Ep 16. Building Confidence, Shopping the Perimeter of the Grocery Store, and Blue Collar Labor
The FARMily Life
Matt & Jerica start this episode with Matt's recent antics of getting pulled over while hauling the tiny-house (a second time), and the interaction with the police officer that followed. They recall just how Matt's confidence what shattered 20 years ago when struggling with Ulcerative Colitis, when he was self-conscious to even leave the house. How should the American parent with little ones prioritize their dollars, time, and day with the current societal demands? Homesteading...the new trend. Here's a warning before you invest it all in a mini-farm. Then they round off...
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Ep 15. House Moving, "Matt's So Predictable," & How Now Shall We Eat?
The FARMily Life
Happy Independence Day! In this 4th of July episode, Matt and Jerica review some of the antics of the week--Matt decided to move a small house from Henderson, and Jerica had to pull her foot out of her mouth after calling him "predictable." She recanted after he proposed to start acting more spontaneously! They reviewed some of the issues in getting a permit to move a 15-foot tall building down the road! They then meander back to the business of farming and discuss necessity of ingenuity and labor-cost reduction to stay a viable business, and the economy of scale. One of the...
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Ep 14. When the Bear Creek Wildfire Burned the Ranch
The FARMily Life
Almost exactly 13 years ago, Shady Grove Ranch was in the middle of a 50,000 acre wildfire. It was our first full year of farming. In this podcast, Jerica and I sat down for the first time since that fateful event to try to recall the whole epic adventure during that terrifying week. From evacuation and transporting cattle off the ranch, to water-dropping helicopters, bulldozed fences, and a fire tornado, we each shared our perspective that we saw during the Bear Creek Fire. That week turned into a race to save life, limb, and home, and functioned as a tool for emotional, mental, and...
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Ep 13. Trailer on the tracks! Sheltered kids, truth at all costs, and the Golden Rule in marketing.
The FARMily Life
Matt and Jerica recap the biggest food-involved event EVER at the ranch (the first regional meet-up for the American Pastured Poultry Producer's Association.) Jerica spoke on the uniqueness of farm marketing and how the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do unto you), then Matt dives into why it's important to tell the truth at all costs. We have a discussion on whether homeschooled kids will grow up unsocialized and sheltered. Then Matt tells a scary story about an incident involving a cattle trailer full of cattle, stuck on the railroad tracks near our ranch!
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Ep 12. "Putting out a Fleece", the Deceptive Marketing of Pharmaceuticals, and Helping Kids Past Addiction
The FARMily Life
This week's episode covers a a variety of topics. Jerica starts by recounting this week's vehicle issue, as well as her conversation with God. :) And then Matt remembers "Gideon's fleece" and the improper ways to apply this Biblical story in our lives today. No episode would be complete without a good discussion on why food should be used as medicine and in fact it's long-term effects are probably way Superior to any pharmaceutical drug you can use, including zero negative side effects! And then They land on some of Matt's hobby horses: the philosophical errors of the pharmaceutical /...
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Ep 11. Marriage...and Other Stuff
The FARMily Life
Well, since this is the Farmily Life Podcast...and there's no FARMily without the Family...Matt and Jerica really wade into it by discussing what they believe to be some of the keys to a successful and fulfilling marriage--by no means comprehensive. This one was fun, but sure to be controversial, as Matt and Jerica delved into discussion points of "why is there pain?", how to parent, what a marriage ought to look like, and a WHOLE LOT of theology mingled in. By no means are they experts on any of these subjects, but they express what they beleive to be be the right road down the journey...
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Ep 10. FLPodcast trajectory, non-profit org, and a word to Entrepreneurs
The FARMily Life
Howdy Folks! In this 10th Episode of the FLP (The FARMily Life Podcast) Matt drops a bomb on Jerica, explaining where he'd like this podcast go, and what we'll need to get there--video editor, executive director, and a non-profit organization to spead the word about auto-immune disease recovery... big plans...as usual. Unfortunately, as prices and expenses increase, Matt and Jerica discuss the inevitable price increases which all small business owners must roll out to stay afloat. They explore the topic of farming price increases, and offer words of encouragement to other entrepreneurs...
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Ep 9. The SuperNet, Dead People are Tasting Your Food, and Chick-Fil-A's Antibiotic-Fed Chicken
The FARMily Life
Wow...this one is a little random, folks. It's been three weeks since we had time to sit down and record a podcast...so this one was a doozie. In this Episode, Matt and Jerica discuss the project that has consumed all of Matt's time for the past few weeks--The SuperNet...or the Chicken Roomba...or the Cluck-Cut. All synonmyms for Matt's newest invension is a 3500-square foot mobile chicken coop that hopefully will function similar to how a Roomba vacuum does...onlyh instead of sucking up dirt, it disctributes chicken manure...roving around the pasture, grazing laying hens...
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Ep 8. Raw Milk, The Purpose of Laws, and Farmers Markets
The FARMily Life
In this episode, Matt and Jerica discuss a wide range of topics--surprise, surprise... As promised last time, they discuss the danger (or safety) of raw milk, and the track record over the past 2 decades, as well as the frequency of food-borne illness related to raw and pasturized milk, veggies, deli meats, and a hosts of other foods. They discuss a recently-passed Texas bill (thanks to Judth McGeary from Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance) which makes it legal for farmers to transport their own Grade-A Raw Milk to another point of sale...like a Farmer's Market. Then they...
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Ep 7. Know Your Farmer: Venture-Capitalism, the American Diet, & Eating Healthy on a Budget
The FARMily Life
In this episode, Matt and Jerica start out by discussing how GrazeCart (the online shopping-cart software that they use on their online store) was recently sold to a larger company. "Would we sell Shady Grove Ranch is someone made us an offer we couldn't refuse?" Then, they transition to some harder years of farming, when they had 200 piglets with illegitimate ancestry and how it almost sunk the farm, and a "farm-to-table distributer" who prefered a posh margin and greenwashing to acutally searching out local, pasture-raised pork. Have you every wondered "How can I possibly afford...
info_outlineAlmost exactly 13 years ago, Shady Grove Ranch was in the middle of a 50,000 acre wildfire. It was our first full year of farming.
In this podcast, Jerica and I sat down for the first time since that fateful event to try to recall the whole epic adventure during that terrifying week. From evacuation and transporting cattle off the ranch, to water-dropping helicopters, bulldozed fences, and a fire tornado, we each shared our perspective that we saw during the Bear Creek Fire.
That week turned into a race to save life, limb, and home, and functioned as a tool for emotional, mental, and business growth.
We hope you enjoy this true story.