Faith joins Mary Pat Sass and Jena Ochsner from Beyond The Crops podcast, for a conversation that starts in the field with tar spot and ends with a much bigger conversation about farming, resilience, and the many ways women contribute to agriculture. Faith breaks down why tar spot can be far more than a cosmetic disease, how this year's unusual weather created the perfect conditions for disease pressure, and why hybrid selection and fungicide management matter when planning for future seasons.

The conversation shifts to the mental pressure that comes with farming. They talk about the temptation to blame yourself when something goes wrong, why a challenging crop doesn't automatically mean you've failed, and the importance of checking in on the farmers and people around you. The episode closes with an honest discussion about farm wives, women in agriculture, the value of the work that doesn't show up on a balance sheet, and why embracing change can open the door to finding a role that actually fits you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Tar Spot Isn’t Just Cosmetic: How tar spot can reduce photosynthetic capacity and cause significant yield loss—and why managing it starts with understanding disease pressure and hybrid susceptibility.

Weather Changes Everything: How humidity, fog, prolonged leaf wetness, moderate temperatures, and cloudy conditions created an unusual environment for tar spot in Nebraska this year.

Turn This Year Into Information: Why comparing hybrid performance and looking at what handled disease pressure best can help guide seed and management decisions for 2027.

You Can't Blame Yourself for the Weather: Why farmers have to separate the decisions they made with the information they had from the things they simply couldn't control—and use unexpected problems as information rather than failure.

Check In on Your People: Farming carries enormous financial, physical, and emotional pressure. Faith, Jena, and MaryPat talk about why asking someone, “Are you really okay?” can matter more than we realize.

The Value of a Farm Wife: The work that happens behind the scenes—raising kids, managing a home, feeding crews, supporting a spouse, and creating a place to recharge—may not show up on a farm's balance sheet, but it can be essential to keeping the operation moving.

There Is No One Way to Be a Woman in Ag: From agronomy and farm operations to grain marketing, business, motherhood, and behind-the-scenes support, women can build a role around their own strengths, passions, and seasons of life.

Embrace the Change: Your role, your interests, and your priorities can change. The goal isn't to force yourself into someone else's definition of success, but to find what fuels you and grow through the changes life brings.

This episode is a reminder that farming is never just about the numbers on a yield monitor. It's about making the best decisions you can with the information you have, learning when things don't go according to plan, supporting the people beside you, and recognizing the value of every person who helps keep a farm—and a family—going.

After You Listen:

• Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes
• Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals
• Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com.
• Check out more from Jena and Mary Pat on the Beyond The Crops podcast

Welcome back to Season 2 of RhizoMetRx! After taking a break during the heart of the 2026 growing season, Faith Lois is back with an agronomic quick hitter and a look at what she’s seeing in the fields across Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, and beyond. From a wet spring and difficult planting conditions to uneven emergence, challenging herbicide windows, and major rainfall events, 2026 has already given growers plenty to think about.

Faith breaks down why the planter pass can set the trajectory for the entire growing season, why high-speed planting isn't always the answer, and how planting depth, soil conditions, residue, and early-season stress can show up months later in the crop. She also looks ahead to grain fill and harvest while challenging growers to think differently about crop management heading into 2027: before reaching for the next product, technology, or piece of equipment, start with the soil.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The Planter Pass Matters: How planting depth, speed, soil conditions, and compaction can influence root development, nutrient availability, and crop performance all season long.

A Planting Depth Hot Take: Why Faith believes planting deeper can lead to better root establishment and more consistent nutrient availability—and why high-speed planters aren't right for every field.

What Uneven Tasseling Reveals: How variability in tassel emergence can help identify differences in soil type, moisture, planting depth, and early-season crop stress.

Why Dry Junes Can Build Big Crops: How favorable moisture conditions can increase nutrient mineralization while reducing nutrient loss and why timing matters.

The Residue Management Problem: Why higher-yielding corn, tougher stalks, and more corn-on-corn acres are making traditional one-pronged residue management strategies less effective.

Stress Mitigation Is Always the Goal: From herbicide applications to saturated soils and heat, Faith explains why maximizing sugar production and minimizing crop stress should be a priority every year—not just in difficult growing seasons.

As you evaluate your 2026 crop and begin thinking about 2027, Faith challenges you to look beyond the latest products and technologies and start with the resource that ultimately drives everything: your soil.

After You Listen:

• Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes
• Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals
• Interested in the September 3rd Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition Meeting? Reach out for details to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com.
• Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com.

In this special episode of RhizometRX, recorded live at the 2026 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas! Faith and Mary Pat Sass (co-host of the Beyond the Crops podcast, founder of Grounded Journals) join Sean Nettleton (host of The Crop Cast).

Together, the trio explores the fascinating parallels between human health and soil health—a concept they playfully dub "crunchy agronomy." They discuss how settling for "average" on a standard soil test is just like settling for "average" on a routine blood panel, and why feeding your crops unbalanced fertilizers is exactly like feeding a toddler Pop-Tarts: it just makes them want to graze for more snacks. Finally, Mary Pat shares the heart behind her business, Grounded Journals, and why physically documenting your farm's history and struggles is vital for future generations.

Meet the Guests:

Mary Pat Sass: Farm wife, content creator, co-host of the Beyond the Crops podcast, and founder of Grounded Journals—prompted memoirs designed specifically for farmers and ranchers.

Sean Nettleton: Host of The Crop Cast and BW Fusion Agronomist. A regular voice on RhizometRX, Sean is passionate about marrying regenerative practices with conventional agriculture.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The "Crunchy Agronomy" Connection: How Mary Pat’s personal journey toward better health and whole foods mirrors the shift toward better soil health and balanced plant nutrition.

Average vs. Optimal: Why a standard soil test is like a basic trip to the doctor—it might tell you you're "average," but an Indicator soil test (like a comprehensive blood panel) tells you what you actually need to function at an optimal level.

The "Pop-Tart" Effect: Why crops fed a steady diet of unbalanced synthetics constantly "snack" and fail to build resilient health, drawing a direct parallel to the way humans react to heavily processed foods.

Regen Meets Conventional: Why you don't have to be an "all or nothing" farmer. Faith and Sean discuss how BW Fusion acts as a consulting bridge between regenerative ideals and the realities of conventional farming.

Documenting Your Farm’s Legacy: Mary Pat shares the inspiration behind Grounded Journals. The group discusses why writing down your seasonal practices, market challenges, and field changes is one of the greatest gifts you can leave for the next generation.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Grounded Journals: groundedjournals.co (Prompted journals for farmers and ranchers)

Beyond the Crops Podcast: Hosted by Mary Pat Sass & Jenna Ochsner

The Crop Cast: Hosted by Sean Nettleton

X (Twitter): @FaithLois12\

After You Listen:

• Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes
• Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals
• Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com.