Building a Legacy in Agriculture with Jolene Brown

Jolene Brown, a renowned professional speaker with over 40 years of experience, has dedicated her career to helping farmers, ranchers, and those in the agriculture industry navigate these challenges. In this episode of the Spilled Salt podcast, Jolene shared invaluable insights into building and sustaining family businesses in the agriculture sector.

The Importance of Legacy in Agriculture

One of the most significant themes Jolene discussed is the importance of legacy in agriculture. She emphasized that for many in this industry, farming is more than just a job; it’s a way of life passed down through generations. However, maintaining this legacy requires more than just hard work—it requires strategic planning and honest communication.

Jolene pointed out that many agriculture businesses are great at the technical aspects, like managing crops and livestock, but struggle with the “human side” of the business. This includes dealing with family dynamics, succession planning, and ensuring financial security for all involved. 

For those in agriculture industries, this insight is critical: your legacy depends not just on your ability to produce, but also on your ability to manage relationships and plan for the future.

Emotion and Logic: The Balance Needed for Success

A key takeaway from Jolene’s talk was the balance between emotion and logic in running a family business. She noted that when emotion and logic collide, emotion often wins. This can lead to poor decisions that jeopardize both the business and family relationships. Jolene’s approach is to address emotions first, allowing space for logic and sound decision-making to follow.

For every generation of farmers, this is a reminder that business decisions, especially in a family context, aren’t purely about numbers—they’re deeply personal. Jolene’s advice? Deal with the emotional aspects early and head-on to clear the way for logical, effective decision-making.

Succession Planning and Financial Security for Farm Families

Succession planning is another critical area Jolene highlighted. She stressed that the senior generation in a family business needs two things to step back: financial security and a sense of worth. Without these, they are unlikely to relinquish control, which can cause friction and hinder the business’s growth.

Jolene’s advice is practical: ensure that the senior generation is financially secure and still feels valuable within the business. This might involve finding roles that align with their capabilities and experience. For multigeneration farms, this means being proactive about succession planning—don’t wait until it’s too late to start these conversations.

The Human Side of Agriculture

Jolene’s approach to consulting is direct and effective. She doesn’t mediate—she dictates, using tools like a mirror, tissues, duct tape, and even a metaphorical two-by-four to get families to face reality. Her method is rooted in accountability; she expects business owners to be fully engaged in the process, making it clear that their business and legacy are in their hands.

This highlights the importance of being prepared to face tough issues head-on. Whether it’s addressing family conflicts or making hard financial decisions, the success of your business often depends on your willingness to take action.

Looking to the future, Jolene sees the agriculture industry becoming more business-like in its operations. She stresses the importance of treating the farm or ranch as a documented business, with clear legal and financial structures in place. This shift is essential for navigating the increasing complexities of the market, especially as consumer demands evolve.

Jolene also touched on the importance of relationships in agriculture. She noted that while the younger generation often looks to peers rather than parents for guidance, it’s crucial to maintain strong, business-focused relationships across the board.

Putting People and Family First in Farming’s Future

Jolene Brown’s insights offer a powerful reminder that success in agriculture goes beyond the fields and barns—it’s about managing people, planning for the future, and balancing emotion with logic. Building a lasting legacy requires not just hard work but also strategic thinking and effective communication.

By focusing on the human side of the business and ensuring financial security and clear succession plans, farm families can create a thriving business that stands the test of time. And remember, as Jolene so aptly puts it, “If you don’t put it in writing, it doesn’t exist.”

Transcript

This transcript has been edited from its original form to support readability.

Maureen Ballatori: I’m Maureen Ballatori and this is Spilled Salt, a podcast on the thrills and spills from the food, beverage and agriculture industries. Today’s guest is Jolene Brown and Jolene’s been a professional speaker and a champion for the people of agriculture, as she calls it, which is just so true, for 40 years.

We met through the National Speakers Association at a conference about a month ago where I was absolutely delighted to meet another person in agriculture and hear more about the work that she’s doing. Jolene has been called agriculture’s version of Dr. Phil. And I think in today’s conversation, you’ll see why they call her that. 

She is doing critical work for the people of agriculture. And one of the things that I respect most about the work that she’s doing is creating legacy in the agriculture industry. Enjoy today’s conversation.

