Tanner Winterhof's Farm4Profit: Reshaping Agricultural Media Amid Industry Evolution

Five years ago, six agricultural podcasts each boasted over 100,000 listeners monthly. Today, only three maintain that audience level, with Farm4Profit standing firmly at #2 on FeedSpot’s Top 35 Farming Podcasts list. This dramatic shift in agricultural media consumption mirrors broader industry transformations, with traditional information sources giving way to more personalized, on-demand content delivery platforms.

“The traditional agricultural media approach is becoming increasingly obsolete,” says Tanner Winterhof, co-host of Farm4Profit podcast. “I think at this point, most traditional ag publications know this as well, but no one’s going to come out and say it.”

With over 400 episodes, 2 million downloads, and a growing team of media professionals, Farm4Profit has evolved from a simple podcast into a comprehensive agricultural media company. The podcast’s rise comes at a time when farmers are seeking more accessible, practical information to improve their operations’ profitability while traditional agricultural publications face declining readership and revenue challenges.

From Banking to Building a Media Platform

Winterhof, who grew up on a swine and row-crop farm in northwest Iowa, built his career in agricultural banking before launching his media venture. After earning a degree in business administration and financial services from AIB College of Business in Des Moines, he spent 15 years in banking, developing expertise in agricultural finance while building a substantial loan portfolio.

“I went into finance because I love numbers, and math always came easy to me,” Winterhof explains. “The way I went about building my business was to try to build as many relationships as I could. It takes a lot of pressure off of me as a salesperson, and I didn’t ever have to get into a spot where I felt like I was putting somebody in a wrong position.”

This relationship-focused approach led Winterhof to launch what was then called the Ames Ag Summit in 2014—not as a podcast, but as a conference positioning himself as an agricultural finance expert connected to industry leaders. His strategy, which he terms “Banker on the Bench,” proved effective—by the conference’s fourth year, attendance had grown to over 400 participants.

In 2019, recognizing limitations in the annual conference format, Winterhof partnered with auctioneer Dave Whitaker to launch the Farm4Profit podcast. Initially released bi-weekly with lecture-style episodes on agricultural business management, the podcast struggled to find significant traction in its early months.

Pivoting to Audience-Driven Content

The defining moment for Farm4Profit arrived in March 2020 when farmer and social media content creator Corey Hillebo joined after appearing as a guest. Hillebo provided blunt feedback that would transform the podcast’s trajectory: “Your content’s good, but your delivery sucks.”

This criticism catalyzed a significant format change. The team launched “Farm for Fun,” a more conversational, entertainment-focused companion to the educational “Farm for Profit” episodes. The diversified approach paid immediate dividends, with audience numbers doubling weekly.

“The more we listened to their ideas, the more popular our episodes became,” Winterhof says. “It became clear that our listeners knew exactly what topics we should be covering. By paying attention to their feedback, we were able to make our content more relevant and engaging.”

The podcast’s explosive growth came during the August 2020 derecho that devastated Iowa farms. Farm4Profit quickly produced emergency reactive episodes featuring pastors, mental health experts, crop insurance adjusters, and agricultural specialists who could help farmers navigate the crisis.

“That switched the mindset,” Winterhof reflects. “It was no longer about me trying to look like the best banker in the area. It was what do farmers need?”

This pivot from self-promotion to community service marked a turning point. Today, when listeners repeatedly suggest topics, the team recognizes this as a signal to create content addressing those issues, bringing in relevant experts who can provide valuable insights.

“Once we had a solid topic, we would bring in a trusted expert to ensure the information was top-notch,” Winterhof explains. “Over the years, we’ve learned how to guide guests into sharing their true opinions and passions without making them uncomfortable. Often, the best content comes from pushing the conversation just enough to get a little deeper or even touch on something slightly controversial.”

Expanding Beyond Podcasting

What began as a simple podcast has evolved into a full-fledged media company with a state-of-the-art studio in Slater, Iowa. The Farm4Profit team now includes 10 staff members, offering audio editing, video production, social media management, and content creation services for agricultural businesses.

“We’re already a media company,” Winterhof notes. “We do offer services from audio editing, video editing. We’ll make custom social media posts for your company. We do commercials. We will write for those. We do content preparation.”

Major sponsors, including John Deere, have recognized Farm4Profit’s influence in the agricultural sector. However, Winterhof is transparent about the realities of podcast monetization, acknowledging that some high-profile sponsors provide more prestige than financial support.

“Sponsorships aren’t always what they appear,” he admits. “Bush Light is one of those name recognition things. They didn’t pay us a dollar. We got paid in a year’s supply of beer.”

In September 2023, Winterhof left banking to focus full-time on Farm4Profit, a decision that represents the culmination of his journey from banker to media entrepreneur. “The only thing I’d ever done was either been a kid, pig farmer, or in a bank,” he says. “It was wild.”

The Future of Agricultural Media

Farm4Profit continues to evolve after five years and 2 million downloads. The team recently conducted a strategic planning session to chart their future direction, with a continued focus on “pushing the envelope of what media looks like to agriculture.”

They’re particularly focused on reaching younger audiences, working with a young FFA member named Paige to develop content targeting FFA students and young adults. This initiative reflects a recognition that engaging the next generation is crucial for agriculture’s future.

“We want to continue to push that envelope of what media looks like to agriculture,” Winterhof says. “We believe it doesn’t have to be us as the face of it. It can be us with the driving knowledge and the production capacity and vision from behind. And maybe you elevate more talent to be able to put things into their place.”

As traditional agricultural information sources struggle to maintain relevance, Farm4Profit’s success demonstrates how adaptability, community focus, and genuine connection can transform a simple idea into a thriving media platform. By prioritizing farmers’ needs over self-promotion and embracing both educational and entertainment content, Winterhof and his team have created a model that may well represent the future of agricultural media.

“I’ll tell you the one thing we’re all committed to doing is doing things that we find fun,” Winterhof concludes. “The future of us will still have that in.”