Illinois farmer steps on big stage to promote industry - Chad Bell

Hey everybody, it's Paul Yeager This is the MtoM Show podcast to production of Iowa PBS and the Market to Market TV show. First, I want to say thank you to all of you, who submitted a gift of support to help the Market to Market TV show through our Iowa PBS pledging efforts if you have not joined in on the party and are looking for thank you gifts, maybe not this code this year. We didn't pledge that this year. But we did pledge some pretty cool things. You can go to our website of MarkettoMarket.ORG, and there'll be a link there that you can find to support this program. We continue to do work that we think you're interested in and if you value what it is that we do, if you listen or watch, and I know hundreds and 1000s of you do. Here's your chance to make sure that hundreds and 1000s more can see what it is that we do. And what we're doing this week is discussing the Illinois Farm family with Chad Bell. Chad, it was the star. Okay, maybe he won't say star. But he was featured in a Super Bowl advertisement that was run through all state, all of Illinois. On the Super Bowl. We find out what that was like, how he was cut. His speaking lines were cut. Its injustice. No, he never had speaking lines, but how he acted in that spot, why that spot was done. And then we learn a little bit also about his social media, how he connects with those off the farm as well as on the farm. And we learned about what his operation is in Viola, Illinois, which is about it's in Mercer County. So that's Northwest Illinois, a little south of the Davenport area on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities so Moline, Rock Island on the Illinois side, Davenport, Bettendorf on the Iowa side if you're familiar. So let's find out from Chad Bell, what he has to say about farming in 2023. What it is he does on his operation. And we hope you enjoy this conversation. Chad, are those pictures of your farm right behind you or do you just have some really good stock footage, photos for your walls? 

Chad Bell:  Those are pictures that I took on my own farm.

Paul Yeager:  So little hobby photography, or how'd that come about?

Chad Bell  Well, not, I don't know. It's not really a hobby. It's just I've, since ever since I've gotten an iPhone about 10 years ago, I just I've always been someone that likes to take pictures from around the farm and post on social media. So I just, I have a few 1000 on my phone and just some random things and then some some really nice pictures like those in the background.

Paul Yeager: So are you more of an Instagram or Twitter or Facebook? Are you into some other meat? Are you still on MySpace guy?

Chad Bell: I did have a MySpace profile. But I don't know if that is still still out there or not. But I guess I got started with Facebook. Back Back at the beginning it started when I was in college. I do have Instagram I don't I very rarely use it. But now here in the last about a year ago I got started on tick tock and that's between tick tock and Facebook are my two two main platforms. Never Who do you

Paul Yeager: Who do you think you're talking to on Instagram or Tiktok?

Chad Bell:  Um, I don't really know I my tech talk I do. Certain videos seem to go have a further reach to just general consumers and and even even across the world. I've gotten a lot of questions from across the pond even from certain countries, especially to do with pig production. And otherwise a lot of them seem to be within the United States is where a lot of the lot of the interaction that I see

Paul Yeager: do you do a lot of q&a with people that that ask you or do you just look at the comments or do you actually do posts about some of your questions that come in?

Chad Bell: Yeah, so I do try to respond to as many as I can and either just with a short text, reply comment or I do I do post some video replies depending on what the you know if it's something that would be better addressed through video or just a simple yes or no or you know, reply comment, text comment.

Paul Yeager: Craziest question you've received?

Chad Bell  that I can nothing that I can really think off the top of my head as far as like a question but as far as some of the videos that I've posted from inside my pig barn, I get a lot of people that I guess for lack of lack of using terms don't quite understand modern pig production. And so I've tried to try to dispel some of the that, some of that but I also use it a little bit to kind of to put Look, I guess, poke back a little bit, you know, people, people love to poke the farmer and and say, you know, you're doing it wrong, and this is the way you should do it. And a lot of my responses, you know, kind of go back to well, if you think this is the way it should be done, how come you're not doing it yourself, or, you know, what's stopping you from doing it this way. And, and so I tried to have a little bit of fun with it, you know, using it that way. But I also do like to, you know, post legitimate replies that have some content and, you know, to really try to show people this is the way that I raise pigs or raise crops or, you know, whatever the case may be, I just try to try to bring a little educational aspect to, to maybe a little bit of satire and poking back a little bit.

Paul Yeager: Do you ever actually hear from farmers who are critical of what you're doing?

