What Farming Really Costs with Mike Burkhart

Written By Jim Smith

What does farming really cost?

For Mike Burkhart, the answer goes far beyond machinery, land, and interest rates.

In this conversation, Mike reflects on beginning his farming career in the 1970s, surviving the 1980s Farm Crisis, the growing dependence on off-farm income, and the financial pressures that continue to reshape American agriculture. Along the way, we explore family succession, the realities of cash rent, why "it's just business" isn't always enough, and how one family's tragedy changed the course of their lives forever.

Today, Mike spends much of his time educating consumers through social media and serving others through the Travis Burkhart Foundation, proving that purpose doesn't end when a farming career does.

This is a conversation about resilience, stewardship, and discovering that some of life's greatest harvests happen long after the last crop is planted.

A few things we discuss:

  •  Growing up and farming through the 1970s and 1980s 

  •  The Farm Crisis and its lasting lessons 

  •  Why off-farm income shouldn't carry a stigma 

  •  Cash rent, consolidation, and the changing structure of agriculture 

  •  The impact of Travis Burkhart's accident on the family and farm 

  •  Retirement, purpose, and serving others through the Travis Burkhart Foundation 

  •  Lessons every generation of farmers can learn

If you’d rather not chase these conversations on social media, I’ll send them your way.

Jim Smith
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Why Farming Needs More Strategy and Less Guesswork | Dr. Michael Langemeier