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Agriculture runs on risk.

Weather. Markets. Policy. Input costs. And increasingly — the mental weight of managing all of it.

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with Anya Pinkerton — a Purdue Animal Sciences graduate whose career has taken her through the USDA Farm Service Agency, agricultural lending, and now into leading a growing crop insurance business.

That perspective matters.

Because Anya has seen agriculture from multiple sides of the desk — and understands that risk isn’t just something you manage on paper… it’s something you carry.

This conversation explores:

• How crop insurance has evolved from simple hail coverage to complex, revenue-based protection
• Why today’s farmers are using insurance as a strategic tool — not just catastrophic backup
• The growing importance of trust between farmers and their advisors
• How communication — not just data — determines whether risk is understood or ignored
• The mental and emotional weight of farming in an era of bigger numbers and tighter margins
• Why no two farms should approach risk the same way

Along the way, Jim and Anya touch on leadership, mentorship, Purdue basketball, and the reality that sometimes the most important conversations in agriculture aren’t about production — they’re about perspective.

At its core, this episode is about one simple idea:

Risk doesn’t disappear. It gets shared, structured, and understood — or it gets ignored.

Five Signature Questions Included

As always, the episode closes with the Patio Pondering Five — covering lessons from agriculture, underappreciated truths, and small changes that could shape the future of the industry.

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Terry Sible grew up on a farm outside Churubusco, Indiana, learning the same lessons many farm kids do: responsibility, patience, and the value of community.

At eighteen, Terry’s life took an unexpected turn. Just five years earlier he had lost his father in a farm accident in the same barn where Terry kept his 4-H livestock. But instead of letting those moments define him, he built a life centered on helping others.

Today Terry works with schools and families helping children with disabilities find success in the classroom. Terry may get around in a wheelchair, but it has never defined who he is. Instead, the patience, resilience, and sense of community he learned growing up on a farm in northwest Allen County continue to shape how he approaches life and the people he works with.

In this conversation we talk about growing up in 4-H and FFA, the farm community that rallied around him after his accident, raising kids, and the role patience and positivity still play in his life today.

Terry also answers the Patio Pondering Five Questions, sharing what agriculture taught him about resilience, community, and why farmers are always trying to do the right thing.

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Leadership in agriculture is often talked about as if it simply appears — the loudest voice in the room or the person willing to take charge.

But real leadership is something different. It can be cultivated, sharpened, and intentionally developed.

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, I sit down with Jill Zimmerman, President of the Kansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership (KARL) Program, to talk about how leadership actually develops in agriculture and rural communities.

Jill shares how programs like KARL help cultivate leaders across agriculture, rural communities, healthcare, education, and policy — and why leadership today requires collaboration, service, and a willingness to step forward.

Along the way we explore:

• How leadership in agriculture is evolving
• Why raising your hand still matters in rural communities
• The power of networks and relationships in agriculture
• The importance of allowing “a pause in the noise” to sharpen our thinking
• How mentorship and encouragement shape future leaders

Plus Jill answers the Patio Pondering Five Questions, sharing lessons about passion for agriculture, leadership development, and the future of agricultural innovation.