(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, which led into an XM radio show, which led into a national television show, which led to me being right here today.

But today, today is not about me.

It's about Ryan Buckles.

How are you doing, Ryan?

- Rob, I couldn't be any better.

(Rob laughing) See, I know you.

So I know you're being sarcastic.

- Well, you know what, within reason.

(Rob laughing) - I'm doing pretty good.

Yeah.

But, you know, yeah, like you said, we've known each other a long time.

We've been around the world together, quite honestly.

- Yes we have.

- So we know where the bodies are buried, so to speak.

- I was unaware we were going to bring that up.

- We won't.

- But here we are.

You're from South of Springfield.

- Yeah.

South and just east of Springfield.

A town called Rochester.

- [Rob] Mm-hmm.

Born and raised in that area.

- How big is that?

- I think there's 4,500, in the village of Rochester.

So we're 4A in football this year.

So whatever that puts us size wise.

- That's big, ain't it?

That's the big teams?

- No, no, no.

8A is the biggest teams.

- [Rob] Oh.

- Yeah.

So we're right in the middle.

- I think Bradford's 1A.

- Probably.

- Yeah.

It's kind of sad, when you think about it.

So you're from there, or is that where you're originally from?

- Just outside of there.

Went to Tri-City High School, which is in Buffalo, but that's a town of like 500.

- [Rob] Mm-hmm.

- So, yeah.

- You're a farm kid?

- Yeah.

Sort of.

We had a typical 4-H family growing up.

My dad actually worked, for the State Treasurer's office, and my mom worked for the Department of Agriculture.

So growing up, I knew those were the two things I didn't want to do.

And then I get into Ag finance.

- Yeah.

- So oddly enough, that's how the cookie crumbles for me.

But yeah.

We had a small farm growing up, some livestock, and 4-H and FFA.

My brother and I were pretty active in that.

- So you went, after school where'd you go?

- Yeah.

So I got a associates, at Lincoln Land Community College, there in Springfield.

A bachelor's at Western, and then I got a master's at Southern.

- [Rob] Oh.

I think they give those out, right.

If you buy the full meal?

- Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

It wasn't anything I use either.

So it's great.

It works out well.

- [Rob] What was your master's in?

- Ruminant nutrition and microbiology.

- Oh, it's kind of... not really, do you?

- Not even a little.

No.

(Rob laughing) - What did you do after school then?

- So after I graduated, with my bachelor's at Western, my first job out of college, I was a director of marketing, for the Illinois Beef Association.

So we did a lot of, the Beef.

It's What's For Dinner promotions, around the State of Illinois.

- [Rob] That's you?

You made that up?

- Yeah, that was us.

Yeah, I was Sam Elliott.

Yeah.

Yeah.

No.

- You're not aging well, Sam.

- No.

(Rob laughing) - No, not at all, but.

So, I did that, for six years.

I think I was with IBA.

Then I went back, I had the call to teach, and so I went to Southern, to get my master's, and I was going to go to university of Wyoming, to get my PhD, when our son was born.

And we realized, that none of our umbilical cord stretch that far.

- Okay.

So you went into Ag lending.

- Yeah.

- You were with a Farm Credit.

- I was.

- Now, what'd you do there?

- So I was a loan officer, in Sangamon, Logan and Menard counties right there, just right outside Springfield, essentially my home area.

And I was with Farm Credit, Illinois for 12 years, really enjoyed it.

Had a good experience, learned a tremendous amount.

You know, when I interviewed for that job, I told them, you know, "I don't have any experience, "so you can train me the way you want."

And they bought it, and hired me, and then realized pretty quickly, that I didn't have any skills.

- You lied in your interview?

- No, I tried to be as honest as possible.

I don't think they knew, that I was being honest, When I said, that I had a pretty weak skillset, and they hired me anyway.

- I mean, you would think it would be obvious, after meeting you, for just a very short amount of time.

- I don't know.

Like I said, I didn't force their hand.

They just, they hired me.

- [Rob] You're still in Ag lending.

- I am.

I'm the area manager, for a company called Ag Resource Management now.

So I cover the central and southern Illinois areas, and we do operating loans for farmers, real estate loans, and we write crop insurance.

- Mm-hmm.

I always thought that would be a tough job.

