Zoe Kent
Appearances
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
But, like, simply will just never be happy with anything. And you have to just ignore those people and roll your eyes. But, I mean, majority of people I interact with, I mean, they're all good actors. They... Normal. Normal people.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I know. I know. I'm like, what? I very much try to go for, like, the family-friendly version. I could go. I could go. Not sexual. That's not in my wheelhouse. But, I mean, I could cuss. I could have a mouth like Tony Reid.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
The scary thing is, dude, that's like the one thing that's very inauthentic about my page. It's like the F word is my favorite word.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
So, yeah, I always try to break it down, like because I don't want to just think like, oh, people are mean and evil. I'm like, where are they coming from? And this is my theory. I'm not saying I'm correct. But my thought is there are just some guys who grew up in agriculture that are like, I am a blue collar boy. I work hard to provide for my family. And they really, they take pride in that.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And then they see me five foot two blonde girl doing the same job as them. And I think it like deeply triggers something in them that it's like, well, wait, maybe my job isn't so masculine and tough because if she's doing it and then rather than being like, oh, Maybe it's not so tough and rough and she can do it. They automatically have to think there's no way she knows what she's doing.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
There's no way that she's really doing this. That's my thought.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. And I think it's subconscious. I don't think they're actively like knowing where these thoughts are coming up. That's my theory. Yeah. Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I never get on there. I never get on there. I don't either. And for some reason, I don't know. I got on and it was like the first thing I saw, it was like my little name on a thing. And it was like, I hate these people. Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
They don't really farm.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Well, it's like, you know, we didn't apply for this. I got an email that was like, hey, can you attend this thing? And I wasn't available. And it was, like, just so much vitriol. And I was like, I don't know. My name was just put on a list. Yes.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I just don't go on there because I can't spell to save my life, and literally all it is is text. It's my worst nightmare.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
It works pretty well. I need that. What I do is I always just send things to my mom. I'm like, hey, can you look at this real quick? Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
people that farm that go i work hard and they see us like well they're making money influencing or whatever and now you're a woman doing it well and like i was given everything you know supposedly because eighth generation you know and i i was able to to buy my dad out at a very young age i think there's also farmers who their dads have never given up the reins and you know they're fighting it at 50 and 60 to have some of that control and then so then it's like
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
well, why does she get to have this? And I can see where that comes from. I'm definitely very jealous of a lot of people for a lot of things.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, well, that's something I always kind of think when people are like, oh, well, you know, you're getting all this government money, blah, blah, blah, blah. Or if you, you know, it's not fair you get all these deductions. You can do it too. I mean, you can go do it too.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, so there was a couple different things. And I will say, when I was starting out, it was like, hey, it'd be really cool if I could make money doing this. I think there's a lot of creators who don't admit that. They're like, no, no, no, I'm here just to... I don't know, be a good steward or whatever, share the message of agriculture.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And I do believe in sharing the message of agriculture, but like there was definitely a part of me that was like, but it'd be really cool if I could get paid. Um, so I, I started in June of 2021. My friend Justin was on teacher TikTok and we were at a wedding. There was a Brutus who was marrying a cheerleader and, um,
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I was just asking him about it and he was like it'd be really cool if you did farming because like most of my friends in college that did not come from farms and they thought it was like this really niche interesting thing and of course like I grew up in it I'm like it's kind of what I do and I didn't know about farm talk I was like simply not on the right algorithms I guess and so I started posting on there and
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
it what I've posted kind of changed over time you know sometimes it's just like silly stuff and I just like whenever I'm at work trying to come up with like a funny angle for whatever we're doing it kind of makes me feel like a little bit more creative and when I came back to the farm I was hanging out with two guys all day every day that were over 50 years old and you know they're in the kind of later half of the careers and I just didn't
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
my dad and our employee Donnie at the time, you know, they weren't my, there was, there was people I was missing out on a connection with. And once I started posting online, I found a whole bunch of other people that I was able to connect with. And I really found a lot of benefits from that. And, um, my goal is never to be like, look at me. I'm a role model for children.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
But like when people send me those messages that are like, Hey, my daughter watches you and she wants to come back to the farm or school. I saw you doing this and I realized like, Oh, I should start trucking too. If Zoe can figure out the 30, 20, then I can probably also figure it out. And you know, those things are just, it, it feels really rewarding. It's probably one of those things.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
It's like, you know, a non-monetary reason to keep going and, Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
No, first of all, he's like, I don't want to be in any of this. Leave me alone. He finds the whole thing very interesting. He does not want to be involved. He worked on a pumpkin farm when he was in high school. And so he knows how to drive a tractor and he has no interest in me ever growing pumpkins because he just hated picking up the rotten ones. But he's done tillage for me.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
He's really good at picking me up and like transporting and stuff like that. The way it was modeled for me growing up, my mom worked off the farm and my dad worked on the farm. It was never like she was expected to help or like she needed to be there or anything like that. And they just had their separate businesses. And so I've never felt like I want Tanner to be a part of the farm side of things.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Because I want to be in charge. This is my thing. This is my baby. And I think it's good to not have to rely on help from... I have my hourly employees that help spring and fall. And it's like, okay, so if I've gone down the list of them and none of them can help, then it'll be terrible. Can you please go work this field? I don't know. And also, we met in college.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
He was getting a very specific degree for something. He's always wanted to do that. He is...
