Episode 63: How Farmers Can Connect with Consumers ft. Matt Rush

In the agriculture industry, there’s a common piece of advice that has echoed over time: “Share your story.” 

But Matt Rush, a professional speaker and cattle rancher, takes a new approach to this well-worn saying. 

Even after building his notable public speaking career by urging farmers and ranchers to “get out there and share their stories,” Rush’s perspective on this mantra has evolved. 

With lightheartedness, Rush says, “The reality is no one cares.” 

From the time he was in the 8th grade, Rush knew he wanted to become a motivational speaker. He’s spent his career engaging with agricultural groups, aiming to fire them up with what he calls a dose of “gooderness.” His deep agricultural roots and experiences as a cattle rancher lend authenticity and first-hand insight to his speeches.

Reflecting on the true value of sharing our stories, Rush says, “We need to start doing. We need to start connecting to other people. Because when we connect to people, then we can share why what we do is important to them.” 

Rush explains that it’s not about merely sharing the story of the farm or the ranch, it’s about creating meaningful connections. 

“It’s about how we connect to people in a way that then we can actually share what we do, why we do it, how we do it, but ultimately why it matters to them.” 

Emotion plays a pivotal role in how people connect with agriculture. “The soccer mom just wants to know that what she’s buying at the store, and has no concept of how it happens anymore, just wants to know that it’s okay,” Rush relates. “So it’s up to us to be that face of ag and to make that emotional connection.” 

Without connection, and “in the absence of our voices, those who don’t know us, don’t understand us, or don’t like us, are redefining who we are,” Rush cautions. Rush believes that when consumers can see the emotional connection and the heartfelt dedication of people in agriculture, it strikes a chord. 

However, Rush observes that the agricultural industry often inundates its audience with statistics and facts. "The problem that I think we have in ag though, is what I've just said, is we start giving data points when at the same time we need to find out, 'Hey, what are they concerned about? What does the consumer actually want to know?'" 

Rush stresses the importance of addressing consumer concerns directly, without extensive amounts of information. “Maybe we can dial it down where it's a lot simpler to actually tell our story. We don't have to have all these vast amounts of information and knowledge." 

For Rush, simple is the keyword. 

“It is as simple as talking to someone in a store. It's as simple as going and reading to a kid in a classroom in your school. It's as simple as just being the face of what you do. Don't overcomplicate it. Keep it simple.”

For more ways to connect with consumers, tune into the full episode! 

Here’s a glance at this episode:

• [01:25] Matt introduces himself and his background in agriculture.
• [03:09] Matt shares how he got involved in public speaking within the agriculture industry. 
• [06:39] Matt discusses how farmers and ranchers can connect with consumers on a personal level instead of simply sharing facts.
• [15:18] Matt highlights the uniqueness and importance of the agriculture industry and its global impact. 
• [19:57] Matt talks about his book, “Stress Free You” and how his personal experiences spurred strategies for overcoming challenges and daily stressors. 
• [26:19] Matt emphasizes the importance of reconnecting with hobbies or creative outlets, and family and friends. 
• [32:29] Matt encourages farmers and ranchers to make simple, everyday connections with people about agriculture by sharing their farming experiences. 
• [40:13] Matt shares his hopes for the next generation of farmers. 
• [43:21] Matt leaves with a reading of a poem he wrote titled “I’m Just a Farmer and a Rancher, Plain and Simple”.

 

Connect with Matt Rush:

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AGooderLife/
• Matt Rush Art - https://www.mattrushart.com/
• Stress Free You: Discover How to Turn Off Stress with the Flick of a Switch

 

Connect with AgCredit on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Share questions and topic ideas with us:
Email podcast@agcredit.net

Transcription

Voiceover (00:08):Welcome to AgCredit Said It. In each episode, our hosts sit down with experts from all parts of the agriculture industry to bring you insights and must-have information on all things from farming to finances and everything in between.

 

Libby Wixtead (00:26):Welcome back to another episode of AgCredit Said It. I'm Libby Wixtead, and today we're talking with Matt Rush, also known as the Gooder Guy. He is a professional speaker and artist from New Mexico. We've been lucky enough to have Matt speak at several AgCredit events such as our Emerge Experience, which is where I was able to first meet Matt and talk with him. So welcome, Matt. We're so excited to have you today.

 

Matt Rush (00:51):Libby, thank you so much for having me. It's an honor to be here. Thanks for letting me come back to Ohio, which by the way, did I tell y'all when I was there that the Rush family all originated from Ohio?

 

Libby Wixtead (01:03):Did they?

 

Matt Rush (01:03):Yeah.

 

Libby Wixtead (01:04):Where are they from?

 

Matt Rush (01:06):Darke county.

 

Libby Wixtead (01:08):Darke County. Okay.

 

Matt Rush (01:08):Yeah.

 

Libby Wixtead (01:09):That's a little further from where I'm from, in Marion. That's very cool, very cool. Can you tell us, I guess, a little bit more about yourself and your connection to farming? We all want to know more about why you're called the Gooder Guy.

 

Matt Rush (01:25):Yeah, I'd be glad to. So my family, like I just said, we originated, they left Ohio in the 1800s, but they farmed there and there's still some of the family that still farms there. Then my great-great-great-whatever, grandparents moved to East Texas in around 1900, and then out to West Texas shortly after that, and have been farming and ranching forever. So my brother did a genealogy set of our family is how we found all this stuff out. And for eight generations, our family has been involved in production agriculture. So I tell everybody-

 

Libby Wixtead (02:00):Oh my gosh, that's cool.

