Dr. Tera Barnhardt is a Veterinarian from Johnson City, Kansas. She consults with various feedyards, large cow-calf producers and dairies in southwest Kansas.
She is a mother of three, and she and her husband are also involved in other businesses in the region. Plus, she is a tremendous advocate for the beef industry, appearing on various national news shows to help consumers better understand modern beef production methods and beef producers' dedication to a safe, wholesome food supply.
Dr. Tera Barnhardt is a Veterinarian from Johnson City, Kansas. She consults with various feedyards, large cow-calf producers and dairies in southwest Kansas.
She is a mother of three, and she and her husband are also involved in other businesses in the region. Plus, she is a tremendous advocate for the beef industry, appearing on various national news shows to help consumers better understand modern beef production methods and beef producers' dedication to a safe, wholesome food supply.
Hello, and welcome to episode 43 of practically ranching. Like always practically ranching is made possible by Dale banks. Angus make plans for our annual bull sale. November 18th. Stay tuned after this show for more information. This week we get to visit with Dr. Tara Barnhart. Tara is a veterinarian from Southwest Kansas. She's a proud Kansas state university, wild cat. And she is truly a student to the beef industry. We, uh, we talk a bit about her day job in animal health as a bovine practitioner and a consulting vet. We talk about our work as an advocate for production ag, we talked about communication and human resources, business ownership, and entrepreneurship. All in rural America. While navigating the mayhem that is often associated with all of these. Now I would guess that every person who's listening to this podcast has worked with a veterinarian or two in their lifetime. So, you know, that vets have a certain. Let's call it dry wit. Maybe even a dark humor. About them now. I'm not sure what class that DVMs take to perfect. This personality trait. But nearly every one of them exhibits some level of it. And Dr. Barnhart definitely took the class. Uh, she might have even taught it. I may not have fully captured her humor while I was on the pod. But before and after I can promise you, it is definitely there. Uh, Tara was a classmate of our local veterinarian. Dr. Kelly Fitzmaurice. And I'm pretty sure they must have fed off of each other's humor back in vet school. And I'm sure there's plenty of stories that folks could, uh, could attest to this. You know, we're really fortunate to have Kaylee as our vet here in Greenwood county. And I am really glad to have Tara and her work in advocacy in cattle care and research. Leading our industry as well. I don't have to tell you, veterinarians play a crucial role to all of us as beef producers. Great vets like Kaylee, like Tara, who are well-connected. Constant learners and see the greater industry. Great vets are indispensable. So I hope you will enjoy my conversation with Dr. Tara Barnhart. And thanks as always for listening.
Track 1:thank you for joining us here today. How are things in southwest Kansas?
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:They're really nice. It is fall and the weather is starting to kind of cool down, but with that comes, know, the challenge of, of the changing of weather. We have cool, cool nights. and hot afternoons And it's pretty good job security. for a beef vet,
Track 1:That's for sure. That's for sure. Well, we appreciate you making some time to be on here today. before we get too deep into the conversation, tell us, a little bit about what you do today and, and, what brought you to this point, a D V M.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Absolutely. so I grew up in southwest Kansas. I'm a proud resident of Kansas and I love it so much. I've never left So I, um, grew up in a town called Satana in Haskell County, uh, the very southwestern corner of the state. and then went, I grew up very much like a lot of rural farm kids Uh, very involved in four H, very involved in my community and school, Played all the sports, Wasn't really good at very many of them, but they need the participation, right? So I had a lot of, um, community involvement. Four H was really big in our area. I showed cattle across the state and the country and had a really good,
Track 1:uh,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:relationship, you know, with the quintessential veterinarian, who serves a rural community doc sits down, helps with the cow herd, fixes the dog you know, works with, uh, everyone on the farm really connects with the family. And so I kind of knew at a, young age I wanted to be a veterinarian and knew that, you know, going to Kansas State University. We always say it's an option in our family, but it, it really isn't. Um,