And not just for farming, but like when you're talking, about operating loans for any business, you're dealing with a person's dreams, right.

- Mm-hmm.

- You're dealing with everything, that they hold dear.

And there's times, where you have to be the guy, that says, "I'm not doing you any favors, "by continuing to lend you money."

- Yeah.

That's a real concern.

Is that the Ag economy, you know, the tide goes out, and the tide comes back in, and not everyone honestly survives that.

- [Rob] Yeah.

- Now, obviously there's opportunities, with crop insurance, to offset some of that risk, that a lot of farmers, you know, in the 70s and 60s, etc., they didn't have that opportunity.

So there are risk mitigants today, that obviously farmers needed to take advantage of, but that does happen.

People get overextended.

They leverage too much, and they have to tell themselves, no, from time to time.

And if they can't, we get to.

- Yeah, well, it's gotta be such a tight rope, because if you don't tell them, "No," they're like, "Okay, we'll float them."

And then all of a sudden, they'll have to be selling ground, which is for a farmer, like the worst thing possible.

- Yeah.

No farmer ever wants to sell ground, but it's a net profit business.

I mean, just because you gross a million dollars, if it costs you 1,000,002, to generate a million dollars, you're going the wrong way.

- [Rob] Is that why I keep losing money?

- Could be.

- Yeah.

I got my seven bass boats too.

They don't play it much corn.

- Well, but.

And everybody needs a hobby, so.

- Not seven of them.

(Rob chuckles) - Probably not.

- Obviously a very smart guy.

You getting a master's degree at Southern.

And that, was Ag finance, was that on the radar?

Like when you were little Ryan, did you like, "I'm going to do that."

- Never.

I was, when... if you'd ask little Ryan, eight year old Ryan, Ryan was going to go to Notre Dame, and be a psychologist.

- Why?

I don't know.

I have no idea where that came from.

- [Rob] Really?

- Yeah.

- No TV show that you watched?

- Nope.

Nope.

It just resonated with me, you know.

I enjoyed problem solving I guess.

And people give me energy, you know, and maybe I'm drawn to people, that are a little, you know, half a bubble off, so yeah.

- Okay.

All right.

Well, are you analyzing me right now?

- Yes.

Yeah, absolutely.

And Emily does a good job, of keeping us all in tune with your... Yeah.

What do you wanna call it?

Nuance?

your little cocks?

- Nuance.

Let's talk about show pigs, Ryan.

Okay.

(Rob chuckles) Jerk.

(laughing) When did you get into those?

- We farrowed our first group of sows, about 10 years ago.

Our kids are now 16 and 14.

And we knew that they were going, to be actively involved in livestock production, and animal agriculture specifically.

And so, you know, farrowing sows and raising pigs were something, that even a six-year old and a four year old, could get involved with, and have some hands-on activity, that I felt safe with them being around, and not as concerned with them getting hurt.

Whereas, you know, with our cow herd, obviously it's a little-- - [Rob] It's a bigger animal.

- It's a lot bigger animal, a lot faster.

And sometimes feistier beast.

- Yeah.

- So farrowing sows, you have mommy pigs, that are giving birth to baby pigs.

- Yeah.

- And then you were raising those babies, and then showing them at farrows in that?

- Yeah.

So we would farrow those sows out, and each sow would have eight to 10 pigs, and we would market those piglets as show pigs, to a local 4-H kids, around the State of Illinois, and around the upper Midwest.

And they would exhibit them, at their county fairs and State fairs.

- So how did you go, from wanting to be a psychiatrist, to someone that had to understand the genetics, of what a champion pig would be?

- Well, we had the need, we had our own need to, you know, I wanted my kids to show pigs.

And we could've gone out, and bought, you know, what I thought was a superior product, but I also had the capability at the time, and a spot on our farm, to be able to raise those.

And so, you know, growing up, through 4-H and FFA, livestock judging, you know, I had always... animal husbandry has always been something, that I'm interested in.

- [Rob] Yeah.

- So we went ahead, and procured farrowing crates and some sows, and got to work, and made a lot of mistakes, but made a tremendous amount of friends, and had a good product.

- You know, what's always bothered me, was Charlotte's web.

That pig did not have superior genetics.

- Right.

- It won the ribbon, because of the stupid spider.