 

Matt Rush (02:00):... it's really all our family's ever done, which is a pretty cool history to be able to document. My granddad and grandma moved into New Mexico, I think in the 1930s, and then that's where we grew up. So we're close to Lubbock, Texas. We're right across the state line in New Mexico. So that's where our farm and the ranch is.

 

(02:21):My wife and I actually live right outside of Lubbock. We're living in a little town called Levelland, if that tells you anything about the topography of our place. So we live here. She actually works for the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas, which is if you're ever in Lubbock, we have two amazing museums, the Ranching Heritage Center and the Bayer Museum for Ag, great museums talking about agriculture. So we farm and ranch, and then I also do public speaking. So that's always what I'd wanted to do. Yeah, so that's the deal. I tell everybody I've got the greatest job in the world. I get paid to run off with my mouth so I can come home and play with cattle. How can you beat this gig?

 

Libby Wixtead (03:00):Right. So I guess how did you find your calling for being a public speaker and an advocate for agriculture?

 

Matt Rush (03:09):Great question. I was one of those weird kids that knew what I wanted to do from the time I was in the eighth grade. I heard a speaker, and it was probably at an FFA event, I don't remember what or a youth event at church. But I heard a speaker and I was like, "That's what I want to do." I always thought I wanted to do it through public service, so I actually worked towards that end and ran for office twice in the motherland or as we say, the mothership of New Mexico. And ran for office twice, wasn't successful, thank the Lord, because it led me to where I'm at today.

 

(03:46):And so, it was just one of those things, hearing somebody else speak and it inspired me was what I then wanted to do. And then, shortly after the campaign, the New Mexico Farm Bureau needed a CEO, so they actually hired me as their interim CEO, and I served in that position, helped them get through a spot for about three and a half, four years. During that amount of time I met the Zig Ziglar family. I don't know if you're familiar, who Mr. Ziglar was.

 

Libby Wixtead (04:13):Absolutely.

 

Matt Rush (04:14):Yeah, right? Famous motivational speaker back in the day, and I met their family and we just hit it off and started working with them. And that's when then I went full-time speaking. And having such a history in ag, that's the group I wanted to focus on. It's my peeps. There's no better place than to go speak with your peeps. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (04:34):Right.

 

Matt Rush (04:34):And I always say, "Ag people are the same everywhere you go." Earlier this year I was in Massachusetts, went into Boston for a conference that was there. And it doesn't matter if you're in Massachusetts, if you're in Ohio, if you're in California, it doesn't matter. Ag people are still the same amazing people everywhere. So that's always been my focus, was talking to ag groups and trying to fire them up and hopefully give them a shot in the arm of, as we say, gooderness. And yeah, and that's it. We do a lot of other stuff, banking and we've done some hospital stuff, so there's all those other industries as well. But ag is where it's at. Ag is where my passion is and where my heart's always been, so that's been the focus of our career.

 

Libby Wixtead (05:19):Well, and I think too, there are not a lot of speakers who focus in ag either. It's either you're all leadership or your business, and there's not a lot that just focus primarily on ag. And I think the agricultural community needs to hear a lot of those messages that you are talking about. And I think that is a wonderful thing, in that we're very glad that you came into your calling and followed through with what your direction was that you were planning from the eighth grade. And it's funny that you say that because in eighth grade, I went to my first State FFA Convention to see my brother get his state degree, and I was blown away.

 

Matt Rush (05:56):Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (05:57):I was just so blown away of just the production and the speakers, so I get where you're coming from on that, because that really had a real impact.

 

Matt Rush (06:10):Was that in Ohio?

 

Libby Wixtead (06:11):Yeah. So it was our State Convention. So it wasn't a National Convention, it was a State Convention.

 

Matt Rush (06:14):So I got to keynote the Ohio FFA State Convention one time, and I tell everybody that's the biggest event I've ever spoke at in my career because there was like 8,000 or 8,200-

 

Libby Wixtead (06:26):Oh wow.

 

Matt Rush (06:26):... young people there. And I was like, "This is where it's at." One of the smallest states in the union, but look at the ag, the amount of agriculture that you have in Ohio. And it was one of my favorite events ever.

 

Libby Wixtead (06:39):Yes. They do a very good job. So I guess talking about our history here with the FFA and with our farm stories and that, why is it important for us to share our farm stories? I was on a trip this weekend to Atlanta with my son, and again, you said you're not with your peeps. We were not with our peeps to come there.

 

Matt Rush (07:05):Right.

 

Libby Wixtead (07:06):It is just a different world in visiting my best friend who's from Ohio. And so, it's just funny, the difference that people, they have no clue. I walked up to a lady at this market and we have pigs, and she had this little pig clip for my daughter. And I was like, "Oh, we have pigs." And she's like, "Oh my gosh, where are you from?" And it opened the door to share that story. I had my side of swine hat on. And so, why is it important for us to connect with consumers and share our story?

 

Matt Rush (07:37):I start off by saying, "It's not. It's not important at all for us to tell our story. And here's why." And you just said it at the very end. I said, "I've built a career off of going around telling people, 'We got to tell our story. We got to tell our story. We got to get out there and tell people who we are and why we do what we do.' But the reality is no one cares."

 

Libby Wixtead (07:56):Right. Right.

 

Matt Rush (07:57):"If you're not an ag, you don't care. Because what do people ultimately only care about or who do they ultimately only care about it? It's themselves." Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (08:06):Mm-hmm.

