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 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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