From Media to Market: Storytelling Secrets for Ag Startups

In this episode, Kaylee sits down with Jeff Caldwell, Vice President of Strategy and Content at Stratovation Group, to explore what separates winning go-to-market strategies from failing ones in agriculture. 💡 Find this show on your favorite player: https://iowapodcast.com/jeff-caldwell  🐖 Get a free $30 gift card from Jethro's BBQ: https://iowapodcast.com/jethrosbbq  Jeff breaks down the difference between a "shotgun blast" approach—lumping all farmers together—and a precision "sniper shot" strategy that accounts for geography, farm size, financial standing, and individual farmer psychology. Through his 15+ years in ag media and current work consulting early-stage ag tech companies, Jeff reveals why most startups struggle: they either fail to clearly define the problem they're solving, or they can't communicate their solution in a way that resonates with their target customer in seconds, not paragraphs. The conversation dives deep into the art of selling to farmers, a uniquely challenging market because farmers are sellers and buyers every day, and they have finely tuned "bullshit detectors." Jeff shares actionable storytelling frameworks drawn from author Stephen King's narrative techniques, explains why word choice and industry language matter more than most founders realize, and challenges the conventional wisdom around AI adoption in agriculture. Whether you're building an ag tech startup, raising capital, or simply curious about how to win in one of America's most competitive industries, this episode offers hard-won insights from someone who speaks both the language of innovation and the language of the farm.