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 the time with a discussion about the neglect of the Blue-collar trade in America, and the transfer of the dollar from the pockets of the entertained to that of the worker...or the inflater. They end by reminding themselves that we brought nothing into this world, and we can carry nothing out...so having food and shelter, with these, we should be content.  We ought not to be driven by the love of money or power or fame...for they are fleeting--I Timothy 6:6-10

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 tasks that Matt started to learn early on was refrigeration installation and diagnosis--an industry in itself! Jerica brought up the "should I only eat organic" question, and her insights on how to eat.   The conversation is rounded out with the discussion of mono-crop farming, pest mitigation, high-density grazing, what the Cadmans eat for breakfast, the use of iodine to treat mastitis, vegetable oils, preservatives, the freezing of meat...and so many other things!  Oh my... This episode ends with a meditation on Psalm 119-- "before I was afflicted I went astray…it is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes."        

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 business growth. We hope you enjoy this true story.

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!

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 / medical field, and the necessity to help your children out of addiction through strong and wise parenting strategies.

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 to a successful FARMily. Please Rate and Share the Podcast! Email us at [email protected]!

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 who which to succeed.  This weeks farm happenings: The SuperNet is officially unplugged (wireless, that is), Shady Grove Ranch suffered a lightning strike on Sunday, Rick Rowe came out this moring to do a multi-part segment about the ranch which aired on Shreveport news this morning, and our mandate to help one another out of suffering through our own suffering. How are we doing?  Reach out to us at our new email address [email protected] to ask questions, tell us which of our rabbit trails you'd like to hear more of, or even suggest guests that you think that we should have on the show one day.

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 continuously without the farmers having to move fences for four hours each week. Then they transition to a myriad of topics with included but are not limted to...  -How Senomyx (the latest and "greatest" in food taste exensuation), which uses cloned aborted fetal taste buds to develope the most zingy tastes imaginable...and then put them into foods that you will become adicted to.  Sounds...like a science fiction novel. -Chick-Fil-A's "reduction" of standards to use chickens that received antibiotics. -Joel Salatin's conversation with Chick-Fil-A executives -RFK's presidential campain includes talking points of anti-war, solving degenerative disease and vaccine injury, and regenerative agriculture. -Matt's experience with homeopathy and Syntol AMD probiotic that really helped to stabilize his Ulcerative Colitis fare-ups for a decade. We hope it wasn't too random...  Enjoy.

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 discuss the ramifications of laws, and what their pupose ought to be vs. what our legislation often uses laws for. They finish up this episode by remeniscing on the next part of their farming journey, soon after they partnered with Matt's parents to start Shady Grove Ranch--Farmer's Markets!  They remember the good, the bad, and the ugly.  This last part of the podcast acted, in part, as a practice run for their upcoming keynote speach "Success with Farmer's Markets for the Homesteader" at North East Texas Communit College Homestead Event that they will deliver this Saturday, 3/9/24. You can sign up to attend this event here: https://www.ntcc.edu/news/2024/ntcc-ag-host-sare-homestead-fair

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 'fancy' meat and veggies, when I'm living paycheck-to-paycheck right now?  If the alternative is "The American Diet", they think you can't afford not to.   So come, sit back and enjoy the wandering ponderings of these two farmers from Shady Grove Ranch.

There are lots of confusing terms on the market: "Grass-Fed Beef," "Organic Pork," and "Pasture-Raised Eggs."  What do that they mean to the producer and the consumer?  And what is the nutritional implication if animals are raised on a true grass-pasture or in a "grass-fed" feed-lot?  Matt and Jerica disucss what the industry-standards are of "grass-fed beef" and Vital Farms' supposed "Pasture-Raised Eggs" in this session.  They explore how well-raised animal protein of today can mimic the nutritional diets of  rubust peoplegroups studied by Weston A. Price, and the findings of his research compiled in the book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.  It turns out that "healthy" people-groups are more about what they eat and less about physical lineage. After they made these connections, they asked God, "How can we help people like Matt."  The answer was to become farmers.  But they needed a farm.  Might as well add that to the prayer request list as well...  

What does a truly nutritional diet look like?  Plates of salad?  Buckets of Kale?  If it has a USDA Organic label, it's good for you, right? Join Matt and Jerica as they recall the "beginning of the end" of Matt's Ulcerative Colitis struggle.  They discuss "super-food" nutrution and dive deep into the Beef Liver vs. Kale & Blueberries Heavy-Weight Main Event!  Then tag along as they remember Matt's second hospital visit, as well as the effects of yogurt, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised meats, and the first step that they took toward farming--purchasing grass-fed beef from some farming friends about 17 years ago!

Matt and Jerica discuss some fond memories from learning hand-on skills at LeTourneau University...and are now passing that knowledge (and use of some of the old machine-tools equipment) to their kids. Then they remember the darkest hour--Matt almost fell asleep for the last time, then received gene-therepy drugs, got kidney stones, endured one of the most uncomfortable procedures ever invented by mankind, and then was "healed for a time" as the Lord was gracious enough have him released from the hospital, large-intestine intact, after the prayer, "Thy will be done."

Matt and Jerica take a look at Rebecca Thistlethwaite's book "Farms with a Future", which Shady Grove Ranch was featured in, and discuss why some of those farms failed, and what the succeeding farms had in common. Then they take a walk down memory lane and look at Matt's athletic days...and the deterioration of his health due to an auto-immune disease called Ulcerative Colitis.  The podcast ends with Matt's hospitalization and a looming disaster.   https://breakingtheviciouscycle.info/

Matt and Jerica discuss the many pieces of the family puzzle that went into creating Shady Grove Ranch.  Then, they begin the discussion of the medical events that launched Matt down the dark path of developing Ulcerative Colitis

Matt and Jerica discuss their modest beginnings at Shady Grove Ranch,  partnering with Matt's parents, going from engineers to farmers, and a smelly hurdle during a shoestring fencing project.