Track 1:very familiar.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:My family is, uh, very proud of the fact that my parents both graduated from K Kansas State University. They raised four kids who graduated and then we all married people. who graduated from K State. And so we don't just raise Wildcats, we require them to then, you know, go on and, and marry Wildcats. hopefully the future generation also bleeds purple, but I ended up at Kansas State for undergraduate and I started in animal sciences and industry, got my degree there. while I. was at, in undergrad, I had the opportunity to work, you know, get started in the beef industry and work with people. Kansas State is pretty well known for some pretty big hitters in the beef industry. And at the time, uh, certified Angus Beefs office was there really close to campus and had the opportunity to work with Dr. Larry Cora there in the feedlot Data analysis team with, with certified Angus beef. And that was a Wonderful Opportunity to get, my toes into data and what, what it looks like to feed Really high quality cattle. what good closeouts look like, what, what the numbers behind feeding cattle, can really bring to the table. And so, I thought, man, I wanna be involved in the beef Industry and what that looks like. And, and the team there at Certified Angus Beef was really um, kind of pioneers in that branded beef space and what they accomplished for the Angus breed kind of out of necessity. man, they they had a home run with that. then in veterinary school, I got the opportunity to work with the Beef Cattle Institute. At the time, it was under the direction of Dr. Dan Thompson. He was my master. professor, um, for my education, do with my master's degree. And I did a lot of research that was boots on the ground Serving Kansas beef producers. It was the research is not the hard sciences. It's not the stuff that you go in present, at, um, scientific meetings that people are like, oh my gosh, this is groundbreaking. It was the stuff that really served Kansans well and served, um, the industry well because it had, we were boots on the ground quite literally. But it also had implications, I like to say, at the speed of commerce. It mattered for the problems we were dealing with then. Um, and we solved some, solved some things that producers were up against. right then, and That was really exciting. Kind of, The kind of research. I can get behind. Um,'cause I'm a very boots on the ground kind of person. When I graduated, Veterinary school. I moved to southwest Kansas. I was Afraid of two things I was afraid of not trying mixed animal practice'cause that's the quintessential veterinarian, uh, picture that's painted. you know, the old doc comes and checks the cows, neuter the cat, vaccinates the dogs. Um, I wanted to make sure that that just wasn't my cup of tea. I grew up in a small town. I grew up with a doc just, like that, served my farm and ranch, and my family well, and I wanted to make sure, that wasn't kind of my life's path. and I did that for several years and I do love it. I could go back to that tomorrow. The, The, biggest challenge I ran into is, Uh, mixed animal practitioners are no joke. they literally. know everything from a Guinea pig to an equine. I, I always say I chickened out. It's terribly intimidating the amount of knowledge they walk around with, on a daily basis and like have to bring to the forefront. And so I got the opportunity, I chickened out and went the cow vet route'cause cows are just not that difficult, I'm not very smart. But I work really hard, so I, uh, I took an opportunity to go on staff with uh, at the time the, it was a family owned feeding operation in Satanta, Kansas. I grew up with these people. Uh, the name of it was Cattle Empire. at the time we had just under 250,000 head of cattle on feed. Everything from Dale Old Holstein dairy calves to 1500 pound fat steers, um, and heifers. And so, It was a, an amazing opportunity. The amount of teaching and training and animal welfare, programs that you have to take place in, in a operation that large, the amount of really HR that I learned, people management, right? At the end of the day, we're feeding cattle, but we're working with a lot of people, different cultures and backgrounds, and we have to meet them where they are. And the veterinarian plays a big role in that because I'm asking them to do a job the way we want it done. And so I need to be on that team. And I was trained well at Cattle Empire. They did a phenomenal job of, you know, holding a really high standard in the industry. feed yard. It transitioned, uh, the family sold off a couple of the yards in the calf ranch and they retained two of the yards. And so right. Then my career kind of was in a transition space. I had the opportunity to stay on, on staff with cattle empire, and I did for a while to learn more of the day-to-day management of the feed side of things. And then, Shortly after that. I, I hung a shingle, I decided, you know, to contact a few people in southwest Kansas. I, I, knew very little When I started this. I, I knew how to serve people really well. I knew the feed yard business, really well. I understood calf ranches, which um, even just saying that is a lie because calf ranches change and evolve and are just a monster in themselves. baby calves are hard. And so I Knew those things and I knew I wanted to keep my family in southwest Kansas. And I wanted to raise my kids in this area. And I knew to accomplish