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, he's a user experience designer, and that's what he was meant for. That's what he should be doing.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And I don't think there's a right or a wrong. And also, I'll add this too. Growing up on the farm, it was never expected that we worked on the farm. It was very much like I was just interested and I just enjoyed doing it. And I just wanted to be there. It wasn't forced. And Yeah, I don't know. I guess that was just like how I grew up, the way it was.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And I would definitely say the finance is different than, you know, Tanner's never going to give me input on seed. Okay.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. And my mom, my mom was always the, I don't want to hear about, I don't want to hear about it. And then my dad and I went out and bought a semi and I posted it on Instagram and she was like, wait a second. I'm seeing this here rather than telling me a person. So then it was like, we learned, oh, okay. If, if it's a big purchase.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Well, I would say Tanner is in love with – Tanner loves Beck's because he's been on those vacations. And he's a fan. Oh, yeah. He's a fan. He loves that. But, you know, I – I don't really bring Tanner to things because it's just like... I guess maybe I'm just also independent. But if we're both walking around something and then...
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I'm not giving anyone the opportunity to try to talk to him about farming rather than me. I'm not giving them the, oh, talk to my wife about this, because he's not there.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
No, he came from, like, a very hardworking family. I mean, he has, like, a work ethic like no other.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. Yeah, no, we do not live in the same state. No, he gets so mad when I say we don't live together. He gets so frustrated. And it's also, I always say, his D.C. apartment rather than, and I'm supposed to say our D.C. apartment. Our D.C. apartment. Because he doesn't want to feel like he's abandoning me in Ohio. But no, his job he got in 2020, he was temporarily designated as remote.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And then he needed to go back into the office. And it just made more sense financially for him to go into the office in D.C. rather than get a different job in Ohio. And... our just lifestyle has allowed him to be able to do that. So it's been, it's been fun, but yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
He flies. It's about a six ish drop, six hour drive, but it's funny. I was sitting in line with the load. It's not funny at all. I'm still mad about this. I was sitting in line with a load of corn at our plant and he drove from our house to the airport. And then he took a flight to DC and he was at his apartment watching TV before I left the plant. It was ridiculous.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
But yeah, it's an easy flight. Tickets are not that bad. I mean, you're up and then you're down to get there. And some people think it's like a little wild, but it works.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Uh, 2026. Let's see here. So we're already in 25 now. Um, I don't know. I'm just, I'm more trucks, more people with the way the economy is right now. I'm trying to, I'm really, what I'm doing is I'm trying to look at the big picture.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
So in, since I graduated in 2017 till now, it's been very much, we've been dealing with a lot of things behind the works and it was very much just learning the way that we do things and trying to master it. And now it's looking at the bigger picture and like, Since my dad was getting close to retirement, you know, he simplified things.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And we simplified a lot of things when we unexpectedly lost our employee in a motorcycle accident. And when that happened, we sold our sprayer and we started doing a couple of things differently. And now it's looking at like, okay, we've... I don't want to say come back from that. We've adjusted to a new reality and now looking and saying, okay, well, where can I switch things up?