Maureen: Hello, Jolene, it’s so great to see you. How are you?

Jolene Brown: I’m great, Maureen. I’m tickled to be with you.

Maureen: Right back at you. Thanks for joining me on the podcast. I’m so excited to have you. 

So usually we always start in the beginning, right? Naturally. And so I always like to ask about your history. And so for some people, that’s a winding path of how they got to where they are. Yours is, I’m sure you’ve got your own winding path, but you’ve been a professional speaker for 40 years. 

Take us back to the beginning. How did you decide to get into this profession in the first place?

Jolene: Well, I didn’t even know it was a profession when I started, so we’ll begin with that. But you know, in the 80s, my husband and I were farmers and land values crashed, especially in the Midwest. 

We lost our net worth down to about 67 % of its original. We were paying a 20 to 22% interest rate. And so the haunting words that came down our country roads were bankruptcy, foreclosure, suicide, and murder. As a matter of fact, the president of our bank was murdered by a farmer and he was a member of our farm team. 

So one of our agriculture organizations decided it was time to bring us some hope because everybody was in despair. And my husband and I drove three hours to this event. We’re surrounded by 500 other farmers and what an amazing presentation. 

And when he got done, I was so excited to shake his hand and to thank him. 

And that’s when the emcee said, gosh, he has an early flight. He had to go and catch his plane so he wouldn’t be here. What a bummer.

Maureen: So he had come to speak to all of these farmers and then jetted out of the room and left? Okay.

Jolene: Well, he was there, he was with us for six hours. You know, he gave us a great deal and a very long day, but I wanted to thank him and to shake his hand to see if he’s human. 

So about two weeks later, I wrote him a letter. I said, you know, what you do is so very good. And we learned so much. We hear what you have to say, but we need more than hope. We need some help. And here’s three examples for each of your main points. As you work in agriculture, feel free to use them.

Maureen: As a farmer does.

Jolene: And then do stay a little bit so that we might thank you and shake your hand and let you know how much you meant to us. 

Well, about four days later, my phone rang and that masterful celebrity speaker chose to become a student. And he began asking me, what’s this all about and how does this work? After an hour into the conversation, he said, okay, this is what I’m going to do. I’m going to shorten my program. I want you on that stage.

I want you to tell them exactly what you just told me and then you’ll need to answer the questions because I have to leave. And I’ll have my assistant call you tomorrow with your travel itinerary. You’ll be going to Illinois and Indiana. There will be 500 farmers at each of them and he hung up.

Maureen: Oh my goodness, that is wild.

Jolene: So two weeks later, I was backstage vomiting into a wastebasket.

I had never spoken to a group in my life. I wasn’t in 4-H or FFA. That wasn’t an option for me. And here I am. And as I went out onto the stage, I decided, you better give them the best of what you got. God wants you to be here. Use your spine, use your mind and use your voice. And that’s how I started. 

It all began with that. And then of course, the topics that were very much in need at that time were how do you separate your self-worth from your net worth? How do you build an internal reserve when the external one is gone? 

And so I really worked very hard to, again, to bring more than hope, to bring them hope and help and inspiration and joy and appreciation for who they are, the rough journey that they’re on and where we can go together to support each other. And of course that morphed and morphed through different topics. 

So I work in advocacy. I work in helping our farmers, growers and ranchers make sure they know why they’re in business and how to stay in business with what they’re trying to sell. 

But the bulk of what I do is really in family business because, Maureen, I learned we in agriculture are superior at weeds, seeds, breeds, feeds, money, machinery, and marketing, but we’re crappy with people. And yet it’s the people that do all the production. So I chose to specialize in the human side of agriculture, especially our family businesses.

Maureen: I would imagine that, specializing in that area of work because it’s such a delicate business… It can be, right? Although in my research leading up to this episode, one of the things that I loved about reading through your website is, “you mentioned she calls them as she sees them,” which is an observation that I had about you too, in meeting you at the National Speakers Association event.

Tell me a little bit about what that looks like for you when you go into these sessions. And I say it can be delicate because these farmers are often avoiding difficult conversations is something that I find in conversations that I have. What are some of the things that you’re seeing in those discussions?

Jolene: Well, when you say it like it is, when I consult in a family business, I bring four tools. I bring a mirror, a box of tissues, a roll of duct tape, and a two by four. And those are on the table. 

