Garrett Ruskamp brings back some real bad memories with this photo. The summer between my sophomore and junior year, my mom shipped me off to Nebraska to live with my cousins.
Their dad forced us to get a job detasseling.
Now all I see is 4 a.m. alarms, bumpy bus rides to the middle of nowhere, ponchos and cobwebs in the morning, sunburns and chafing in the afternoon.
Has anyone ever worked harder for $4.75 an hour? Doubt it.
I still have nightmares about missing too many tassels and getting stuck with the Rookies instead of making the Studs Crew.
Anyways.
Read on for my Pioneer Farmer review.
According to Garrett, these are the most common (and costly) mistakes family farm operations make.
Issue #1: No Clear Balance Sheet
You’re just guessing at what you can borrow or leverage from the bank. Decisions are being made based on old information.
With no real way to gauge whether your operation is moving forward or falling behind, you’re flying blind.
Are you actually getting ahead? Or is the uncertainty keeping you up at night?
Issue #2: No Accurate Cash Flow
Who knows your operation better than you? Your banker?
Garrett sure as shit doesn’t think so.
Yet you’re relying on them to map out your cash flow? Or just going by what your bank balance says? Pssh.
Without precise cash flow projections, you’re barreling down a gravel road at 70 miles per hour – hoping there’s nothing waiting on the other side of that hill.
Issue #3: Not Knowing Your Breakeven
You don’t know the true profitability of each enterprise.
Which means your pricing and selling decisions aren’t based on math – they’re based on vibes.
And that never ends well.
Issue #4: Lack of Financial Knowledge
You struggle with banking terms, making it hard to communicate with lenders.
And guess who pays the price? You, when the bank says no.
This leaves you feeling powerless in your own business, doesn’t it?
Issue #5: Time Management
You’re probably great at farming or ranching. But how are you at prioritizing your time?
Garrett would bet you’re too busy working in your business to step back and work on your business.
So, how do we break this cycle?
Garrett wants to work with you to achieve three things:
- Clarity over each of these issues.
- Confidence in your numbers and decisions.
- Accountability – so you don’t slip back into your old ways.
And it all happens inside Pioneer Farmer, a business coaching program that hooks farmers and ranchers up with the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to run their operations like a pro.
By the way, Garrett doesn’t just sell you the secrets.
He’s a fifth-generation farmer from rural Nebraska, where my detasseling nightmares began.
A husband and father of four (looks like).
He’s made all five mistakes himself, lived the endless cycle of barely surviving, figured it out, and came out the other side – a better man, and a better farmer.
Now he’s on a mission to help hardworking people like you take back control and pioneer a new path to financial success.
With his six-step roadmap and plug-and-play software, he’s confident he can help you do exactly that.
But it’s up to you.
Are you gonna change your trajectory, or just close your laptop, head back outside, and do more of the same?
Garrett conveniently skips over the price and nudges you to book a call before talking numbers.
If you’re not ready to commit just yet, he’s got the Pioneer Mindset podcast and the Pioneer Farmer newsletter – both solid ways to get familiar before taking the leap.
As for me?
I just hope detasselers are making more these days.
Or do they have some drone now that zips through the fields, yanking tassels so teens can lounge in the A/C and scroll TikTok all summer?