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
What can I do differently? And trying to do like slowly transition things. So like last year we started doing chicken litter for the first time. I've been really happy with that. I just bought a drone to do my own fungicide spraying for next season. I saw your TikTok on that.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, so it is crazy how many things that you have to get just to be able to fly a drone to spray a crop. I had no idea. I have my commercial applicator test, and I have my Part 107 test for the drone. And now this morning I was working on figuring out my – it's like Class 3 medical. You have to go get examined as if you're a pilot flying a plane.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
It's just lots and lots of hoops to jump through. So, you know – This year I'm focusing on that and I'm also taking a marketing class and just trying to slowly look at everything, figure out why we're doing it and figure out if I can do it cheaper myself, if it makes sense to do it myself.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I was looking at one night, I was like, I feel like three, I'm just deep diving on doing my own soil test and it was like, It was like, well, I could save money here doing this. And then it was like, oh, well, but if I was manually doing it versus I had something rigged up on my gator, blah, blah, blah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I was like looking at all these things and I'm like, okay, this will save me X many dollars a year. This makes no sense to be. My conclusion was that it didn't make sense to be pulling my own soil test for how much I would save doing that versus like, okay, well, what if I'm applying my own fungicide? I can save a lot more on the application cost.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
No, it's funny. So I actually have two grain bins and then plugged our leg in a matter of five minutes. And I think it was like the day after I overflowed the one grain bin, I was like, okay, this is funny. I posted it, which was actually funny because it was the next morning and we'd overflowed it. And then my uncle texts me. He's like, Hey, I have a grain back.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Like you, if you want to go grab it, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, Oh no, no, that was the yesterday's problem. But I should have known, I should have known that he had that available to me. But you know, it was like, it was funny. And the next day it took me a little while to find it funny that I made all those mistakes in that amount of time.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I had to give myself time to build up a little bit of thick skin about it. But those videos always do fantastic.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Well, and I get so stubborn because it's like I don't want to ask for help on certain things for some reason.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
With getting my drone, the guy who I'm working with, his whole thing is that he's like, I will help you every step of the process. Well, OK, I saw like, OK, I need to get my class three. I had so many questions about it, but I was like on chat GBT trying to figure out the answers. And it's like, had I just called him and asked, it would have taken two minutes.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
But no, I was like trying to figure out myself because like how embarrassing to ask which buttons I need to click on this form.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Dave doesn't ever get embarrassed.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Oh, and I think it depends too. Because like, so we're here at this conference and I know nothing about ditchers. I don't feel bad going up to people and be like, hey, I know nothing about this. Please explain this to me like I'm a four-year-old. But, yeah, I don't know. It just depends. I think it also depends on who it is, too. I'm like, I want my drone guy to think I'm smart.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. So last year I put tile on 160 acres. Thank you, Bex. We got that our three-year rewards commitment. We got some ADS tile.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Are you okay?
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
You've been here at this conference?
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. But, yeah, we put in tile last year, and then Rodney Ruth, he's my tile guy, he called me one day, and he's like, hey, this guy named Jason wants your phone number. Is it okay for me to give you your phone number out? I always really appreciate that.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And yeah, they just said, hey, like we saw you were putting in some tile. Do you want to go to this conference? I'm like, yeah, I find this really fascinating and I'm going to have more tile to put in. So make sure I'm doing it right.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yes. Yeah. So the stuff we installed last year.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Oh, so it's so hard to determine. You know, we did have a record crop this year. Really small area specific. Also, like in our area, if you didn't put fungicide on, you were disappointed. And if you did, I mean, I saw like a 30 bushel difference. I mean, that was what really made me be like, I need to always be putting on this fungicide.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
It's hard to show you know it's like okay well was it my seed was it my improved this you know we put on the chicken litter what really caused this yield boost but like definitely we were able to get on the ground faster and there there were wet holes that I know would have drowned out that did well but I mean we put on every 35 foot in one field and you know there's still those wet holes it's not magical tool but you know definitely saw improvement and
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
What I really like is when you have that tile in there, you have more availability to get into that field. And you don't have to wait because, you know, it used to be it's like, okay, well, we'll do all of these fields and then we'll wait on the stuff that's poorly drained to get to it. And then you get to it last and then it's usually just not as good.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Oh, yeah. My dad really, really believes in tile. So, like, fun fact, too, I've never tiled my own ground. I've always tiled rented ground. So, you know, I put in three fields, and that was my dad's ground, and I know some of it won't be going to me. It'll be going to my siblings, but I figured if I'm farming it, I'll see that return, and...
