Matt Stedl grew up immersed in farm life. From an early age, he knew he would always have a lifelong connection to agriculture. 

“I got my start by being strapped into the combine during fall harvest as a baby,” Matt laughed. His earliest memories of farming involve learning how to drive the tractor and being around the farm equipment as much as possible on his family’s cash crop farm in Seymour, Wisc.

Fueled by a Passion to Learn

Driven by his natural curiosity of learning how things work, he decided to pursue a career in engineering after high school. “My family was always supportive of whatever I wanted to do, even if it meant stepping away from the farm for a while. My dad encouraged me to go out and get experience to figure out what I really wanted to do.”

Matt attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he studied agriculture business and engineering. It was only his second week on campus when he learned about a hands-on internship opportunity working with farm equipment at John Deere. “I think I realized then, there was actually an opportunity to pursue a career in what I enjoyed so much about working on the farm. I always enjoyed being around the equipment on my family’s farm, so it seemed like a natural fit for me.”

He didn’t get the internship right away but Matt remained persistent. The summer after his freshman year in college he joined a wheat harvest run that went through Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. Upon returning to school in the fall, he secured the internship with John Deere.

“I think after I had a little more experience, I was able to come back and show what I had learned by visiting other parts of the country and getting to know more about their farming practices,” he explained. The experience also introduced him to the world of custom harvest work, which would prove valuable as he grew in his career in agriculture.

 

Learning Agriculture Around the World

Matt went on to complete two internships with John Deere, before securing a position working in road testing and product development right out of college. After graduation, he spent five years traveling internationally across Brazil, Australia, Europe, and all throughout the U.S. and Canada gathering customer feedback and field-testing machinery.

“My favorite part of traveling was getting to see different farming practices from around the world. It was a really eye-opening experience seeing how diverse everything from the climate to the soil type, to the kind of equipment that works best for harvesting different crops in different regions can be. It really gave me a unique outlook on farming and the way it’s practiced throughout the world.”

Despite his busy schedule and time spent on the road, Matt made sure to take time off to return home to the family farm in Wisconsin to help out every planting season.

As the farm began to face a transition point, Matt realized his desire to build something of his own closer to home. In late 2023, he decided to return home to the farm full time in hopes to expand its operations and begin his own custom harvesting operation. That’s when his partnership with GreenStone really started to grow.

The Start of a New Partnership

VP of Lending Corey Fanslau had heard about Matt – for years he had worked with Matt’s father, Rick Stedl, on the farm’s financing needs. He had heard stories of Matt’s travels and ambitions, and had communicated with him on and off when Matt expressed his interest in taking over operations on the family farm. When Corey learned he would be returning to the family farm as well as starting a new business, he was eager to support him in his new venture. “I encouraged Matt to take part in GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth conference so he could connect with other young and beginning farmers and learn from experienced producers.”

“That experience was really valuable to me because I got to talk to lot of younger businessmen and women from different industries and hear about their experiences and strategies for their operations,” Matt said. “There weren’t two people from the group that were doing the same thing with their operations, so it was nice to hear from all the different perspectives.”

After the conference, Matt continued to work with Corey on the details of his business plan for a custom harvesting operation. “He talked at length with me about my plans for launching the business, and even would recommend books on business for me to read,” remarked Matt.

 

Putting His Plan into Action

In early 2025, Matt was ready to put his plan into action. He joined his dad, Rick, at the Clintonville office on Patronage Day, GreenStone’s annual celebration when a portion of its profits are returned through checks back to members. He came prepared and shared both his projections and business plan to Corey and VP of Regional Credit Jeni Olson. With another season of custom harvest work under his belt from spending the previous summer out West, he was ready to move forward with establishing his own business, Stedl Harvesting, LLC.

“When Matt came in that day and we sat down to go over his financials, I got to know him even more. And he impressed me even more!” said Corey. “He sat down with us, and when he left, Jeni confirmed ‘he really knows what he’s doing.’”

Matt was able to partner with GreenStone on financing for new equipment for his custom harvesting business, as well as start an operating line of credit to help support the business’s daily operations.

This summer, Matt will be spending his time out West again doing custom wheat harvesting in Oklahoma, Kansas, and the Dakotas before returning home to Wisconsin in the fall with his dad to harvest soybeans and corn.

The Importance of Partnership

“Going forward my relationship with Corey and GreenStone is more critical than ever,” says Matt. “With rising costs and inflation, it’s really important to have someone in your corner who understands the challenges you face as a farmer and can help you adjust your plans if needed.”

A key benefit of Matt’s partnership with GreenStone is now receiving his own Patronage check as a member-owner of the cooperative. “It’s a huge benefit. Being able to apply it back to my equipment or operating loan can make a big difference,” explained Matt.

Another key benefit of operating his own business has been a better work-life balance and spending more time at home, even if he continues to spend his summers out West. “It’s one of the biggest benefits doing custom work has given me – the freedom of getting to choose where I spend my time and spend more time helping to grow our family farm.”

For Matt, one of the most important parts of a successful business plan is who you surround yourself with. “For me, it’s all about who you want to put at the table with you. Find a mentor and get a group of allies you can go into depth with on your plans, who you know are there to help you. For me, from the start that’s been my dad, and Corey.” “The sky is the limit on who you can partner with,” says Corey. “Working with young, agricultural entrepreneurs like Matt is just one of the reasons I love what I do here at GreenStone.”

 

To view the article in the online 2026 Summer Partners Magazine, click here.