 

Matt Rush (08:06):And I said, "You know what? We need to stop telling our story and we need to start doing," what you just said there at the end, "we need to start connecting to other people. Because when we connect to people, then we can share why what we do is important to them." And I know it's just whatever, it's semantics or whatever. But really and truly, in ag, we can have all the facts, we can have all the figures, we can have all the data.

 

Libby Wixtead (08:33):Yes.

 

Matt Rush (08:34):We have colleges of agriculture that can help us prove our points. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (08:37):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (08:38):So we can have all this science and data behind us, and then we go out there and we're great at regurgitating information to people about why what we do is good for you down to the DNA, whatever. Nobody cares. The HSUS will put up a picture of a herd abandoning an abused puppy dog and a puppy dog is going to win over facts every time. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (08:59):Absolutely.

 

Matt Rush (09:00):So it's about how do we connect to people in a way that then we can actually share what we do, why we do it, how we do it, but ultimately why it matters to them. Because if we... People in agriculture are notorious, I say this all the time, we're perfectly content to sit on a tractor, sit on a horse, and just do our jobs. And we'd like to be left alone to do our jobs.

 

Libby Wixtead (09:26):Right.

 

Matt Rush (09:27):But in the absence of our voices, those who don't know us, don't understand us, or don't like us, are redefining who we are. And it's up to us to start making those connections again so that then people can actually see why what we do is important to them. Ultimately, the soccer mom just wants to know that what she's buying at the store, which she has no concept how it happens anymore, just wants to know that it's okay. So it's up to us to be that face of ag and to make that emotional connection, because agriculture has one of the coolest connections. Man, we have an emotional connection. We have an emotional connection to our farms. We have an emotional connection to our animals. We have an emotional connection to what we do. We feel like it's a calling to be in ag.

 

Libby Wixtead (10:17):Right. Yep.

 

Matt Rush (10:18):And so, when other people can see that emotion, because emotion overrides fact every time, remember. So if other people can see that emotion and make that connection, man, then we've got them and we will have them for life.

 

Libby Wixtead (10:31):Right.

 

Matt Rush (10:33):Okay. So just like the lady you met at whatever place that was, you were like a novelty item because you raised pigs.

 

Libby Wixtead (10:41):Right.

 

Matt Rush (10:43):You and your family raised pigs. You've got your kid there. You were like, "Who?" I'm sure she thought you were from Roswell, New Mexico or something, right?

 

Libby Wixtead (10:51):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (10:52):Out of this world. That's a huge emotional connection that you instantly have just because of that.

 

Libby Wixtead (10:59):Yes.

 

Matt Rush (11:00):The problem that I think we have in ag though, is what I've just said, is we start giving data points when at the same time we need to find out, "Hey, what are they concerned about? What does the consumer actually want to know?" And maybe we can dial it down where it's a lot simpler to actually tell our story. We don't have to have all this vast amounts of information and knowledge.

 

Libby Wixtead (11:22):Right.

 

Matt Rush (11:22):It's actually, we just need to be able to find out what somebody wants to know. And then, once we make that connection, then bam, we've got them.

 

Libby Wixtead (11:31):Right.

 

Matt Rush (11:32):That's what those of us in ag have got to start doing more of.

 

Libby Wixtead (11:35):And I think that girl, it's like she probably has never met a farmer before.

 

Matt Rush (11:40):Mm-mm.

 

Libby Wixtead (11:41):And just the fact that she was just like, her eyes got so big.

 

Matt Rush (11:45):They did?

 

Libby Wixtead (11:48):And I just had that moment of... And knowing that this podcast was coming up, I was just thinking, "Here's my opportunity. Here's my opportunity to make that connection of a mom and how my kids love to be in the operation." Like you said, that emotional connection of it's a family farm. And you're right, if I went on and blah, blah, blah, blah about, it would've just glazed over her. But the fact that I'm like, "Oh, my little girl just loves this little thing that you've made because we love pigs," she made that connection to her of, "We like your product because of what we do on the farm."

 

Matt Rush (12:25):Yes.

 

Libby Wixtead (12:25):And so, it was neat.

 

Matt Rush (12:26):Well, and the other thing too though is, and I'm sure everybody who listens to this, anybody who listens to this is probably like, "Oh my gosh, how many times are we going to have to hear the same thing about telling your story?"

 

Libby Wixtead (12:39):Right.

 

Matt Rush (12:40):"Okay. Get over yourself. You need to hear it again" because there is so much misinformation out there that we have to be constantly vigilant and constantly aware of what people are saying or posting. For example, night before last, my wife and I were sitting here in the living room, and one of our friends posted this article about how horrible pigs are and how they eat their young and they eat their own feces and they eat the... You know.

 

Libby Wixtead (13:12):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (13:13):And it just went on and on and on.

 

Matt Rush (13:13):And I wasn't in the mood for it. I made a snarky remark, I'll be honest about it, after all this diatribe and all these comments underneath it like, "Oh, I'll never eat pork again." I wrote this comment about, "And after all of that, it magically turns into bacon. It's like a Christmas miracle." But then, she commented back and I said, "Okay, now. In all fairness, we need to have a conversation about this. Right?"

 

Libby Wixtead (13:40):Mm-hmm.

 

Matt Rush (13:41):That article-

 

Libby Wixtead (13:41):Not on social media maybe.

 

Matt Rush (13:43):No. I did it right on the thread.

 

Libby Wixtead (13:46):Did you? Okay.

 

Matt Rush (13:47):Yes. I said, "In all fairness, a lot of what that article said was actually true, but it's in reference to wild pigs and feral hogs that are running rampant through this part of the country anyway."

 

Libby Wixtead (14:04):That are causing issues.

