Hello and Welcome to this episode fo Ag State of Mind a proud member of the Global Ag network. Today we are continuing our series on diet and nutrition with my friend Nicole Rodriguez. I'll start off and let everyone know that the episode ends rather abruptly. We had some issues with my rural internet connection that wreaked havoc for us. We had to restart our connection once but then it finally shut off for good toward the end. The joys of podcasting with rural internet. Nicole is a registered ...
Jan 17, 2021•Season 1Ep. 74
We are going to pause our month on nutrition today to chat with my friend Whitney Larson. Whitney is a farmer from Western Kansas who is an incredible advocate for farmers and in particular farmers wives everywhere. If you have been a long time listener of the podcast, you’ll recall we talked to Kylie Epperson last April who is Whitney’s cohost of the Midwest Farm Wives podcast. So today is Whitney’s turn. This is a perfect opportunity to plug an event that is coming up which was created by whit...
Jan 10, 2021•Season 1Ep. 73
Continuing our January theme of nutrition we speak today to Cara Harbstreet, RD of Street Smart Nutrition. We chat a bit about her history and how she found her history to dietetic school. We then chat about her journey through the profession and how she founded her own business. Then we shift to speaking about her approach to healthy eating and a few of the practices she employs. We also chat about meat and how she has worked with farmers and ranchers to promote animal protein as a part of a he...
Jan 03, 2021•Season 1Ep. 72
Happy 2021!! Today I am speaking with my wife Keri Medows again about proper nutrition. Keri is a NASM Certified Trainer with an emphasis on Fitness nutrition. She is also a RYT200 certified yoga instructor. We talk about the typical new year chatter around nutrition. How nutrition and diet is not a destination and a journey. About how a lot of "lose weight quick" programs are not necessarily healthy and that we should focus on the long term in regards to our health and well being. We then shift...
Jan 02, 2021•Season 1Ep. 71
Greetings and welcome to the final episode of 2020. I appreciate you all hanging out with me this year. I cannot thank you all enough for the support and the encouragement over this last year. 2020 has been a tough year but I am thankful to have made the connections I have through this podcast. It would be nothing without all of you. Today, we speak to Isabella Schroeder, a Vet Student at Iowa State University. We talk to her about what her experience has been this year dealing with the pressure...
Dec 27, 2020•Season 1Ep. 70
Solo episode today that was recorded on a whim. I chat for a bit about my son Levi's integral part in this podcast through his editing and feedback. I then chat about what's to be expected for this podcast and the mission of ASOM going forward. Lastly, I talk about the Christmas season and my hope for the world. Wanting for us to return to a nation and a world who can focus on the good instead of amplify the bad. I appreciate all of you who helped this podcast grow in 2020 and look forward to mo...
Dec 20, 2020•Season 1Ep. 69
Wyatt Merry is a 3rd Generation Farmer in Texoma, Oklahoma. He farms alongside his father as well as attends high school. We talk about the day to day on his farm and how he has come to gain a passion for agriculture. We then shift to talking about his life as a high school student during the pandemic and how that has affected him. Find links to all of Wyatt's pages at https://agstateofmind.com/2020/12/13/ag-state-of-mind-ep-64-wyatt-merry/
Dec 13, 2020•Season 1Ep. 68
Welcome to December!! Today we go to sunny Southern California to talk to my friend Allison Fender of the Flyin F Ranch. We talk to her about her upbringing and how her and husband Bryce started their own herd. We then talk about the challenges faced when raising cattle in a place like SoCal where ag is often misunderstood. We wrap up the episode by talking about our #run1000 team where we are raising money for the Do More Agriculture Foundation. Great episode with a great gal!! Check Alli and h...
Dec 06, 2020•Season 1Ep. 67
Thanks to you all for tuning in this month to our series where we dive into talking about men’s health. I want to thank all of the guests this past month… Henry Roberts, Allan Kehler, Matt Niswander, and Bryan Moes for their contributions to this mission of ours. It was so refreshing to hear their perspectives and to know that there are other men who are putting themselves out there to make mens health a priority! Today, I want to wrap up November with my own perspective on what being a man and ...
Nov 29, 2020•Season 1Ep. 66
Happy Thanksgiving week folks! Today is Part 4 and our final installment of our November series talking about men's mental health. Today, we speak with long time supporter of the show and friend Bryan Moes. Bryan is a farmer/feeder from Northeast South Dakota. We talk to Bryan about what it's like being a father on the farm, working alongside your father in a generational operation, and a bit about his business model. Bryan has been one of the top supporters of this podcast and I am grateful I c...