Chad Bell: Not so much, I've had a few comments from. So my pig production system, I'm a production partner for a local farm here within our county. And I do get some comments periodically about raising pigs outdoors. And that's, we used to do that 25 years ago, until we decided against that. And so I do get some comments from people still raising the pigs outside saying, you know, that's, that's the way it should be done. And this is the way I do it. And I'm like, that's fine. I mean, that's, it's great that we have the option of raising the pigs the way we want to whether it's an indoor setting or back outside, either in dirt or dirt lots or concrete lot. So it's, I do get some, like I said, I do get some comments from from fellow farmers about mostly that that aspect.

Paul Yeager: We had some video that we used, probably more than we should have up until about five years ago of an outdoor pig operation. And we would occasionally hear from Oh, come on, you're so outdated, show what it really looks like. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, I know. And then we would post some of that more on a, if it was a story that use that video, if it was more of a if it fit, let's just say it that way. And however the farmer was that you were talking about, but yes, it is a lot of confinement. And there are people who have problems with confinements. But let's face it, we wouldn't raise as many pigs. If we didn't have that type of setup. I mean, that's just flat out how it works.

Chad Bell: Yeah, that's kind of that's kind of one of the things that I've tried to portray a little bit is that, you know, the number of farmers is dwindling. And so, you know, the world The world is growing in spite of the number of farmers dwindling, and so the production per farmer has had to go up to keep up with demand. And we need to supply that. So we have to, we have had to find ways to be more efficient. And that's, that was one of the first things to be more efficient is to bring the pigs inside and and, and do it do it in that setting.

Paul Yeager: Okay, so your farm has some pigs, it looks like it has some soybeans, probably some corn, what else is on your operation there, Chad.

Chad Bell: I do raise a little bit of wheat. And mostly just for a spot to potentially move some pig manure in the summertime. And then I also am pretty conservation minded. And so I do I do use cover crops on my farm. My goal is to be to use cover crops on 100% of my acres. And so having the wheat as well has given me an opportunity to try try a few more cover crops that that I wouldn't typically be able to use and a corn and soybean rotation. So it's I just kind of like to try some different things on limited acres and and the wheat was one of those things that it served two purposes. One for experimental on number one, I haven't grown wheat before in the last since about, oh I've grown three wheat crops now I believe and so it's been fun that to try to learn how to grow wheat it's given me an opportunity to try different cover crops. And so just just a lot of different things that have come along with growing wheat.

Paul Yeager: So you only planting it in the fall. Are you doing some spring wheat?

Chad Bell: Just just fall seeded wheat. 

Paul Yeager: so then what do you put in after in June July when you take it out?

Chad Bell: So last year I did a five or six week mix of cover crop, annual ryegrass and cereal rye radishes, rapeseed. No, I'm missing a couple there but I've just work with a local seed dealer on saying hey, I got I'm going to be taking some wheat out and I really don't really don't have a goal in mind. I just want to want to try to seed something to look at. Look at Something a little bit different that most people aren't looking at here in the area. So it's just given me that opportunity to try a few things. Is your

Paul Yeager: wheat to the point of I mean, is that only used as a feed? Are you finding someone to sell that crop to?

Chad Bell: So I'm selling it as grain. We have a CGB terminal, that's about half an hour away. That is our closest wheat market. Otherwise, the next closest is about two hours from home. So it's market access is pretty limited. In the area. I do have a local neighbor that likes to take the straw or bedding for his cow calf operation. So that's been that's another outlet for for the wheat straw.

Paul Yeager: where you're at in Illinois, it's kind of rare to have wheat. Where's the closest wheat field other than yours around you? And I call it Wes. You're really kind of that almost borderline West Central. But you're still kind of west north? Yeah, it's always because it's Illinois is so long central can be a really big section of the state.

Chad Bell: Yeah, yeah, I consider myself Northwest, I guess. But that doesn't mean much. So the next closest wheat field I do have, there is one farmer down by Alito, which is 10 miles from home here that he does grow a little bit of wheat. But outside of that, it's pretty much the primary use for wheat in the area is a place to spread, possibly spread manure in the summer, there, otherwise, there's and then maybe some straw otherwise, there's not much years ago, a lot of people were planting it for a spot to go with manure in the summer. But now that we have more modern pig barns with eight foot deep pits, were set up to hold a year's worth of manure. So as long as everything goes well, and we don't have a major water leak or something like that we can we can pretty much just plan on pumping in the fall. Yeah,

Paul Yeager: pumping in the fall, or in the spring if somebody forgot something or decided something was a little too pricey, and they want to go the manure route instead, which was, which was probably what happened last year?

