(bright upbeat music) - Welcome to A Shot Of AG, my name is Rob Sharkey.

I'm a fifth generation farmer from just outside of Bradford, Illinois.

I started a podcast what's led into an XM radio show, which led into a national television show, which led into me being right here today.

But today, today is not about me.

Today is about Brian Loeffler.

How you doing Brian?

- I'm doing well, yourself?

- Yeah.

You're from Stanford?

- Stanford, just the west community.

- That's a college.

- Yeah.

- Did you go there?

- I did go to college.

To University of Illinois.

Stanford, great school.

- Stanford's that's an Ivy league, isn't?

- When I was there, it was not.

- So, or is Stanford for people that don't know .

- West of Bloomington straight west about 10 miles.

- Okay.

And that's where you're from.

That's where you grew up.

- Where the farm's at.

Correct, that's where my family's been fourth generation and Colin our son is out of our state now for over a year.

And he's back home working with us as well.

- Do you have a son that's old enough to work on a, a little background, right?

Because Brian's wife and I went to a high school together, which yeah big deal.

Well, our high school, our graduating class, I think it was 21.

So yeah, to realize that she has a son that's old enough to come back to the farm.

Shocking.

- She's younger than me though.

- Yeah.

- And I've reached my half life this week so - I didn't know - I probably better than that even.

- You know that number - Well, I'm hitting 50, so I know I don't have another.

- You're gonna live to be a hundred.

- Hopefully 60.

- 160.

- 60 to 70, you know, I hope I get that long.

- Oh so, oh, I gotcha.

I thought maybe we were gonna live to 120, you know, that doctors are good at stuff now they might, you might make it.

- That'd be bad.

- It's okay.

Now are you that stereotype farm kid that basically grew up on a farm, went to college, came back to the farm and that's what you're doing now.

- That's that is it.

I had kind of started out thinking if I, my dad did some time in the Air Force.

I was thinking if I did anything, I'd like a little military route, but the way things were changing it just made sense to go to school and then come home and, you know, kind of help expand the operation.

So that's what I did.

- Yeah.

And I'm glad I did it.

The timing worked out well, but so I guess that's why I was driven on, I applied to one university, got in, had I not, I would've went to the military and that would've been a little different path, but that's kind of how it worked out.

- What'd you get your degree in.

- Ag economics with finance.

- Gotcha.

- I did the same.

I went to college and I went immediately back to the farm part of me kind of wishes, maybe take a year or two, maybe try something else.

What do you think?

- I think it's, I think that's a very good plan.

I think two to three years is a good plan.

It's always tough to say you can't come home.

And I know there's a lot of people do it and I admire them for it.

It's just one of those things I don't, I do both kids had to go to school, whether it be trade military, they had to do something.

They couldn't graduate high school and come home to the farm.

- Yeah.

- But they did have to do something beyond as I did.

And I just, I wasn't gonna push colin off.

Or if Addison wanted to come home, I wouldn't go and push her off for a year or two, 'cause times go so fast.

It's just by the time you get caught up, it's next generation's move.

- Is this all you ever wanted to do?

- Really it is.

- Yeah.

So I mean, growing up, going through college, was there ever a time where like, you know, maybe I should, I don't know, be a dancer.

- Just a little bit of that.

Now there was, you know, I always thought it'd be kind of fun to go finance and go to the Wall Street or do something like that.

- Yeah.

- But I knew that probably wasn't my speed so - Yeah.

- It was just one of those little flash in the pans.

You watch bonfire, the vantage you think, oh, that'd be cool where we're at is better.

- So what are you raising on your farm?

- Corn and soybeans.

- Yeah highly diversified Mid Midwest.

- Definitely you know, sometimes it's 50/50, sometimes it's the 52/48, you know, we really change it up.

- You ever watch the Blues brothers.

- Oh, all the, - In that line they've got that line in there.

It's like, what kind of music do you have always say?

(indistinct) - Times country address.

- And we, yeah, we grow both crops.

- Yeah.

- And we have a little trucking business for a slight bit diversification, but it hauls all in commodity.

So we're still tied in the same cycle.

- Gotcha.

Now, is that, is that something you started or was that a family?

- My father started it.

Grandpa actually started it, but dad kind of made it into the business and that happened in 68.

What kind of pushed him?

We were running hogs and cattle at the time they were the hog barn caught fire.