Nov 22, 2020•Season 1Ep. 65
Greetings and welcome to part 3 of our November series featuring men's mental health. Today, we speak with my friend Matt Niswander. Matt has found the sweet spot of where agriculture and medicine intersect. Matt is a Family Nurse Practitioner in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. He recently opened up his own clinic to serve that rural community. Matt is also a first generation farmer. He has an incredible story of how he learned to farm from YouTube. He now raises cattle for direct to consumer sales wit...
Nov 15, 2020•Season 1Ep. 64
Part Two of our November series focusing on men's mental health. Today, we speak to Allan Kehler of Saskatchewan, Canada. Allan was introduced to me by previous guest and friend Lesley Kelly. Allan has an incredible story of perseverance and resilience through adversity. We talk about his journey to sobriety, the struggles with maintaining and being accepted with that sobriety, and his mission to break the tough guy stigma surrounding mental health in men. Speaking to Allan is like talking to an...
Nov 08, 2020•Season 1Ep. 63
Greetings and welcome to our November theme focusing on Men's Health. Really excited for this month. Today, we speak to long time friend of the show Henry Roberts. Henry is retired Air Force as well as a retired firefighter. He has now focused his passion on mental health and being an advocate in that space. We talk about his history, his own battles with his mental health, and how he was able to get back where he wanted to be. We then talk about his advocacy and his blog that focuses on both ag...
Nov 01, 2020•Season 1Ep. 62
As some of you are aware, November is Men's Health Awareness month. Often times, this month is focused on physical health issues such as prostate cancer. I want to take it a step further and shift the focus of this month to men's mental health. I plan to speak to several men throughout this month to help start a more meaningful conversation around men's mental health. Today's episode is kind of a kick off for our series. Chelsea Hanson and I have been friends through social media for serveral mo...
Oct 25, 2020•Season 1Ep. 61
Today is a unique episode of the podcast...and if I'm being honest, it's a tad bit selfish. Megan Teerlink hosts my new favorite podcast, Getting Mindful with Megan. She takes an unique approach to mindfulness, intentionality, and self improvement by drawing from her life as a yoga practitioner as well as her own faith in Jesus. Megan's podcast and coaching has been a blessing to our family as you will find out in the podcast. I'm so excited for you guys to find out more about Megan. Find out mo...
Oct 18, 2020•Season 1Ep. 60
It is my belief that the mental health of students during the COVID-19 pandemic has not gotten the proper attention. We are trying to do our part here at ASOM to remedy that. Emma Rose Ploch is a student at the University of Missouri and is founder of the Ag Advocacy page Found in the Field. Today, we spend some time talking about why she went into agriculture school and how she has found her passion for ag advocacy. We then talk to her about her unique experience as a college student during the...
Oct 11, 2020•Season 1Ep. 59
For lots of us, money is a point of great stress. We are always seeming to chase the dollar thinking that more money equals a better life. Our guest today challenges that a bit. Austin Black is a financial coach with a passion for helping those invovled in agriculture. Today, we chat with Austin about his services and how by changing our relationship with money, we can become happier and more ready to deal with financial stress. A great conversation. I want to also take this opportunity to let e...
Oct 04, 2020•Season 1Ep. 58
It’s Episode No. 53 and Happy 1 year anniversary to the Ag State of Mind Podcast. We are so thankful to everyone who has joined along in this journey over the past year. It is our goal over the next year to continue to bring the best content we can to the table of health in agriculture. Today, we return to speaking about the world of dairy farming and how the current ag climate is affecting dairy producers. Our guest is Dr. Amanda Stone, Assistant Professor from Mississippi State Extension. Aman...
Sep 27, 2020•Season 1Ep. 57
I always love when a farm kid goes to school, pursues a career, then uses that career to help out farmers. Monica Kramer McCojkey is a farm kid turned counselor who has returned to her roots helping out farmers in times of need. We talk about her upbringing and her journey to wanting to get back to address the issues facing farmers and farm families. We also chat a bit about how COVID has affected farm familes. Great Conversation! For links, go to our show notes page at https://agstateofmind.com...
Sep 21, 2020•Season 1Ep. 56
Today is a really cool episode of the podcast. My wife, Keri Medows, and I decided to record a podcast while we were on vacation this past week. This is something that I have been wanting to do for some time now, but it took us traveling 1300 miles away from home to get enough peace and space to make this happen. Today we talk about our growth as a couple, Keri's transition into farm life, and how we juggle all of the responisbilities in our life. Keri is a certified personal trainer and yoga in...