Chad Bell: Yeah, yeah, I think I think most farmers in general that have access to pig manure are there. They're not getting rid of that to anyone else. They're, they're putting it on their own fields. And so that there's not much of a market for accessing manure unless you you have your own own way of producing manure.

Paul Yeager: Now, it's been a few too many years for me to drive exactly around your neighborhood. But I used to cover in that area. How many confinement operations how many large cattle operations are around you? Do you feel like you're above average for your area? Or I'm sorry for your state? Or is that you? Is it much more of a crop area?

Chad Bell: Yeah, so I'd say I think if I remember right, that Mercer County is last last figure that I've seen, which was a couple years ago was Mercer County was number five in the state for pig production. We don't have much for feeder feeder cattle market, it's mostly cow calf. Otherwise, I mean, that's there's a lot of farmers that have, you know, 40 to 50, head, cow calf type operations. We don't really have too many that are much larger than that, or you know, really much, much smaller. But otherwise, otherwise, the main main part of the county is is pig production and cow calf and row crops. Are you living

Paul Yeager: in a place where you grew up?

Chad Bell: So right now I live I'm an asphalt farmer I'm living in in town Viola. So my farms about 10 minutes away. So I'm close by to where I grew up. My house is my where I grew up is about a half mile away from the farm. So I'm still still in my home area.

Paul Yeager: Is do you have other family that farms?

Chad Bell: Yeah, so I farm with my dad. He's, let's see, he's turned 65-66, who just turned 66 this year. He's semi-retired. I came back to the farm full time in 2013. And I've pretty much been operating and managing the entire farm since since 2013. My dad did have a health scare back in 2011. He had cancer which really took the wind out of his sails. And I think that also helped him realize that you know, that I was capable of taking over the farm and he wanted to travel more with mom and dad or with my mom and she was approaching retirement age and as well and so it just made sense. It was a good fit at that time for me to come back to the farm and start operating in and managing everything.

Paul Yeager: By Aren't they supposed to come into town and you're supposed to go sit and be at the home place? Do I need to have a help in this conversation? Be a mediator?

Chad Bell: Yeah, no. So they don't actually live on the farm either. They live about six miles away from our, our home farm. And so we're we're both living off the farm. But yeah, that is kind of one of those things where it's interesting that I'm, I'm living in town, and they're still living out in the country.

Paul Yeager: So what were you doing prior to 2013.

Chad Bell: So I graduated from Illinois State in 2008. With a double major in agribusiness and agronomy, I went to work in the FS system GrowMark system, with Gold Star FS, I was a crop sales associate with gold star for about five and a half years. And so that was, that was, that was where I really got my base established with, you know, you can learn, you can learn only so much in college before you got to just get your hands dirty and get your hands on something. And that was, if I had to go back and do it again, there, I would not, I still wouldn't come back to the farm full time right out of college. That was, that was an experience that just cannot be cannot be replaced period.

Paul Yeager: For a number of reasons. And it's in it's not just an agriculture, farm business. That's plenty of businesses that you know, it's a family operations, like you need to go learn how somebody else is the boss before you either think what I've done is a really good idea, or what I've not done is a really good idea. So you know, for yourself, so you're not alone. Yeah. And did it provide you so it sounds like it provided you the perspective to to really kind of focus? Yes, this is what I really want to do.

Chad Bell: Yeah. And I'd say the biggest takeaway that I that I received in those five and a half years working off the farm was I was I was still living in Viola and our farms. So I was I was working on the farm as well on the side. But it my experience with Goldstar was working with all the different customers. I got to see their all of their farm operations, what worked for them, what didn't work for them things that they were trying. And so it allowed me to see that perspective and kind of piece together all of the things that worked for people and to be able to bring those ideas back to my farm as well and try to make those things work that I found interesting. It was that was the best thing that I could have done. I feel

Paul Yeager: so you're in a farm family. So how did you get involved with Illinois farm families? And tell me what that is?

Chad Bell: Yep. So I've been working with Illinois Farm Bureau, just as a member and I was on the state young leader committee for four years back in, I think it was 2015 to 2019 served on the state young leader committee have been involved in young leaders on the Mercer county level, involved in a few things on the state level with Illinois Farm Bureau. So that's really where I got started with Illinois Farm Families, which is a coalition between Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois, pork, Illinois, beef, Illinois, corn, Illinois, soy, Midwest, dairy, all all the different commodity organizations, here in Illinois. And that's, you know, they all they all work together, all the different commodity groups have their own kind of individualized message based on their commodity. But at the end of the day, the messaging is, is pretty unified. You know, we're we're just trying to promote families and farms and help further agriculture here within the state and across the nation.

