Alexis Johnson from Farm Tee Company joins me to day to talk about her business and how she started her mission to make high quality apparel that farmers and ranchers could wear and show their pride for where they live. We talk about the pride in loving where you farm as well as the challenges that come with building a brand. Find Alexis at https://farmteeco.com/
Guess who's back! It's me. Sorry for the long abscence in recording. I made myself a promise when I started the podcast that it would not interfere with the other things in my life. These past two weeks I've had to put my money where my mouth was. The fair and family vacation was more important than podcasting. We returned from vacation yesterday and I was back to normal today. It made me reflect on how important vacations are for the sustainability of our operation. That without breaks, we begi...
Over the past week, I've become really intentional about leaving time and space for quiet and still. I feel like I have become where I always need some sort of stimulation. Keri helped me see that leaving space and quiet time in my day is essential to being my best self. I share a bit about that here today.
Happy Independence Day. This weekend I had the fortune to set down with Debby DeSpain and chat about mindfulness. We talked about how she came across my article in Progressive Cattleman by accident, but decided she needed to reach out anyway. We chat about how busy and crazy the lives of folks in agriculture can be and how implementing a bit of mindfulness into daily practice can help us be our better selves. To reach out to Debbie... email her at [email protected]
Sorry for getting this out a day late. We had an emergency at our house yesterday that resulted in Carter breaking his collar bone. Let's just say the podcast sort of slipped my mind. Today, I'm giving an update on the podcast and some speaking events I have had the opportunity to be involved in. Then I chat a bit about the craze that is social media in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal. Although we may disagree with one another, we may still be civil. Lastly, I speak about a new # on Instagr...
I've long said that the thing I'm most honored and humbled by as a podcast host is when someone reaches out to me to be on the podcast. This is yet another conversation that started out that way. Camden Calloway is a sophomore at Purdue who is majoring in Agronomy. We sat down today to chat about some of the work he has been doing to advocate for mental health for the next generation of ag professionals. To get in contact with Camden, go to [email protected] or call him at 765-432-5063
Jake Renner and I have been connected for sometime now via social media and actually had the good fortune to meet in person at CattleCon in San Antonio 2020. Since the early days of the podcast, I have wanted to have Jake on the podcast to discuss his experience in the ag industry and how it has affected him. Jake is currently Member and Youth Activities Coordinator for the American Gelbvieh association. Jake also happens to be an openly gay man. We talk about his experiences as a gay man in agr...
"If you want to determine the nature of anything, entrust it to time: when the sea is stormy, you can see nothing clearly." If studying Stoicism has taught me anything it has taught me that it is for the best to take emotions out of decisionsI’m deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded in Uvalde this week. I think it’s important for all us to take the time to let the emotions process from this tragedy. Being a father, I empathize with the families of these children and the loss they have...
Amelia Cottle is an educator and advocate for patients and caregivers battling Alzheimer's and other dementia diseases. We talk today about her work with this and how dementia affects so many people. We talk about the risk factors for dementia and how to possibly mitigate those. This is a very special episode for me as I have had real life experience being a family member of someone with dementia. To reach out to Ameila email her at [email protected]
eff Siewicki (pronounced suh-wick-E) is a farmer and coach. Jeff started Vital Mission Farm in 2017 to grow food that is healthy for people, animals, land and environment. His mission was to innovate and develop new agricultural techniques that act as a solution to climate change while supporting farmer stability. Through a lot of hard work, trial and error, he figured out the key elements to being successful financially, mentally, and environmentally while farming on small acreage. In addition,...
Today's podcast is a theme that I have been kicking around for awhile. I'm very concerned about the climate in today's world. I wanted to voice my opinions across my many platforms of how we need to pay attention in society to the things that truly matter. Go sign up for my newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/agstateofmind
There's honestly not much I can say that can adequately describe Brooke Taylor and her story. It's a story of grit, determination, and love. Brooke is currently battling cancer AND raising a family. Her story is too inspirational for me to describe so i'm going to just let the podcast speak for itself. Find Brooke online at www.RuralGoneUrban.com
Today is a solo episode where I’m sharing with you my incredibly stressful day this past Saturday. In an effort to be completely transparent and vulnerable on this podcast, I want to give you a little snapshot of what a stressful day is like for me. I don’t do this for you to feel sorry for me or to pity me. Instead, I want to help others know that it’s ok to have those rough days. However, it is very important to bounce back from them and not let them keep you down. I referenced a quote that my...
Today is a very powerful episode of Ag State of Mind. We talk to Maddie Caldwell who is a farm girl from Elmwood, Illinois. We chat with Maddie today about her battle with her mental health. In 2019, Maddie made an attempt on her life. She recovered from that, only to make another attempt in 2020. Thankfully, Maddie was resilient through her moments of mental weakness and survived both incidents. She realized that she had a story to tell to help others like herself who seem to have idyllic lives...
Today is a solo episode to give my editor, my 17 year old son Levi, an Easter break from work. Several years ago, I was introduced to a book by Dr Robert Glover called No More Mr Nice Guy. That book changed my life. It helped me to be more assertive in my relationships. Recently, I have found myself applying the principles within that book to my presence online. I no longer want to hold back the truth for the sake of being liked. "In order to think, you have to risk being offensive." - Dr. Jorda...
Jaden Maze is a high school student from Indiana. She is doing so many remarkable things in regards to mental health in agriculture. Jaden and I were connected by our mutual friend Michele Payn and I am so thankful for the connection. As you can tell from this interivew, Jaden is ahead of the curve in talking about mental health in ag. She has a very bright future and I can't wait to see what it has in store for her. Reach out to Jaden at [email protected] .Todays episode brought to you...