I have to bring the mirror because usually they invite me to fix somebody else. If dad would just give up control, if mom would say what’s on her mind, if those kids just had a work ethic, well, if he hadn’t married her, we’d be okay. Okay, so we got to deal with those at the table and also.

We have to start with where we are today. I’m not saying what has happened to you in the past is right or fair or even good, but it’s what it is. And so how do we begin today to make a good business better or to get over the stumbling blocks that are keeping that from happening? 

Then I have to have the tissues because of what you just explained. And that is everyone has emotion, anger, resentment, fear, worry, tears. And they’ve all taught me that when emotion and logic collide, emotion wins.

So I must deal with the emotion before we can get to the logic of what we’re going to do. 

And then the duct tape. When do you think I need the duct tape, Maureen?

Maureen: To shut people up that can’t shut themselves up, I would imagine.

Jolene: That’s one, but the real purpose is sometimes I have to tape them to their chair. There’s going to be somebody in that family who says, my golly, this is how it’s going to be, says his or her piece and wants to walk out the door. And there’s somebody else at the table that goes, this is getting really hard. I’m going to go get some coffee and cookies. I’ll come back in just a little bit. And so we have to deal with that emotion. 

You must be present. I have two rules. Everybody knows the agenda before I show up. I’ve spent hours working with them individually, since I work all across North America and countries beyond, a lot of it was by Zoom or by phone. And so I know the issues and they’ve gotten the agenda. 

So if I come and we’re working through the agenda, if they choose to say nothing, that means they agree with the rest of what we are saying. And if they choose to leave, they’re going to abide by whatever we decide. 

And then I have to bring the two-by-four, because sometimes there’s no other way. You just gotta let them have it.

Let me give you an example. So, mom and dad are quite upset because they had sold by contract their farming business to the next generation. She runs a travel agency, he’s on Boards, the next generation is running the business they sold by contract and the kids aren’t paying them. 

The first thing I said, was this a legal contract? They said, yes. I said, well, then you have to take them to court. But they’re our kids. Well, then it’s a gift. No, we need the money. I don’t have any other way. 

And when I asked the next generation, why aren’t you meeting the terms of the contract? This is your signature. Why aren’t you paying your parents? And you know what they said? Well, we’re going to get it all anyway. Why should we have to pay for it? That’s a two-by-four moment. So I let them have it. 

Maureen: That just gave me chills because I can just see wanting to whack them. 

Jolene: I’m really not telling them things they don’t already know. But the number one thing that breaks up a family in a business is silence. It’s the greatest destroyer. 

So I had a family, four in their 60s, the next generation, and mom owns all of the assets. And they think she has a will, but they’re not sure. So they said, mom’s in assisted living. Would you go talk to mom? I said, does mom want to talk to me? So I got there.

And as we’re talking, she’s just a hoot. I mean, she’s so alert. She has some physical disabilities that she can’t handle, but she’s just extremely sharp. And she said, you know, Jolene, I’m not going to tell my kids what’s in my will because right now they all come to see me.

The challenge was she told me what’s in her will. Now ethically, I cannot go to the next generation and tell them. But I did say to her, do you know that if this is carried out, not only will they have to sell the business, they will never talk to each other again. Is that what you want? Because while you’re of sound mind, and she was, you can make changes if you choose to. So we had quite a conversation. 

But silence is filled with hopes and assumptions and expectations.

And it’s a real problem. 

Maureen: It speaks volumes. You said something really, really impactful. You have to deal with the emotion before you can get to the logic. How do you get them to open up before going into a group session?

Jolene: What I find is that the senior generation will not relinquish control until they have two things. They have to be financially secure first, because you can’t dink with my security. You want to buy more land, but what about me? You want to buy more animals, but what about me? You want to start a farmer’s market, but what about me? 

So we have to make sure they’re financially secure first. 

And the second is they need to feel worthwhile. Please do not kick a farmer, a rancher, or a grower off the land. That is their soul.

But what jobs can they still safely do? And they don’t get to decide those by the way. And at the same time, they have grit. They’re the wise masters out there. 

And I tell them, the most important thing you can do is to say, man, that’s a good idea. How are you going to mitigate your risk? Or here’s somebody I’ve met along my years of life that might be able to help you. Here’s his name and number because we need the wise masters. But there is a triangle as we work through the emotions and responsibilities.