Paul Yeager: And at what point did you become an actor? And how did that come about?

Chad Bell: So I don't know really how it came about. I've done a lot of media interviews over over the years, and I think I was when I first came back to the farm is really when some of that started. Got involved in Farm Bureau and, and I was starting down the journey of using cover crops and that was pretty much unheard of in this area, and still still relatively unheard of. And so I think people saw that and like, oh, this, this young kid, I was 27, coming back to the farm that he's really, really doing some different things on the farm. So I started getting getting talked to from numerous people and it's led to led to a lot of different opportunities over the years and then working with Illinois farm families as well through basically through Farm Bureau. Has it's been a great opportunity. And I've learned a lot over the last few years.

Paul Yeager: And this was a Super Bowl ad in February and which me means you had to film it before? And was this a national ad that was done.

Chad Bell: This ad was solely in the state of Illinois or in Illinois, media markets TV market, outside of Chicagoland as well. That was that markets pretty expensive from what I've heard to tap into during the Superbowl. And so basically the rest of the state of Illinois media markets, got to see the Superbowl commercial on that day. And the filming was done back in the end of August 1 part of September, on my on my portion on the farm. And that was about half a day long experience. And I've had one of those one or two of those before, so I, I kind of knew what to expect going in. And that was pretty good experience.

Paul Yeager: You mean, this was your second commercial? 

Chad Bell: No, no, actually, that was my first commercial, but the kind of the filming the whole filming, and can I gotcha. And the the big setup.

Paul Yeager: Yeah, those cameras when they bring lots of lights and lots of audio, and it does kind of, it's not just a simple Hey, one camera gets out of the vehicle, sticks the microphone in and ask you a couple of questions. It's a much bigger, a bigger deal. What do you think of the whole experience? When you were filming? Did you have any idea it was going to be what I mean? Of course, you knew at that point, it was going to be a Superbowl ad. But do you think it would get the attention that it did?

Chad Bell: I don't know, I guess I tend to downplay a lot of things until I really see the results. And so I knew in the back of my mind, I knew it would be a pretty big deal. But on the surface, you know, working working with the people it was there was no high pressure like this is going to be a super, super bowl commercially needed. Let's do this once, you know, let's take a few takes of this and, and luckily, my part of the video or the Super Bowl ad, I didn't have any words, I didn't have any lines. So it was pretty easy for me to just kind of, you know, walk around on the farm and, and be a part of that way. So I it was about as easy of an experience as anyone could ever ask for honestly.

Paul Yeager: Well, when they don't let you do lines, that means you can't get your sag card. You know, in Hollywood if you want once you speak you're in the union. So see they're just trying to not you demand next time I'm in an ad I want to speak I want to I want to say something.

Chad Bell: Yeah, well, I've told people that that have told me I did a really good job and the commercial mic. Well, I didn't really do anything besides look pretty for the camera. But if but if silent movies ever comes back and this becomes a thing again that maybe I'd have I'd have a role in that.

Paul Yeager: So did okay. I want to make sure the ad did air in Chicago or did not. It did not air. Okay. But everywhere else in the state.

Chad Bell: Yes. But then right after the Super Bowl, the commercial was launched via social media in that market. So it was it was much, much better bang for the buck to go that route.

Paul Yeager: Totally. I totally get that. So I guess my question is, why is it important to speak to an audience that might not know as much about farming as someone else and why they need to know what it is that you're doing and viola, Illinois?

Chad Bell: Yeah, so there's obviously a pretty big disconnect between farmers and consumers. And as as time goes on, we are further removed, or consumers are further removed from the farm. And farmers are also consumers. I think that's something that we also take for granted that not only are we talking to the average everyday family in Chicago, but we're also needing to talk to our own families and our own neighbors and friends. And so that was one thing that we really wanted to drive home was that 96% of farms in Illinois are family owned and operated fuel. If you would pull just an average consumer in Chicago or anything like that, they they assumed less than half of farms were family owned and operated, which, which means there was a pretty large disconnect there that we realized and wanted to make that connection. And most most consumers if you would ask them, they trust family farmers. And so that was really the main the main thing that we were trying to drive home is that, you know, that's corporate farming is not is not reality. It's it's largely family farms that are still still producing the food and the fiber and the fuel for your family and in the fact that we are family farmers and we're just our farms have changed over the years our farms have gotten larger. We have bigger, more generations involved in the farm people are living longer. So there's up could be three generations on the farm. So we just, we just wanted to show consumers that we are still farming. We're family farms. We're still out here. The landscape looks different, but we're still here.