He was able to drive the tandem outta the alleyway, and the hogs were turning in circles.

So it was a very unfortunate situation, but dad kind of said, I can handle this.

And then it kind of grew from there.

The hogs were done at that point.

- What time was that?

Well, like what year roughly?

- That would've been 69 70 maybe.

- Oh so you're going back .

- Oh yeah, yeah.

- Best thing you don't want hogs.

It's a lot of work.

- He is having trucks.

- They just eat money.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

I imagine trucking is kind of, I mean, I, I don't have my own semis, but it seems like the people that do, it's just a constant battle with them.

- We've got great people to work with.

Great employees, all that.

The worst problem is the new Def systems on these trucks and they're just a killer we're on all the equivalent.

You know, it just, it doesn't do what it's supposed to do.

And it's always broken down.

It's very frustrating for everybody involved but.

- Yeah, I, you know, on the same thing, if people that don't know, it's like the ag equipment there, it's all got the, the tier four engines on it now.

And it seems like, you know, everything will work on them, but it's constantly broke down on like the it's gotta recycle region and all this stuff.

And it just, it makes you wanna pull your hair out.

- The sensor's big as a thumb, that costs $5.

They can't get them in.

So it takes a long time to get it running, but.

- Yeah.

And they hide those in the middle of the engine somehow.

- Yes.

- Ever wanted to grow anything else?

- Not really.

No.

- Yeah.

- Had a landlord threatened to grow oats and we're like, there's nowhere to even deliver within 60 mile.

And you know, three at the time it was like 280 oats.

- Yeah.

- And then he wanted us to grow wheat and we gave that a shot.

And luckily we had winter kill.

So that went on to corn.

- That's I think something that people don't understand too about farming.

I would try different crops, but there's not a profitable way to get them to market most of the time.

- Yeah.

And I mean, we could, we could do wheat, but to get it combined out in July for a couple hundred acres, nowhere to go with the straw, you know, there's not that big a demand for straw, we don't need it for livestock.

So it's just like, we're content where we are.

I know there's people that say you can do this and that, but unfortunately we are a commodity producer.

- Yeah.

- And if you wanna go specialty, you know, it's just harder.

And especially in today's environment with labor, it's just very difficult to get anything done.

- Exactly.

You've been married for 25 years?

- 26, December 30th was 26.

- Oh.

Well, congratulations.

Yeah.

Do you have a fire pole in your house?

- No.

No.

And I know where you're going with this, but no.

- Okay.

Let me take you back.

- Cause they'll take it the wrong way.

- I don't care.

- Okay.

- Second grade, we're on a field trip.

We're Bradford kids and we go to the Peoria fire department.

It's a big deal for us and we're all there.

And the big firemen there everybody's hero.

He goes, who would like to slide down the fire pole?

And I raise my hand as quick as I could, faster than anybody else.

And the fireman looks at me.

And then he looks at your wife the second grade year old Molly.

And he says, how about you little girl.

- Still disappointed aren't you?

- I don't think disappointed describes it well enough.

And then, they took a picture of her and she was on the front page of the journal star.

That should have been me.

- With a face for radio.

They knew who to pick though.

- Brian, I don't, I don't think you're understanding the gravity of this situation.

All right.

Where were we?

Because obviously you, you don't care.

- I'm crying on the inside.

- Your last name, Leoffler people might recognize it.

You've got a famous sister.

So what does she do?

- She is currently unemployed.

No, she's running a thing called Greater Georgia.

She was a U.S Senator outta Georgia for a year.

And before that she was with Intercontinental exchange and then backed, which is a crypto currency clearinghouse.

So she's done a lot of... she's done a lot of the finance things I thought would be really cool to do when I was in college, you know, taking two companies public now and was a U.S Senator.

And now her project is the Greater Georgia, which is in just turn, trying to get people to get out and vote, you know, get, get your voice heard.

- Yeah.

- It's not so much about this platform or that platform, which is kind of about this side by the same token.

It's just about get out there and be a part of the environment.

- Yeah.

She's very smart, very successful.

A lot of times people will say you only get one child that does that be successful and smart.

- My folks would say the same thing.

- We are polarized as a country.

I don't know.

It seems like when you and I were younger, we'd have friends that we disagreed with right?

Like completely disagreed with, and that was fine.

You would, you know, talk about stuff.

Doesn't seem like it's that way anymore.