 

Matt Rush (14:04):And they're causing major issues.

 

Libby Wixtead (14:05):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (14:05):And I said, "You could never eat those. If you were starving, you couldn't eat that stuff." Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (14:10):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (14:10):I said, "My friends who raise pigs, it's in a climate-controlled environment. It's a shower in, shower out facility. You've got vets that come by multiple times a week," I said. This is totally different than what that article said. So I said, "I would just encourage you," again, didn't get preachy, I didn't get angry or anything like that. I said, "I would just encourage you to investigate a little bit more about where production, where the pork comes from in the store, how does that happen versus an article on the internet." So that happened recently.

 

Libby Wixtead (14:45):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (14:46):So yeah, we've got to be telling our story. But more than that, we've got to be connecting to people, and doing it in a way that they'll actually hear what we're trying to say and then want to know more and want to follow what we're doing.

 

Libby Wixtead (14:59):Right. Right. I guess this kind of goes on, you guys don't have pigs since you guys have cattle.

 

Matt Rush (15:05):We're beef people.

 

Libby Wixtead (15:06):But how has sharing your own story, yeah. I always say when it comes to beef people, I'm always like, "I'm a pork person. Always have been a pork person since the day I was born."

 

Matt Rush (15:15):Which I always say, "We like your bacon."

 

Libby Wixtead (15:18):There you go. And we like your steak. How has sharing your story impacted your life and obviously where you are at in your career?

 

Matt Rush (15:28):You know what? I don't think I've ever been asked that question before. And it's impacted my life because it has made me realize how special what we do is. What we do is so incredibly unique. It's so incredibly hard, but it's so unique. It's so special. It's so important.

 

(15:51):Too many times, I think that we get so wrapped up in the minutia of the day and of what we're trying to get accomplished, and then not to mention all the stuff that happens along the way and the struggles and the challenges. And then you're dealing with legislative issues, and then you're dealing with these crazy people, and it is just like good grief. Man, it can beat you down if you let it. And so, for me, being in front of ag groups and being in front of ag people, it's a shot in the arm for me as well because it really brings to light how incredibly special what we do is.

 

(16:36):So I would encourage everybody, man, when you're in the midst of it, when you're in the midst of the fire and when you're going through it, just keep going. Because you're not just farming, you're not just ranching. What we're doing is impacting people all over the globe, and all too often we forget that. I think we get blinders on and we forget that, "Hey, what we're doing is actually impacting people literally all over planet earth." So that's how it's impacted me.

 

(17:07):And my wife even told me this not too long ago. She said, "When you get on stage, you go to this other level." And she goes, "You get this energy that's just so unique and so special." And I've thought about that a lot, and I was like, "And that's just because ag people are special, and what we do is special. And we don't need to forget that."

 

Libby Wixtead (17:27):And I think we are very special in what we do. And I think just with all the challenges and struggles like you had talked about, I feel like farmers are very optimistic people because we have to be. We put a lot of faith in putting a seed in the ground and praying that it grows. But we also can easily go down a rabbit hole and get stuck in the negativity of just... And that's where I feel like when you came and spoke at Emerge, you really lifted us up. You really challenged us to be better and to do more. And I really appreciated that. And I think your wife is right. That's your place, and you really lifted up the room that night.

 

Matt Rush (18:13):Thank you.

 

Libby Wixtead (18:14):Yes, you're welcome.

 

Matt Rush (18:16):That means a lot to me too, because it's also grueling to do that. Right? When you're away from home and everybody thinks, "Oh, it's glamorous. You get to fly all these places." I'm like, "Well, you see, you get to endure airports and the trip from the airport to the hotel and then the hotel back to the airport. And that's really typically all you ever see." But being able to connect with people and hopefully give them that shot on the arm is huge for me.

 

(18:41):The other thing that I've talked about too, and really I've just started talking about is that we say in ag all the time, we say that, "Agriculture is not what we do, it's who we are." Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (18:53):Mm-hmm.

 

Matt Rush (18:53):How many times have you heard that before?

 

Libby Wixtead (18:55):Oh, yeah, lots.

 

Matt Rush (18:57):Lots, right? And that's not true. That's not true at all. It's what we do. We don't need to let the negative stuff, when we start getting into those bad head spaces and we start dealing with all the challenges and everything that we've just listed off, no. No, no. Don't confuse yourself that, "Oh my gosh, this is who I am and I'm failing" because this is what you do. Granted, it does feel like a calling, but it's what you do. Who you are is you're a human first. You're a spouse, you're a parent, you are a child of God. Whatever that might be for you, that's what we've got to focus on in the midst of the negativity. Does that make sense?

 

Libby Wixtead (19:37):Mm-hmm. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yep. Yep. So with that being said, with talking about the struggles in that, I heard that you are an author, and that you wrote a book about stress, and probably at a perfect time during the pandemic. Can you share a little bit about that book and how that is impacting that community?

 

Matt Rush (19:57):Well, as I tell everybody, in 2019, I had the best year of my speaking career. We were knocking it out of the park. I was traveling every week, almost every week somewhere. Best year of my career. As we say in ag, we were firing all in all eight cylinders, if you know what I'm saying, man. And in August, my wife got hit by a drunk driver while we were on the phone together. So we had to get through that challenge.

 

Libby Wixtead (20:24):Oh, gosh.

 

Matt Rush (20:25):Then we got into December. I got a little dry weather crack, which y'all know nothing about probably in y'all's wet, humid areas in the West. I got a little dry weather crack on my hand. I got a flesh-eating bacteria snuck in there somehow, some way.

