Iowa Farmer Jeff Ryan, aka "Guy No. 2" - Survived Brain Surgery Awake on the Table to Become Loved Ag Writer

Pete talks with his friend Jeff Ryan, farmer/writer from Cresco, IA. Ryan is known as "Guy No. 2" for his long-time online blog/columns about life and farming in northeast Iowa, always with a humorist slant that brings a smile. Or a tear. Ryan tells Pete about overcoming the Essential Tremor he grew up with and how an incredible brain surgery in 1998 - while he was awake on the table, changed his life. Guy No. 2 has been known to drive his yellow dune buggy on Christmas Day around Cresco, IA....snow or no snow[:40] - Live auctions are happening again![3:00] - Machinery Pete sets up interview with Jeff Ryan[4:25] - Interview with Jeff begins[9:45] - Jeff’s writing background[15:00] - Longform storytelling approach[16:54] - Growing up with Essential Tremor[24:48] - Jeff undergoes brain surgery[29:35] - Recovery from surgery[32:05] - Speaking to Medtronic leadership[37:24] - The “Penny Story”[42:14] - Stories about Ada Austin “The Goat Woman” and Mark Pearson[47:12] - The yellow dune buggy[57:33] - What do you love about farming?[1:00:45] - Final words from Machinery PeteMachinery Pete was founded in 1989 and has grown from its humble beginnings to a full-fledged marketplace for farming equipment. Greg Peterson, founder and host, has also released Machinery Pete content across platforms including YouTube with his long-running Machinery Pete TV show.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to the Machinery Pete Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.