that I did not wanna be on the road every day. I did not wanna be pounding the highway, staying in hotels, um, being away from my kids. It just was not gonna, work for me to not be present every day. lot of people make that work and, and they amaze me. I just was, uh, I was wanting something different, and so I. contacted a few people around this area. I said, Hey, I'm going out on my own. I'm really nervous about this next step, but I have a whole lot of experience and, and really good knowledge from my work at Cattle Empire. And my plate filled up I was blessed abundantly. with Really great clients that showed up, became friends. I work, I work with really great people at the end of the day, um, I'm a big fan of All the people, that I get to hit the road. for every day because it's not an easy way to make a living, you know, that, uh,
Track 1:Sure,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:It is hard on the good days. That's what I always like to say, is it is a hard long day. even when they're good days. And so at the end of the day, I'm just super blessed to work with the people that I do. the makeup of my practice is interesting to me. It's interesting to a lot of other veterinarians. I work probably 50 dairy actually, and 50 beef. most of the beef that I am in charge of is in feed yards, grow yards, uh, feeding cattle for slaughter and. a little bit out, On the range. So a a couple of pretty large cow calf clients, and then a lot of dairy work. So we have, obviously the trend of beef on dairy calves has, uh, been going on for several years with, with, some success. and we, I help. With the health management, the health and welfare of those calves, from. birth to, to slaughter. And so it's really my wheelhouse. I love it. The dairy side was very intimidating when I started it, but it's a system. And once you learn the system, um, I feel that if you have the right motivation and the right, Just care for the people involved in the system. You, you can be effective as a veterinarian in anything. I, I don't wanna say that too loud.'cause I don't want anybody listening to this to be like, all right, she said it, let's turn her into a swine vet You know, that's a totally different system. Um, and one that I have zero knowledge on. But it, it is true. We raise these animals in different systems and the systems break down and that's when we need to solve the solve the problems. And so, the dairy was intimidating to begin with. And now that I look back at it, it's been a really fun challenge. And addition to my career, I have three young kids. my husband has a couple of businesses. we have like a negative amount of spare time. Um, but we're extremely lucky to be thriving and, and young business people in southwest Kansas. And we think it's God's country. Nobody usually agrees with that. statement. And that's okay.'cause you have to be out here to really, um, appreciate the beauty. I think, uh, beauty might be the word,
Track 1:Sure. There's lots of, lots of beauty out there and I'd say since this past mid-May, it has really looked like God's country out your way. But I'd say you all were due,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:we were due. So I have reserved any time I was in the um, Calgary area not too long ago, and they're very dry. Right? now. And Dry is relative
Track 1:relative. It is relative, yep.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Because we got really, really dry. but we are we are
Track 1:we are
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:happy to function on what God gives us. And man, he just thinks we can function on a lot less than we can some days.
Track 1:days. Yep. Yep. And that's the way you way you've gotta look at it. And I know a lot of folks in, in our neck of the woods are, are finding that out these days.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Hmm.
Track 1:So you touched a bunch on the production side and what you've learned and done in both working for Cattle Empire and now as a consulting vet, uh, for different folks around there in the dairy and the beef industry. Um, you have also done something that not all vets necessarily do, and it looks to me like you've done it really ever since you came out of vet school, maybe while you're in vet school. And that is help connect the dots between those of us that are in the production side and those on the consumer side. why did you start doing that? Why was that important to you and why do you continue to do that as you, as you practice today?
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I think everyone needs a why in life. What, what gets you outta bed in the morning? What, what makes you a tick? And I I think really large scale. Or, or big picture when I I look at what I have to accomplish in a day or what all I need to get done in a day. Um, At the end of the day, I really want consumers to have a lot of faith and trust in the products that we're asking them. to buy. They have opinions about it. They have, um, questions and we don't need to send them to the grocery store and like, here, find the milk. That's coming from cows that are treated well.
Track 1:well. Right?