Paul Yeager: How open is your farm for tours? I mean, do you let let people want people to come by and see what it is that you're doing?

Chad Bell: Yeah, I guess I've never really put it out there that my farm is open. But I do post a lot on social media. So I feel my farm is kind of open. Open from that aspect. If there's anyone that asked me a question about, hey, I want to see your planting equipment, or hey, I want to see inside your pig barn I, I post a lot, like I said, on social media, either Facebook or tic toc. So that's, that's kind of one way that I have opened up my farm per se, is just by showing the things that I do day to day on the farm. Now I wouldn't be open to if people wanted to come see my farm or you know, take a look at something I wouldn't be open to that it's just a lot easier for me to just go the route of social media.

Paul Yeager: Do you think that the Tik Tok and Facebook is it marketing? Or is it education.

Chad Bell: Um, I'd say it's a combination of both. I try to make mine as educational as possible, but at the same time, feel you have to kind of mark yourself a little bit and, and, and show I like to show kind of who I am in a little bit of humor, I'm not the most funny type person, I do appreciate a good joke and love humor, but I have a hard time kind of bringing it across through some of my, some of my videos, but I do like to, you know, bring an element of humor. And but also, you know, the real, the real reason I'm on social media and Tik Tok is to further agriculture, and then just show what I'm doing and help promote it.

Paul Yeager: Do you think that through social you've ever changed someone's mind on how they view a farmer? Or farming in general?

Chad Bell: I believe so. I mean, if we, I don't know how things would look today, I guess as far as making that connection between farmers and consumers without social media, granted, that's kind of the era that I grew up in. Going off to college. That was my one of my first things in college freshman in college was social media, Facebook, and but I think, you know, it's, it's hard to change someone's mind these days, it seems like the only thing you can really do is put the information out there. To get them to at least number one thing, because the main thing about it to think, well, maybe there is a different different side to this. And maybe I'm not necessarily right or take it take another look instead of just being ingrained and whatever your thought may be. So I don't know, I guess I would say that I probably change someone's mind. But I think the biggest thing for me is I just want people to think a little bit more about it. And have a face shake and all that

Paul Yeager: and have a face of of what farming is not just this big, green machine that's rolling through the field, but it's it's Chad Bell driving that machine.

Chad Bell: Yeah, and I think there's people here locally that we can even go within our county our county is largely rural. The biggest town we have is Aledo and it's 33 or 4000. 

Paul Yeager: It used to have a Hardee's does it still have the Hardee's? No, the Hardee's is no so not even big enough to have the Hardee's anymore, but it's yeah, it's a small town, Aledo is not a big place.

Chad Bell: Aledo is the county seat that's the biggest town in our county, and you don't have to go too far outs off the farm to find people in our county that just don't, that don't fully understand agriculture or are, are as removed as someone in Chicago from the farm. And so we always think that, Oh, we got to help build consumer awareness in Chicago, but we also completely forget the fact that there's people within our own communities that don't understand what what it is we that we do. And so it's just one of my things is just trying to show what I do on my farm and, and just put it out there. So when someone's driving down the road down past the field, they they say, Oh, well, that green stuff that's grown out there. That's not corn beans, it's a cover crop and it's slowing down erosion and improving water quality. And just one of those things that people don't necessarily think about, they just drive down the road and see a corn or soybean field. Don't don't think twice about it.

Paul Yeager: Well, I'm gonna guess 40 years ago, the people that were not working in agriculture and maybe not teaching, the vast majority of his other jobs, were going to one of three different John Deere facilities in the Quad Cities because they were able to drive. Now there's other manufacturing or places to work. And so it's not even, you don't even have that secondary level of connection that you used to have for the people who made whether it was the planter or the combine that are made 30 miles away from you.

Chad Bell: Yeah, I mean, that's, that's just the way it's going these days. There's like I said, there's a you know, this as well as I do, there's a lot less farmers period, and people involved in agriculture period. So it's we have, there's just a lot more people that we need to touch with agriculture and just show the day to day type of things that when they're driving down the road, they know what they're looking at, or, or at least wonder what they're looking at.