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I paid for it. I don't know if that's fair or not, but, and he ended up paying for, portion of one on the field. So basically we had a neighbor that came to us and they wanted to put a huge main in through some stuff. And for that he said yes but then I had gotten this tile with Bex and so it was like I had some places to install it.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
So we went in together on that one field and I think he for one of the projects he was like okay once you run out of tile I'll pay for that additional little section.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
We have done that too though. We've tiled and then lost the ground.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I would love that. I would love that. Because all of mine are a little bit different, I would say. And I have a lot of landowners who are over...
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
over 85 and into their 90s and a lot of them really want to do short-term one to two year agreements because they're like well i'm gonna die and i want my kids to be able to do whatever they want to do and i don't know it's they're really hesitant to sign anything over a year or two
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
We've given out bonuses before. If we have a really good year, it's like, oh, we just want to help.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Well, and it's improving the ground, so if they want to go sell it, they can... Correct.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. And we've also just encouraged some of our landlords to put waterways in. It's like, yeah, we'll potentially lose an acre or whatever, and it makes it more difficult to farm around. But then I don't have these huge ruts we're trying to cut through. And I'd rather do it the right way than...
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
This is what I will say. When I came back after college, there were just a lot of people that had a lot of weird things to say. Just, oh, Zoe couldn't find a job anywhere. I guess she's helping her dad out or this or that. I used to go to this gym that was next to a plant and people thought I worked at that co-op. And, you know, people make a lot of assumptions about a lot of things.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I don't know if it's about me being a woman or if it's about me being young. And no one's ever going to straight up say that. I don't respect you because you're a woman. They're not going to say that. And so it's hard to piece out what's coming from where or whatever. I will say posting online has – it's made a lot more people – I think some people just have to see it to believe it. Oh, okay.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
it's hard to show, you know, it's like, okay, well, was it my seed? Was it my improved this, you know, we put on the chicken litter, what really caused this yield boost, but like, definitely, we were able to get on the ground faster. And there were wet holes that I know would have drowned out that did well. But I mean, we put on every 35 foot in one field.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Everyone who I work with treats me very – Fairly. And from the day that I started back at the farm, my dad's like, this will be my boss someday. And then when we were partners, it was this is my partner. She's making the decision. And when I took over, if someone would call him, he'd say, you need to hang up on me and you need to call Zoe. She's making the decision.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And my dad physically can't do a lot of things. He loves talking on the phone. I love to be like, hey, can you call so-and-so and figure out X, Y, Z?
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Um, yeah, no, I basically wanted to farm. I, I wanted to hang out with my dad every day. That's why I'm a farmer. Not because I just like, I do have a passion for agriculture. Don't get me wrong. But like, I wanted to work with my dad every day.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
It was never a question. Like, when I was in high school, we had a neighbor that was planning on retiring soon and moving. And I was in every single meeting with them because we were able to purchase that farm. And it was always expected that I would be a part of it. I never had to worry about if there was going to be a position for me.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yes. Yeah. Because it's so different. Even just when we were partners, you know, my dad was 51% owner, you know, we're, you know, we're partners or whatever. At the end of the day, he had the final decision on things. It's so different being the person who has to actually call up people and say, hey, this is what we're doing.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And it's so hard for green marketing because before I'd be like, oh, dad, why did you screw this up? And now it's like all on me. But it's so different being that decision maker. But I still have him to ask questions and stuff. Whereas like for some people, you know, it may never transition until that parent passes away. And then it's like, man, I should have asked him about this or that. Right.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. Well, and like my dad was always just really transparent on everything. He'd show me the books. It was like, it was never, he was never hiding anything.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Older brother on a younger sister. My brother is a professor. He's currently in Maryland. My sister works in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a party planner.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
She's awesome. She actually, like, every day I'm like, can you come back to the farm, please? Can you please come back? What's your thoughts on this? Organize my life.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I know what's going to happen for us. Our farm is going to be split three ways, and I will rent from my siblings. We have it in there that they have to rent it to me, and it has to be a reasonable rate.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, and then if they want to sell, they need to sell it to me, unless if I decide I don't want it or whatever. But now we don't have terms in for what is reasonable. Because you can't say it'll be X many dollars per acre, because obviously there's going to be inflation. So we don't have...