Is it tough to see people just be so mean to your sister for no other reason, but the latter that's behind her political party.

- It's just ridiculous.

Whether it be a R or D or whatever, you know, I mean just the hate and the way it, and they learn to tune it out.

I just don't go on the line and look at things and it's just better that way.

'Cause it does raise my blood pressure.

- That's your sister.

- Yeah.

- Yeah and if most of the time it's probably a keyboard jerk who's, you know just whipping out all kinds of hate for either side.

They're getting paid to do it.

But still it just, if they knew her as an individual, they would know she's smart, she's caring, you know, she's put up with a lot.

She's extremely tough.

So, you know I truly, I have concern for her, but I don't worry about her because I know she can handle it.

- You do shooting.

Huh?

- Not well, but yes.

- So what kind?

- We've been, I don't hunting doesn't work out so much in our schedule.

I've been planning dog hunting out west and in Texas.

And that's incredible, but that's still target shooting.

- Yeah.

- 'Cause they're just like hackamore.

- Yeah.

- But you know, when we have time, it's we enjoy pistol shooting, rifle shooting, but you know, that's even hard to find right now is the time.

- Yeah.

- We've, you know, made some and just, I just enjoy them I like cleaning them.

- I, for Christmas, I bought the boys those single pump air.

I mean, they're about like a 22 right?

And I bought one for myself and I put it in the studio and then 50 yards out from the window.

I put one of those spinner targets.

I probably shoot that thing 20 times a day.

- And that's just a single pump it'll go out.

- One.

- It's a spring one.

- It actually has a clip in it, but it's a pellet gun.

- Right.

- Yeah and I just, I don't know.

It's just so satisfying when you hear the ding.

- Exactly.

- You apparently did not want to enjoy the warmer climates during winter, but your wife of the thief of the pole ride.

- Exactly.

- Yes she had a different idea.

She wanted a place down in Florida.

- And she had made that known 27 plus years ago and - So she sprung it on you.

- Yeah.

Right.

I'm a slow learner.

And I just, I always kind of was like, I was always kind of poo pooing around the idea.

Ah it'll pass.

It did not pass nor did when we wanted to get a dog, which we had to put our pup down.

He was almost 16 years old.

We put him down two days after Christmas this year.

But she had been wanting a dog forever.

- Yeah.

- So I'll come back to the Florida thing real quick.

But just, just to say how, how I, how I lose the battle.

We went on a field spring break trip.

- We know how you lose the battle.

I'm like, go up, but continue.

- We on a spring break field trip or what?

Spring break trip?

- Thank you yes.

Short version we hit Hershey, Pennsylvania, Liberty bell, Washington DC.

- Yeah.

- Important Baltimore and probably something else.

- Faulty bell.

- Huh?

- It's a faulty bell.

- Well we walked around to the backside and looked because the line was too long and said, look, there it is.

- I don't know why people, I mean, it's a, it's a cheaply made bell.

- Yeah.

- We should be ashamed of it.

- Imported.

- What were you saying?

- Well on the way home, we heard a fuel stop out in the middle of nowhere and she said, "Brian I'd like a dog."

I said, okay, fine.

Grabbed a thrifty nickel.

There's someone around here has one, six miles from the gas station.

We came home with the Yorkie we had for almost 16 years.

So for Florida, it took her a little longer, but she worked me over.

And then finally, and when our daughter was headed to her senior year in high school, I said, yeah, go ahead and start looking.

And so she looked and - For a place in Florida?

- In Florida - Yeah.

- Yes and she said, can we go down and look then the summer after I had graduated, I was like, okay.

And at that point I just never had a love for it because I just didn't get it.

- Yeah.

- I was down there looking around, I thought, oh, this is kind of fun.

'Cause you can walk to places and do stuff.

You know, you don't have to drive all the time and - And it's not negative 20.

- Right.

Even when it's cold down there, it's like, okay, I can wear a jacket.

So yeah.

So we wound up in 18 getting a condo down there, and starting to learn, to spend more time there and enjoy it.

And with Colin home and the guys we have working with us, it'll make it a little easier for me to slip down there more often too.

So very excited about that.

- I mean, you've earned it.

What you do is very stressful, right?

You, I mean, you're up here, you're dependent on the weather, the markets you've got trucks that are breaking down or whatever of a lot of people in our profession deal with stress in not the best ways does this help.

- It does help.