 

Libby Wixtead (20:40):Oh, gosh.

 

Matt Rush (20:41):Spent four days in the hospital on IV antibiotics trying to save my hand. And that was in December of 2020. And she asked me, she said, "Are we going to be okay?" And I'm like, "Yeah, babe. I've got the best year of my career booked for 2020. We're rocking and rolling." Right? And then.

 

Libby Wixtead (20:59):Boom.

 

Matt Rush (20:59):The shutdown happens. Right? So we lost everything. And she's an event planner, so I said, it was an awesome-

 

Libby Wixtead (21:04):Oh, gosh.

 

Matt Rush (21:06):Awesome time of life for a public speaker to be married to an event planner, and we own cattle in the worst drought in the history of the West. And it kicked our teeth in. And when the shutdown started, a buddy of mine who does a lot of my graphic design stuff, he said, "You know what? We need to help people with stress. Because if they're stressed, none of this stuff you're talking about matters. Because stress is an emotion and emotion overrides fact every time, like you say." And said, "We need to do something about stress."

 

(21:36):So that's what we did. We wrote a book about stress, not because we're trained professionals by any stretch of the imagination. But we did things so wrong for so long that we're like, "If we could help somebody overcome stress." So it's called Stress-Free You, Y-O-U. You can get it on Amazon, you can reach out to me, whatever. If you reach out to me, I'll sign it and I'll send you a copy of it. They're $15. They're two for $30. It's a great bargain. But it's about how do we overcome stress. Because we have so much stress that we have allowed to come into our lives that now when have, we call them stress switches, we have so many switches turned on, that when a life stress, because that's natural. We're going to go through stress throughout our lives. We're going to go through deaths, we're going to go through financial problems. We're going to go weather problems. Things we have no control over, those are absolutely guaranteed to happen. True?

 

Libby Wixtead (22:38):Yes. Yep.

 

Matt Rush (22:39):But we have all these daily stresses turned on that we're like, when a life stress happens, we can't handle it because we're so overloaded. So we're like, "How do we start turning off some of those daily stress switches?" For example, the first one is we stopped watching the news. Really. Is there anything pleasant about watching, especially the national news?

 

Libby Wixtead (22:58):No.

 

Matt Rush (23:00):No. And now they even bring people on to argue about it. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (23:03):Yes.

 

Matt Rush (23:05):It's like you're inviting people into your home to talk about something negative and then argue about it in your most sacred place in the world, and that's your home. We're like, "We stopped watching the news. Guess what? I'm still informed. I'm just not inundated. There are ways I can find information out." So that was a huge stress relief for us. So we thought during the pandemic, excuse me, we thought that that was going to be a great time to release this book on stress because all of us self-employed people like me, we were stressed out to the core.

 

(23:36):What we didn't realize was that the majority of humans out there weren't stressed at all. They're only getting dressed from the waist up every day.

 

Libby Wixtead (23:46):Right.

 

Matt Rush (23:47):They're working from home, living their best life. It was a horrible time to release a book on stress. It didn't do very well at all. What has happened though, is, and really in the last two years, it's really taken off. We've been asked to come in and do retreats. We've been asked to come in and do speeches at conferences about stress because it's a challenge. Right? We're more stressed now than we've ever been, I think, in the history of mankind. So yeah, that was the story of how the book on stress and how a farm boy from New Mexico ends up writing a book on stress. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (24:22):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (24:23):And so, I would encourage everybody, Hey, be cognizant of what you can actually deal with and turn those stresses off. Turn off the news. Stop getting on social media at some point in time in the night. Give yourself a break from the digital connection. Yeah. Do things that actually fuel you, who you really are at your core: spending time with your family, with your kids, with your grandkids, nieces, nephews, neighbors, whatever. I say in this world we live in, we are more connected than we've ever been in the history of mankind. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (25:07):Mm-hmm.

 

Matt Rush (25:08):I'm in Texas right now, you're in Ohio. We're on Zoom, we're recording a podcast. This is no big deal right?

 

Libby Wixtead (25:13):Mm-hmm.

 

Matt Rush (25:14):This could not have happened just a few years ago.

 

Libby Wixtead (25:16):Right.

 

Matt Rush (25:16):So I say we are more connected than we've ever been in the history of mankind, and yet we're more disconnected than we've ever been in the history of mankind. So how do we start making those connections again with ourselves, with our families? You've got to deal with yourself first. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (25:34):Yes.

 

Matt Rush (25:35):The greatest enemy you'll ever face is the one that lives between your ears. You've got to deal with this space first. When a public speaker married to an event planner and own cattle in the worst drought, and we hit a ginormous shutdown, I had to deal with me first. And I knew I was getting into a negative headspace. After we released the book, then that doesn't go that great, now by August I'm really getting, literally, I'm getting depressed.

 

(26:03):And in the midst of that depression, I told my wife, I said, "I have to do something." And she's like, "What are you going to do?" I said, "I think I'm going to start taking art lessons. I want to learn how to sculpt." And she's like, "What? Are you out of your mind?" I was like, "No. I've always thought I could do it."

 

Libby Wixtead (26:18):Right.

 

Matt Rush (26:19):And lo and behold, God had this hidden talent that we knew nothing about. And bam, it literally saved us that year, and it's launched a whole new career and a whole new side of creativity that I never knew existed. So you've got to deal with yourself first. Then you've got to start making those connections again with other people: with your family, with your friends, with your faith, so that then we can actually do what we feel like we were born to do, if that all makes sense.

