The Workhorse Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to The Workhorse Podcast, where we dig deep into the grit, passion, and strategy behind building a successful rural business. Hosted by Kendall Ballantine of Central Park Farms and Jessica Garza of Moose Valley Ranch, this podcast is for hardworking female farmers and rural entrepreneurs who are ready to turn their dreams into thriving businesses.

From marketing your business online and direct-to-consumer strategies to balancing farm family life and business growth, we’re here to give you practical tools, candid insights, and a healthy dose of community support. This is for the doers, the women who scale their business during the long trips to town, the workhorses.

If you’re looking to dive even deeper into our community, check out The Workhorse Collective, a growing group of rural women entrepreneurs. 

https://www.marketingforfarmers.co/business-coaching-for-farmers

In today's episode, we're talking about the complexities of family business succession planning, arguably one of the most difficult topics in agriculture. Kendall (the stepmom) shares what she's dealing with running a business with her husband on her in-law's land, and Jessica (the sibling) shares how her law enforcement background has given her a unique view on family business conflicts. We have been talking about this topic for our entire relationship, and we can't stress enough the importance of having early, ongoing conversations about succession. 

Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! 

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch
• Check out her website

Resources & Links:

• The Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

Mentioned in this episode:

The Workhorse Collective

Our signature group coaching program to help you ditch overwhelm and get the support you need to grow your agricultural & rural business. Click the link below!

Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

No one in the history of anyone ever speaking about the two of us would accuse us of staying in one spot for too long. And that means that we don’t always get a chance to talk about all the spots we’ve been in, including failing. Like, entire businesses failing. 

In today’s episode, we’re sharing all the juicy details of our failed pumpkin and lobster businesses to share our biggest lessons in failing. Because they don’t get mentioned enough in the highlight reel that is social media. You see the wins over and over, but what about how many times the people you follow have started, stopped, quit, failed, and been served up some humble pie in a big way?

We think it’s so important to share these “failures” because they’re where the lessons come from. Where you learn something. And what ends up making you a much better business person. 

So tune in to hear what Jessica learned from growing pumpkins (and sunflowers) and what Kendall learned from selling lobsters on the West Coast.

In this episode, we cover: 

• Jessica's lessons learned from pumpkins and sunflowers (AKA why she will never be a pumpkin farmer)
• Kendall's lessons learned from lobsters (AKA why being a lobster mom is harder than it sounds)

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch
• Check out her website

Resources & Links:

• Sign up to get notified about the next Workhorse Retreat
• The Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

Mentioned in this episode:

Interested in the next Workhorse Retreat? Click below!

Workhorse Retreat

In today's episode, we're boiling down our gobsmacking market experience (as both vendors and organizers) to bring you five ways to set yourself apart at markets. We asked ourselves what we would really want to tell someone if we could sit down with you for 45 minutes and just braindump. 

And what we came up with for this value-packed episode are the five most important things that will work no matter the market you're at. Tune in to hear us dive deep and share examples of how you should prepare, market the market, slay your setup, hustle, and go beyond the market. 

Markets have been such a huge part of both of our businesses, and we love teaching and sharing about them. If markets are on your heart and you’re just starting, know there is a learning curve here. So, take something from this episode and figure out how to apply it to your own business so you can set yourself apart at future markets. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• Our collective experience running markets
• Why you should prepare, prepare, and prepare some more
• Your new mantra: market the market
• SLAYING your market setup
• How to hustle at markets
• Thinking long-game and going beyond the market

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch
• Check out her website

Resources & Links:

• The Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

Mentioned in this episode:

Save the Date for the next Market in the Mountains! Sept 27-28, 2025 at the ranch near Springdale, WA.

Market in the Mountains

On today's episode, we are talking about the number one thing that we hear in our DMs: how we find balance in rural business. We decided to hit the nail on the head in our first podcast episode since it's not easy to answer this in 10 seconds by DM!

How we do it all is by far our most asked question, so we're spilling the tea and giving you a more complete and nuanced answer. Our struggles and successes are not your struggles and successes. We are all different, and we hope that by sharing more of our story, we can help you stop comparing yourself to everyone you see on social media who seems to be balancing and doing all the things. Because what you don't see are the million and one things going on in the background.

We're so excited to share this podcast with you and really dive deep with so much more behind-the-scenes as rural women entrepreneurs; like how we're making it work on the farm, off the farm, with the farm animals, the farm kids, and everything in between. 

Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

In this episode about, we cover: 

• Why we don’t actually like the term “work-life balance”
• Kendall’s home life as a step-parent to older boys and Jessica’s as a mom to younger boys
• The power of a supportive spouse
• Why balance is not the goal
• Loose time blocking, backend administrative processes, and the magic of Quickbooks
• The different ways we outsource our tasks to save time
• How to start fresh with a Z folder

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch
• Check out her website

Resources & Links:

• The Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

In this episode, we're talking about why one of the most important things about being in community is showing up when you say you're going to show up. So, we're sharing our own personal stories of what happens when you overcommit, the impact that can have on your business, and how to have a little grace for others when you don't know the whole story. We get it; the people-pleasing factor in business is strong, but don't let it lead you out of integrity and not show up how you say you're going to. 

Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! 

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch
• Check out her website

Resources & Links:

• The Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

Mentioned in this episode:

The Workhorse Collective

Our signature group coaching program to help you ditch overwhelm and get the support you need to grow your agricultural & rural business. Click the link below!

Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

In today's episode, Jessica and Kendall share the big news about major changes coming to their business partnership and coaching model. What started as a four-hour financial meeting for Kendall turned into a complete pivot away from their monthly group coaching membership to an entirely new approach focused on implementation and results.

The hosts get candid about recognizing when something isn't serving your business anymore - even when it's profitable and successful. They discuss the guilt of seeing members pay monthly without logging in, the challenge of serving women at vastly different business stages, and the realization that constant education without implementation creates a hamster wheel of learning without progress.

Drawing from Kendall's personal experience taking two different types of courses in 2024 - one monthly subscription style and one intensive container - they discovered the power of structured, time-bound programs with built-in accountability. The new model will focus on helping women execute specific goals within their businesses rather than consuming endless content.

They reveal their first two program topics: AI for rural businesses (which has fundamentally changed how Kendall operates and recently helped Jessica secure $17,000 in grant funding) and starting a rural business from idea to implementation. Both programs are designed to move women from learning to doing, with homework, accountability, and real business outcomes.

The episode offers valuable insights for anyone questioning whether their current business model still serves their goals and community, showing that sometimes the boldest move is burning it all down to build something better.

• Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Join the Workshop!

Make AI Your New Business Workhorse

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch 
• Check out her website

In today's episode, Kendall and Jess are spilling the tea on what's really happening with social media right now.

With members asking questions about plummeting engagement, vanity metrics diving, and the dreaded "algorithm struggles," they're here to set the record straight on what's actually happening with your content—and what you can do about it.

From the good old days of guaranteed reach (remember when you just posted a picture of dinner with that terrible rainbow filter?) to today's demanding content landscape, they break down the real reasons your posts might not be performing and how to fix it.

They talk about:

• Why follower count doesn't equal business success (and when it actually matters)
• The difference between being an influencer and running a product-based business
• How to turn down brand deals that don't align with your revenue goals
• Why your "boring" content might be your biggest sales driver
• The real reason people aren't seeing your posts (hint: it's probably not shadowbanning)
• How consumers are engaging differently now—and what that means for your content
• Why your store hours post matters even if it gets zero likes
• The step-by-step approach to actually improving your content strategy

Whether you're frustrated with low engagement or trying to figure out if social media is even worth your time, this episode breaks down exactly how to approach content creation as a rural business owner.

Reminder: You're not creating content for yourself—you're creating it for your customers. Every post should have a purpose they can connect with.

Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch 
• Check out her website

Resources & Links:

• Anonymous Questions Submission 
• Guest Spot on the Podcast

There is a time and a place for hustle, and there is a time and a place not to hustle. Today, we're tackling the concept of hustle culture (and girl-bossing) and the impact it's had on our lives and businesses. This episode quickly turned into a 2:00 AM retreat-style chat (which we love), but we still came full circle with some really good business tips for you.

Don't forget to catch the next episode with Kendall and her husband, Jay, which is all about getting comfortable on social media!

Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch 
• Check out her website

Resources & Links:

• Episode 2. Five Ways to Set Yourself Apart at Markets
• Increase Revenue With Value-Add Products Workshop
• Scribe
• Anonymous Questions Submission 
• Guest Spot on the Podcast
• The Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

Mentioned in this episode:

In this hour long workshop, learn exactly how we launched our chef-crafted prepared foods line to increase revenue with our ranch-raised meat. Click below to learn more.

Prepared Foods: Value-Add Products Workshop

We've been referencing our unicorn husbands enough that we thought it was time to bring them on the podcast! Today, Jessica's husband CJ (known to some as Chris) is in the hot seat answering all her questions about how he supports her in business and his role in their family.

You'll hear his thoughts on when Jessica first brought up the idea of Moose Valley Ranch, how she's the brains and he's the brawn (his words), the biggest source of friction in their relationship, their best advice for couples going into business together, and so much more.

Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! 

(And stay tuned for a future episode with Kendall and her husband, Jay!)

Connect with CJ:

• Leave a comment/question in Apple Podcasts (he reads all of our comments!)
• Or contact Jessica on Instagram @moosevalleyranch

Connect with Kendall:

• Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
• Check out her website

Connect with Jessica:

• Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch 
• Check out her website

Resources & Links:

• Cozi calendar app
• Anonymous Questions Submission 
• Guest Spot on the Podcast
• The Workhorse Collective Group Coaching

Mentioned in this episode:

If you're looking for direct feedback and teaching on your specific business needs, assistance navigating a difficult time, or just need a second set of eyes on your business, we both offer 1:1 coaching calls. Click below to learn more. One-on-One Coaching Session with Kendall: https://the-workhorse-podcast.captivate.fm/one-on-one-kendall Strategy Sesh with Jessica: https://the-workhorse-podcast.captivate.fm/one-on-one-with-jess