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, a percent increase every year. I will also say my siblings are not money-driven. They are not money-driven folks. Now, obviously, people can change. Things can change. Oh, yeah. But, like, my brother's a professor. He loves research. He would live in the woods all day, every day, like, just looking at nature, like... He does not care.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
He's still wearing the same clothes he bought in high school. I mean, it's like he just doesn't care about those things. I'm really thankful for that.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And so also, it's like, okay, so our ground's going to get split three ways. I was gifted half of our equipment when we formed our LLC. Now I was also gifted the loans on some of that equipment. but it was explained to my siblings, and I shouldn't say explained to. It was conversations with my siblings where we said, hey, we went and got this stuff appraised. This is the value of it.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
We are giving Zoe kind of just getting her started. This is going to get her started. It's like she can either struggle for this long trying to pay off all these things, or I can gift her half of it now, kind of get the ball rolling, and it's like she's going to be taking on a lot of debt, this is what we're doing. This is how we're helping her out. And my siblings totally got it.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
They're like, yeah. I think they just felt relieved that they didn't have to be the generation where the farm stopped and they didn't want to be involved. And it was like, we're just glad she's handling this for us.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And it's because I have to thank my grandfather for this. He never had a plan. He refused to talk about it. And so my dad... learned from that that, you know, no, we're going to have these conversations.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yes. So my dad has used them, and I will be using them for the farm that I purchase. Okay.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, my accountant had emailed us about it way back when and said, hey, we're going to call all of our farming clients, and we're going to get this done. Perfect.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, I didn't know about this code. Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I think I tune out those ads because I already know about it. So I'm like, oh, yeah, I know. Click, click, click, forward.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Do you have to, like, heat the sock up? And then you have these, like, cute little floppy ears when you go to bed.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I'm seeing that you really understood that video. No, I showed it to Tanner, my Tanner, before I posted it just because I thought it was really funny. And I just wanted to see a guy's take. And he was like, I get it, but I don't know what you're saying. And so I was like, I know this will be very niche and only of tanning.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
few people will really get this but the people that got it they got it but I understood it was just fun because I so I was studying for this applicator stress and I was just looking at the different formulations and I'm not a science person I was like how am I going to remember this and I was like oh well You know, this is, like, I was just looking at all the different, I love skin care.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And I was just, like, looking at all my different serums and, like, oh, you know, a micellar water, it separates out. That's like an emulsifiable concentrate. And so it was, like, I started pinpointing these things just to help myself remember. And then I was, like, this would be kind of funny. And so then the whole time I was studying, I was, like, writing down things.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And I was, like, oh, this is all very relatable. It's all science.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I do not say this. I know the kids are saying, bruh.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Bruh. What are you trying to say? Riz is like charisma.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
So, actually, I got a beef tallow soap sent to me from someone, and I... I don't know if it's free. I'll use it. I'll use anything.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Do you know what slugging is? No, I don't. Basically like taking Vaseline and just like cementing your face. Yeah, you put Vaseline on it and it locks everything in. So like think like, you know how like people do like,
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
uh those like eye patches or whatever you put that on to keep it hydrated so it penetrates in longer and so the slugging is just like what's this like keeping darth vader mask with like red light or something oh my gosh i'm so embarrassed by how much money i spent on all those things do you like it i mean this is the thing i have no idea if it works but like i like putting it on being like i'm gonna age backwards i don't know it's just like this anti-aging thing