The first is labor. I want everybody to scoop poop, have junky equipment, work long hours, and start at the beginning. I want them to have sacrifice, labor. 

When you labor well, then you get to manage. You might be good at agronomy or accounting or mechanics or whatever. You’re good at it. Now you manage that. You did that well. Now you manage this. 

And then you get to lead. But at the pinnacle of your career, the senior generation, you get to become labor again. 

You see, if they’ll answer my three questions, one of which is, you want this business to continue? I need a yes or a no. That’s it. I don’t want to hear, well, how’s it going to happen? We don’t know it. I just want to know, is it the fire in your belly that you want this to continue? If you tell me yes, then the number one job of the leader is to replace him or herself, not to be kicked off the land, but to honor the wise grit, the wisdom, the journey that brought them to today.

Maureen: So, so intelligent. There’s a reason you’ve been doing this for 40 years. Clearly, you know your stuff. I can just tell, you know, you’ve really expertly navigated the way to get everybody at the table, which in this industry is not an easy thing.

Jolene: And I don’t mediate, I dictate. Well, I want them to try everybody else close to home, because if I’m going to work in New Zealand or Ireland or Canada or here, I want them to try everybody close to home. And then if that doesn’t work and they still, now they’ve heard me along the way, or they watch your podcast or something, they know how I work and why I work. Then they send me an email. We arrange a phone time.

I don’t charge for that first hour. It’s a discovery call to know whether or not my work can be of value. But before I will pick up the phone or click on the Zoom link, they have to have answered specific questions individually. You cannot not answer. And if you don’t do this, I don’t pick up the phone or answer the link. 

In other words, I start the accountability and never ever will I call them. All motivation has to be driven by them back to me. And I put it right back because it is their business.

It is their journey. It is their legacy. It is their dream, not mine. My job is to say, okay, so why aren’t you doing it? What’s the roadblocks? Let’s get over them.

Maureen: They need to be ready to do the work, absolutely. 

Tell me a little bit more about your favorite kind of event to speak at or thing to facilitate, whether it’s a session like this or one of your other workshops.

Jolene: Well, in my audiences, they vary from the upstarts to the old farts and everything in between. 

So what do I love? Every single generation, every single journey, beginning, middle step, entrepreneurship, joining an existing business, expanding, coming with a new business plan. I celebrate everybody. 

If you want to ask my favorite, you give me the women of agriculture. We will laugh. We will laugh till we cry. And I tell them, you better go to the bathroom before we start. And get the food out of your mouth because it’ll come out of openings it should not. 

The women do a great deal behind the scenes and I got to get them out of the middle. Everybody dumps, they’re the problem solvers and they’re the peacemakers and they want to get together at the holiday table and be happy. So they put themselves in the middle. 

I say stop it. I’m going to tell you exactly how to do it, but you’ve got to do it and you’ve got to be consistent in doing it. And it is such a hoot.

And then I love when I get to meet with the young and beginning people in agriculture. They have such wonderful ideas. They don’t have capital, but I have to remind them just because you don’t own anything doesn’t mean you’re powerless. 

Sometimes depending on the length of time they give me, whether it’s a keynote or a workshop or full day, we’ll role play. You be dad and I’ll be you. Because you know exactly what your father’s going to say. And then I’m going to pretend how you get into this conversation and when it is you actually walk away. So, we do everything. 

Then for the senior generation to help them understand that if they choose this business to continue, then there’s work that must be done both legally and financially. Because I take them, one of my talks is, if we huff and we puff, we blow this house down. And that’s because, in the three little pigs, the third one did it right. One thing at a time.

And then the mortar is your attorney, your accountant and your financial planner and your family business person. These are the people that will make sure that your intent is real. 

I have to tell you something, Maureen. People in agriculture lie. You know what the lies are? Work hard and someday this will all be yours. Or, I’m going to retire. And then there’s a dreaded, you don’t have to worry about your brothers and sisters. They’ve got their jobs. They’re not interested in the business. 

By the time they are done with my workshop, they clearly understand that a conversation is not a contract. And if it’s not in writing, it does not exist. And with family, more, not less must be in writing. 

