Full Transcript for When Is Enough Enough? | John Kowalchuk

happened there? 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:59.600 But I don't know if you'd ever be able to figure it out or not. 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:12.240 But but for me, it's like I say, it was kind of a wake-up call too to have a closer look at the numbers because we are kind of in a little bit of a tougher cycle right now where the cash flow maybe isn't quite as good as it has been in the last five years. 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:34.000 I think we got a little bit of a COVID boost there with commodity prices here in Canada, especially, and it it almost gave a false sense of uh profitability to farmers because we were being subsidized even though the yields maybe weren't increasing, our commodity prices were so high that people were able to get away with maybe being a little more relaxed on watching the numbers. 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:38.879 So, like I say, it was it was probably a good wake-up call. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:44.319 And I think for me, I looked into it and was like, okay, what caused this? 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:53.439 And and definitely there was let's face it, when we look as farmers, like one of our biggest costs is our personal expenses. 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:58.560 Like we don't we don't we look at a farm and you're like you you really look at personal expenses on your farm. 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:00.720 Like, how are you spending your personal cash? 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:03.600 Like that that's a huge part of it, right? 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:17.600 So I think that was maybe part of Monette's problem was that a lot of it was off-arm costs and and how money was spent, and and the you know, like I say, that was a wake-up call, and maybe it should have been a wake-up call for lots of farmers. 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:23.920 That maybe that's where we gotta look closer at, that it's not cost of production, it's maybe our personal expenses too. 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:36.560 We gotta start looking at um I think Shea Folk, one of my guests, is uh secretly clapping his hands since you brought up personal expenses. 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:47.519 Yeah, it's a it's a little bit of a touchy subject, but the the fact of the matter is that it is an important part of our cash flow, right? 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:51.600 That how we spend our money personally, it it can really take a big bite. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:58.800 And I think a lot of people are surprised when their accountant tells them what their actual personal expenses and what percentage of their income that is. 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:04.319 So definitely we can look at ways to improve that, maybe, but we gotta live too. 00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:10.959 We're working to to do things and to do things with our family and uh to have things, and that's part of it as well. 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:18.720 But just finding that balance of if you're having problems making cash flow on the farm, that maybe that's an alternative to look at. 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:22.079 That you can look at that a little bit and maybe clean that up a bit. 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:38.000 Could this be a perfect storm between our perpetual optimism in AG coupled with our failure to really realize what we're spending? 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:43.920 Yes, I think that's part of it. 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:49.600 And it goes back to farming a business or is it a lifestyle or whatever, right? 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:58.560 So we've kind of always I think even my generation when you started out, it was like, okay, no, this is this is a lifestyle. 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:00.560 I don't I don't have to watch my numbers. 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:03.759 The if I got money in the bank, I'm I'm doing okay, right? 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:13.920 You're looking at your your bank balance and thinking, okay, I'm good here, and you're not looking at when do I need to cash flow for expenses and when do I have bills coming up and all that stuff. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:20.639 And I think in the last probably the last 15 years, I've kind of reaching towards retirement a little bit. 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:32.799 I started to take a better look at some of that and matching income with expenses and trying to balance out um when payments are due with say selling commodities and things like that. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:43.279 And so I think it's become I've I've I think I've become more of a business mind and less of a of that farmer mentality where it's oh it's gonna work out, I got money in the bank, I'm fine, right? 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:45.279 And that's that lifestyle attitude. 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:54.960 And and there definitely are people pushing towards um farmers to kind of maybe look at it more as a business, and and so I think it's good. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:09:03.600 It's it's made me rethink certain things over the last few years, like I say, working towards retirement and looking at increasing cash flow and being able to put money away, right? 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:13.360 So so yeah, I think yeah, it's it's definitely changed the the business of farming, I think, as and the ideology behind it. 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:16.320 So it's interesting. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:18.720 You and I are having a conversation. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:30.879 Well, you're in central Alberta, I'm in northeast Indiana, and we're seeing the exact same things, even though we have a different currency, we have a different government, but it's still farming. 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:36.080 Yes, the similarities are definitely there for sure. 00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:45.039 And I think any anywhere in North America you can have this conversation with a farmer and and and come to a lot of the same ideas and decisions, right? 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:50.159 Because it's just we're all facing the same thing on both sides of the border for sure. 00:09:51.120 --> 00:10:04.240 Um I think our conversation kind of is circling around uh one question I want to ask is does the perpetual optimism of farmers make us bad business

managers? 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:11.759 Yes, probably to a certain extent, but it also keeps us sane. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:27.840 I think there's there's you know, there's there's lots of times during the year when you're maybe you're a little bit low on cash and the crop maybe isn't looking quite as good as you're hoping, and you're you're out driving around and you you start going in circles and and in your head you can go in circles too. 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:30.000 Like you can get stuck in your own head, right? 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:33.840 Uh I farm by myself, so I'm I'm on my own quite often. 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:39.840 And and you can really get stuck in your own head when you're not talking to people and and able to vent off a bit there. 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:54.000 So it's definitely maybe a coping mechanism in a way, but but maybe it does affect our business because we're not maybe as diligent at solving problems. 00:10:54.159 --> 00:11:03.519 We can kind of tend to sweep them under the rug a little bit and or put them off, maybe if all of a sudden it's like, well, I got that bill coming up, and oh, things will work out. 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:12.480 I'll I'll be able something I'll I'll be able to scrounge up the money, or something I'll sell some grain or whatever, and maybe not looking at the bigger pictures. 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:13.919 Why am I in this position? 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:27.519 Did I not plan correctly, you know, and and maybe a little bit more um looking inward a little more and just saying, like, what did what can I do better next time to so that I don't have this issue? 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:38.879 Whereas I think that's part of maybe running a good business is having that kind of thought that maybe I need to be better here and plan accordingly. 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:41.919 And and I think a lot of times we just say, no, it'll work out. 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:43.279 So yeah. 00:11:43.519 --> 00:12:00.399 And I think this is just me being self-reflective too, like because I've like I say, I've been farming for a while and I've I've had issues where you know you have a big payment coming up or whatever, and it's bothering you, and you're trying to figure out how to where am I gonna come up with this cash, and especially when I first started farming and buying land and having to replace equipment. 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:05.360 So definitely I think I stressed more about it back then. 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:16.080 It it really it's hard on a person, I think, when you're first starting out, and I I learned to deal with that stress, and maybe part of that dealing with that stress is saying, you know what, it'll work out. 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:17.519 Why why am I stressing over this? 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:20.720 I'm gonna it'll work out, and maybe that's part of it. 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:23.200 Yeah. 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:34.879 Just this morning I sent a a message to a friend and he sent me some answers, and my response was I need some tractor time to think about what you said. 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:49.360 But how do farmers like you and me balance between using tractor time, the solitude, to get good answers, and letting that so uh solitude languish into a mental health problem? 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:51.679 Mm-hmm. 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:56.080 Yes, and that I think that therein lies the issue, right? 00:12:56.240 --> 00:13:18.159 That you're like I say, you're you're stuck in your own head and and things and it it can be really daunting sometimes when you're out there all alone and you're thinking about maybe problems, but I think for me, and this was just for me, is the I think that's where social media came into it, whereas I have that ability to have those conversations. 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:50.159 Like if something's really bothering me and I'm sitting in the tractor and it's like either I'm seating or if I'm in a combine at harvest or whatever, and and something it's really you know, it's almost like you have this idea or this thought and you're you're really, really stuck in it, and I'll put it out into social media, and that's where some of the best conversations come on Twitter or or wherever, and it's putting out that question because if you if I'm in that position, more than likely there are other people in the same position, and we're able to have that conversation and maybe work things through as a group. 00:13:50.320 --> 00:14:14.080 And I think that's a positive thing about social media and and maybe how it needs to be used more often is is an outlet and a way to maybe vent a bit and to have those conversations with other people and having that ability to reach out, and especially, like I say, the the solitude of farming by yourself sometimes can be it can be tough, like you're 14 hours into a day and you haven't seen anybody for three days. 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:20.799 Like, I'll there's sometimes when I stay at the farm, I don't see anybody for like three days, except for maybe waving at a neighbor on the road, right? 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:37.840 So you don't have that ability to have those conversations, and I think it's an important thing as a like when you're in something like that to be able to talk about it and to maybe vent a bit and to have that other maybe point of view or a way to look at it. 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:46.159 And so that's where I've used that, and it definitely can be a mental health thing for sure, and you get stuck in that and like I say stuck in your own head. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:55.120 John, did you just admit that you share publicly on social media that there are chinks in your armor? 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:01.440 Some days some days I do, but it's tough though. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:03.679 Like it's hard to put that out there, right? 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:12.080 You you want to put out your like I always used to say, is like we're sharing our Saturday nights to everybody else who's dealing

