer thing, right, if there's one
thing that jesse loves to shopfor it's coats, shirts and most
of all equipment.
There is an implement dealer onthe way we are driving through.
Yeah, I'm not the only one.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
That's why I'm sure of it as an implement dealer on
the way we are driving through.
Yeah, I'm not the only one thisway, I'm sure of it.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
No, I'm sure of it as well.
Oh, that's funny.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Anyway.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
I love my well-dressed farmer.
Always looking good babe.
Yeah, and I digressed into bibsmost of the time.
Where does that go?
Speaker 1 (22:19):
You were practicing medicine.
You were wearing pajamas allthe time.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Well it was scrubs and then I wore dresses a lot
Like when I was just in theclinic.
I wore scrubs on call and whenthe kids were little.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
The scrubs are like pajamas.
They're so comfortable.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Oh it is, it's pajamas, and then went to
dresses and now I'm in bibs mostof the time.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
And you didn't want to be married to a farmer.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Well, I mean, I guess I never really thought I would
be the farmer.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Yeah, you're just a farmer yourself.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
It's amazing.
It's amazing how God bringsthings into your life,
everything that you needed anddidn't even know that you needed
.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Just got to be looking for them.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Got to be open.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
God's showing you what you need.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And if you don't look , he'll hit you over the head
with a two-by-four.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
And if you don't look , he'll hit you over the head
with a two by four.
So with that we are.
We're going to head to Okobojiand report back next week.
Thanks for listening.
Subscribe, tag a friend or fiveor 20.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Spread the word, send us a message at farmersgreatest
, greatest asset, at gmailcom.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
We'd love to hear what you'd like to hear more of.
Check out all of the socialsinstagram, facebook.
There's a little bit on tiktok.
Go check it out.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
A lot of good things father's day is coming up, so if
you're not sure what to get, wehave the workbook the workbook
is on the website the farmersgreatest asset dot com.
Click on the workbook link themost important book you'll ever
write well with that.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
It is a good day to have a great day bye.
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