Welcome to April 2022's installment of the Ranching Side Hustle Podcast. Today, Tyler and I welcome friend Bobby Lee Hanks. Bobby Lee, like Tyler and I, has a "town job" by day. He is a small animal veterinarian in a community 45 minutes outside of Memphis, Tennessee. But when he isn't tending to people's pets, he runs Hurricane Creek Farms. HCF is a grazing operation incorporating Cow/calf, stocker, and finished cattle operations. We talk to Bobby Lee about the challenges of running a ranching ...
Today we talk to Ashley Messing-Kennedy who is dairy farmer with her family in Bad Axe, Michigan. We talk today about her journey with her mental health, namely ADHD. We talk about breaking the stigma associated with medications. We also talk about the importance of starting the mental health conversation with our children and in their schools. Find Ashley online at https://www.instagram.com/messykennedy/Sign up for our newsletter at www.agstateofmind.com
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Douglas Plant Health. To unharness your soil’s fertility and to maximize yield, consider Douglas Plant Health. Visit DPHBio.com . Today's episode features the return of our friend Michele Payn. Michele was our guest way back on Episode 6 . Today, we talk about Michele's project of Agriculture's Growth Calendar, a resource that is an easy way to give ag connected folks weekly tips on being their best selves. Check out Michele online at https://causematters.com...
Alright I know that the title of this podcast seems all over the place. Tyler and I actually had zero agenda going into this episode. We just started talking about our operations and how we schedule our feeding and grazing. It then it went into our mineral programs and how those have evolved. We finish the podcast by chatting about how important it is to have a spouse who is supportive of our ranching side hustles. How they do so many things for us so we can explore our passion. One of the bigge...
This episode is all over the place. We just returned from vacation and I realized we didn't have a podcast ready to go. So I sat down on Monday morning and recorded my thoughts post vacation. I talk a little bit about our time in Florida, how gratitude is a super power, and how applying the tenets of stoicism can help us calm our minds and not worry about things out of our control. We will be back next week with a regular episode. I hope you enjoy this peak into our lives this week.
I talk often about how my wife Keri is such an integral part of our podcast team. She helps so much behind the scenes with allowing me the space to operate this podcast. In October at FFA National Convention, she continued to help make this podcast what it is. She had a good conversation with today's guest Abby Heidenreich. Abby is an extension agent with Purdue University and she was at FFA with a booth for Purdue's Farm Stress project. Keri got her info and passed it along to me and a few mont...
Today we finish up our conversation with Elaine Froese. I'm so thankful for Elaine's abilities as a speaker AND as a listener. She acted as my coach for most of this episode, guiding my thoughts and attitudes. Folks can get free gifts at https://elainefroese.com/farm-family-coach/ . Mental Health First aid is at www.mhfa.ca . The link for LARA Webinar on March 15 is https://laraonline.ca/event/finding-fairness-in-farm-transitions/ . The link for Farming’s In Law Factor on March 26 is https://www...
Elaine Froese is a farmer and a farmer coach who specializes in farm family relationships… namely in how that translates in transitioning farms between generations. Elaine carried this episode as so much of it was so close to my heart that it left me a bit emotional. Very excited for this episode and I think you’ll agree it’s worth the wait. Here are some links provided to us by Elaine. Folks can get free gifts at https://elainefroese.com/farm-family-coach/ . Mental Health First aid is at www.mh...
Happy February. Welcome to the second installment of the Ranching Side Hustle Podcast. Today, Tyler and I welcome back our good friend Alli Fender of the Flying F Ranch in San Diego County, California. We talk to Alli today about the origins of her brand and how her and husband Bryce have evolved their business. Alli is a good friend and a long time supporter of the podcast and we are so thankful she joined us today to share her story!
Happy February. Welcome to the second installment of the Ranching Side Hustle Podcast. Today, Tyler and I welcome back our good friend Alli Fender of the Flying F Ranch in San Diego County, California. We talk to Alli today about the origins of her brand and how her and husband Bryce have evolved their business. Alli is a good friend and a long time supporter of the podcast and we are so thankful she joined us today to share her story!
A few months ago at the AFA Leaders conference, I had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful future ag leaders. One of those individuals was Emma Seamons. Emma is a student at the University of Idaho and is doing some absolutely wonderful work online advocating for agriculture. We talk today about her journey and about her why for what she is doing. I am very excited for what the future has in store for Emma. Find her online at http://www.agwithemma.com/. Check her out all across social media...
Like many of you, I often have some sort of Internet radio going in the background while I work. I often listen to all kinds but my favorite genres are Texas Country music and Classic Rock. Well one day as I was working, a song crossed over that I didn't recognize, but found an instant connection with. I stopped what I was doing to research a bit and found that name was Brenn Hill. That was a few years ago and I have been a fan ever since. Brenn is from Utah and is passionate about the Western w...
This past fall, I was asked to speak at the Agriculture Future of America Leader's conference in Kansas City, MO. I was blown away by the experience and quality of the participants in this conference. In particular, I was very impressed by one particular individual, Grace Hasler. Grace was the leader of the track I was presenting to and she had an incredible energy. I knew I had to have her on the podcast. Today we chat about her experience as a student at Purdue, how COVID has affected that, ab...
Shelbie Powell works with the Southwest Ag Center based in Tyler, Texas. We talk today about what is new with the SWAG Center and how they are stepping up their game to talk about farmer mental health. We talk about their plans for a hotline that is coming to help assist farmers in crisis. We also talk a bit about their social media campaign and how it was designed to reach farmers where they are ag. We also chat about the uphill battle that is talking to producers about mental health when they ...