It does help.

- Yeah.

- And I just find that I get out and I move more.

I walk more or because at home , being sitting in the office behind the desk all day long, I mean, you know, at least you go out hunting and walking around some, but it's still tough with a job.

- Yeah.

- But when the weather's nice, you just, you know, if I slip down there for two or three days, I get a little movement in which is good.

- Yeah.

Definitely.

You're active.

I mean, I don't know how you find time to go down.

Well you're on several boards, you're on a, the township board.

- It's the fire department trustees, board managing money there and then - Gotcha.

- Elevator board and a input supplier, you know, but someone's gonna do it.

And that's, I go back to Kelly, you know, I think it's kind of silly to get stuck out there in Washington and get all the abuse, but somebody's gotta do it.

And if somebody's gonna do it, I'd like to know who is doing it.

- So is it more of a thing that I'm, I'm worried about someone else stepping in there that doesn't understand.

- At the stage of life I've man and I've been in, when I got into it, I guess I felt I had something of value to give and I was also interested in the direction that they were heading, whatever it may be.

I just wanna make sure that I feel I have enough where with all that I can be of assistance and make it worthwhile.

- Well, and I mean politics in Illinois, generally you can take bribes and stuff.

- I'm still looking.

(Rob laughing) - Do you think it is a part, would you encourage other people to, to get involved in, in these boards?

Because it is, it's a time commitment.

- It is.

And the bad part is there's so many seats, you know, and again, politics aside, I think there should be two people running for every slot, just for the spirit of competition.

The ability to be in you're more informed when you have to make a decision.

- Yeah.

- Instead of saying there's only one I'll hit one, you know?

So if people were a little more informed, even if it's two Democrats or two Republicans running for the same spot, you know, you just gotta have a reason to be aware of what's going on.

And even down to the township level, the amount of time, the township and I mean, you know, we're not, I'm talking just regular township folks.

They put a lot of effort in just the election officials that come and unlock it at five in the morning.

- Yeah.

- That a commitment and it's much appreciated.

Nobody ever says thank you to them.

- Well, like in our little corner of the world, Milo township nobody's ever heard of it right?

Nobody really cared.

Yes they, you have to go out, Hey, I'm gonna get off the board, go find so-and-so to replace me or whatever.

Then windmills moved in.

And all of a sudden that became the most important person in a township.

Right.

- It's because you never know when something's gonna come in.

- So if you're not involved, you just don't know.

- Yeah, exactly.

So your son's back working for you.

Okay.

Nobody's gonna watch us anyway right?

- Right.

What does it feel good?

- It is nice to have him back.

And I told him all the way through high school, I told him and Addison, our daughter they're both welcome back you know, we'll figure out what to do.

We're still figuring out.

- That's changed from when you and I were.

I've got five older sisters and honestly it was just the girls didn't come back to the farm that has changed hasn't it?

- Yes.

And I didn't figure Addie will probably follow the path of my sister and - Oh really?

- Yeah.

Well, yeah.

- She's interested.

- She's in the business side of things and she's gonna be with Oracle now that she graduated University of Georgia.

But having Colin back is very nice.

He's been here over a year now and, and I told him, it's gonna take several years to get figured out because just with the trucking in there and you know, employees, I said, it's a little different than what you saw when you're even growing up.

Just because you're not as involved when you're here every day.

You'll be part of the team.

You'll be part of the fun of harvest and planning.

And it's just, but he's really adapted.

Well he's he would make me look small.

He didn't grow a beard at least as good as you that you'll have to shave cause I can't.

- Come on.

- Yeah.

So anyway, no, it's great to having him home.

- Yeah my son also came home.

It was more of you know, a COVID thing when he was graduated, I find myself surprised some of the things he doesn't know.

And then the realization is he doesn't know because I never taught him.

- And I talk all the time and I know he gets tired of hearing me jaw all the time, but I, if I don't say it out loud, I just think it and do it and go on and he'll never pick that up.

- Yeah.

- And so I do try and, but then, you know, he is like, oh, well he hasn't experienced this or that.

- Yeah.

- I've been doing it 30 years.

- The thing about farming too, is the best way to learn about something is to break it, - Screw it up.

- And I just, I don't want him to break my stuff, (both laughing) but you know, I guess it what it is.

Yeah.

Are you excited about this upcoming farming year?

- I am.

It'll be very interesting.

