Beyond The Bushels
Beyond The Bushels is where real farm stories and practical strategies come together. This isn’t just another ag podcast—it’s a place where we get past the surface to hear the heart of farming. From generational transitions and growing pains to new tech and old tractors, each episode puts the spotlight on the people behind the work—their values, their challenges, and the wisdom they’ve earned along the way.
Some are just getting started. Others have weathered decades of droughts, markets, and midnight repairs. But they all have one thing in common: a deep-rooted commitment to doing it right, passing it on, and building something that lasts.
Powered by Traction—the farm management software that connects your numbers to your acres—Beyond The Bushels is more than acres and yields. It’s about legacy, resilience, and the everyday moments that define life on the farm.
Beyond The Bushels
Tassels, Tank Mixes, and Family Transitions with Ethan Carothers (Ohio)
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For Ethan Carothers, farming is equal parts grit, faith, and forward motion. A fourth-generation farmer from northwest Ohio, Ethan came home from Ohio State in 2016, launched a custom spraying business with a HAGIE high-boy, and built a life where family and farming intersect every single day.
In this episode, Ethan shares how spraying acres for neighbors and the local co-op gave him the cash flow to step away from a school bus route, why succession planning with his parents has been a blessing, and what it takes to juggle both the books and the sprayer wheel. He also talks about near-misses with anhydrous that reshaped his approach to safety, the role of his wife and three young boys on the farm, and how faith, community, and the local fire department round out his time off the tractor.
From tile lines to fungicide passes, and from combine rides with Grandpa (complete with sugar cookies and Pepsi) to buddy-seat memories with his own sons, Ethan’s story is one of resilience, responsibility, and raising the next generation on solid ground.
🎙️ Pass the Mic
• Josh’s question to Ethan: “What’s one of the biggest things you’ve seen change in the farming community—from when you started to where you are now?”
• Ethan’s question for the next guest: “Where do you see genetics going in the future? How much more can we get out of seed than we do right now?”
Thanks for listening to Beyond the Bushels, where farm stories go deeper than yield.
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