Agriculture industry newsmakers, hot-button industry issues, farm equipment features and traditional country music.

I am a 28-year broadcast and print journalist and have had three separate shows: Tractors and Troubadours, Inside Farm Life and Fastline Fast Track. I also serve as East Region Vice President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and was the 2022 recipient of the organization's Horizon Award for my contributions to farm broadcasting nationwide. I am passionate about telling the story of agriculture from the industry's perspective because it's a great story and one that needs to be told because agriculture touches nearly every person on this planet, yet is often taken for granted.

The mission of Tractors and Troubadours is two-fold:

1. To educate farmers, ranchers, and other people who work in the agriculture industry;

2. To tell the story of agriculture to consumers.

The podcast covers everything from agriculture policy and government programs to agronomy, animal health, equipment features and rural quality-of-life issues. We also spotlight traditional country music artists who are intent on "taking true country music back to the country."
 

I started my first podcast, Fastline Fast Track, on Jan. 3, 2019, as a means of connecting with farmers, who spend long hours as a captive audience in farm equipment, barns, shops, trucks, etc. I saw it as a means of delivering to them some of the pertinent news and insights they need to help them make money, save money, save time and be more efficient and informed. My initial goal was to become regarded as a "go-to" source for agriculture insights people in the agriculture industry couldn't get elsewhere. I did about three months of due diligence and that first episode took about three weeks to produce before I felt like it was ready to be heard by the world. At that time it was a bi-weekly show, but on May 4, 2019, I launched my first weekly radio show, which was a shortened version of the podcast. I have produced a weekly version of the radio show and podcast each week since then, never missing a week, even when I was in the hospital with COVID-19 in early 2021. I am passionate about serving the agricultural community and telling the story of ag far and wide. I have made some incredible connections along the way and look forward to the continued growth of Tractors and Troubadours for years to come.
 

I release an episode each Friday, 52 weeks a year. It typically takes between five and six hours to produce each episode, sometimes longer depending on the volume of content for the week, as my show also features segments from other content creators. In August 2022, I became my own boss when I took full ownership of the startup Rural Strong Media, which was created with an investor in November 2021. Tractors and Troubadours (the podcast and the radio show) are important assets in our holdings, which also include Rural Strong Radio (a 24/7 streaming radio station playing ag programming and traditional country music), live streams (Rural Strong Live, Fort Worth Musical Moments) and upcoming TV and radio projects. Production is part of the weekly workflow, but as my own boss, wearing many hats, I will say that much of that production work is done between the hours of 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. The initial investment in podcasting was approximately $5,000 for equipment, but I was intent on having top-of-the-line gear to produce a quality show. The ongoing investment continues to grow for hosting and marketing, as it's becoming harder to get above the noise as the number of podcasters in the niche continues to grow and aggressively market content.
 

Tractors and Troubadours is advertiser-supported, though I don't wish to disclose revenue figures. I got my first sponsorship through relationships I had built in the agriculture industry. As a brand new show, I was only getting about 50 weekly downloads when I received that first sponsorship, but it was from a company that was intent on helping me grow, so they weren't necessarily worried about the initial number of downloads. For competitive reasons, I won't disclose the number of downloads I'm now receiving, but I will say that it continues to grow each month to a level that sponsors are encouraged by because with a niche podcast like this, they feel confident that if a listener is investing time with me, they have a distinct interest in agriculture, thus making them a valuable target for advertisers. I find my sponsors primarily through relationships I have built in the industry and those relationships have been the primary benefit to me and to my company. People see me out there telling stories and investing my energy in trying to tell the story of agriculture, and that's a story of innovation, creativity, perseverance, and environmental stewardship. I have received a world-class education during my time telling the story of agriculture. This is a rapidly changing business, driven by technology and forward thinking. It is exciting to continue to learn about advances in the business, and then share that knowledge with my listeners.
 

I use a RodeCaster Pro mixing board, ElectroVoice RE-20 mics, an iMac desktop computer, a MacBook laptop (when I'm traveling) and Adobe Audition editing software. Libsyn is my podcast host. Some of my interviews come from people who have reached out to me seeking publicity for their brand or cause. Others are done at trade shows, conferences and conventions, while others, such as safety on the farm, agronomy topics or mental health on the farm, come from connections I have stored in my contacts list. I have a vast list of subject matter experts I've met over the years and most are quite willing to come on the show and share what they know.
 

About 50 percent are coming directly through our website, www.ruralstrongmedia.com. About 30 percent are coming through Apple podcasts, while the remainder are coming through Google Podcasts, Player.FM, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Samsung, Stitcher and Amazon Music/Audible. I currently market through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and occasionally on Instagram and TikTok. I am currently building an email database, and soon will begin the distribution of a weekly email with a link to the latest episode.
 

Here's what I've learned along the way... JUST GO DO IT! Find a topic you're passionate about and put all of yourself into it. Here's the other thing I learned: Don't count the successes of your competitors as your failures. A lot of people out there are trumpeting big download numbers or rankings, and those may or may not be true. Stay focused on your own growth and on building relationships that will take you to another level. Also, you have to be committed to doing it for the long haul, even when it's hard. We have a daughter who has required 30 surgeries over the past seven years. I've also traveled extensively doing this show. I've produced episodes in hospital rooms, the Ronald McDonald House, airport terminals, hotel rooms and lobbies, trade show floors, etc. I've sacrificed doing other things I love for the passion of watching this show grow. You have to be all-in and if you're not, the listener can sense that. It'll kill your show. Conversely, if you demonstrate a passion for the subject, and you make it fun for the listener, they'll be left wanting more. They'll become a fan and an advocate, and that's how you'll grow and become an expert, not only on podcasting but within your niche. To me, that's the mark of success for a podcaster.
 

You can find Tractors and Troubadours at www.ruralstrongmedia.com, or at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Deezer, Audible, Audacy, Samsung and Player.FM.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RuralStrongMedia/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RuralStrong
LINKED IN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rural-strong-media/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@ruralstrongmedia4462