 

Libby Wixtead (26:53):Yeah. So I think what I'm hearing you say is a lot of people I feel like had hobbies, and then life kind of came and they kind of lost their hobbies. Or you have little kids and you're just so focused on your little kids that you kind of forget what you enjoy. So get back to your hobbies or find something, a creative outlet or something where you don't have to think.

 

Matt Rush (27:20):Yes.

 

Libby Wixtead (27:20):You can just kind of let yourself go.

 

Matt Rush (27:21):Clear the mechanism.

 

Libby Wixtead (27:23):Yes. And then, check in on your friends and your family. Actually pick up the phone and call them, go out to dinner with them, breakfast. I know there's a lot of farmers here in Marion that they'll go, they'll meet each other for coffee, which the spring could be good, could be bad, could add to it a little bit. But you're still making that connection rather than picking up your phone, looking at Facebook, Instagram, getting your update.

 

Matt Rush (27:55):Right.

 

Libby Wixtead (27:55):But you're not really connecting with anybody.

 

Matt Rush (27:59):I agree 1,000%. And now because of technology again, talk about connectivity, we're more connected to the land than we've ever been before, too.

 

Libby Wixtead (28:09):Right. Right.

 

Matt Rush (28:09):Connection-wise, you can dial things in to the per acre and down to down to the GPS coordinate about an exact spot in a field like we are. But you're also now... Back up. I used to tell everybody that, "I miss my tractor time." Because we used to farm all summer long. I don't have to do that anymore. Our place is small and we have cattle, so I don't sit on a tractor anymore. I started missing that old school tractor time, where you were just out there alone with your thoughts and by yourself, and you can spend a lot of time thinking about different things.

 

Libby Wixtead (28:48):Yes.

 

Matt Rush (28:48):And now, because of our connections, we turn around on the end of a row, push a button, and we're back on our phone. We're back on the device.

 

Libby Wixtead (28:55):Absolutely.

 

Matt Rush (28:57):We're back into the mindless abyss that is technology and social media. So to your point, I'm going to tell people, "Man, find an outlet. Find a way to connect. Find a way to refuel, to restore, to rebuild your space. Because we have to deal with the space between our ears so that we can then help somebody else." Anyone who has ever flown knows the first person they say to put the mask on. If we lose oxygen, first person to put the mask on above your kids, above your spouse, above anybody else, put it on yourself first. Why?

 

Libby Wixtead (29:40):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (29:40):Because you've got to deal with you first before you can deal with anybody else. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (29:44):Mm-hmm.

 

Matt Rush (29:45):And that's not to say be selfish. Don't think less of yourself, just think of yourself less often. Right? Take care of you first. Get that clear. And then, that way we can start pouring into somebody else.

 

Libby Wixtead (29:58):Yep. Fill up your glass.

 

Matt Rush (30:01):Yeah, absolutely. And I used to say when I would go speak somewhere, if I spoke and if I did a breakout session, or I also do half-day and full-day training, which is unusual, but I like doing both. So if I would go do a full-day or a multi-day training for a company, man at the end, I used to say I was wiped out because I put it all out there. I am an energy person. I want to give the energy. I want people to feel gooder about themselves. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (30:30):Mm-hmm.

 

Matt Rush (30:31):And at the end, I would be exhausted. I did a weekend retreat for a company one time, and before I could even leave to go home, I had to go take a nap. I was so wiped out.

 

Libby Wixtead (30:42):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (30:42):And then, I was like, I heard an older speaker guy say that he drew from the room. It was Jim Rohn. I can tell you exactly who it was. If I think about it long enough, I can tell you what book it was in. And he said, "I realized that I was up there in front of the room giving to the room. But I also knew that the room was giving back to me." And he goes, "I started accepting the energy from all these people that were in my room." Now when I leave, it is a high for me. It gives me energy. It gives me a desire to keep going.

 

(31:21):So for anybody that's listening to this, find out what can fuel your soul, and get back to doing that, and at least small bits. Find a time to be quiet, find a time to disconnect, and find a time to reconnect to those who are really important. And we've got to get through the stuff. Right? Y'all were talking before we started about the rain, and it's too wet, you can't get crops in. And we have no concept of what that's like out here. We've been getting some rain. It's green. The cows are fat. We're like, "Oh my gosh, this is so weird. It's so different than our normal." We have to find a way to get through that stuff that we deal with on a really a daily basis. But in ag, then it's yearly. And get through that and just understand that, hey, what we do in ag is special, and the people who are doing it are incredibly special. And it's the greatest industry on planet Earth and don't ever forget that.

 

Libby Wixtead (32:29):Yes. I think we need to keep reminding our listeners of that. So how can farmers, if they want to share those realities, those struggles, those practices that we do that maybe the public doesn't quite grasp all the time, how can they do that? And how can they be an advocate for agriculture? Because you have all of these things out there of like, "Oh, farming is just like oh, you guys have all this land and you guys make so much money." And then, you have the flip side of it of like we all know, it's like the animal agriculture, all of the things that they say. How can they share those realities and become that advocate of agriculture? Where can they start? How can they start? What would you suggest?

 

Matt Rush (33:23):I will tell you that we way overcomplicate this question. People ask me this question a lot, and I think everybody starts comparing themselves to some speecher dude that goes around and gets in front of groups of hundreds of people and talks in front of groups. No, that's not even a percentage of the population that does that, so don't compare yourself to what I'm doing.

