That Farm Life

The path to healing often takes unexpected turns. Dr. Todd Clements reveals his remarkable journey from farm boy to respected psychiatrist, through the darkness of addiction, and back to redemption in this powerful conversation about mental health in rural America. We'd love to hear your feedback! Please reach out to us if you have ideas for future shows or how we can make That Farm Life even...

Ron Deal, therapist, speaker, and author, shares his wisdom on building successful blended families after decades of experience in the field of marriage and family ministry. His personal journey from Iowa to leading Family Life Blended demonstrates his deep understanding of the unique challenges blended families face. We'd love to hear your feedback! Please reach out to us if you have ideas f...

What happens when you combine agricultural wisdom with cutting-edge relationship science? Kenny Sanderfer, a former agriculture professional turned marriage counselor, bridges these worlds with profound insights into how our relationships fundamentally shape our wellbeing. We'd love to hear your feedback! Please reach out to us if you have ideas for future shows or how we can make That Farm L...

The sky above our farms tells stories most of us never hear—until now. In this revealing conversation with father-son agricultural pilots Stan and Robert Ferguson, we discover the unseen world of those who navigate the challenging intersection of advanced aviation technology and traditional farming practices. We'd love to hear your feedback! Please reach out to us if you have ideas for future...

The trade-show floor buzzed, but our table got quiet as the numbers came out: operating loans will be tougher, cash flow is tight, and projections are the hardest many have seen. We brought together a veteran ag lender, a grain storage seller–farmer, and a cattle-and-row-crop producer to chart a practical path through a winter that tests both head and heart. No fluff—just the steps to get your boo...

Pull up a chair at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Convention and hear a clear, no-spin guide to getting covered—whether you farm 5,000 acres, run a small crew, or just want a human to help you choose a plan. We sit down with Alan Hudson from Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield to break down real options you can access at a Farm Bureau office in every Arkansas county. No membership gatekeeping, no jargon maz...

The hum of a trade show floor in Hot Springs sets the stage for a candid conversation with Arkansas Farm Bureau president Dan Wright about the realities of farm life and the policies that shape it. We walk through the big picture—why rural towns are struggling, what’s happening in poultry right now, and how a $40 membership scales a single voice into statewide and national advocacy that actually m...

Rows of booths, the hum of old friends catching up, and a thousand farmers under one roof—our conversation with Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Jarrod Yates brings the energy of the convention floor straight to you. We get real about the squeeze on row crop producers, how policy keeps your grocery bill in check, and why advocacy—not handouts—anchors a resilient food system. We'd love to hear your feed...

The hum of a trade show floor fades when the numbers don’t pencil. We sat down with Arkansas farmers and an ag professor to talk plainly about what’s pushing families to the edge: $5,000 parts runs, service calls that start at five figures, and a rice price that looks like the 1980s while everything else has climbed. It’s an unvarnished look at the farm economy from the ground level—where a March...

Blood sugar doesn’t care about heat, broken bearings, or a rice field that needs water right now—so how does a row‑crop farmer keep working when Type 1 diabetes throws curveballs? We sit down with Scott Gibson to map a life built on routine, readiness, and hard‑won peace of mind, from a first‑grade diagnosis to managing harvest in July heat. We'd love to hear your feedback! Please reach out t...

The trade show floor is buzzing, but the real action is behind the scenes where applications, interviews, and clearances decide whether seed meets soil on time. We sit down with Sherry Mitchell, a district casework manager for Congressman Rick Crawford, to unpack how H2A actually works, why three different federal agencies can stall a season, and what to do when the process goes quiet. If you’ve e...

A trade show floor can be noisy, but some ideas cut through the hum fast: stop burning half a day hauling pallets and let the supplies come to you. We sit down with Tractor Supply’s Little Rock team to unpack a new direct sales program that brings bulk feed, minerals, fencing, T‑posts, and shavings straight to the farm gate, coordinated by a specialist who knows your operation and your calendar. W...

