411. Rob Sharkey on entrepreneurial resilience, launching The Shark Farmer + succession planning conversations from the 2026 First Farmers Bank & Trust Ag Summit

This week, we are bringing you an audio special alongside our friends at First Farmers Bank and Trust who hosted their Annual Ag Summit at Purdue University. Keynoting the event was Rob Sharkey, The Shark Farmer; he is an Illinois grain farmer, a whitetail deer hunting outfitter, XM radio host, television personality and a podcaster. Some of the AgriNovus team had the joy of hearing Rob’s speech and first took away the resilience of the original and ultimate entrepreneur: the farmer. Highlights include: Rob solving the definition of innovation through the launch of The Shark Farmer, the hilarious story of how it came to be and who it aims to serveEstablishing a core audience and message to prepare for growth and the criticality of surrounding yourself with the right people to prepare for that journeyPlanning to pivot or make adjustments when the opportunities arise for your venture to put you on an upward trajectoryThe Shark Farmer’s platform putting them in position to participate in several discussions on farm succession, how those uncomfortable conversations can translate across business growth and who should have a seat at the tableThank you to First Farmers Bank and Trust for having us! We are back next week with a regular episode of the podcast.Learn more about Rob Sharkey, The Shark Farmer, here.