 

(33:50):Don't overcomplicate this stuff. This is as simple as what you said you did in Atlanta. It's about, "Oh, we raise pigs." And shock and awe, you just made a connection with somebody. It's about being in the grocery store, literally in any town in Ohio or wherever anyone's listening to this and saying to somebody in the store, "Oh, I raise..." They have corn. Okay, maybe they have corn in their basket. Right? "Did you know I raised that corn?" Right? It's literally about making those kind of tiny, maybe we could call them micro connections, because those micro connections then put a face to ag and then put a human to a basket.

 

(34:35):For us, it's standing at the meat counter in our town. Our town has 15,000 people in it, but I can guarantee you there's people standing at the meat counter that have no idea that I raise beef.

 

Libby Wixtead (34:46):Right.

 

Matt Rush (34:47):So being able to say, "Hey, I raise beef. Let me tell you which cuts are good." Right? "Let me tell you why that's expensive right now."

 

Libby Wixtead (34:56):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (34:57):It's simple. Okay. So somebody's like, "Ah, I could never do that. I don't even go to the grocery store." Right? "Someone else does that." Right? Okay. What are we doing to encourage each other? If you just go to the farm store and you hear a bunch of people complaining, the last thing out of your mouth could be, "Yeah, but we're in a great industry. We wouldn't do anything else." Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (35:17):Right.

 

Matt Rush (35:18):It's about turning that positiveness right back into it. One of the most beautiful things any of us can do is get involved in ag in the classroom.

 

Libby Wixtead (35:28):Yes.

 

Matt Rush (35:29):Okay. Being able to go into an elementary school and start talking about an ag book or something like that is priceless. I got to serve on the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Ag board of directors. It was when they were transitioning the foundation from a research foundation to an educational foundation. And I got to serve on there, I think my term was six or seven years. And we went through the whole process of changing the foundation to education. Part of that was we wanted to get accurate books on agriculture into classrooms.

 

(36:02):So what they had us do during that was we went to, no, that started on the Young Farmer Rancher Committee for AFBF, and then I got onto the foundation board, which carried it forward. But we began it with our committee on the Young Farmer Rancher Committee, and we would go into wherever American Farm Bureau's annual convention was held. We would go into a school in that city, which typically those are bigger cities. Right? So the first one, we went into an inner city school in Nashville, read some books on agriculture to these inner city kids. Then we had little stickers that said, "I met a farmer today. I met a rancher today." It was the sweetest thing you've ever seen in your life. It was so cool. It's that simple.

 

Libby Wixtead (36:40):Right.

 

Matt Rush (36:41):We were heroes to those little kids. When's the best time to reach a kid or to reach a human? Is when they're a kid. That has led to the whole foundation being what it is today and getting those accurate books on agriculture out there. So don't overcomplicate this issue. It is as simple as talking to someone in a store. It's as simple as going and reading to a kid in a classroom in your school. It's as simple as just being the face of what you do. Don't overcomplicate this. Keep it simple.

 

Libby Wixtead (37:14):Right. And I think too, there's so many people in our community, our neighbors anymore don't... Yeah, they may live in the country, but they still don't understand. There are still that many generations disconnected from the farm. And it's even just sitting at your kid's baseball game, sitting at just your community events and just talking with your friends, because some of your friends may not even know. It's just those simple conversations of just allowing people to ask you questions without getting offensive too, letting them be an open space of asking what you're doing.

 

(37:49):And you talk about the books in the classroom, I think that's a fantastic thing. My family actually donated a book in my grandfather's name when he passed to our elementary school.

 

Matt Rush (37:59):Oh, that's cool.

 

Libby Wixtead (37:59):And I remember that from when that happened, and I think that's a great way to honor a farmer and trying to educate elementary students. We have an inner city school here in Marion that agriculture is coming very strong into, which is super exciting, and we're involved with that. So that's a really simple thing. That's something that even the farm wives can get really into. Maybe it's not necessarily the guys, but the actual farm wives getting into and carrying on that message for the farm and for that ag culture.

 

Matt Rush (38:35):Yeah, absolutely. And so, when I was there for that Emerge conference, I spent some extra time and went down, and I think there's some guy named Baldoser who's on your board.

 

Libby Wixtead (38:43):Yes.

 

Matt Rush (38:43):A director or something. And they're great friends. We've known each other for years through the Young Farmer Rancher Committees and whatever. And I went and spent some time with them on their farm, and it was just awesome. While I was there, the one thing that really struck me about where y'all's part of the world is that it's so populated. We don't have that out West.

 

Libby Wixtead (39:03):Right.

 

Matt Rush (39:03):We don't have neighbors that are that close. And one thing Gary was talking about while we were driving around was there's all these people who live, work in town, but they don't want to live in town anymore. So now they've bought these farm homes. It used to be a small farm, now because of consolidation, and then they sell the house off to somebody. So now you have all these people who have no connection with agriculture living in agriculture. Right?

 

Libby Wixtead (39:31):Mm-hmm.

 

Matt Rush (39:32):So don't ever forget that sometimes literally they're next door and they have no concept of why we're doing what we're doing. So it may be as simple as, hey, we need to stop and have a conversation with them saying, "I understand it's going to be a problem when I'm moving equipment down the road. Let me explain to you what we're doing."

 

Libby Wixtead (39:48):Right.

 

Matt Rush (39:49):Or, "Can I invite you over so you can see what we're doing?" It's that simple. We've become such isolationists and so stuck to our devices and technology, and adults are just as bad as kids mind you.

 

Libby Wixtead (40:01):Absolutely.

 

Matt Rush (40:04):That, hey, get over yourself. Hey, they're right next door to us nowadays, and they need to know what we're doing. Yeah. That's it. Keep it simple.

 

Libby Wixtead (40:13):Yeah. The last question here that I would like to ask you is, what are your hopes for the next generation of farmers in terms of sharing their experiences?