- Yeah.

- That to me, Hollywood and the storybooks are setting a precedent, that is unrealistic for professionals like yourself, and the hog showing industry.

- Yeah.

So this is the type of stuff, that a psychologist, would be able to help you work through.

- Yeah.

If only, if only.

(Rob chuckles) But you were very successful.

You sold the Grand Champion in 2019.

That's a Steer though.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- So we, Tara Hummel had the Champion Land of Lincoln Steer, at the Illinois State Fair, with an Angus Steer from us.

And again, it was a kind of where preparation meets luck, and the Hummel families amazingly talented, and they took that Steer, and maximized, they got everything out of him, and he looked awesome.

- What they like, do workouts with them.

- Yeah.

I mean, they exercising, you know, keep him fat and happy for sure.

- Yeah.

So that goes into it.

So it's a genetics, plus, you know, you could take like Arnold Schwartzenegger, but if you sat them on a couch, for a couple years, like Thor, you remember that, when he didn't do anything.

- Yeah.

- He wouldn't have won the Grand Champion.

- No, he'd, yeah.

And that's, you know, this Steer is one that, you know, if we'd kept him for my family, he maybe winds up third in his class.

Because our environment versus the environment, that he found a home and ultimately was, you know, it suited him perfectly.

- Too incredibly competitive ain't it?

- It is.

It really is.

And so, you know, not everyone's going to be a track star, or a, you know, a baseball pitcher, but when a family can work, the number of hours, that it takes to be successful, with show pigs, or goats, or cattle, there's a lot of memories that can be made.

- So when these animals are getting sold, at the State for the Champions, they're getting sold for six figures, right.

- Yeah.

- Everybody's like, oh my gosh, why doesn't everybody do this?

Well, the amount of work that went into it is, they're probably getting paid for what they're doing.

- Yeah.

They're honestly, long long-term, it's a breakeven deal.

I mean, if my family didn't get in the truck and trailer together, and enjoy going to shows, really no amount of money makes it worth it.

You have to be able to get up at four in the morning, with everybody kind of groggy, and a little cranky, load up and go, and know from a parent's standpoint, that when you come home at the end of the day, you instilled something in them, you made a better human being, long-term because the money really doesn't matter that much.

- So altogether, I mean, when you look back on all the work, that you went on to, with a reason to show pigs, and the show steers in that.

Is it a thing where I'm like, "All right, we've made some money, we've got some trophies."

Or is it really all about the time with the family?

- For me, it's all about the family.

You know, I enjoy animal agriculture.

I enjoy going out, and looking at cows and calves on a hillside.

You know, I enjoy evaluating livestock.

- Okay.

You do that often?

- I do.

I do.

It gives me energy.

So if I come home from a stressful day, I can go out, and look at a group of cows, and talk it out with them.

- Okay.

- You're just like Ferdinand, aren't you?

- Pretty much.

[Rob laughing] - Let's switch gears a little bit, right.

Let's talk about this new venture that you're on.

Because to me, it seems like it's completely different, from anything else you're doing.

Tell me about The Back Nine.

- Yeah.

So the Back Nine, is a golf simulator venue, that a business partner and I, are opening in Rochester, Illinois.

We're going to have two golf simulators, a little bit of food, alcohol.

It's going to be a opportunity, for the people of Rochester and the local community, to come have some entertainment, come and hit some golf balls, you know, socialize and Rochester doesn't have that.

Our community doesn't have that.

There's no other way for them, to spend any of their recreation budget, in our little town.

- You said it was 4,500, you thought?

- Yeah.

- Is that enough to support something like the Back Nine?

- Well, so far, it's been really amazing, the outreach that we've had.

Because obviously in the winter time, we're going to be busy.

- Yeah.

- You know, it's going to be a group of older guys, from 40 miles away, are gonna come, and they're gonna go off every Tuesday morning.

And then we're going to have leagues of an evening.

Now in the summertime, I suspect it's going to slow, but the winter time so far, it looks like it's going to be a especially busy.

- I don't know.

You know, one of the things, that has amazed me is, to watch these the top golfs, and how much, because there's people going to that that never calls.

- Right.

- Do you think you're going to attract that type of-- - Yeah, I think so.