The consultation that I had this morning, I said, the way you did business worked fine when it was just the two of you, you and your wife. But all of a sudden you’ve got a son-in-law and you’ve got a stepson involved. You have three daughters and they want to know what your plans are. What are they? 

And I did not let him off the hook. I said, so here’s the deal. After we had our conversation, I said, tell me the name of your attorney. Look up his phone number while we’re on this call. Would you just go get your phone and call him right now and set up your appointment?

Maureen: I just love the firm hand that you take in your work.

Jolene: If you wrap it with their best interest in mind, with a heart that how much you appreciate them, if you wrap it in humor and real life stories so they know they’re not alone… We do more than being overwhelmed. We do, what’s the first thing, the next thing. So he has four specific things to do this afternoon and I’m expecting him to call me Tuesday morning.

Maureen: That’s important work. And I love too that you are very bravely holding them to account, of what they say they’re gonna do and what they want to do. And you’re asking the hard questions of, if that’s what you want, why aren’t you doing it? Tell me more.

Jolene: The number one thing I hear is, you’ve been sleeping under my bed. I told him it was highly entertaining. And then I say, so what keeps you up at night? And then I can even get the most stubborn, and I’ve had them, stubborn farmer, rancher, grower too, if I ignore some of the language that’s used to reveal the point of pain.

Maureen: That’s why I say it all. That’s why you’re so right in the emotion component, because that’s key for what’s at the heart of what keeps most people up at night.

Jolene: If I remind them, I have never read any document that says you must treat all of your children economically equitable. And I’ve never, never read anything that says that you can’t take care of yourself first, then I’m giving them permission to take off some of this burden of uncertainty and we don’t know where to start and how do you find good advisors and what’s it going to cost? 

I have to deal with all this before we can get them to do what they choose to do. Remember, it’s their business. It’s their action. It’s me holding up that mirror to reality. Are you going to do it or not? 

If they’ve told me, everyone says we have to have a buy-sell agreement within this business. They want to know who’s going to buy us out? Is it bloodline only? How will the assets be appraised? 

There’s about eight parts to a good buy-sell. And if everybody says, we’ve got to get a buy-sell for this S-Corp.

If everyone says yes, I will have called their attorney and asked him to show up at the kitchen table at three o’clock that day. So when I arrived that morning, I say, your attorney is coming at three o ‘clock today. He’s charging you $500 an hour. It’s in our best interest to get all the details hammered out before he shows up. Let’s go. 

But that doesn’t happen until I have set the tone. I’ve earned the right for credibility, but I’m always on their team. I’m there for their needs, not mine.

Maureen: And the only reason that they’ll open up to you is because they must know that, right? In their heart. 

Jolene: Well, you have to earn that.

Maureen: Yes, you’re right, you do have to earn that. 

I want you to tell me a little bit more about what you think today’s farmer needs to know.

Jolene: When I open someone’s eyes to the realities of agriculture, I have to remind them that there’s four things influencing the decisions they are making, but everybody else too. And that is the pace has changed, the people have changed, the process of why we do it, and the products have changed. 

Today’s consumer and me also, we’re buying five specific things and it’s not grains or fruits or vegetables or proteins. You know what it is?

They’re buying time. Everybody wants more time. 

I raised corn and soybeans on our farm. Although I will tell you, I’ve learned, I raised BBSRMs, biologically-based specific raw materials, not corn and soybeans, because I have to always stick it through there. 

But everybody wants more time. Second thing they want is youth. Nobody wants to get old. But here’s the fun part, Maureen. Selling youth has nothing to do with your age, but everything for the fire in your belly, for what it is you do. Time. Your health, nobody wants to get sick. How do you reduce their stress? How does what you create or provide create safety? 

So my soybeans are used in the dashboards of our cars. And I know that I make disposable diapers with my corn. You know, there’s 600 uses for a kernel of corn. Let me say, repeat that there’s thousands of uses for a kernel of corn, but I have to know what I do is in their value, not mine. 

So that the time and youth and health safety and they want an experience, a touch point. Every interaction you have, everything that you do. But here’s a reality check. When I was working in the ranchers in the Northwest, I got to tell you, the government has waged a war on them and it is tough. It is tough. I sat with 465 ranchers. Most of them had their hats on and there were tears coming down their cheeks.

