Pioneer Mindset: The Hard Truth About Bringing the Next Generation Back to the Operation
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Reference: Podcast Corner
Episode 123: The Hard Truth About Bringing the Next Generation Back to the Operation
June 16, 2026 | Pioneer Mindset Podcast | with Garrett Ruskamp
HComing from the son of the father who tried to get his son back to the operation, it's a tough thing to wrap your head around that if it wasn't for me, the farm would not have had to endure such hardships. But also, if it wasn't for me, the farm would not have survived.
In this episode, I take you back through the full story of our operation.Where we were before I came back to the farm, the expansion that changed everything, the debt that piled up, and the rooms I sat in that I never want to sit in again. The attorney. The banker. The farm crisis hotline. My wife. My parents. All of us trying to figure out if the Ruskamp legacy was going to make it to the fifth generation.
I'm not sharing this to point fingers or earn sympathy. I'm sharing it because somebody listening to this right now is in the same room I was in. And they need to hear that no one is coming to save them and that's actually okay. Because life happens for you, not to you.
Key points from this week's episode:
- Know your numbers before you bring the next generation back, not after
- The workload conversation and the financial conversation are not the same thing
- Expanding too fast without the right structure can snowball in ways you don't see coming
- No one is coming to save you. Ownership is what turns things around.
- Life happens for you, not to you. That mindset shift changes everything.
- The hardships are what make you, don't waste them
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Welcome to Pioneer Mindset! A podcast for rural ag business owners who want to challenge their mindset and address the discomfort in their business and personal lives by finding clarity resulting in bold conviction. Your host, Garrett Ruskamp, is a 5th generation farmer, husband and father from rural Nebraska. In the last 10 years of farming, he has experienced many challenges that business owners face on a day to day basis that stem from disorganization and being financially unaware. He understands the weight of uncertainty that comes from operating in a state of mind triggered by these struggles. Join Garrett as he shares his journey of the struggles he's faced in agriculture as a farmer and family man. He will dive into honest conversations to tackle the mindsets surrounding these issues, that will ultimately help you gain control leading to a profitable and sustainable business.
Resources & Links:
To learn more about how I can help you achieve financial clarity and confidence through essential tools and systems, check out my free training here!
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