Sep 13, 2020•Season 1Ep. 55
Episode 50!! We made it!! The Golden Episode!! Thank you all so much for all of the continued support throughout this year. It's been a blessing! Today we speak with Jerod McDaniel. Jerod is a rancher from the Panhandle of Oklahoma. He is also host of the Ag Uncensored podcast, which is one of the podcasts who helped me find my way to starting my own. Jerod is one of the original players on Ag Twitter. We talk about his journey there and how he grew. We then speak about the world we are living i...
Sep 06, 2020•Season 1Ep. 54
Going solo today! Today I talk about self care and how it is important to help us live our best lives. Something i don't mention in the episode that I want to include here is an analogy that was told to me by my friend Adrienne DeSutter. We have to treat ourselves as farmers as assets to our operations. We have to make sure we are taken care of so we can best manage our farm. My perception on self care changed after I heard her tell me that. In this episode, I tell a bit about what self care mea...
Aug 30, 2020•Season 1Ep. 53
1st generation farms present their own unique blessings and challenges. Today's guest Nathan Brown understands this very well. From growing up working on a neighbors farm to today owning and operating his own 1000+ acre operation, Nathan can speak in depth about the experience of a first gen farmer. About 3 years ago, Nathan noticed something among his peers. He noticed that there was an increased amount of stress in the farmers he spoke to. Not being one to let things fester, Nathan began speak...
Aug 23, 2020•Season 1Ep. 52
County Fairs are a staple in the culture of many rural communities. Along with so many other events, these fairs look so much different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, friend of the show Caroline Sicht (operator of The Farm Story website and podcast) joins us to speak about the impact county fairs have on our communities. We share a bit about the stress that we, and others in our same shoes, experienced in the lead up to the county fairs. We then share our own stories from the fair to show ...
Aug 16, 2020•Season 1Ep. 51
Really exciting episode today with Beth Killough of the Circle Up Experience. Beth is a lifelong cowgirl who has combined her love of horses with her love of improving people's mental health into a great approach. Beth uses horses to help humans return to their natural state of being by interacting with horses. Horses can help us learn so much about our natural, primitive selves. At the end, Beth and I switch gears a bit to talk about each of our past battles with alcohol. We are both several ye...
Aug 09, 2020•Season 1Ep. 50
Very special episode today. Dr. Temple Grandin is one of the most influential thinkers in the livestock industry. Her research has revolutionized the way ranchers and food processors handle cattle. We talk to her today about the current state of the livestock industry, How the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some of the flaws in the system, and how we can put in safety valves to ensure a food supply disruption can be avoided in the future. We then shift the focus of the conversation to speak about...
Aug 02, 2020•Season 1Ep. 49
Tara Haskins, DNP, RN, is a nurse with AgriSafe. She is heading up their Total Farmer Health initiative. We speak today about Tara's background in nursing and how she came to be with AgriSafe. We then talk about the challenges facing ag producers and rural America in regards to mental health. Finally, we discuss Agrisafe's upcoming webinar on Mental Health in Farm and Ranch Country. To register for this webinar go to https://www.agrisafe.org/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detai...
Jul 27, 2020•Season 1Ep. 48
Kris Miner has had an incredible journey. She has had many roles in working with youth and adults alike using restorative justice, equine therapy, and other methods to ensure their needs are met. We talk about all of this as well as her own experience with her husband's recent suicide and her own health battle. Find Kris online at https://www.circle-space.org/about/about-kris/
Jul 19, 2020•Season 1Ep. 47
Katelyn Duban is the host of the Rural Woman Podcast and founder of WildroseFarmer.com. Katelyn is a great advocate for mental health in agriculture and is always open to talk about it on her podcast and social media. We talk to Katelyn about her journey through podcasting, advocacy, and farming. Katelyn has been a wonderful supporter of this show and we are so excited to finally have her on. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to find out some exciting things coming up for ag mental health!
Jul 12, 2020•Season 1Ep. 46
Great episode this week with Sam Goldberg. Sam is the producer of Silo the Film. Silo centers around a grain entrapment in rural America. However, it does more than bring awareness to farm safety. There are so many aspects of rural America caught in this film: family dynamics, stress on the farm, rural economy, cohesiveness in a rural community, et. al. We talk about Sam's background and how he came to be the driving force behind Silo. We then spend some time discussing the relationships that he...
Jul 05, 2020•Season 1Ep. 45