And it had to do with BLM, which to them is the Bureau of Land Management, and easements. This is in the Northwest. And I had to say them, please understand, BLM means Black Lives Matter. To 99.9% of the people you’re trying to tell your story to and to support you. And therefore, even though you had this word long before they did, we have to understand, because the value of what we do is, I am the purchaser, not the producer.

The value of what we do is in the eye of the consumer and not the creator. And until we can say what we do in terms of what our consumers are buying today, we deserve to be out of business. So what are they buying? Time, youth, health, safety, and then experience. How do you, as a producer or a grower or renter, how do you sell those things? Because it makes a difference in how you market, how you perceive what you do, how you know that the only reason you are in business is because you’re their needs and not yours. That’s going to help us in agriculture.

Maureen: I think that is a very helpful insight and it’s true in many industries, right? About what’s in it for them. I was recently talking with the Naturally Minnesota team and they were talking about ‘what’s in it for them’. It’s just in so many aspects of brand and marketing and storytelling, that is where it becomes really compelling when the consumer understands what’s in it for them.

It becomes part of that full circle.

Jolene: When it’s in it for them, it’s in it for me. That’s what keeps me in business,

I was on a panel… I’m with PETA, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, HSUS, and me. And they wanted to talk about propositions. So when I was asked to be on the panel, I said, I’ve got to talk to the moderator. He said, okay. I said, got a question for you.

Do you know the difference between attacking a person and attacking an issue? He said, yes. So what are we doing tonight? We’re talking issues. Great. But you’re going to put up a proposition and you’re asking for our opinion on your proposition. And I realized that you folks were to proposition that if you vote no, it means yes. So I cannot address propositions, but I can address the issue of the proposition. Is that okay? 

But here’s what I wanted to say. I said to him, I have to sit next to you. My chair will be slightly planted to you because I cannot talk to those people, but I can talk to the same people they talk to.

So you’ve got to know when to say, all right. Or when I have a heckler in my group, I might say, well, you might be right. I could have said you might be wrong, but I didn’t. And then I go on. It’s the same thing when I’m with a group of people who have extremely different opinions on the propositions that I do representing agriculture. And by the way, it went very well for us that night, and they hated me.

Maureen: You’re probably right. They probably did. However, you have, the way that you bring humor to discussions, I would imagine eases a lot of people’s minds.

Jolene: My whole speaking philosophy is if we laugh and relate, only then will we learn and apply. Sometimes the laughter is just at me. Sometimes the laughter is, no, I did that too. Sometimes it’s the laughter with their neighbor. And I got to tell them if at any time they feel like laughing, please let it out because if you don’t, it settles back down, spreads out on your hips. And some of us haven’t been laughing enough. So we have a lot of fun.

I am not better than they are. I may have a skill set that they need, but I also need them. Everything that I teach has really been taught by all of them to me over these years. And I want to give the best of what I have. 

My intent when I’m finished is they will know either by the insight shared or the template tools they take home that this will increase their profitability and productivity. And then that will give them some peace of mind because I do want them to sit together happily at a holiday table.

The only way that we truly love and honor our families is if we do the business right, because if not, we will have fighting on the way to the funeral home.

Maureen: You’re absolutely right. One of the reasons why I wanted to bring you on this podcast is because when we met at the National Speakers Association event, there was a session that said something along the lines of solving $15 million problems in 15 minutes. And I came and found you after that session and you had the biggest authentic smile on your face. And you said, I do that. And it felt like an aha moment in you.

Can you talk about that a little bit?

Jolene: Please think about the dollar value, not just of the net worth of the people in agriculture, but the dollar value of good relationships in agriculture. The dollar value of a legacy. What is that? 

Well, it’s easily 15 million, whether it is in land or whether it is in people. And if I can do things that help people do what they do even better, honoring each other, celebrating, pausing to applaud all that they have done.

I think a lot can be done in 15 minutes. And it’s amazing. Sometimes to get to that 15 minutes, you have to go through a lot of crap first, okay? But when they get there, you should see the weight come off of the shoulders, the smiles on the faces. 

You know, when you have to fire somebody and a family member, but you knew it should have been done a long time ago, it’s best for them and best for you, but they didn’t use their spine or have the balls to do it, okay, then we do it.