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I suppose it's red light. Who knows? I'm sure like 20 years from now, we're going to be like, why were we putting red light bulbs on our face? I don't know. It's like a mask for tanning, but they're like two slits. Looks like Iron Man.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Tanner loves to take photos of me just like sitting in it. I don't know.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, that's interesting. I don't know. The only thing I can think of is something I can't talk about on here. Oh, boy. Just, like, the complexities of going to the bathroom when you're in traction. But, like, I'm simply, like, I'm not, I don't, we don't need to talk about that. With your huge audience of everyone. Ag with Emma did a series. Ag with Emma did. Yeah, I know.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And, yeah, I don't know. It's, yeah. I don't know. There's definitely lots of hacks out there for different things. And one thing, so, like, I have a really annoying mower that it's just, like, so hard to put that. Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
pto on it's just awkward and it's in a bad spot and it's so heavy and you have to lift up and pull back and shove it forward and line it up um and how's it again pick up sorry um but like i posted a video it's like hey i can't put this and i hate i hate admitting when like i can't do something because like i i'm just a true believer that like we can do this job just as well but like the
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
my physical strength just isn't there for that job. And I was like, Hey, how do we do this? And then I got a whole bunch of people being like, Oh, I'm, I'm 80 years old. I can't, I just can't bend that way and stuff. And this is, this is how you do it. And you have people had different methods of using different ratchet traps and stuff like that. And then, then boom, I tried it. It worked.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
It was awesome. Uh, JD then on unhooked it and I had put a shield on wrong. And so it was all for nothing, but Hey, and now I at least know I can do it. Um, But, yeah, there are a lot of hacks for a lot of different things out there. It's asking people.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I know there was one time I remember I got hooked up myself, but, like, I must have had some, like, serious rage that day. I don't know. Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
pointed out like dad you can't do that anymore but so I just tried to do it before he gets there yeah well and I was like so this this fall I picked up a rock in our ripper and I wailed on that thing with a sledgehammer for forever getting this thing out and I posted it and a lot of people were like Well, if you had a man there, you could have... And I was thinking about my crew.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Like, JD, definitely stronger than me. I have an 86-year-old who runs the combine. I'm stronger than him. I have a guy who has had a hip replacement. I know I'm stronger than him. I have a 16-year-old boy. No offense, Colin. I hope you don't see this.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And so it has nothing to do if it's a man. No, I just... A person who has that strength. And then also people were like, you need to wrap a chain around it and you drive backwards. And I can't wait to get...
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Just working. Yeah, going to see how that drone works. I don't know. Hopefully by the end of next year, I'll be installing tile on that new field. And it'll be really interesting. I've never purchased this field before. It needs tiled. I'd like to clear the woods if that's an option. I don't know if that will be or not. Just...
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I'll be walking through a lot of things for the first time there, and it'll be fun.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I've learned so much about that drone test. I know METARs. I know how to read traffic reports. It's like kind of interesting. Yeah. There you go. Military operating bases. Yeah. It's like I didn't know that I needed to know all these things, but at least it's cool.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
No, but I know that after you take the test, you have to actually do that stuff. But one thing about me is I hate paperwork, and I'm so bad at getting things done. But yeah, no.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I haven't been on the plane.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
No. My dad's been on the plane.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Hello. Testing, testing.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I don't know. Hey, Bex, if you're listening, I would love to take a trip. Aren't you a partner with them? Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I haven't asked either. I think that's the thing. They know I'm loyal, and so they don't have to work for it.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Now, I have been to their facility before. It was during a national FFA convention. And the only thing I remember is that they gave us glazed donuts.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And, you know, there's still those wet holes, it's not magical tool, but you know, definitely saw improvement. And
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Like, I remember seeing the greenhouses and stuff, but, like, apparently I was really hungry that morning. I don't know. I just really. Were they good? Oh, yeah. Has there been a bad glazed donut? That is a valid point.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. The weirdest plot twist of all is the largest platform is Facebook.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I don't know because those are the meanest people. I post on there and I leave. I don't know.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
what i really like is when you have that tile in there you have more availability to get into that field and you don't have to wait because you know it used to be it's like okay well we'll do all of these fields and then we'll wait on the stuff that's poorly drained to get to it and then you get to it last and then it's usually just not decisions in farming are made based on on time frame there is a podcast in iowa funk for profit was named by the face