with Monday morning, right? 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:18.480 Like we're having our greatest life, and then all of a sudden, you know, and you're stuck on a Monday where it's like, oh, I gotta start this week or whatever. 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:21.039 And a lot of times that's what it's like. 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:25.759 And so I think it is important to show both sides of it and maybe make light of it in a way. 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:32.399 So I kind of will try to use humor because let's face it, people don't want to hear you doom and gloom, right? 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:43.679 But if you present it in a way that's maybe funny or something, and it's like you're poking fun at yourself or whatever, and people can still see the message there, but maybe get some you know entertainment out of it too. 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:53.919 So there's like I've had tires, the tire fell off on my comb line, and so I made a video about it, how it's like, oh, typical, this happened or whatever, and made light of it, right? 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:57.200 And it was in the moment, it was like, oh crap, like my combine's down now. 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:01.919 I'm and I know the axle's probably two days out the part, and I'm gonna have to do all this work. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:09.279 But in the moment I was stressed over it, but I made this kind of fun video about it, and and it helped me too, right? 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:33.039 It helped me to, and then I presented that, and I was sharing that moment with the world or the people that follow me, and in a way that helps take some of that load off of you, and you you see it as okay, there's something bigger than me in this moment, because you can be in that moment and it can be everything to you, but then you put it out there and you see other people commenting, oh yeah, I had that happen, or whatever, right? 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:44.480 And it it it takes some of that weight off of you because you have that conversation, and so I think that's like I say, like I'm I'm a big proponent of social media because of things like that. 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:53.360 I know there's bad sides as well, but the sharing and the ability to have those conversations I think are an important bent, and and it does help my mental health too. 00:16:53.440 --> 00:17:04.400 So how long did it take for you to be comfortable sharing an experience like having the combine fall tire fall off? 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:09.519 Well, it's definitely a tough thing to share, right? 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:16.000 Because you don't want to show those moments a lot of times because you're usually like, oh, this is bad and I'm kind of embarrassed or whatever. 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:19.759 What could I have done that this you know might not have happened or whatever? 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:26.799 But um I think the people that follow me know that I'm gonna put stuff out what's happening that day or whatever, and that's just the way it is. 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:36.799 So it it did take a little bit of time for me to be comfortable with that, and and some people even approached me after, like when I first started doing it, and like local people, and just like, really? 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:38.160 You you want to put that on there? 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:39.599 Like, why would you do that? 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:48.160 And and then a lot of times the same guys, like four or five years later, is like, how do I get comfortable sharing like what you share? 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:56.079 Like, how do I get to that point where I'm not embarrassed to share things or to go and make a video talking about my crop or whatever? 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:58.400 And I just say it just takes time. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:10.640 Like, you have to be, you know, you the more you do it, the easier it'll be, and you you can share things on social media, and you still have to be careful and and be prepared that people might come at you on something. 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:15.119 Like, if you post something, you it won't, it's not all going to be positive and rainbows. 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:18.240 It's gonna be sometimes guys will come at you and say, like, why were you doing that? 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:20.799 Like, how come you're so stupid or whatever, right? 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:28.240 And you just you just gotta be prepared for that and just say, Well, yeah, I know, but it it it you know it happens, and and reply to those comments too. 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:31.519 Don't just brush them away because that's part of the conversation. 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:35.039 So I think it's important to reply to to every comment. 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.640 Like, I if I get a comment on any social media, I'm replying to it. 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:41.359 I just feel it's an important part of otherwise, why are you there? 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:44.000 Why are you sharing if you're not replying? 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:47.279 Because the whole idea of it is the social side of it, right? 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:53.039 Is the is the communication and the back and forth, and that's where some of the best things come from. 00:18:53.359 --> 00:19:02.240 Like I've had long conversations where you'll go back and forth with somebody who, when you start, you're you're polar opposites, you're on totally opposite sides. 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:11.039 And as the conversation you get closer and closer, and you and you work your way back, and and then at the end, you're like, hey, like, you're not a bad person. 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:12.240 Like, this is this is good. 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:23.920 Like, and I think you'll know that almost right away from the first few comments if a person is willing to come back to maybe a middle ground or a central position, right? 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:28.480 But you know people that after two comments, they're just like, this ain't happening. 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:38.960 They're just they they they're stuck

in their ideals, and and there's no way, and I'm I'm wanting to come closer to their ideals, but it's just there, there's nothing coming back, and it's impossible. 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:40.960 Like it just keeps pushing away, right? 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:45.599 So so you kind of recognize that after a while, and it just comes with doing it more often. 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:57.119 But but like I say, sometimes the best conversations come out of sharing something that maybe you thought was a really bad thing in the moment, and you have a good conversation, and at the end of it you feel better. 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:00.400 So it's not a bad thing. 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:16.079 I love your combine tire story because uh I had I broke two axles on our Gleener R52, so I can I can commiserate with seating there with a$25,000 anchor. 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:17.359 Yep. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:19.359 That happened. 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:20.640 Oh yeah. 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:32.319 How how has your sphere of influence changed as you've been open to sharing the truth and the challenges on on your farm? 00:20:34.480 --> 00:21:05.680 I I think I've seen it evolve a bit in the last like it's I've been I think 16 years on Twitter, and I think at the beginning it was kind of more farmers and stuff, because we like to follow other farmers on social media, so quite often it's just a lot of farmers, but I think over the last few years where I've maybe changed some of the stuff I put out there, I've gotten more non-farmers, and and so I I found it's actually good because then I'm getting more questions and things like that. 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:08.400 So I think that's a good thing. 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:20.559 I think people being able to question us on things, and um let's face it, we might be the only farmers that some of these people even have contact with. 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:35.599 And and so it's important that when they ask questions, we answer them and and give them the time of day because if they're reaching out, that means they're open to hearing what we're doing, and and they're just another voice, maybe on the consumer side, that will help us out long term, right? 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:38.319 So I think it's all those conversations are important. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:57.119 So I think that's definitely changed over the last few years, is I'm noticing more of that, and and TikTok's a big one where I'm probably I would say 90% of it are non farmers on TikTok because it's just so many people on there, and and so it's a really good way to have those conversations there. 00:21:57.200 --> 00:22:02.880 And I'm finding there's a lot more backlash, but it's also So that gives you the opportunity to have those conversations. 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:15.519 And another thing I've always gone off of is that when you're having a conversation some with someone on social media, it's not the one person you're talking to, it's the 800 people that are watching

that conversation. 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:16.960 That's who you're talking to. 00:22:17.119 --> 00:22:24.559 You're not talking to that one person because everyone's watching that conversation and they're seeing how you present yourself and how you talk about it. 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:37.759 And even though you might not be winning over or being able to get closer to a central position with that person, the people that are watching are seeing the message and they're and they're seeing it maybe indirectly, but they're also taking that in. 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:46.400 And those are the people that are probably more valuable than the one person you're talking to that you know you're never going to get back to to an agreement with, right? 00:22:46.559 --> 00:23:08.799 So it's it's it's important to present yourself in a way that um people watching see your message and don't see you as um confrontational or or being mean to that other person, so giving respect to that other person in the conversation, but also presenting your side of it, I think is an important thing, an important balance. 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:21.039 So you talked about how social media is is the more people see it than than just the person you're interacting with. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:30.960 How do you handle when that conversation turns into a private message and there's somebody that either has a genuine question or is in trouble? 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:34.960 Yeah, and that definitely does happen. 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:38.480 Quite often people want to take that offline and and want to talk about it. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:52.640 And um I I usually I can continue the conversation, but a lot of times if the person is really coming at you, if they I'm just like, no, I'm done with this, if you're just going to attack or whatever, right? 00:23:52.720 --> 00:24:11.920 You you have to have limits too, because obviously at a certain point you know you're beating your head against the wall, basically, sometimes, and it's like either I'm I'm being stubborn or you're being stubborn, but either way, this isn't coming to a conclusion, and like we'll just have to agree to disagree on some of this stuff. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:19.039 But but quite often um you end up having a good conversation offline as well. 00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:28.640 Like it it can turn into a good conversation, and and I have people that weren't following me at the beginning of those conversations and then follow me after that, and I'll follow them back. 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:33.920 And if we have a good discussion, and there may be somebody from a different industry or whatever, right? 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:35.519 Because I think that's important too. 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:39.440 To to if you want people to hear your story, you have to hear their story as well. 00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:53.839 So that's important, but but yeah, I had I posted a funny kind of video during COVID, and it was um I 100% agree on mandatory vacations. 00:24:54.480 --> 00:25:00.079 I put vacations in there, and so I posted that on Twitter and it blew up. 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:07.119 And I had a lot of people, of course, top of mind things, they think I said vaccinations and not vacations. 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:19.359 So a lot of guys were attacking me and I started to lose followers and they were messaging me, and just and it was the funniest thing because the over like a three or four-day period after this post, they were like, I can't believe you do this. 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:21.039 Like, I why would you put that out there? 00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:22.160 This is so not you. 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:26.079 And I said, I would just put go back and read the post. 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:31.279 And then about 10-15 minutes later, they'd be like, Whoops, sorry, and laugh. 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:33.680 And I was just like, Okay, see, this is it. 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:44.960 I I realized it's kind of mean, but it was just like to show that it it's just top of mind to people, and so a lot of people DM me after that, and where like I had a lot of people on follow me, and then they followed me back, of course. 00:25:45.119 --> 00:26:13.039 But it was hilarious to see the conversations over you know, that three or four-day period, like it was just crazy because of course the post got a lot of views, and a lot of people liked it, and some people got it right away and laughed about it, and and then I had all these comments, and that was I took a lot of those really bad negative comments to me that were directly not the DM ones, and I I made a TikTok for that, and that blew up too. 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:15.839 So I did like replying to the tweets, right? 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:24.319 And going back and saying, okay, then and watching the conclusion and them getting that light bulb moment to realize that they misread the the original post. 00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:30.880 So, and it's just their own bias in their head went to that way, and it was just it made it like in a lot of times in the conversation. 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:33.279 I'd say, Well, this is just showing like our bias right now. 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:36.960 We're just we're wanting to jump to that thought, so it's so top of mind right now. 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:45.920 Like, we need to figure this out and and try to you know be a little better about this, that it's not that's not that big of a deal right now. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:27:02.079 We have other things going on, and so it was kind of interesting, some of the conversations, but the definitely the the post on um TikTok went crazy and like it was like a million views, and and I had thousands and thousands of comments on it and and had some really good conversations too. 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:06.960 So, and it that brought people to my accounts, right? 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:19.680 And then I was able to maybe get them in that way, and then be able to talk about