You know, think about axe throwing, you know, that's nothing that I thought would have ever caught on, but you know, here we are, we're part top golf, part axe throwing.

- [Rob] You're going to have axe throwing?

- No.

- [Rob] Oh, okay.

- No, but it's something new.

It's something different.

And you know, kind of a controlled climate, and folks come in, spend an hour or two hitting golf balls on a, you know, you can play the simulators that we buy.

You can play pebble beach, you can play Augusta.

You can play the top golf courses in the world, at central normal prices.

So now it doesn't make you a better golfer.

If you're a bad golfer in real life, you're a bad golfer on a simulator as well.

- You're going to, you can practice, right.

- Yeah.

- Like you do a legit practice.

So take me through this.

'Cause I think I know what it is.

- Okay.

- You got your T, your golfer, he hits it.

It is going to hit like a canvas, whatever.

- Right.

- And then the computer is going to say, all right, at the velocity, he hit that, in a direction, he hit that, that ball is going to go this far in this direction.

- Yeah.

So there's an optic above the golfer, that reads spin rate of the ball.

- You're kidding me.

- No, it's very advanced.

These are roughly $35,000 a piece.

The simulators.

- Do you know what would be cheaper?

A day at max.

- A golf course.

Yeah.

Yeah.

(Rob chuckles) We may have been better off to buy the whole golf.

- So very sophisticated.

- Extremely.

- Where do you get one?

- These came out of California.

Yeah.

Yeah.

A company called Foresight Golf, which are the best in the business.

And so we decided if we're going to do it, let's do it right.

- So golfing, beer?

- Yeah.

Beer.

- Pizza?

- Sure.

Roller dogs.

- That's the ones that just keep going.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

You pick them up in any truck stop.

- Okay.

Yeah.

That doesn't sound very tasty, but hey, you know, after a few beers and a few... yeah.

- Yeah.

- It all gets eaten.

What about the gambling?

- Yeah.

So we'll have a video gaming consoles as well.

So six of them there.

And any more.

It's almost integral to small businesses.

- I've heard that.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- It's a tremendous boom to be able, to generate those extra dollars, just especially, you know, like we talked about it in the summertime, we're going to be pretty slow.

- Yeah.

- You know, if we didn't have that, it'll definitely take the valleys out.

- Are they hard to get?

- They are.

They are a tremendous amount of paperwork, you know, a lot of paperwork, to be filled out, fees for this, and that, and the other.

And then there's a long delay.

But again, it's part of doing business.

- When is it opened?

- So early November, we're gonna have our first soft opening.

So we'll have you and Emily down.

- What does that mean?

Soft opening.

- Soft opening is, let us screw up with our friends and family.

- Oh, okay.

- Yeah.

- That's actually probably a good idea.

- - Much.

Yeah.

Yeah.

- Are you excited?

- I am.

You know, I look at it as an opportunity, to give back to our community.

Again, there's nothing.

From eight to 80, if you're not playing sports, there's nothing to do, in our little village.

And so I think it's an opportunity for people, to meet, gather and have fun.

- I hope they do.

I mean, we've been known to go to local places, that maybe aren't the best.

Because you just, it's so nice to have something close, that you don't have to get in a car, and drive an hour or two.

- Yeah.

So, you know, and we're looking at all kinds of opportunities, you know, there's clubs, rental clubs there.

People can just walk in, you know, sign up online, you know, the website's going to go live here, where you can book and pay online.

You come in, you grab some golf balls, and a bag of clubs and get to work.

- No carts though.

- No, no.

But we do have, some of our seating is going to be golf cart seats.

- Really?

- Yeah.

So it's definitely golf themed.

- That's clever.

- Yeah.

(Rob chuckles) - I met you 2014-ish.

We both went into a Illinois Ag leadership program.

A two year program, incredible amount of time.

Why'd you sign up for that?

- I joined Illinois Ag leadership program, because I just had the feeling, that it could be life changing, and not from a...

I couldn't put my finger on what it was, until we had our first meeting together as a group.

And I knew that the people, that I was going to be around, for the next 24 months, were some of the most interesting, smartest thinkers, that I could have ever assembled.

And I didn't realize that until now years later, but the first time, that we got together on ISU campus, I think it was, I just knew that, that is a special program.

And that was a special group of people.