Paul Yeager: Let's, let's move ahead to 2023. Real quickly, what is it you're going to what's the plan on percentage breakdown of what you want to grow? And has that changed over the winter because of pricing.

Chad Bell: So I'm pretty strict or old school when it comes to cropping I'd like to be about 5050 corn soybeans with with a 20 or 30 acres of wheat. And so that's, I'm pretty much sticking with my program. I don't I don't vary too much. But it does look like right now, in spite of high fertilizer prices that as long as my cost accounting is reasonably accurate, that corn looks like a better, better crop to grow here and 23 than soybeans, for sure. And right now wheat looks awful. Looking at today's prices, and what the expenses are that I have in there, so it's I like I said, I just pretty much stick to stick to what I know right now.

Paul Yeager: Do you have enough moisture? Or did you need? Do you still need some recharge around you?

Chad Bell: Well, we've been getting quite a bit of rain, actually, in very little snow. But actually right now, yesterday, I spread urea on my wheat and the ground is as dry as it can be. It didn't pick up any mud on the tractor tires or anything. So it's right now we're, we're dry on top. And I haven't been checking any tiles to see what kind of subsoil moisture we have. But with the significant rains that we have been getting, I have thought that it would stay water longer than it has. So obviously, obviously that moisture is going somewhere and it's not running off.

Paul Yeager: So did were you dry in 22? I mean, did did your crop suffer from lack of moisture?

Chad Bell: No. If anything, we were just in time moisture, we we were never overly wet and we were never overly dry. It was kind of one of those perfect, perfect scenarios, we did have a dry June up until the end. And I think it was June 23 or 25th we caught about four inches of rain that day. Otherwise, we hadn't had basically anything since about middle of May. So we were we were looking pretty dry. And things were kind of looking a little suspect at that point. But once we got that four inches of rain, it's like the faucet just kind of turned on. And we'd catch a half inch here, three quarters there. So we didn't really catch any big rains. But we just kept things going.

Paul Yeager: In the hog barn, any of those decisions to expand or shrink a herd are those anything that you have to do or you're just there to, you're executing the play called in the huddle,

Chad Bell: I'm executing the play, call and huddle. I would would love to build another barn in the future. With my dad kind of being aging out of the farm and wanting to slow down further. It's I'm kind of in a tough spot with the size of my row crop farm that I can't really, I don't feel like I can afford someone full time on the farm. But part time Labor's hard to find so I feel like I'm kind of kind of in a rut or in a spot where I'm just not sure exactly what to do. If I if I want to continue to expand the farm. I'm kind of in a spot right now.

Paul Yeager: As you look at '23 How do you feel about you mentioned your cost accounting mentioned some of the prices and the inputs How do you feel economically about the coming year?

Chad Bell: I'm pretty mixed I guess. It depends on how much marketing information you listen to her and how much of it you believe or really get caught up in but you know, I got some mixed from the fact that most people are forcasting lower prices, and so our incomes going to be down. Just as of today, it looks that way. But, you know, we were, we know how black swan events kind of work now, and that they can come out of nowhere. So it's hard to say I mean, I guess I'm kind of in the middle. But obviously being a farmer, we're, even if we're not expressing it, we are optimistic because I'm still here. I'm still here. I'm still planning to farm. So obviously, there's some some prospect of prosperity that I'm hoping for. So that's kind of where I'm at.

Paul Yeager: if your DNA tests came back positive for optimism, then you are a farmer, even if it is sometimes masked and pessimism pessimism at the coffee shop or something like that.

Chad Bell: Yeah, by the by the end of a crop year, I'm getting kind of down and then winter comes and it's just in time to allow me to recharge a little bit. So I'm in a much better spot now and middle of March than I was and the end of December.

Paul Yeager: Sounds good. Well, Chad, I appreciate the time. Good luck in 2023. And we hope to talk to you again.

Chad Bell: Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.

Paul Yeager: My thanks to Chad Bell. We've put some of his social media accounts throughout this podcast. So if you're curious about what it is that he does, and you want to follow him along, we've helped you out. This is a production of Iowa PBS and the Market to Market TV show. I'm Paul Yeager. If you have any feedback for us, you can always send us an email at MarkettoMarket@IowaPBS.org. We'll see you next Tuesday for our next installment of the MToM Show podcast.