agriculture and farming and show them some of the sides of farming, but I also try to balance that with some humor every once in a while, too. 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:28.400 And a lot of guys that I know, my friends will say, Well, you're not funny, but I try to be, I just say I I try to be, but but yeah. 00:27:28.559 --> 00:27:38.160 So the guys that know me that follow me on social media are always they'll see something and then they'll see me on the street or whatever, and they say, Oh, that was funny, but you're still not funny. 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:41.359 They kind of like rivet me about it, my buddies. 00:27:42.160 --> 00:27:44.720 They've got a way of keeping you grounded, right, John? 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:46.319 They do, yeah. 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:47.440 It's good. 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:59.359 I love your story about how you took the tweets and turned them into TikToks and illustrated human uh nature and how we've have a prediction in our head. 00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:10.960 As you have gained more flour followers and you had some of these viral posts, do you feel more of a responsibility to the agriculture community in general? 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:13.920 Yeah, I think so. 00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:30.640 Yeah, it's it's kind of the the reason why I started posting under Kowalchuk Farms was because of the fact that I was on my own socials and doing things, and the and the one friend of mine said, Well, why don't you create just a Kualchuk Farms one and and just do that under that? 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:32.720 Because you're kind of mixing different things. 00:28:32.799 --> 00:28:43.759 So I was talking about you know, just normal things in the community and then switching over, and then on that same account I'd be talking about putting out a message about farming or whatever in some of our practices. 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:46.240 And he said, Start maybe you should just start another one. 00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:49.839 So that was back in like 2012, 2013, I think. 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:58.160 And so I started that other account basically to maybe share more about the farm side of it. 00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:12.240 So I think now that I I do have some followers on there, I think I do feel a little bit obligated that way to try to share more about kind of the practices, especially with the maybe the consumers that don't have that connection to the farm anymore. 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:25.359 And and a lot of the people that do comment on my accounts are people that had like grandparents that farmed or their parents farmed and lost the farm, or they you know sold the farm or whatever. 00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:37.680 And so there's quite a few people that are regular people that comment are ones that just still want that connection to agriculture that maybe they lost because their family no longer farmed or or they moved off the farm. 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:39.759 And and so there's a lot of that too. 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:50.400 And I think those are important voices out there too, that they can stay informed about what's going on currently in agriculture, and then they're able to share that with friends and family too, right? 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:52.640 So once again, it's that reach. 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:55.359 It's it's not always, like I say, that one person. 00:29:55.440 --> 00:30:08.880 It's how many people does that one person touch, or how many people see that conversation, and it's all about getting the word out and and kind of presenting agriculture the way we know it is, and it's it's very positive. 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:29.519 And we've we do work hard at trying to do it right, and and and the health of the consumers is important, and all those things are important, and I think it's a it's important that they know that, that we're not just towing the corporate line and and thinking that whatever goes, goes, and just we can do whatever we want to the crops, we don't care. 00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:30.319 It's not like that. 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:36.880 Like these are the same crops and and food and products that our families are consuming. 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:42.000 It's not it's not like we're just throwing us out there and then we're going somewhere else and eating different products. 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:55.920 It's like these are the things that we we use on in our houses and and homes in our so I think that's important that consumers know that, that we're not a bad guy and we're not just out kill the consumers like some of them think. 00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:10.240 I like how you talked about the the community with ag in general, and but how do you balance telling the truth of what happens on the farm with that responsibility to ag in general? 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:24.319 Definitely it's uh it can be a balance sometimes with that is because if there might be certain practices that I see out there that maybe I don't agree with. 00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:29.039 Like, so you know, do you do you skirt around them or do you talk about them? 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:35.359 And and it does get to be pretty tough to to talk about some of those things. 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:52.720 Um yeah, I think at the end of the day, you gotta be true to yourself and and that I just talk about the practices that I use, and I maybe don't go out there and like what the neighbor does and what people in other areas do, that's their decision. 00:31:53.039 --> 00:32:08.799 So it's maybe helped help me more accountable to what I do too, is the fact that I know okay, I I have to be better, I have to, you know, the practices on my farm have to be something that I can share publicly and be proud of. 00:32:08.960 --> 00:32:15.200 Like I have to do things that I know that if I put that out there, is someone going to question me on this? 00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:23.680 Like if I'm out there, you know, whatever, putting a product on the the crop that I don't know if I should be putting it.

00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:28.000 If I question that, if I'm doing that internally, I don't do it. 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:34.240 I because I just I wouldn't be able to share that with people, so why am I doing it at that point, right? 00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:49.440 So and there's some things that it can be just misunderstanding, and and I think then, you know, because there's people out there presenting our story as well, and they're they're coming at it from a different angle without the knowledge that we have. 00:32:49.599 --> 00:33:03.440 And when I see that happen and I know that it's something that's safe on my farm, and I've done it for years, and I know it's healthy, then I will counter that and say, like, this is the actual way we do it as farmers, and present it that way. 00:33:03.680 --> 00:33:11.680 I think that's important to counter that that message because there's a lot of people trying to tell our story out there, and and it's not good. 00:33:11.839 --> 00:33:14.559 Like they're presenting us in a pretty bad light sometimes. 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:16.720 And when I see that, it it gets me going. 00:33:16.799 --> 00:33:25.599 And I usually, if it's something I can reply to or even maybe indirectly reply to through presenting a tweet or a post online, I'll do it. 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:41.759 But but uh yeah, it's I think we have to be accountable to ourselves first, and I think if we do that, then whatever we present will be more honest, and and then we can put that out there and and not be ashamed of it. 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:48.400 So being accountable to ourselves first. 00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:50.240 That's great. 00:33:50.480 --> 00:34:00.640 Uh but I also think that has your honesty and sharing on social media turned your followers into public accountability partners. 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:06.319 Yeah, in a way, yeah, for sure. 00:34:06.559 --> 00:34:12.320 Yeah, I think they maybe hold me accountable, is kind of what you're saying, too, a little bit, too. 00:34:12.480 --> 00:34:18.960 So they're kind of ones that if I put something out there, it's like, ooh, this isn't really kind of what we thought it was, or whatever. 00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:32.960 Like, it doesn't happen very often, but definitely there's times when I've had other farmers comment on things that I've posted too and say, like, is this really how you want to present it, or whatever? 00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:38.239 And and I'll have that conversation with them and just say, like, this is kind of my intent behind it. 00:34:38.400 --> 00:34:50.320 Um, I've had guys phone me up that I know from different parts of Canada that I've had texts with or whatever, and over the years, and they'll see a post that I put out there and they'll question me on it. 00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:57.280 And they'll just phone me directly and we'll have a conversation about it, and I'll more I'll explain my intent and I learn from that as well. 00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:00.719 Is maybe I didn't present that properly when I posted that. 00:35:00.880 --> 00:35:10.239 Maybe I it you when you write things down, sometimes your message in your head isn't the same one you put down. 00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:12.960 So you could miss certain nuances in the post. 00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:17.760 And so you might infer things in your own mind that are there that they're not there. 00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:28.480 And once someone questions you on that, you go back in and you look and you read it as more of a 10,000-foot view at that post, and you realize I missed the nuance of it. 00:35:28.559 --> 00:35:33.119 I I I posted what I was thinking in my head, but I didn't add everything in. 00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:55.599 And so it's important, and and like I I say, I've had guys hold me accountable to that, and the general message was there, but certain nuances were left out, and so I learned from that, and next time I maybe say I add in those, and so you know, you want to shorten up a post so that it's readable and digestible, but then sometimes shortening it up, you lose some of the nuance of your message. 00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:58.320 So I've had guys hold me accountable for that for sure. 00:35:58.480 --> 00:36:06.079 So I guess in a way, then they become my kind of conscience in a way, too. 00:36:06.159 --> 00:36:23.039 So it's it's good you have a group of people that are watching you to make sure you're not messing up and and guys in the ag industry that realize that maybe I do have a bit of a voice and they don't want me to lose that accountability and lose that kind of foothold I have that I'm able to get messages out. 00:36:23.199 --> 00:36:28.480 They'll they'll say, Hey, like, is this really what you want to be putting out there, or is this what you meant? 00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:34.000 Or because if they're thinking it, then so are other people, so hmm. 00:36:34.800 --> 00:36:43.679 Well, it's it's I think it's pretty obvious that your sharing on social media has made you a better communicator, with the help of your accountability partners. 00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:48.079 But I'm wondering, uh has it also made you a better person? 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:52.239 Oh, I think so for sure. 00:36:52.639 --> 00:37:03.119 Like over the last 15 years or whatever it's been where I've been sharing stuff, it's it's made me look inward a lot more, right? 00:37:03.280 --> 00:37:14.559 And not just float through life and think everything's gonna be good and I'm just I'm everything's good here, I'm doing this, I'm doing this, I'm making money, or I'm you know, happy in my life right now. 00:37:14.639 --> 00:37:18.079 And the you look more inward and say, like, what what am I doing? 00:37:18.159 --> 00:37:25.760 Like, what is the real reasoning why I'm doing this, or you know, am I really happy at doing it this way, or do I need to change things? 00:37:25.920 --> 00:37:47.840 And and I think that's looking inward and and you know, maybe making me a better person that