Sparks fly, trailers roll, and futures take shape as we go live from the Arkansas Farm Bureau convention with three Valley View FFA students who bring their best to the ag mechanics competition. Taylor, Luke, and Evan walk us through the workbench—welding deer stands, fabricating fire pits, and crafting a full-length mirror framed with shelves and cowhide—while explaining how these projects teach...

A buzzing trade show floor sets the stage for a grounded, no-spin conversation about how FFA turns curiosity into real careers. Archie Mason sits down with three Nashville, Arkansas students who walk us through the projects, tools, and routines that changed how they see work, learning, and the future. From design software to the weld booth, they show what happens when young people get to build thi...

Labor can be the most stressful part of running a farm, especially when the work is seasonal and the clock never stops. From the Arkansas Farm Bureau Convention floor, we sit down with Caleb from Agri Placements to pull back the curtain on H-2A: what’s changed, what it really costs, and how to bring in reliable help without tripping over red tape. We'd love to hear your feedback! Please reach...

The cab gets quiet, the hours get long, and the mind starts to race. From the Rice Research Station in Harrisburg, we sit down with Ryan, a lifelong ag hand turned entrepreneur, to trace a road that runs from co-ops and crop consulting to Apex Ag’s rapid growth—and a new mission to protect farmer mental health with Tailgate Time. The stakes are real: a tightening farm economy, long nights in the p...

The combines are still running and the coffee shop is quiet—signs of a year that pushed farm families to their limits. We’re live at the University of Arkansas Research Rice Station with fourth-generation farmer Jennifer James, who lays out a simple but powerful framework for getting through a hard season: the four chambers of a farmer’s heart—family, resilience, sustainability, and work ethic. It...

The field may be quiet after harvest, but the pressure is loud. We went live from the University of Arkansas Rice Research Station to talk plainly about where the farm economy is right now, why stress is spilling past the shop door, and how to build a support system that actually fits rural life. Therapist Mandy Young shares a frontline view from veteran care, civilian clinics, and church-based co...

A decade in the fields can teach you a lot about crops—and even more about people. We sit down with longtime crop consultant Chad Duckworth for a candid, ground-level look at what happens when record yields still end in red ink, prevented planting swallows acres, and a trusted scout decides it’s time to pivot. Chad opens up about his path from an internship at RiceTech to building Sentinel Consult...

This week's episode, we talk with Mardon Layne. He has farmed for over 40 years in southern Missouri and grows mostly cotton. He started farming with his father and is now a partner with his son.  This week's episode deals with the loss of a loved one to suicide. For those who are considering suicide, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is 988. Visit AgriHealth.net for more information and...

Storms at home don’t always start loud. Sometimes they begin with a look, a sigh, a missed cue—and suddenly you’re stuck in a loop of fear, shame, and blame that feels bigger than both of you. We sat down with licensed marriage and family counselor James Barham to unpack how unseen wounds of the heart can steer a marriage, why those wounds surface under stress, and how a grace-centered approach br...

When the fields flood and the numbers don’t pencil, peace can feel out of reach. We sit down with Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Mark Horton to get real about uncertainty—prices, labor, weather—and how faith and preparation can calm a storm that spreadsheets can’t. Mark brings 27 years of walking with farm families, plus a personal story of having his priorities flipped overnight that reshaped his outlook...

What if the map back to each other has been in front of us all along? We explore a clear, grace-filled path for couples who feel stuck in repeating arguments, growing distance, or the grind of long seasons in the field. With licensed marriage and family counselor James Barham, we unpack how the fear–shame cycle quietly reshapes communication and connection—and how small, intentional choices can re...

When the bank asks for your house, what do you do? We sit down with Bill Shannon, who tells the unvarnished story of stepping away from a lifetime of farming and finding a different kind of harvest on the other side. From learning the clutch as a kid to managing large operations across Arkansas and Mississippi, Bill charts the highs of good years, the gut-punch of droughts and thin irrigation, and...

Hard seasons on the farm don’t pause for your marriage—and that’s exactly why we brought in licensed marriage and family counselor James Barham to map out a simple, repeatable way to protect your bond when the pressure spikes. James grew up in the Delta, still lives the farm rhythm, and speaks to the real weight of long hours, money stress, isolation, and the quiet drift that sneaks in between cho...