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
There's simply not enough time in the day. And I feel bad because it's like I want to keep up with people, but there's just not enough time for all of it.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, I'm not sure. I remember it was remote, but I think that was before I got engaged. I don't know.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yes. Yeah. The same one I was dating before. Yes.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Okay. Yeah. So I've, well, I don't know. I've been the owner for three years now. So next season will be my fourth season. Got it. I bought my first field back in December. I bought a drone last Friday. I don't know. Yeah.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
How many acres? It is 73 tillable, and then there's two-ish acres of woods. I haven't gotten a wetlands determination on the woods yet, but I'm suspicious that there may be a wetland there. But that field needs tiled.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yes. And so my dad started farming it in 2006. We had a couple that were both in their 90s. They both passed away this summer. So their sons who were... 60s, 70s age, they were ready to kind of sell just because they had kids at that point. They were kind of looking down the line.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Nope. They offered it to me directly. We actually had in our cash rent agreement that I would have that first right of refusal.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I didn't have to look up and see if, you know, if like, you know, what would happen, you know, in different scenarios or whatever. But, you know, they came to me and I can I was ripping up a tree line. I was in the backhoe and the sun called and they'd actually come during harvest to look at the property.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
They'd been there a few times over the years, but none of them lived in the area anymore. And, you know, they didn't really say exactly what they wanted to do with it, but I kind of had a feeling that they were going to sell. And the guy called me, and he's like, so we want to sell. And I'm, like, shaking, trying to stay, like, cool, calm, collected.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And he's like, well, what would you give for it? And I'm like... well, I was hoping you'd ask me what you wanted for it. He's like, well, you first. And so it worked out, and it's all good.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
You know, it wasn't a great deal. It wasn't anything... I feel as though it's fair, but I was a little afraid if it went to auction. We've had some really crazy high auctions around us. I figured I'd rather buy it kind of high and know that I'm getting it and not having it go out of sight.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah, I kind of went in. What I said is it was kind of right around what I would think was average for it. And he'd said, well... you know, we were hoping for just a little bit more and, you know, he named a number and I said, well, And I think I had said, you know, if it's this number, it'll be fine. If it's over this number, I'm going to have to talk to my credit lenders.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I'm going to need to talk to my husband, blah, blah, blah, all those things. And, you know, it was like $1,000 more. It was like, I knew I was like, okay, I'm not going to say no because of that. And so it was like, okay, if we can just secure a deal today, then sounds good.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I was hoping to. I wasn't able to. So working with the good folks at AgCredit, I'll have that loan paid off when I'm 55 years old. Hopefully, interest rate goes down from 8.5. Yeah, it actually makes it about double the price. But, you know, it's whatever.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
So ours is actually one where they can redo the interest up to every 90 days. It just has to save you a certain amount over the term of the loan.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. Yeah. So they can, yeah, they can redo it every 90.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
I don't know. I will say the couple that had rented the farm to me, he was always super supportive. It was never like when we were transitioning the farm and I was taking over, he was like, this is awesome. This is great. I don't think... I don't think he was like, oh, I want to stick with you guys because you're a woman. But, you know, just me being that person coming down the line.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Yeah. Relationship.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
But, yeah, I didn't have any connection with those guys. I don't think they owed me anything.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
Um, it's wild yesterday. So I try to not look at Facebook comments at all, but there was, I just, I saw my notifications and I saw one comment that came in that I was like, oh, that's actually something I like, you know, I only look at the notifications. Like you can only see a little bit of it or whatever. And I clicked on one cause it looked like a legitimate question.
Farm4Profit Podcast
8th-Generation Farmer Zoe Kent on Running a Farm & Owning Her Story
And then I scrolled some of the other comments, which I should not have done. And I got called a whore. Okay. And I was wearing a t-shirt. A flannel. My bibs. You could see my neck and up. It was like I should have been wearing a scarf or something. It's just wild. But, you know, it's like there's a very select small portion of men out there. Very small, very select.