way is just like I say, you've got to be happy with the way you are so that you can present that outward, and maybe I've changed over the last few years because of that, I suppose too. 00:37:48.000 --> 00:38:12.559 But in a way, I'm hoping that I would still be the same type of person I am right now, but definitely it's probably modified the way I act, and and and that comes through the association of people too, like all the people that I've talked to on social media and and have met in person now over the last few years, because a lot of the people that you meet you are on social media you end up becoming sort of friends with, right? 00:38:12.719 --> 00:38:27.840 And and some have become real friends over the years, and so those people have a different perspective, and some of them are amazing people that have done great things, and they make you want to be better too. 00:38:28.079 --> 00:38:35.280 So we're lifting each other up and and hopefully making all of the collective better as well, too. 00:38:35.360 --> 00:38:46.719 That way, when you get that group, like there's so many people out there I can name that I've met that have made me want to be better, make me want to be a better communicator or be a better person and share more. 00:38:46.800 --> 00:38:49.119 And and it really does motivate you to share. 00:38:49.280 --> 00:38:53.039 When I see somebody post something, and I think that is so good. 00:38:53.119 --> 00:38:55.599 Like they have done such a good job of presenting that. 00:38:55.760 --> 00:39:00.400 It really gets me thinking about it and wanting to post something good as well. 00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:18.960 So I'll think about it for maybe two or three weeks, and that thing I saw three weeks ago may have motivated me into posting something about agriculture and wanting to share something, and so I think it's kind of pushing each other to share and to be better communicators and share what's going on in agriculture. 00:39:19.119 --> 00:39:45.599 So I I see it as I think the guys that are doing, uh guys and girls that are doing so good out there sharing their message on ag, I see that as a motivator, and I don't feel jealousy or anything to any of them, and and I really want to promote them as well, because we see that a lot where guys are like, oh, so and so is just he's out there for the likes, or he's getting promoted, and he's getting, oh, he's getting he gets to try John Deere Combine out, you know, all those things. 00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:56.159 But I'm thinking I see them as that forward-facing person in our industry who's who's pushing us to be better and who's maybe sharing our story to a lot of people that we'd never reach. 00:39:56.320 --> 00:40:03.199 And so I see those people as a great thing for our industry, and so I want to emulate them and to promote them. 00:40:03.440 --> 00:40:09.119 So I think it's probably made me definitely a better person, I think, and a better farmer. 00:40:09.360 --> 00:40:23.360 Obviously, I've learned lots on social media as far as farming and practices, and you see things from all over the world and you want to try different things, and I've tried all sorts of different crops and different things, and it's because of social media. 00:40:23.519 --> 00:40:42.559 So um how do you how do you rely upon those bigger social media f influencers for inspiration and not turn it into something to be jealous of? 00:40:46.639 --> 00:40:50.000 I think it's it's your motivation. 00:40:50.159 --> 00:40:54.000 It's like what what mate motivates you is why are you on social media? 00:40:54.159 --> 00:40:54.800 Like, why are you here? 00:40:54.880 --> 00:41:01.119 And it's to promote agriculture, then you should be happy that other people around you are doing it as well and doing a great job of it. 00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:04.800 And you want to learn from them and and not be jealous of that. 00:41:04.960 --> 00:41:16.159 It's you know, when they have something blow up and like and you see like even maybe celebrities or non-farmers jumping on that and sharing that, that's huge. 00:41:16.320 --> 00:41:20.079 Like that gets outside of our bubble and that gets the message out. 00:41:20.159 --> 00:41:25.840 And so I don't think you need to be jealous of of them having success. 00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:33.039 And it is the the fact of the the old adage of uh rising water lifts all boats, you know, that old thing. 00:41:33.119 --> 00:41:41.360 It's like if if your um goal is to promote agriculture, then you should be more than happy that other people are doing a great job of it as well. 00:41:41.440 --> 00:41:49.199 And there's there's there's more more than enough people out there willing to listen, and and you can put out your message and still have people listening. 00:41:49.280 --> 00:41:56.079 It's not like oh they're listening to like Zach Johnson or somebody like that, and and oh, they're not gonna follow me anymore. 00:41:56.239 --> 00:41:57.440 That's it's not like that. 00:41:57.599 --> 00:42:07.840 Like they're they're adding to our message, and we're just maybe not getting the reach that they get, but the the people that we reach maybe we're making an impact on them too. 00:42:08.000 --> 00:42:10.559 So I think that's important as well, right? 00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:25.039 And a friend of mine said one time he was doing a sp a talk, and one of the people in the group or whatever the audience said to him, like, well, yeah, you can do this. 00:42:25.280 --> 00:42:30.960 You have like a hundred thousand followers, like you can get the message out there, and he said, Well, how many followers do you have? 00:42:31.039 --> 00:42:32.400 On and the guy goes, like, a hundred. 00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:36.480 He goes, Okay, out of that hundred, when you post something, how many people do you get replying? 00:42:36.639 --> 00:42:37.679 Oh, well, I'll get five or ten. 00:42:37.920 --> 00:42:42.800 And he goes, Well, those five or ten that you reach

might be more than what I actually reach. 00:42:42.960 --> 00:42:51.280 They might just gloss over what I'm seeing, but those five or ten that you get are are are potentially more important than anybody that I could reach. 00:42:51.440 --> 00:42:57.199 So you can't discount your your voice or your message just because you have less followers. 00:42:57.360 --> 00:43:04.320 It's it's not about the followers, it's about the quality of it and the quality of what you're putting out there and the people you're reaching. 00:43:04.400 --> 00:43:06.320 So you had a really good message about that. 00:43:06.480 --> 00:43:16.960 So I was gonna go a different different direction, John, but but you just hit on something that hits really close to home. 00:43:17.840 --> 00:43:21.440 For me, it is the the quality of your interactions. 00:43:23.599 --> 00:43:31.119 You've been on Twitter for a couple decades, you've been through the heyday of Ag Twitter, you enjoyed the success of COVID. 00:43:32.480 --> 00:43:40.639 How has your definition of success on success on social media changed over those years? 00:43:43.519 --> 00:43:44.639 That's a good question. 00:43:45.119 --> 00:43:47.679 Yeah, and it has changed a lot for sure. 00:43:48.079 --> 00:43:55.039 Initially, of course, you start something and you you start posting, and it's all about that kind of getting followers or whatever. 00:43:55.119 --> 00:43:59.760 You're like in early on, it was like everybody's like, oh, it's all about followers and getting people to follow. 00:44:00.159 --> 00:44:07.360 Follow and and I think over time it's it has changed to more of the quality of the people that follow. 00:44:07.599 --> 00:44:20.960 Um like if you have a whole bunch of bots or whatever following you on on different social media, really that's it's not quality, you're not going to get interactions from that, it's not going to add to the conversation. 00:44:21.119 --> 00:45:07.039 And um, I think I've I've found that I'm more um maybe gravitate more to those followers that are people that are that are interacting all the time, and so those are the quality followers that have like continue the conversation or add to the conversation, and and I think that's definitely with Twitter, it's a big thing there is the people that interact, and and you have a group that usually are the best at that, and like I probably have two or three hundred that are like regulars on there that'll that'll comment on stuff and and will reply, and that if you don't post for a while, they'll send out a text or tweet or whatever that hey you haven't where what are you doing? 00:45:07.119 --> 00:45:07.760 What's going on? 00:45:07.920 --> 00:45:08.400 kind of thing. 00:45:08.480 --> 00:45:11.920 And and those are quality guys that you you can have conversations with. 00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:18.559 And so I think that's for me personally, that's maybe where it's evolved to for me. 00:45:18.639 --> 00:45:23.920 It's more about the quality than

the quantity, maybe at that point too. 00:45:26.639 --> 00:45:36.480 So would it be fair to say that uh your social media uh interactions have kind of changed from John Kowalchuk to Kowalchik community? 00:45:40.320 --> 00:45:42.159 Yeah, more or less, yeah. 00:45:42.639 --> 00:45:44.800 Yeah, the the definitely the farms one. 00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:52.480 Like I I still share personal stuff on there more or two, so that kind of people get to know me more. 00:45:52.559 --> 00:46:18.000 And I was just thinking like in the next probably couple of weeks I've gotten a few more followers again, and I'll put put something out there more about who I am, like put something out like what's what's my reason for being here, and some of the stuff we've talked about even today is putting that out there on social media so people understand your kind of what drives you and why you're here, and and then they'll better understand when I post something about the farm why I do it. 00:46:18.079 --> 00:46:37.280 And I I do this thing, it's it happened from a story back quite a few years ago when I first started on Twitter, and I had a few followers on there, and I went to a farm show and um I was talking to one of the dealers there about a product, and and then it I said my name, and they're like, Are you that Qualchuk Farms on Twitter? 00:46:37.440 --> 00:46:38.639 And I go, Yeah, I am. 00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:43.039 And and the guy goes to me, I still don't understand why you have these all these followers. 00:46:43.119 --> 00:46:45.920 Like, why would anybody follow a regular farmer? 00:46:46.239 --> 00:47:16.400 And so I I came up with the hashtag regular farmer, so then I started posting things about regular farmer things, like what you know, like we go to a farm show and and we walk out with a hundred hats or pens or whatever, things that regular farmers do, because there's so many of us that are maybe aren't big farmers or aren't big social media people, but we're just regular farmers, and I think it's important for people to see that that we can still put a message out there and and kind of be part of that conversation as a regular farmer. 00:47:16.480 --> 00:47:26.800 So again, it was just it became a running gag that it was, oh yeah, I'm just a regular farmer, but that's this is what I'm doing, so it's hashtag regular farmer. 00:47:26.960 --> 00:47:30.639 So but there's a lot of us out here. 00:47:31.920 --> 00:47:38.800 I think that hashtag carries a lot more weight than than the simple interactions you talked about. 00:47:40.480 --> 00:47:47.280 Admitting or being comfortable with just being a regular farmer is difficult for a lot of us. 00:47:47.599 --> 00:47:51.360 How do you think that hashtag impacted regular farmers? 00:47:54.239 --> 00:47:59.920 So there was a story about a large farmer who I posted this one time. 00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:09.760 I I posted that what I was doing was just, you know, I had a older tractor, four-wheel drive tractor, whatever, and I said, Well, that's just you know a regular farmer thing. 00:48:09.840 --> 00:48:23.440 And and they were a larger farmer, and they kind of questioned me on that, saying, Well, yeah, but are you saying that larger farmers or bigger farmers are aren't like regular farm, aren't you know, the same as you, or you're better than us, or whatever? 00:48:23.599 --> 00:48:27.679 And I go, no, I said it's not about that, and it's not a competition. 00:48:27.760 --> 00:48:32.480 I said, the fact of the matter is that even though you're a bigger farmer, you're a regular farmer too. 00:48:32.639 --> 00:48:39.519 You're you're you're out there farming the land, you're doing your job, you're just doing it on a larger scale, and there's no reason for us to compete against each other. 00:48:39.599 --> 00:48:41.679 I just said, this is the way it is. 00:48:41.760 --> 00:48:50.320 Like I'm just posting the fact that people might look at us that are maybe the small, medium-sized farms that that were less than. 00:48:50.480 --> 00:48:52.400 It's not that you guys are bad. 00:48:52.559 --> 00:48:58.639 I'd say that we've been compared to maybe not being a farm that's going to survive. 00:48:58.800 --> 00:49:05.599 And we've battled this for for decades that oh, in 10 years there's not going to be a farm below 5,000 acres. 00:49:05.760 --> 00:49:07.119 We've heard it forever, right? 00:49:07.199 --> 00:49:10.159 That we're questioned on you know whether we're viable and all that. 00:49:10.239 --> 00:49:17.599 And I said, for us, it's you know, we're regular farmers, but it's because we want to be included in with you guys. 00:49:17.760 --> 00:49:23.599 You guys are are regular, always been regular farmers too, but they're saying that maybe we're not a regular farmer, we're not viable. 00:49:23.760 --> 00:49:28.480 So I said, it's nothing against you personally or the size of the farms or anything like that. 00:49:28.559 --> 00:49:30.480 So and he was good about that after. 00:49:30.559 --> 00:49:34.400 And and I knew the guy uses a local farmer too, well, local to Alberta. 00:49:34.559 --> 00:49:41.920 So I was able to talk to him about it, and and he understood that after that it was less about them and more about maybe our farm size. 00:49:42.000 --> 00:49:47.039 It was maybe the post that I put out there that's saying this is how we have to survive. 00:49:47.199 --> 00:50:01.199 And and I guess in a way, it maybe it was saying that this is how we're different from larger farmers, but honestly, it wasn't uh a slight to larger farmers. 00:50:01.360 --> 00:50:06.159 So, but there are people that question it and said, like, okay, am I not a regular farmer then? 00:50:06.320 --> 00:50:08.159 And I was just like, Well, yeah, you are. 00:50:08.320 --> 00:50:12.000 Like, but you like it's it shouldn't be a competition. 00:50:12.159 --> 00:50:22.159 It was more me stating the fact that as a small, medium-sized farm, that they were questioned why we would have