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:that's our job. Let's take care of that. To where they don't have that question. They don't have to seek out that brand. they don't have to seek out, um, the farm they trust'cause we're on the same page on that, that animals that are treated well, perform well. And, and do better and stay healthier. And so it's not a question of like, can my farm function better because if your farm functions poorly, like the whole industry loses when we have something that that comes out like that. And So I try to keep that higher level of consumer awareness in my mind every day because that's who we're serving. I can say that I'm going to work for the feed yard that day. and largely I'm going to work for, for the people who are putting hamburger in their skillet that night. That's, what I think about every day. and that probably got started, um, really at Kansas State University when I was an undergraduate. There was a lot of the very beginning, of mistrust from consumers and to a lot of people surprise like Kansas State was home, to some pretty vocal and um, difficult conversations with you know, varying parts of campus. Here we are, a land grant institution, arguably one of the very best in the. country. and we had students on the other side of the, the campus that had no idea where their food was coming from? And they had large opinions about it and they published those in the paper. and They published those on public forums. You know, social media was alive then, but it wasn't quite as shareable as it is now. Um, it wasn't likely to become as viral. But I argue that, man, if it was shareable when we were an undergrad, there's some viral stuff that would've come from Kansas State University And that hit. me Hard'cause there was a group of us students that got together and said, man, we have to connect here at home. We have to connect with these College students before they go out and are making choices for their families and um, connect with these people on campus that we see every day and we eat with at the student union or the dormitory or, we have to connect with them. and and we thought we were a little bit distanced from, it. You know, there's other college campuses that probably get inundated with these kind of, you know, animal rights activists isn't the right word. Because these people were just students. They weren't, They weren't activists. They were curious. They had questions and they, they didn't trust. and that's okay. At first I thought, who are these people and what, you know, where do they get off saying this? But They really just wanted a connection. And So there was a group of us in undergrad that. formed a group, Um, we called it Food for thought at the time, but we, we brought in lectures, we brought in, um,
Track 1:um,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:We blogged. I don't know. Uh, blogging is kind of an old school that's gonna date me for years to come. People are gonna be like, oh, she started a blog They're still popular. But no, we blogged about, you know, where your food comes from. we were all just farm kids wanting to connect with our, our, local people on campus. We wanted to reach out as far as we could. And so we did a lot of professional development, um, on media, on media training with different trade organizations. We did a lot of professional development on um, connecting with consumers and and going out and how do we invite people onto farms or better yet virtually take them onto farms. and and that's probably where it started. it was a leadership role, but it was also,
Track 1:just
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:just realizing. that on this campus in the middle of ag production in America, there were a lot of doubters, there was a lot of questions, a lot of curiosity, and we weren't doing a good enough job answering those right there in Manhattan, Kansas. And to me, I couldn't imagine who are these consumers that are so far removed from agriculture? Who are they gonna reach out to and who, who are they gonna land on, on the internet? And if they can land on somebody just as dangerous, Like why not land on some cow vet from southwest Kansas? And so that's kind of advocacy was born probably, you know, right around when I was an undergrad. And, I, I'm very passionate about it because I'm passionate about, connecting with the consumer because their questions are fair. and, and we owe it to them to answer them, because they're our customer.
Track 1:customer. Yeah. And that's, that's one thing I think we're all guilty of at some level, especially it's human nature, but especially in production agriculture. And that is when someone is curious and asks us why we're doing something, we immediately build up a wall and a shield and get defensive instead of saying, I'm doing this because it's the best thing for the animal and it's the best thing for the food that it's inevitably going to produce. And, and instead we try to defend or we run away, or whatever the case may be. And I think, you know, a group like Food for Thought that you all created hits on both of those. Pieces, it's, we're in the food business and we are also very thoughtful about why and how we do these things. So give us a little bit of a, background time stamp. That would've been what, 2009 10 that you were doing undergrad?
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Yeah, probably, food for Thought really probably kicked off in
Track 1:in
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:oh eight. and, And was really strong all through my undergrad. I did it in vet school for a little bit. I don't know if Food for Thought's, still an official group. We, we actually did a lecture series in honor of Dr. Dan Upson and those listeners who, maybe have some experience. with Dr. Upson at K State. He was, amazing. he was part of our group. He was, we were very blessed to have him in our lives. And just as a teacher, as a friend, as. a, mentor. uh, you, you don't get much better than Dr. Dan Upson. So we named the lectureship by him. and We had Temple Grandin on campus. We uh, there was a Miss u s A who was very pro agriculture from, Nebraska. we had several really good speakers and it was a fun, fun leadership experience and fun Um, couple of years. just people I've kept in touch with, from Kansas State. People uh, you've had on the podcast, Tucker Stewart was part of that group. And we, uh, blaz some trails I think together. I don't know. We weren't the original, um, advocates, but we were filling a need that we saw to be very necessary at Kansas State at the time we were there.
Track 1:there. Well, I remember seeing some of the work you all were doing and, and never got up to any of the lectures or the guests that you brought in, but remember thinking. I wish I lived a lot closer to Manhattan because you know, these, these they were, you were ahead of your time. Definitely. Even, even if you were blogging, that was still on the cutting edge back then.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I say that all the time,
Track 1:that.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I wish I lived closer to Manhattan.