I wish I had a better clue on the markets.

I feel I've done an adequate job and I know there's room for probably two or 300% better job that I could do but.

- You market your own grain.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

I hate it.

I despise marketing.

To me it is absolute worst part of farming because I have too emotionally involved in that product.

You the same way?

- I am.

But luckily back through the only a leadership program, I met a buddy who's, he's very hard on me.

He's a good teacher and I give him hell all the time as well but - Sounds like a great friend.

- He is, but no.

So he's helped teach me to divorce my feelings from that a bit, but it's still hard I mean, - Yeah.

You look at where the grain's at today.

You could sell everything to your insured bushels and you're like, yeah, I'm doing all right but.

- I know this is.

- I want a little more.

- I mean, I think we did get higher in 2012, but this is, I mean, you could safe to say it's the best prices that I've seen in my farming career.

- Yeah.

The inputs will keep that in check increases in cash rents, you know, it's all relative, but it's kind of fun to say I sold high dollar stuff but, - Yeah.

- You know, we've had good profitable years at the hit and take this type of rollercoaster ride.

- Yeah.

It is definitely uncharted territory with the shortages and the inputs, which I don't know, honestly, they say I'm gonna get my herbicides.

I think I'm getting my seeds for sure.

But I mean, I'm glad I've got all my fertilizer bought because it sounds like there's gonna be a shortage.

- Right.

It's all logistical.

And it's just, you know, the labor situation.

But you know, our corns in, they tell me the beans will make it.

The herbicides are probably 80% covered.

The fungicides are there, but I still may not get everything.

If I wanted product A, I might wind up with product B minus - Yeah.

- What are you gonna do?

- I've bought glyphosate, which is roundup for, I think the cheapest I ever bought, it was for $8 a gallon.

I hear it's a hundred bucks now.

- Yeah.

- I mean that's - That's generic, that's not your - Oh really?

The actual.

- Well, the generics are expensive, but if you can get them.

- Yeah, exactly.

I would do.

I'd be happy with anything.

- Yeah.

- But you don't have water hemp, so you're okay.

- Oh yes.

Yes we do.

You know, what I did is I went out and I bought an air seater this year because I've been planting soybean and this is inside baseball farming, but my soybeans were 30 inch rows.

My problem was they weren't canopying enough and then the weeds were coming up late.

So now I bought an air seater to plant 15s.

- Okay.

Fifteens.

- Yeah.

What do you plant yours in?

- My cousins run with us and they have a 10 inch seater and then we'll run 30 inch beans when we're done with or we'll, we'll run 30 inch beans and narrow beans and then we'll roll over to corn and go on from there.

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Brian, I think I'm willing to let some things go.

- Are you gonna let the picture go?

- I, you have to understand.

I wanted to be a fireman and I wanted to go down a pole, but I think maybe it's time to move on from this.

- You'll tell you her you forgive her?

- What would I be forgiving her for?

- The years of anger?

- No, I bottled it in the first time I ever said that was when I had you on the XM.

- Yeah.

Right.

- But I've sure thought about it.

Yeah.

I think she should come on the show.

- Got to.

- And I think she should own up to it.

Honestly I think she had it planned.

- Her mother helped her out with that I'm sure.

- I mean, is she I don't know.

Vindictive.

- We as can be.

- Oh, come on.

- She's put up with me this long so, - All right.

If you would want people to know anything about farming, where you do, what would that be?

- It's we're very blessed to be where we're at.

- It's a good ground.

- Good, good, Good ground.

Thank you.

And good elevators around us.

I mean, we just, it's all kind of right there.

It makes it, it makes it enjoyable.

We've got good people.

Very good landlords, good family support.

So you just can't take all that for granted.

I guess I really appreciate that.

- Yeah.

Well, I'm gonna answer that question for you.

You're a very intelligent person.

I mean, very smart, very business savvy.

Yes.

Where you farm is wonderful ground, tons of top soil, but it's also very competitive and very hard to chisel out your own niche of that.

So I think the fact that you and your family have survived, in such a competitive area of agriculture says a lot about you, says a lot about your family.

So yeah.

I know you wouldn't say that.

You've said some other.

Brian, thank you for coming on the show.

- Thank you.

- Brian Leoffler.

Yes.

Yeah.

I'm not gonna make fun of him online to Brian.

Thank you very much.

Everybody else we'll catch you next week.