Farmers are NOT getting $129 billion. In Ep 379 of Farming Without the Bank, Mary Jo Irmen breaks down the real farm subsidy numbers.

Out of the $129.6 billion Farm Bill, only $27.9 billion goes directly to farmers. $101.7 billion goes to SNAP / food stamps. So why does everyone think farmers get it all?

Mary Jo puts it in perspective:
- Child and dependent tax credits: $99 billion a year
- Mortgage interest deductions: $52.6 billion
- Student grants: $40.9 billion + $188.8 billion in loan forgiveness over 4 years
- Nursing homes on Medicaid: $136 billion - 63% of residents on Medicaid

Plus subsidies for airlines, rail, public transit, affordable housing landlords, childcare, wind/solar energy, rural telecom, and hospitals. Farmers aren't the only business getting help every year.

If you take a mortgage deduction, child tax credit, or student grant, you can't complain about a farmer taking disaster relief. It's all or nothing.

CLIENT ONLY BLACK SHEEP SUMMIT — Coming this January! If you're a client check your email and get registered. Early bird ends end of November. Didn't get an email? Let us know and make sure you haven't opted out.

Buy the book: https://www.FarmingWithoutTheBank.com/Book
Email Mary Jo: MaryJo@WithoutTheBank.com

Chapters:
00:00 Farm Bill Reality Check
00:41 Podcast Intro and Summit
01:30 Why Subsidies Spark Anger
02:46 What Counts as Subsidy
03:17 Who Else Gets Subsidized
04:46 Tax Credits vs Farm Aid
07:57 Hospitals and Nursing Homes
10:00 Stop Picking One Group
13:47 Ideal World No Subsidies
14:16 Farm Bill Breakdown Again
15:09 Final Rant and Wrap Up

Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com

Your CPA isn't being difficult — they've just never been taught how this works. In Ep. 378, Mary Jo Irmen answers the question she gets more than any other: how does money actually flow through a whole life policy?

She walks the full loop out loud: income comes in, you pay your premium, your cash value grows, you borrow against it for an income-producing asset like cattle, and the income from that asset pays the loan back. Same bucket of income, same premium, year after year. Then she flips it — what happens when you borrow for something that doesn't produce income, like a pickup — and why that is no different from asking a bank for money you can't repay.

She also answers a client's hardest question: "What if it all falls apart?" If the cattle market collapses, your cows, trailers and squeeze chutes aren't worth what they're worth today, because who's going to buy them? Debt-free doesn't protect you from that. Money still earning uninterrupted compound interest and dividends does.

What you'll learn in this episode:

- How cash moves through a whole life policy — premium in, loan out, repayment back
- Why borrowing for a cash-flowing asset pays itself back and borrowing for a pickup doesn't
- The "defined benefit plan" angle that lets you deduct premiums and still keep access to cash
- Why an unpaid loan isn't fatal — your death benefit is the collateral
- Using extra premium in year one as a revolving line for seed, fertilizer, feed, chemical and vet bills
- Why your checking account already does this same job, and what changes when the policy does it
- The real risk of being debt-free while every asset you own sits inside one industry
- What Mary Jo says to readers who call six carriers and get told "you can't do that"

Buy the book: https://www.FarmingWithoutTheBank.com/Book
Email Mary Jo: MaryJo@WithoutTheBank.com

Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com

They weren't given the farm. They just think differently.

In Episode 377 of the Farming Without the Bank podcast, Mary Jo Irmen breaks down the 5 things she sees over and over in her most successful farm and ranch clients — the things that separate the top 3% from the other 97%, no matter the industry.

After working with thousands of farmers, Mary Jo shares why her clients:
1. Have no arrival syndrome — they're constantly learning
2. Were NOT given anything — most had to buy it, earn it, or build it
3. Are often starting a farm from scratch — even leaving family operations to do it
4. Are problem solvers, not victims — when markets drop or the banker says no, they pivot
5. Have a problem solvers mindset — not a victim mindset
6. Plus the bonus #6: They know their numbers and run it like a business

If you've ever thought "it's easy for them, they were handed it" — this episode will change how you see success in farming and ranching.

Buy the book: https://www.FarmingWithoutTheBank.com/Book
Email Mary Jo: MaryJo@WithoutTheBank.com

Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com