that kind of cloud or why people would even want to hear from us, right? 00:50:22.480 --> 00:50:33.679 So yeah, it was kind of an interesting thing, and it it kind of brought in some of that bias too, and and made me look internally again, like like how am I presenting myself? 00:50:33.760 --> 00:50:40.800 Is am I saying uh that we're better than other people, like because we're a certain size farm, and I don't want to present it that way. 00:50:40.880 --> 00:50:46.559 I don't want to be like biased or pompous or whatever, right? 00:50:48.400 --> 00:50:52.239 So that's interesting, but those are the people that hold you accountable, I guess. 00:50:54.880 --> 00:51:02.239 So your desire to show that we're all just farmers in reality illustrated some of the rifts that we have internally. 00:51:04.480 --> 00:51:05.199 Mm-hmm. 00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:10.079 Oh, definitely, and we see it in our own communities all the time. 00:51:10.320 --> 00:51:15.519 Well locally, you're you're in competition with your neighbor. 00:51:15.679 --> 00:51:22.960 Let's face it, you're in competition for land base or if you're renting or buying or whatever, right? 00:51:23.119 --> 00:51:31.920 And um, when you see the neighbor doing well, potentially that could be that they're making more money that the next time that land comes up, they're going to be able to afford to buy it, right? 00:51:32.079 --> 00:51:54.320 So there's that competitive side locally, and that's maybe where widening my bubble on social media has made it where I'm able to talk to people outside of this area and and have maybe more of a broader look at agriculture and and not have that really ultra competitive feel that agriculture can have, and oh, the big guy's getting bigger or whatever, right? 00:51:54.480 --> 00:51:57.039 It it honestly shouldn't be that way. 00:51:58.000 --> 00:52:01.679 It but the reality of it, it it is. 00:52:01.840 --> 00:52:02.880 It's just the way it is. 00:52:02.960 --> 00:52:13.199 Locally, you're gonna be a competitor with your neighbor, it's just the way it is, but you can still be good friends, but you can compete. 00:52:13.599 --> 00:52:19.599 So, but I'm at the point now in my career that I'm not looking for more land, I'm not expanding. 00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:27.519 If anything, I'm on my kind of more of my downturn into retirement, and that's more my long-term thoughts. 00:52:27.679 --> 00:52:34.320 I'm not looking at being a competitor with my neighbor, so it's maybe changed my outlook on some of that as well. 00:52:34.480 --> 00:52:46.559 Is I like to see the success of them and if the young farmers are doing well in the community and able to expand, and you know, if they can build their family a house or whatever. 00:52:46.880 --> 00:52:56.480 Like all those things in the past where we're when I was maybe directly competing with them, and you might have that twinge in your chest that, oh, they're doing better than me, right? 00:52:56.559 --> 00:53:00.159 And we all have that, where it's just it's just human nature. 00:53:00.559 --> 00:53:16.320 So, like I say, the point where I am right now in my career, I'm able to maybe look at it more objectively and be happy for them because I'm established and I've I you know I I feel good where I'm at on my farm. 00:53:16.400 --> 00:53:22.559 It's the proper size for me, I'm able to handle it, and and I'm doing well as far as that part of it. 00:53:22.719 --> 00:53:37.920 So so I can see it in the heat of it when you're young and you're trying to expand, and it would be tough to to see anybody have success around you because it it you feel it takes away from your success, but it it it doesn't because there's there's enough to go around for everybody. 00:53:38.079 --> 00:53:52.800 Now looking back, I know that, but in the in the moment, of course, you're thinking, oh, this is gonna affect me, but honestly, it doesn't because you gotta push for your own success and make your own way and not rely on other people and comparing over the fence, right? 00:53:56.800 --> 00:54:03.039 To some it would sound that you're you've given up, but to others it sounds like you're comfortable. 00:54:04.159 --> 00:54:04.639 Mm-hmm. 00:54:07.599 --> 00:54:10.960 Yeah, so I guess it would depend on your mindset behind it. 00:54:11.039 --> 00:54:14.000 Do you want to when is enough enough? 00:54:14.320 --> 00:54:18.559 When when do you see the end of the rainbow or where you've gotten to the point most guys can't say it? 00:54:18.960 --> 00:54:20.000 Most guys don't know it. 00:54:20.239 --> 00:54:24.719 They never had a number in their head, they didn't have an ideal of where they wanted to be. 00:54:24.800 --> 00:54:27.840 And 15 years ago, I set out I had a number. 00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:36.639 I knew where I needed to be, I knew what I wanted to make, I knew how much land I could handle without having to hire a bunch of people and what equipment I needed. 00:54:36.800 --> 00:54:38.079 And I made that plan. 00:54:38.239 --> 00:54:41.199 I had it, and I and I had a plan for retirement. 00:54:41.360 --> 00:54:45.119 It wasn't I'm I'm not going to die on the farm, I hope. 00:54:45.199 --> 00:55:00.639 It's it's something that I want to um work towards to retire from the farm, maybe still be involved to a certain extent, but not be an active farmer when I'm 75 years old, like my dad and and his dad before him, right? 00:55:00.719 --> 00:55:01.920 And farm till I die. 00:55:02.079 --> 00:55:06.880 Like it, I and you know, if that's what you want, that's great. 00:55:06.960 --> 00:55:07.599 That's good for you. 00:55:07.679 --> 00:55:16.239 But my plan was that I I I felt that I needed to have something in place that I had a an end goal and where I needed to be. 00:55:16.320 --> 00:55:25.679 And and I got to that point where I I feel I have enough land, I'm able to pay down debt, um, and all those things that were kind of my goal. 00:55:25.760 --> 00:55:34.000 And and so I I've gotten

there, and now I feel pretty confident and happy where I'm at. 00:55:34.239 --> 00:55:38.480 And I don't know if there's too many farmers that will see that point in their life. 00:55:38.639 --> 00:55:43.119 And if if they can't see that point in their life, then then what's their goal? 00:55:43.280 --> 00:55:44.719 What's their their end game? 00:55:44.800 --> 00:55:46.159 Or or is there no end game? 00:55:46.320 --> 00:55:50.000 Is it just I'm going to keep doing this and or keep trying to get bigger? 00:55:50.159 --> 00:55:52.000 And is is that feasible? 00:55:52.159 --> 00:55:58.400 And and will you ever see that feeling of accomplishment if if that is your end game? 00:55:58.559 --> 00:56:01.599 You know, I've always been goal-oriented. 00:56:01.760 --> 00:56:10.159 I've always felt that in through my life, I have certain points in my life where I want to hit and I want to do things, and I think that's that's just maybe the way I'm built. 00:56:10.320 --> 00:56:18.960 So I I really love your discussion on on happiness, and I I don't take it as a complacency. 00:56:20.239 --> 00:56:27.519 Has your interaction and success on social media helped you distill what happiness is for you now? 00:56:32.079 --> 00:56:34.239 I don't know if it's changed that part of it. 00:56:34.320 --> 00:56:47.840 I I think I've always had that ideal, kind of where I needed to be, and and kind of I think having a good support system behind you, like a like my family is is number one, right? 00:56:47.920 --> 00:56:55.039 And having that, that's probably had more of an effect on my definition of happiness, I think. 00:56:55.199 --> 00:57:20.079 Um but I think some of the people, like I said, that I've met through social media has maybe changed that a bit because you see kind of the things they've accomplished or done, and and you feel like you know that might be something you want to strive to be better in a certain way or do certain things, and and so that in turn could give you more happiness, maybe too. 00:57:20.400 --> 00:57:30.719 So in that way, I think maybe social media has, but it's more the people I've met through social media has affected it, not social media itself. 00:57:30.880 --> 00:57:39.199 I think it's it's opened up a whole group of people to me that I never would have had an opportunity to meet originally. 00:57:39.440 --> 00:57:50.239 And I think that's the difference is I would have been stuck in my own little community or in my own little bubble here, and those are the people would have have affected the way I develop as a person. 00:57:50.880 --> 00:58:09.199 Whereas now I've met these other people and I've interacted with them in person and and had dealings with them, and they've affected the person I am and and and maybe have changed what my definition of happiness is a little bit, that part of it. 00:58:09.519 --> 00:58:26.960 So surrounding yourself with people, it's not always who are like-minded, but it's people that push you to be better

