Commodity Classic Recap and Manifesting Our Big Idea for Farm Women

Welcome back to Beyond the Crops, where farm life meets real life! After a couple of weeks apart, Jena and Mary Pat are catching up on everything they've been up to, and this episode is all about Commodity Classic. With Jena holding down the fort at home, Mary Pat reports back from the massive farm show in San Antonio. From haunted hotels and exciting new ag tech to connecting with listeners and putting a big idea out into the universe, she's sharing all the highlights. Plus, they get into some hilarious travel horror stories and a few real-life running escapades.

📌 What We Cover in This Episode:

✅ Mary Pat Goes to Commodity Classic: A full recap of her trip to the massive farm show in San Antonio, which saw a record attendance of over 12,000 people.
✅ The Coolest Tech on the Trade Show Floor:
* Biologicals: An explosion of new biological fungicides and pesticides from innovative companies.
* Aptera: A fascinating "crunchy" technology that structures irrigation water to mimic rainwater for better soil penetration and efficiency.
✅ Community & Connection: Mary Pat shares how meeting and reconnecting with listeners in person is her favorite part of the show, and the power of putting faces to names.
✅ A Big Idea for Future Shows: Putting it out into the universe! Jena and Mary Pat share their vision for creating a dedicated space or workshop for farm women at future Commodity Classic events to tackle topics like succession and mental health.
✅ An Unexpected Opportunity: Mary Pat recounts a chance encounter with the Fellowship of Christian Farmers that led to a potential opportunity to lead a worship service at a future show.
✅ Travel Horror Stories: Jena shares an absolutely wild story of being stranded by an airline after a previous Commodity Classic, complete with a mad dash through DFW, a rude gate agent, and a middle-of-the-night rescue from her trucker brother.
✅ Running Escapades: They trade stories about their recent running adventures, from Jena's terrifying run-in with a skunk on a gravel road to Mary Pat's run being cut short by a call from the school nurse.

💡 Key Takeaways:

✨ Go to the farm show! Events like Commodity Classic are invaluable for learning about new technology, making connections, and getting a pulse on the future of the industry.
✨ Innovation is happening everywhere. From biologicals to water structuring technology, companies are constantly developing new tools to help farmers be more efficient and sustainable.
✨ The people are the best part. The real value of attending these events is the opportunity to connect with fellow farmers, industry experts, and friends from across the country.
✨ There's a need for more women-focused content in agriculture. Creating intentional spaces for farm women to learn and connect is crucial for the health of our families and businesses.
✨ Advocate for yourself (even at the airport). While it doesn't always work out, don't be afraid to speak up and fight for what's right when you're faced with terrible customer service.

🙌 Join the Conversation!
Have you navigated tricky family business conversations? What's one piece of advice you'd give to another farm family in transition? Share your thoughts and tag us @beyondthecrops_. And don't forget to leave us a message on our new voicemail line! The link is in our show notes.

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