But we do it in a way to say, how can I help you choose what you love to do even better so that you’ll show up to work on time or so that you will be excited about going to work or so you will be honored for what you do because it’s not going to be here. 

I think the peace of mind, the sleeping at night, the joy of grandchildren who might have an opportunity to be a part of a legacy, all of that is worth millions and millions of dollars as well as the assets that can be multi million dollars.

Maureen: I love that. Thanks for explaining that.I feel like you have this already, one of the questions I love to ask is a high point and a low point from your career. And I feel like even just in the stories that you’ve told thus far have been many high points, but what comes to mind for you when I ask that question about a high point and a low point from your career?

Jolene: The low points are the suicide calls, the call to tell me goodbye, somebody from Indiana driving across Illinois, Iowa to kill himself in South Dakota called to tell me goodbye.

The low points are accepting where they’re at and knowing I can’t solve all problems, but sometimes the only thing I can do is hold a heart. What has happened is maybe so devastating to them financially or personally or relationship wise, and they didn’t cause it, they can’t control it, and they have no power to change it. So the only thing less is let’s hold your heart, let’s count what’s left, not what you lost. 

I write for Successful Farming Magazine. And one month ago, the article came out: What happens when a will doesn’t match a promise? I’ve got to tell you, I received the full spectrum of responses from that.

Part of the problem is when you get 600 or 700 words is all you can do. You can’t go into everything. Into where people are calling, saying you’ve been sleeping under my bed. I understand what you’re saying. Because I had to say this, that he wrote me his painful story because he didn’t want somebody else to go through the same thing he’s going through. And could I please share it? That was the question. 

So I explained what he was saying and here’s a better way so we don’t have to deal with this. The fact that people know it’s happened to others and it’s not fair and right, honoring that he was at a stage where we can’t count what he’s lost, not even what’s left. 

It’s, do you have a good faith leader? Do you have some friends? Is your spouse around you? Are the kids nearby? Can you turn to your neighbors? Because all we can do so he doesn’t turn into the numbers of who say, that’s it and checks out is hold his heart. 

The whole article was after we get done holding your heart, here’s the three things I’d like you to think about. And that was it. 

So that’s the low point, right? The high points. I have got so many. First off, I love what they do. And I work with the best. I work with the best people on the planet. That is the people of agriculture, the grassroots, growers, farmers, ranchers, their associations or corporations and the people and the industries that support us. 

I’s all the way from biofuels to genetics, everything in between. I get to work with the best people. And the vast majority have really strong values. They also love what they do. And I will tell you, the generations now understand the need to truly treat it as a documented business with legal and financial because the risk is very high. And so how do we ride the roller coaster? I don’t.

You know, I just got so many stories from New Zealand to Ireland to Mexico, just the people. My heart just swells because of the joy. When we begin to acknowledge this is where we’re at, this is where you want to be, let’s get there. What can I do? What resources can I give you to help you get to where you need to go? Because I’m not going to hold your hand. 

This is your business, but I am going to kick you in the butt to keep you going if you need me to. But you get to decide that, not me.

Maureen: You can tell when someone is deeply passionate about their work and that just emanates from you. So kudos to you for being able to find and drive yourself in this work that you’re doing to be so aligned with your audience is a gift. 

We work at Agency 29 with food, beverage and agriculture as well. And it’s just such a joy to be able to be what I call is on the same side of the table as the person that you’re working with, right? Solving problems in the trenches together is just such a beautiful thing. 

My last question for you- I’d love for you to tell me a little bit about what you think is next for the agriculture industry and or what’s next for you.

Jolene: The agriculture industry is truly morphing to be more business-like in their transactions, in their purpose for marketing, branding, value. What’s ahead for agriculture is honoring that there’s a huge desire for a lifestyle while they do the work. And so honoring the families or the volunteer activities they want to do, how can that be incorporated into a business?

And I have so many companies in agriculture that know how to celebrate the families behind. When somebody in their business does something good, they actually write a handwritten note to the spouse. Isn’t that cool? 

When we sold seed for a particular company, I knew what their birthdays were, when their anniversary was, I knew what grandchildren’s activities they wanted to support. I would watch newspapers or online and I would take snippets and send it to them. I saw that done. 

And it really had nothing to do with seed. It had everything to do with honoring the people who chose to invest and buy the good seed. And so the relationships are really strong. 