- I remember.

And this one we started, this was before any of the shark farmer stuff, that started in that.

I remember that first one, when everybody gets up, they say about themselves.

And I'm like, "I really shouldn't be here."

Literally, everyone here is doing more important stuff, than I'm doing.

- And look how the tables have turned.

Now you are-- So I stole all your ideas.

- That's perfect.

That's great.

Because you take everything to the next level, and you continue to do that.

And we're as a class and as agriculture in general, we're so proud of you and Emily, and we thank you for everything that you do.

- Would you stop?

- No.

- I will say because when they interviewed, and the question was, and I knew what it was going to be, it was like, "What are you going to do with what you learn?"

And I went in there, and I said, "I don't know.

"That's what I'm hoping that class will do me."

That's to me, what it's like being around people like yourself, and the other classmates, that are so forward-thinking, so driven that it inspires you.

It's like birds of a feather, right.

If you hang around people, that are forward and strong-willed, it's gonna rub off on you.

- Yeah.

Well, and I think whether it's, you know, the Back Nine, or Shark Farmer podcast, or whatever, when you see a need, don't be afraid to fill that need.

Someone has to.

- I'm always fascinated with, where people get the entrepreneurial attitude.

Do you know where yours came from?

- You know, I really don't.

And in fact, I've talked to my dad about that.

My dad was an Air Force brat, so they moved a lot.

Like I think he went to 14 schools, and he's because of that, he's kind of a hoarder-- - A hoarder?

- A hoarder.

Like he keeps lots of stuff, because when he moved so much as a kid, he never got to keep things.

- Interesting.

- And so, you know, we've talked about that, and how that maybe has, because of the way that his personality was shaped, how it changed me.

I'm a minimalist.

I don't want a lot of stuff because, you know, he's got sheds full of, you know... if he sold everything that he collected for 50 cents a piece, he'd have $30 million.

- [Rob] Really.

Yeah.

He's got sheds full of stuff.

- Yeah.

We should call those antique road guys.

- Yeah.

- They'd go crazy for it.

But I think, you know, our environment, just like that Steer that we talked about, I think their environment shapes us in ways, that we don't know, you know, until you're older.

- Yeah.

- It's an attitude, that I've always found impressive, because it takes cojones to do.

To do something like the Back Nine, take some cojones.

- Yeah.

Well, you know, it's not without, you know, some thought, and running a spreadsheet after spreadsheet, and when you can't talk yourself out of it anymore, just do it.

- People want to find out more about this, where did they go?

Look us at thebacknine.golf.

- Really?

- Yep.

- That wasn't taken?

- That wasn't taken.

- Huh?

I'm surprised.

I thought originally, when I saw this and Emily was telling me about it, that I thought The Back Nine was a franchise, because I thought, I never thought you'd get that name.

Yeah.

- Yeah, no, it was available.

And again, there are so many things, that when you just start asking the question, of why hasn't anyone done this yet?

Sometimes it's spooky, that I don't know why, but it hasn't been done, and you better get at it.

- Pitter, patter, - Pitter, patter.

- Let's get at her.

- I can't wait to go down and see this.

Because I know you, and I know you're, you're going to go and saying until something is done perfectly.

So are you going to be able, to separate the Ryan Buckles the owner of The Back Nine?

The Ryan buckles the family guy?

- I am.

Yeah, absolutely.

To me, the Ryan Buckles business owner takes a back seat, to Ryan Buckle's dad and husband.

And so that's a pretty easy fix.

You know, most businesses, even though I pour a lot of my energy into it, and it gives me back energy.

It's just a thing.

Whereas my family, and my kids, and my wife, are paramount to me.

- Yeah.

It's been a lot of fun getting to know you over the years, you are truly, one of the good people in agriculture, and outside of agriculture too.

It hurts.

Hurts a little bit to say.

- Thanks, Rob.

- Actually, I'm not feeling so good right now, but I know this is going to go well, I know you're going to do amazing, because that's just type of the person that you are.

So Ryan Buckles, the Back Nine, owner of the Back Nine.

How's that sound?

How's that feel.

- We have to get a drink to it.

- It does.

Okay.

Ryan really appreciate you being on the show, and everybody else.

We hope you catch us next week.

(upbeat music)