 

Matt Rush (40:24):My hope for the next generation is I hope they can always see ag for what it truly is. We've got so much technology, we've got so much, all this connectivity. We've got so much stuff going on that I hope they never forget that what we do impacts people at such a core level. That it's not just about farming, it's not just about ranching, it's about literally feeding not only the world, but it's about feeding the people next door. It's about feeding. It's about doing something that is so much bigger than ourselves. I hope they never forget that.

 

(41:07):I also hope they never forget the simple things and the beauty of what we do. I say, "Those of us in agriculture are more tied to creation than any other group on planet Earth. It takes more faith to do what we do." I hope they don't lose that faith, and I hope they... Also, they're an encouragement to me. And I don't do a lot of FFA or 4-H events, but when I get to go do a youth event or a youth conference, they're a shot in the arm. I still see the same energy as when I was there.

 

Libby Wixtead (41:46):Yeah.

 

Matt Rush (41:47):And that's so cool to see, and it gives us such hope. So I hope they keep that energy. I hope they keep that passion. I hope those of us who are older, we connect with them so that they keep wanting to come back into production agriculture because we need them. And we need them in ag, period. I don't care if it is just production agriculture.

 

(42:13):One of my best friends growing up, I worked for him for five years every summer in college farming for him. And he had three boys; his middle son wanted absolutely nothing to do with ag. He wanted to get out. He left New Mexico and moved to Austin, Texas if that tells you how far away he wanted to get.

 

Libby Wixtead (42:29):Uh-huh. Yep.

 

Matt Rush (42:31):He got into computer programming. He realized that, hey, his computer programming is just doing something for somebody else so they could sell it off. And he felt a void. Case IH actually found him, and reached out to him and said, "Hey, would you want to help us build programming for the new equipment that's coming out?" So here's a kid who wanted nothing to do with ag, and now he's on a team of, I think, only 10 people with Case working on technology. So there's so many opportunities to be in ag.

 

Libby Wixtead (43:02):Yes.

 

Matt Rush (43:02):So don't forget that. We still need you in all of them. In production ag, we need you in every aspect of ag. But also, don't forget how personal it is, how great it is, and just that, hey, what we do is what's been going on since the beginning of time. It's an amazing opportunity to be in this industry.

 

Libby Wixtead (43:21):Yes. The agricultural roots are very deep. If you've grown up in it, they are very, very deep, and I definitely feel that in myself. Could you read your poem that you wrote to send us off here?

 

Matt Rush (43:36):I would be honored.

 

Libby Wixtead (43:38):Okay.

 

Matt Rush (43:38):I wrote this 15 years ago, I guess now. It's called, I'm Just a Farmer and a Rancher, Plain and Simple. And I really feel that it really defines us at our core. And as we close, this is what I don't want anybody to ever forget, is this part right here.

 

(43:55):I'm just a farmer and a rancher, plain and simple. I know the sun better than anyone, and the soil and the wind and the rain. I'm the one who works with them, who loves them, and who sometimes fears them. I'm just a farmer and a rancher, plain and simple. I am the sower of seeds, the tender of stock, and the reaper of harvest. I am sweat and tears and pride. I'm the black earth of spring, the green hills of summer, the harvest gold of autumn, and the cold white stillness of winter.

 

(44:19):I'm just a farmer and a rancher, plain and simple. I live in a complex world made of simple things, and they are my source of joy and hope and comfort. I am warm memories of the past, the steely reality of the present, and a dream of the future. I'm just a farmer and a rancher, plain and simple. I have savored the breeze off freshly cut hay. I have stirred the soil, and in turn, it has stirred my soul. I have awed at the first steps of a newborn calf. I have felt the power of a thousand storms, and I have rejoiced in the fresh world left in their wake.

 

(44:50):I'm just a farmer and a rancher, plain and simple. I'm an accountant, a chemist, a doctor, a midwife, a mechanic, a seller, a trader, a buyer, a helper, a comforter, and a teacher. I am perseverance, creativity, and courage. I am confidence and ingenuity and intelligence. I'm just a farmer and a rancher, plain and simple. I am not a man of riches, but a man of great wealth. I have learned to treasure life and all things living, to respect their maker and my own. I am humbled by the earth's bounty, and I am awed by endless rebirth. I am fascinated by the marvelous intricacies of my world, and I am enriched by their beauty.

 

(45:28):I'm just a farmer and a rancher, plain and simple. It's a solitary profession I've chosen, or perhaps that I've been chosen for; a profession where there are no certainties, where no guarantees are granted, no promises given, no excuses taken. But if a man can truly be free, I truly am free. I'm just a farmer and a rancher, plain and simple, a seeker of excellence, and I will endure.

 

(45:53):I think at our core, that's who we are, and I don't want anybody to ever forget that.

 

Libby Wixtead (45:58):I think that is well said. That's only the second time I've heard that, and I still get emotional hearing that just because of, I think you hit the nail on the head with everything and encompassing the true meaning of a farmer.

 

Matt Rush (46:13):Thank you.

 

Libby Wixtead (46:13):Yeah. Matt, we are so happy that you were able to join us today and talking about sharing our story and how simplistic that can be, and also how to deal with our stresses, because that seems to be a little bit more increasing as the years go on and how things have just changed. Thank you to our listeners for tuning into another episode of AgCredit Said It. Be sure to subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app so will you never miss any episode. Some of our upcoming episodes include Barndominiums, Grain Inventory Loans, and more. You don't want to miss them. We'll talk to you next time.

 

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