I’m also seeing, Maureen, that a lot of the younger generation are going peer to peer rather than peer to parent. They’re looking for those in their generation who have a similar goal, a common goal.

Maureen: It’s about relationships.

Jolene: But again, you better treat it as a business from the get -go or you’ll lose your peer friend as well as your business. And they’re learning how to do that, mitigating the risk. 

Boy, it’s to ride the roller coaster right now is truly tough with inputs and everything along the way. And the devaluation of what agriculture is in the world of America. 

When you are 1% in the production part of agriculture, and yet you depend on what 99% of the people think and do and want. It’s fine to say we got to build a bridge. You know, it’s fine to say that. And we work very, very hard at building bridges and making connections, relationships. 

More importantly is that we understand what they want and need. And then how do I create a business and tell that story to those who are out there? So there’s a lot, there’s so many things going on. Communication is always tough.

And I’m just like they are. The more I have to communicate with people, the more like cows. Cause if I don’t like that, I’ll be the, I’m going to send her to market. Can’t do that with moms or dads or consumers or sisters or brothers. And yet it’s the bloodstream of what we do. 

I always have to remind them, if you’re not going to do these things, you better get somebody on your team who’s going to do it on your behalf. The same thing in our agricultural issues. We all belong to associations that represent what we do.

But I’m not the one who is lobbying in Washington, D.C. I’m not the one responding to something that went viral on the internet that is inaccurate. And so how do we appreciate those who are doing it on our behalf? We say, they get a paycheck, they’re a lobbyist. We get a paycheck. 

Well, let me tell you, without what they do, I would not be in business. So again, just as we want to be appreciated, everybody up the chain. And the blockchain has certainly come to agriculture.

Here the blockchain means every step from the conception and the seeds all the way through the market and final use. Everything has a step, but people in agriculture are too busy and they’re letting other people fill in the block. And that’s a problem because other people define what’s organic or what’s sustainable or what? 

It’s freezing our food costs. It’s a big political issue right now. We’re not going to have anyone gouging us. And so we’re going to freeze the price. We won’t get gouged. Well, are we not into a market driven market? And if the market needs us, let that demand. 

So all of these things are coming. Who, who’s speaking on our behalf? If we don’t do it ourselves, who does it on our behalf? Then I do so many media interviews. And when I get on site, as a matter of fact, the minute I get on the plane, it’s tricky. 

Here’s fun. I was speaking at the Commodity Classic and I’ve been there 10 or more times. So people kind of know what I do and what I’m going to be talking about. 

So I board my little commuter plane in Moline, Illinois to get to Chicago, to get down to the Classic. And I got on the plane and this was the time we had to wear masks on planes. So a masked man sat next to me and I said, hi, but this is, I left the farm at three in the morning. I just want to sleep. 

And so I’m pretending to read on my phone. And all of a sudden, right before the door closes, somebody comes and whispers something into his ear and they exchange seats. 

I looked up. He said, you’re Jolene Brown. I said, I am. He said, I got to talk to you about my family business. I’ve had this problem for so long. I just wanted to call you. Stop, stop, how did you get him to change seats? You told them we were married, didn’t you?

There’s at least 10 other people on the plane. And so all the way to Chicago, we solved his problem. And then he wanted to change his seat so we could do it down to New Orleans. And I said, Nope, we’re done. 

It’s such a joy. Don’t you love what you do, Maureen?

Maureen: Absolutely. There’s nothing like it. It’s an incredible industry to work in and the industry is very lucky to have you and your passion and your expertise as Farmer Brown and you know coming from your heart and from your experience is wonderful to have you. So thanks for sharing a couple of nuggets with me today. 

Anything, any parting words that you’d like to leave with our listeners today?

Jolene: You know, I just want to thank you. The outreach that you do gives us the possibility to learn and to laugh, to be appreciated and to stretch what we know and to get new ideas. 

It all starts with the seed that somebody plants. And sometimes that’s the nuggets that you pull together with the diversity of people that you choose to interview. Who knows what seed I need? Sometimes we say when the student is ready, the teacher appears, but the teacher has to have content.

And so you do that, you give us a great gift. I’m so grateful to have met you. I’m grateful to learn more about you and I can’t wait till we talk again.