and and and push you to want to accomplish more or to to see kind of their outlook on life and how it changes your outlook. 00:58:27.119 --> 00:58:28.639 I think that's important. 00:58:28.800 --> 00:58:34.559 So, and definitely I have met people that have definitely affected me that way. 00:58:34.880 --> 00:58:39.840 Um and thankfully, some of them I get to I call my friend now, right? 00:58:39.920 --> 00:58:51.840 So it's meeting those people and and now they're your actual friend that you can talk to, and and you have that sounding board and and people that you respect and look up to in a way that now you can call them a friend. 00:58:51.920 --> 00:58:53.119 That's pretty huge, right? 00:58:53.519 --> 00:58:57.679 So yeah, so I'd say to that extent, definitely it has. 00:58:57.920 --> 00:59:04.159 But but I still think personally, I think personal happiness and all those things that go into that. 00:59:04.239 --> 00:59:06.559 It like I say, family's number one. 00:59:06.639 --> 00:59:09.119 It's and I I honestly think it always should be. 00:59:09.199 --> 00:59:14.480 I think you can't get lost in social media and it it can be your life, right? 00:59:14.559 --> 00:59:21.599 It's easy that's easy to happen where you feel that all these people out there are your friends and that, but and the world can pass you by too. 00:59:21.760 --> 00:59:23.679 So you have to balance that as well. 00:59:23.840 --> 00:59:26.559 And and and early on, I think I had a hard time with that. 00:59:26.719 --> 00:59:57.920 I think you especially during COVID, when we were so isolated already, and this was your only, you know, your only outreach, and and so you you really did rely on that group of people, like you might have had your immediate family, one or two or three people around you, but other than that, you didn't have a lot of interactions, so you can really, really, really get right, like right sunk into social media where it's your everything, and it's it can be really tough on your mental health. 00:59:58.079 --> 01:00:05.840 I think you still need that personal interaction and look talking to people and and getting out there and living your life, right? 01:00:06.000 --> 01:00:10.320 So I definitely seen it during then, but I think I I don't think I was the only person that saw that. 01:00:10.400 --> 01:00:15.119 I think there was quite a few people during that time that it ended up being their total outlet, right? 01:00:15.199 --> 01:00:27.039 That was everything, and and um it took a while after that to maybe shake out of that and realize that hey, there's a real life out there that I shouldn't, it's not that's not my everything. 01:00:27.119 --> 01:00:37.840 And so, and people around you, your family and friends are are a lot of times that that person who maybe says, Hey, like you need to be more engaged. 01:00:37.920 --> 01:00:38.719 Why are you on your phone? 01:00:38.880 --> 01:00:42.400 We're having we're sitting here having a coffee, and why are you

on your phone right now? 01:00:42.559 --> 01:00:46.719 Like, and I had friends that would do that in family that would say, Hey, like, get off your phone. 01:00:46.880 --> 01:00:49.920 So during those times, I just took all social media off my phone. 01:00:50.079 --> 01:00:51.599 Like, I needed to purge, right? 01:00:51.679 --> 01:01:03.840 And then it's a good thing to do every once in a while, is just just shut it all off because it's until you do that, you don't realize how much you're reverting back to that in your in your boredom, or just it becomes habit. 01:01:04.000 --> 01:01:11.039 And so it can become a a lot, and you might rely on that for your your happiness almost. 01:01:11.119 --> 01:01:19.440 You revert back to it too much, so it's important to shake yourself out of that, and like I say, just delete it right off your phone because it's such an easy thing to just go to. 01:01:19.599 --> 01:01:26.400 You're sitting there and you got a you got 30 seconds, and you're like, oh, I'm gonna bring my phone up and look, right? 01:01:28.159 --> 01:01:36.639 It you shouldn't fill the empty moments with social media, you should fill those empty moments with a discussion with a neighbor or a friend or somebody sitting across the table with you. 01:01:36.719 --> 01:01:38.800 Those are those are the moments you won't get back. 01:01:39.039 --> 01:01:43.519 Social media will always be there, but those people sitting across from you might not always be there. 01:01:43.599 --> 01:01:46.079 So that's an important message, too. 01:01:49.599 --> 01:01:51.519 Did you read what I wrote this morning? 01:01:51.599 --> 01:01:54.480 Because it sounded like what I wrote this morning. 01:01:54.880 --> 01:01:55.440 Is it? 01:01:56.079 --> 01:01:56.719 Wow. 01:01:57.280 --> 01:01:58.559 That's pretty profound. 01:01:58.800 --> 01:02:03.360 Interact with the people you have, not the people you do don't in social media. 01:02:03.760 --> 01:02:05.280 That's pretty powerful, John. 01:02:07.760 --> 01:02:13.039 Well, it's important, I think, because when you lose people around you, you realize those moments that you lost, right? 01:02:13.199 --> 01:02:16.079 So yeah, I think it's important for sure. 01:02:16.800 --> 01:02:27.760 And we can lose, we can define lose as both finite as in death, as in we've offended, we've pushed away, we've ignored. 01:02:28.239 --> 01:02:28.719 Mm-hmm. 01:02:29.280 --> 01:02:37.199 Yeah, those lost opportunities, those lost moments when you could have interacted with somebody who who knows what you'd gain from that conversation, right? 01:02:37.280 --> 01:02:54.960 In person, you're you're sitting at a group of five people at a table and in the in a lounge somewhere at a farm conference, and and you revert back to your phone instead of having that discussion with that person beside you who potentially could be someone who you could learn from, or you could maybe gain that friendship. 01:02:55.119 --> 01:03:11.679 And I think those friendships are valuable too, and they're always something that I feel I need to cultivate too and are important in life, having those friends and both locally and and then also in the agricultural industry, right? 01:03:11.840 --> 01:03:13.840 And people that I've met. 01:03:14.400 --> 01:03:39.840 I I love going to farm shows and conferences, and and it's those meetings after when you're sitting around a table with people and having those open discussions with people that maybe farm from different areas, or they maybe have different ideas of farming, and and those are really good opportunities to learn and uh to meet someone new that you might learn something from, or like I say, gain that friendship maybe. 01:03:42.480 --> 01:03:46.880 Has your social media success changed the way that you walk through a farm show? 01:03:49.039 --> 01:03:49.679 Yeah. 01:03:52.559 --> 01:03:54.800 It is, and it depends on the farm show. 01:03:54.960 --> 01:04:01.440 Some like our local one in Red Deer is of course there's a lot of local people, so you end up seeing lots of people. 01:04:01.760 --> 01:04:30.480 But uh my family always find it funny when we're somewhere and and someone will have a come up and start talking to me, and they're like, oh, we know you from Twitter, or we know you from whatever YouTube, or I watch your videos and stuff, and it's the family, they always get a good laugh about it, and I kind of look over at them and they're smiling, and I'm trying to have a conversation still because you want to have that good conversation if people take the time to come talk to you, right? 01:04:30.559 --> 01:04:42.480 So, but definitely at a farm show a lot of times because it is ag related, and a lot of the people I either follow or they follow me, or whatever, and so you'll run into lots of people, and it it makes the farm show a lot of fun for me. 01:04:42.559 --> 01:04:55.840 I enjoy it walking through and just getting stopped or whatever and having a good discussion with people, and it's important to take the time and have that talk, and and I enjoy it as well, so it makes it easy. 01:04:55.920 --> 01:05:11.679 So yeah, I I love it when people come up and say, Hey, I know you from whatever and stuff, and then you ask where they're from, and and then normally I know who they are from their Twitter handle or their you know Instagram handle or whatever, and I'll just like, oh yeah, no, I know you, and yeah, just to recognize that. 01:05:11.760 --> 01:05:13.840 And yeah, I think that's important. 01:05:14.000 --> 01:05:15.920 So it has made it more fun, definitely for me. 01:05:16.000 --> 01:05:23.199 And and afterwards, a lot of times I'll meet up with people after at nights or whatever, and we'll go for a drink or whatever, have a visit. 01:05:23.280 --> 01:05:26.159 And and those are it's kind of cool to meet people in person. 01:05:26.320 --> 01:05:29.519 So yeah, it's lots of fun. 01:05:30.079 --> 01:05:32.800 Yeah, it's kind of changed the way I

