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

Machinery Pete Podcast

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 Pete

Machinery 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.

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