walk through farm shows too. 01:05:32.880 --> 01:05:36.559 It's like the first pass-through is for me, I want to find this information. 01:05:36.639 --> 01:05:39.039 The second pass-through is there anybody I want to interview? 01:05:39.199 --> 01:05:40.960 And the third pass-through is social. 01:05:42.960 --> 01:05:43.599 Yep. 01:05:43.920 --> 01:05:48.880 Yeah, I think a lot of the the shows they miss out on that opportunity to promote that a little bit more. 01:05:48.960 --> 01:05:58.000 I've I've really pushed our local one to um do more, and I like I've got on the um advisory board now for our local um farm show. 01:05:58.079 --> 01:05:59.760 So that's one of the things I want to promote. 01:06:00.320 --> 01:06:24.400 Is and then talk about at the meetings is like how can we to pull in that success of ag social media into the farm show and and making it more interactive for people so that when they come there they they feel more part of it and able to share that and want to share more because it it's honestly at our local one, there's not a lot of sharing of the farm show on social media and getting that word out. 01:06:24.559 --> 01:06:35.599 It's free advertising, like people putting that out there because it reaches other people, and people say, Hey, we need to go to that farm show, or the the local dealers might be, hey, look at all the traction this is getting. 01:06:35.679 --> 01:06:39.840 Maybe we need to get a booth there and maybe get the word out about our product or whatever, right? 01:06:40.000 --> 01:06:42.159 And all those things are good advertising. 01:06:42.239 --> 01:06:46.639 And if you can include that, you have all of this um available free advertising. 01:06:46.719 --> 01:06:52.880 And and our industry embraces social media, it really does the industry. 01:06:52.960 --> 01:06:59.360 So so if we can include that in the farm show, I think it would be a good way to um promote both, right? 01:06:59.440 --> 01:07:02.639 People would enjoy it, plus the the farm show would benefit from it. 01:07:02.800 --> 01:07:04.159 So yeah. 01:07:04.880 --> 01:07:07.679 Yes, we definitely do embrace social media. 01:07:07.920 --> 01:07:17.679 And uh next week is probably I don't know, you call it the most fun week in USA with the Pro Farmer Crop Tour. 01:07:18.159 --> 01:07:27.440 And it watching that on social media and how it's grown and and how things are shared is just one example of how we've embraced social media. 01:07:29.440 --> 01:07:30.559 Yeah, it's interesting. 01:07:30.639 --> 01:07:42.239 Yeah, you can when you extend the reach of something like that where they're posting daily and and multiple posts, it reaches a lot of people, and it's it does become interesting to watch, right? 01:07:42.320 --> 01:07:51.440 And how people react to different things, and you you really go through all the comments and and stuff too, just because you're interested to see what other people are saying. 01:07:51.519 --> 01:07:59.039 So I think that's a really good example of a a good positive thing that that raises conversation. 01:07:59.119 --> 01:08:08.480 I know some of the comments can be quite interesting too on there, but that adds that that adds to the to the um entertainment value a bit. 01:08:08.639 --> 01:08:12.639 But even us up in Canada watch that and get a good chuckle. 01:08:12.719 --> 01:08:13.360 So yeah. 01:08:13.599 --> 01:08:13.920 Oh yeah. 01:08:14.079 --> 01:08:18.960 Trespass tour 2026, uh don't step a foot on my farm. 01:08:19.119 --> 01:08:25.600 You do the the USDA confirmation tour, you know, add a whatever hashtag you want. 01:08:25.920 --> 01:08:27.279 Yeah, yeah, it's interesting. 01:08:27.359 --> 01:08:30.000 But it like I say, it just adds to the entertainment value of it. 01:08:30.800 --> 01:08:33.920 Really um they get a lot of interaction on that one for sure. 01:08:35.920 --> 01:08:44.239 Well, John, when I asked you to be on the uh podcast, I thought we were gonna talk about the differences between US ag and and Canada ag. 01:08:44.720 --> 01:08:51.119 And as we talked, it sounds to me that there's not much that divides us. 01:08:51.279 --> 01:08:57.760 Sure, the crops are different, maybe some equipment's different, but deep down a farmer's still just a farmer. 01:08:58.000 --> 01:08:59.840 Hashtag real farmer, right? 01:09:00.239 --> 01:09:01.920 Yeah, regular farmer. 01:09:02.159 --> 01:09:02.720 Regular farmer. 01:09:04.560 --> 01:09:06.000 Real farmer would have been a good one, too. 01:09:06.319 --> 01:09:08.079 Oh, that would have been too controversial. 01:09:08.399 --> 01:09:09.039 Yeah. 01:09:09.840 --> 01:09:13.039 But yeah, for sure, we're there isn't a lot of difference, really. 01:09:13.119 --> 01:09:18.960 It's like I say, I've talked to a few different farmers down in the US and and that too, as well, and and we're very similar. 01:09:19.199 --> 01:09:22.319 Um we face a lot of the same issues. 01:09:22.560 --> 01:09:32.640 I think um, like you say, the crops are different and uh the agronomy might be a little different, but as far as the challenges we face are very similar. 01:09:32.880 --> 01:09:40.479 We're all wanting to feed our family and wanting to do the best we can on the farm and and be good stewards of the land and all that stuff. 01:09:40.720 --> 01:09:49.039 But um a lot of times our governments try to pit us against each other, and that's just part of politics. 01:09:49.199 --> 01:10:00.640 So I think it's important as individuals that we know that we're not that different, that we can we can work together and really complement each other as far as the things we produce. 01:10:00.800 --> 01:10:04.720 And we're a lot of times we're not direct competitors. 01:10:04.880 --> 01:10:06.720 Let's face it, we grow different crops. 01:10:06.880 --> 01:10:12.880 We they might have similar uses, but a lot of times they're very specific, the uses of what we grow. 01:10:13.039 --> 01:10:20.800 Like what when I grow canola oil, like

canola oil and soy oil and palm oil and all those, they all have specific uses. 01:10:20.960 --> 01:10:37.039 They might be interchangeable in some things, but really at the end of the day, they're they're specific to certain things and and and can all work together, and we don't have to feel that, oh, we're against, you know, we don't want to see the US farmer succeed or to do well or to profit. 01:10:37.119 --> 01:10:44.239 It's not like that, and it shouldn't be like that, because the success of agriculture should be the world. 01:10:44.479 --> 01:10:49.520 It's it's not Canada, it's not US, it's not Europe, it's it's the whole world. 01:10:49.600 --> 01:10:51.039 Like we all have to. 01:10:51.600 --> 01:11:05.279 We're such a base industry, and we're such an important industry um producing food and producing things that are so needed throughout the world that competing across borders seems trivial. 01:11:06.560 --> 01:11:12.319 So we're so needed we've uh become taken for granted. 01:11:15.840 --> 01:11:17.840 Yes, to a certain extent for sure. 01:11:18.000 --> 01:11:19.439 Yeah, I think so. 01:11:19.600 --> 01:11:26.560 Um but a lot of times I think our governments and people see the value in agriculture. 01:11:26.640 --> 01:11:33.520 We we've we've gotten advantages because of that, and and in Canada and the US, it's it's prevalent. 01:11:33.680 --> 01:11:49.359 Like what the we do get certain concessions, and it's because people understand the value of it and the fact that we are price takers and that we we can't set our price, and if we could it would be horrific for the economy. 01:11:49.680 --> 01:12:00.560 Like we you think about it as a base industry, you you look at them the monopoly we hold as food growers, like as the people that produce it. 01:12:00.880 --> 01:12:08.720 In a way, we could bring down the economy if we wanted to price the way we wanted to price, right? 01:12:08.960 --> 01:12:17.119 So I think even though people might look at it and say, oh, these farmers are getting these concessions here, here, and here from the government, they're getting this money or whatever. 01:12:17.359 --> 01:12:23.359 The fact of the matter is, is that's basically to help offset some of our costs because we can't set our prices. 01:12:23.600 --> 01:12:25.920 We we are stuck and we are price takers. 01:12:26.079 --> 01:12:33.039 And some years when input costs are through the roof, it can be tough. 01:12:34.239 --> 01:12:35.840 And we're day-to-day. 01:12:36.319 --> 01:12:42.159 And so I think government and a lot of the people out there, consumers, see the value in that. 01:12:42.239 --> 01:12:47.039 And I think probably the silent majority see it. 01:12:48.000 --> 01:13:02.079 We'll get the comments from that vocal minority that like to hear themselves talk sometimes and and push the kind of their agenda that agriculture is is horrible and that they're all just a bunch of corporate farms and making all this money. 01:13:02.159 --> 01:13:07.039 And the fact of the matter is we all know, us that are in it, know that it's it's not like that. 01:13:07.199 --> 01:13:24.800 The majority of us are family farms and and we're just trying to put food on the table, and and so once again, that vocal minority it's important for us to maybe offset that conversation with the truth. 01:13:25.039 --> 01:13:32.479 And that's maybe our responsibility as farmers to step up, and that's maybe part of my motivation. 01:13:34.720 --> 01:13:38.640 I I I love that as a as a mantra. 01:13:39.199 --> 01:13:46.800 Step up and share so that we can combat that vocal minority that thinks that they know better than we do. 01:13:48.399 --> 01:13:48.880 Mm-hmm. 01:13:49.760 --> 01:13:51.199 Oh, we've seen it lots. 01:13:51.439 --> 01:13:51.840 Oh, yeah. 01:13:52.079 --> 01:14:03.279 Like it's they they really do get a lot of traction and and can be detrimental to uh us as farmers because I hear it all the time from people that oh, you mean it's not this way? 01:14:03.520 --> 01:14:10.000 But that's not what I read, or that's not what I saw on social media or on Facebook or whatever, right? 01:14:10.079 --> 01:14:12.319 It's that's not the the message I'm hearing. 01:14:12.640 --> 01:14:13.600 You must be lying. 01:14:13.680 --> 01:14:19.439 And it's like, okay, I guess I gotta prove myself here and let's start showing some of the information. 01:14:19.600 --> 01:14:28.960 And you and I've learned too, you can't throw stats at people, you have to physically show them things and do a video of it or whatever it is. 01:14:29.119 --> 01:14:32.000 Like the proof is in the pudding, too, right? 01:14:32.079 --> 01:14:34.800 You put it out there, and that's this is what I'm doing. 01:14:34.960 --> 01:14:45.279 This is the practice that I'm doing, and even though you're being told this, that's them with their agenda, and yeah, this is me sharing exactly what I'm doing. 01:14:45.439 --> 01:14:46.720 So yeah. 01:14:51.439 --> 01:14:58.319 Yeah, sharing exactly what you're doing is probably more powerful than any stat or any scientific discussion you could have. 01:14:59.680 --> 01:15:00.159 Mm-hmm. 01:15:00.720 --> 01:15:13.279 Yeah, throwing stats at people, they just shut you down, or they start throwing out their article from some unknown newspaper that has no reputation that, oh, look at this. 01:15:13.439 --> 01:15:14.800 This article says this. 01:15:15.039 --> 01:15:18.479 And it's just like, yeah, but that's not really reputable. 01:15:18.560 --> 01:15:20.800 And the New York Times said this. 01:15:20.880 --> 01:15:22.399 Yeah, there's your counter right there. 01:15:22.720 --> 01:15:23.039 Oh yeah. 01:15:23.680 --> 01:15:25.199 That's usually the end of the discussion. 01:15:25.359 --> 01:15:25.680 Yeah. 01:15:25.920 --> 01:15:26.239 Yeah. 01:15:26.560 --> 01:15:28.720 Interaction over blocked. 01:15:29.680 --> 01:15:30.319 Yep. 01:15:30.800 --> 01:15:31.279 Very good. 01:15:31.520 --> 01:15:33.119 Yeah,

happens a bit too. 01:15:33.840 --> 01:15:41.520 Well, John, we've had a great discussion about uh social media and how it's changed your life and helped you define happiness. 01:15:41.840 --> 01:15:51.119 Let's uh jump into my last five questions and see how your answers north of the border are different than what we have here on the south of the border. 01:15:51.279 --> 01:15:56.319 Oh so John, what's one lesson that you take from ag that you use every day? 01:15:57.600 --> 01:15:58.239 Hmm. 01:16:00.000 --> 01:16:05.039 I think realize that if if you don't do the work, nobody's going to do it. 01:16:05.119 --> 01:16:13.119 And so for me as a person who farms by themselves, it's not like, oh, I I don't have to go do that today because so-and-so is going to do it. 01:16:13.279 --> 01:16:21.760 And so I carry that into my personal life that oh, there's I see something that needs to be done, and I just do it. 01:16:22.000 --> 01:16:25.760 It's just I'm I don't depend on other people to do those jobs. 01:16:25.920 --> 01:16:32.800 If if you're at a community function and the chairs need to be stacked, you do it. 01:16:32.960 --> 01:16:34.479 It's it's a job that has to be done. 01:16:34.640 --> 01:16:40.159 If I don't do it, somebody else is going to have to do it, or it might not get done, so I just step up and do it. 01:16:40.239 --> 01:16:55.279 And I think that's that's probably one of the biggest lessons that I learned from farming personally that I can bring into my own life is that those things are important and you just need to step up and and and do things. 01:16:55.439 --> 01:17:02.479 If there's a job in the community, you step up and you do it because don't depend on other people to do it for you. 01:17:02.640 --> 01:17:04.960 Like you you need to be involved. 01:17:05.039 --> 01:17:12.720 And it's something I took from, like I say, on the farm, I have a list in my head, I see things and I I add to that list and know I need to do it. 01:17:12.800 --> 01:17:16.720 And some days the lists can be massive, and you just chip away at it. 01:17:16.800 --> 01:17:24.479 And it's just knowing that if I don't do it, nobody's gonna do it, and I take that into my own personal life when we're I'm away from the farm, too. 01:17:24.640 --> 01:17:28.319 So just do it. 01:17:28.880 --> 01:17:29.520 Thank you, Nike. 01:17:29.840 --> 01:17:30.319 Just do it. 01:17:30.560 --> 01:17:32.399 Nike should be doing that one, yeah. 01:17:32.640 --> 01:17:33.840 Yes, exactly. 01:17:34.079 --> 01:17:39.039 Uh if you could have coffee with any historical figure in agriculture, who would it be? 01:17:42.079 --> 01:17:52.720 Um well, there's a few that come to mind right off the top, like a Norman Borlog, guys like that that were such an important part of our industry. 01:17:52.960 --> 01:17:57.760 And um anybody from history. 01:18:00.640 --> 01:18:17.760 I think I'd want to like back in the Ukraine, I'd like to talk with my great-grandparents and back there and see kind of what they were going through with in their lives back then and and um the challenges that they saw. 01:18:17.920 --> 01:18:19.199 I think that would be interesting. 01:18:19.359 --> 01:18:40.800 I I love history and being able to have that connection directly with your family at that point in time and and seeing kind of where you personally came from too, as well, because I obviously that was a big thing to why I ended up in Canada and and and what happened and how that all turned out. 01:18:40.960 --> 01:19:03.600 And so that would be kind of neat to have that conversation and just see what their lives were like back then and and the challenges, and maybe add some perspective to kind of what the challenges that we're going through right now, and it would probably be like a lot of the things that I find challenging are kind of meaningless compared to some of the challenges that they were going through at that point in time back in the 1800s or whatever it was, right? 01:19:03.680 --> 01:19:06.880 In Europe, and so that would be an interesting conversation, I think. 01:19:07.039 --> 01:19:15.760 So what is one quirky or underappreciated thing about ag you wished more people understood? 01:19:19.439 --> 01:19:20.079 Hmm. 01:19:21.840 --> 01:19:40.640 I think more of maybe how much farmers are a jack of all trades, maybe of how much all of the different things we do in a day, like all of the different little jobs that we have that we have to kind of like we're almost like we're a master of none, though is the problem. 01:19:40.800 --> 01:19:47.039 It's like you like no welder thinks they can farm, but every farmer thinks they are a good welder. 01:19:47.279 --> 01:19:53.359 It's like really, but but no, we we do have to do a lot of there's a lot of different things we do in a day. 01:19:53.439 --> 01:19:55.119 Like I it's it's crazy. 01:19:55.279 --> 01:20:00.880 The start of the day I'll have a plan in my head of what I'm all doing, and I'll do a hundred other different jobs that day. 01:20:00.960 --> 01:20:10.319 And I'm electrician, I'm a welder, I'm a carpenter, I'm you know, I'm a mechanic, I'm I'm doing all of those things and how many different little little things we have to do as a farmer. 01:20:10.399 --> 01:20:32.880 And in that I think that would be interesting to a lot of people who are more um maybe pinpointed in in their expertise and what they do in a day, and it adds to maybe some of the the challenges, but also to to some of the fun we can have as a farmer because we don't do the same thing all the time and it makes it more interesting. 01:20:33.039 --> 01:20:37.279 So I think that would be interesting for people outside of our industry to see. 01:20:41.680 --> 01:20:42.319 Yeah. 01:20:43.199 --> 01:20:47.119 What is your favorite ag related tool, product, or innovation? 01:20:48.880 --> 01:20:49.840 GPS. 01:20:50.239 --> 01:20:51.199 Auto Steer. 01:20:52.079 --> 01:21:11.439 By far, I don't think anything will match the the amount of time and and stress and and um how much uh productivity increase that we've seen from Auto Steer and how it's made everybody a perfect operator almost to a certain extent because you can concentrate on other things. 01:21:11.600 --> 01:21:21.199 And it used to be you're worried about straight rows and and when you're cutting crop or whatever, you had to be perfectly straight and trying to deal with that and not watching other things. 01:21:21.279 --> 01:21:23.359 And it's just added so much. 01:21:23.439 --> 01:21:32.239 And I honestly don't think we'll ever see anything even close to that, as far as how much it's changed our industry. 01:21:32.399 --> 01:21:38.880 So it was a huge thing because I farmed enough before it to know the challenges in spraying a crop, right? 01:21:39.039 --> 01:21:48.720 Following the foam marker or the disc marker, and and how much you missed or overlapped and all of the consequences of that, right? 01:21:48.800 --> 01:21:53.600 So so yeah, for sure it's made made life a lot nicer. 01:21:54.000 --> 01:21:54.800 Definitely. 01:21:55.359 --> 01:21:59.760 What is one small change that could make a big impact on AG's future? 01:22:06.880 --> 01:22:32.800 I think um we've seen government policy affect farming and agriculture so much that I think having a group in place in our countries that enforce policy that is helping farmers and helping us more as being able to do what we need to do to farm and understand our industry more. 01:22:32.880 --> 01:22:44.319 So policy that's more um driven to helping farmers instead of putting roadblocks in place, I think would be a big thing for farming. 01:22:44.479 --> 01:22:50.159 So that would be the probably the biggest change, biggest thing I could see affecting farming. 01:22:52.800 --> 01:22:57.359 Well, I can say that's the first time I've ever had policy watchdog as an answer. 01:23:00.319 --> 01:23:00.800 Good job. 01:23:00.960 --> 01:23:01.680 Well, John thank you. 01:23:03.119 --> 01:23:03.840 There you go. 01:23:04.079 --> 01:23:07.439 Well, John, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule. 01:23:07.760 --> 01:23:24.560 I love how our conversation went different places, but how common uh the commonality between uh the Canadian farmer and you, the Alberta breeze on the the windswept prairies of Alberta, and how it's awful common to what I'm doing here in northeast Indiana. 01:23:24.640 --> 01:23:26.720 So thanks for joining us on the patio. 01:23:27.359 --> 01:23:28.960 You bet it's been fun, Joe.