Track 1:Yeah. And I'm only two and a half hours away. You're four and a half, five hours.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Yeah.
Track 1:So you were doing all this advocacy and a lot of us didn't even realize it, or at least didn't have you as a household name. fast forward to June of 2022, a year ago, this past summer, uh, that was the first time that a lot of us, me included, heard Dr. Tara Barnhart's name. Tell us why that is, what led up to that and kind of walk us through that, uh, that scenario.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Yeah. So Last June,
Track 1:June,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:it was, Still really dry in Southwest Kansas. We were pretty dry, for that entire calendar year leading up to it. And for that summer season, we were very, cool unseasonably. cool. It had been hotter in early May, but just, you know, normal may temperatures. And then it was in the sixties, you know, getting down into the forties at night. It was, it was pretty cool for June in southwest Kansas. And So, we ended up with like a month's worth of rain. Uh, we did not know that that would be the only rain we would receive in the next entire calendar year. God was like, here's a few inches. Hopefully it sustains you for the rest of time. But we got some unseasonably cool wet days. There at the very beginning of June. and Then, right around the 11th or 12th, it just overnight went to extreme heat and out here we're not used to humidity. but with the recent rain and the cool temperatures, it just created a very humid environment. And for some reason that day, uh, the wind didn't blow and we were used to, you know, a 30 mile an hour wind is pretty normal out here. So some people would consider that a windstorm and we're like, Hey, that's Tuesday
Track 1:breeze. Yeah,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:It's, Yeah, it feels pretty good outside. And so, um, what that created in the feed yards and in particularly it was really geographically centered over a small area, of ground, really over Haskell County, Kansas And cattle, just for reference and context outnumber people like.
Track 1:like.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:It's like 600 to one It's a lot. There's a lot of feedlot cattle in Haskell County, Kansas. it is the feeding Capital of Kansas, you know, maybe next to Finney and and Scott County. We're pretty big players in the game. And when you have that sort of a weather crisis
Track 1:happen,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:you don't quite realize when it's so central and the wind just drops out. It, it truly is a weather crisis, just like a snowstorm, just like a tornado. just like all of the contingency. plans any large feeding operation would have.
Track 1:Um,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:But we, we weren't quite prepared for it to be such high humidity. absolutely No wind movement and such high temperatures. was a lot of temperature gauges that were, you know, over 105, hundred, over 107 degrees Fahrenheit. and. like, I don't care what the feels like is at that point. you know, we had 30, 40% humidity and no wind movement. The cattle suffered. And I, I don't really, entertain a lot of questions about, you know, what could you have done differently? What could you have done better? We, we beat ourselves up about that. We were watching these cattle and their behavior and exactly what was happening and it was a disaster fast. what we didn't count. on was, somebody taking a video
Track 1:Video
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:of, uh, somebody at a feed yard was pulling Deads out and when we have to remove the dead animals from the, pen, in a situation like this, we had a lot of loss, but for context, It needs to be compared back to the total number of, head on feed. at most of the yards, you know, way less than a 2% death loss, and varying degrees of severity throughout the county you know, on the eastern side of the county. they got along a little bit better on the western side. it was a little bit more severe. And So, that context kind of helps with how many cattle are on feed, what we're dealing with, but it's just a logistical nightmare. of Like how do we remove the dead animals and and how do we account for everything And there's just increased labor and everyone has, you know, just plentiful employees running around with nothing to do every day in the middle of a heat stress, crisis. And so the video that got taken was, dead Feed lot animals, black hide, high quality, really close to, slaughter animals that were being set out very strategically so that they could be accounted for. Um, when I look at that video, I know exactly what's going on because my employees, you know, at the feed yards I am involved in, were doing the exact same thing. We needed a methodical way to make sure that we could account for everything, and that we could do everything correctly while we handled an overabundance of Deads, for a normal day. in June,
Track 1:Mm-hmm.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:a normal day. Any day of the year. But, any day of the year. But, you know, outside of a, a massive snowstorm, this was, you know, something that, that was way out of the ordinary. And so that video got, I don't even know, I, I refused to watch it because I don't. wanna add to the Mayhem
Track 1:right.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:it, it went viral on TikTok and it was, placed with some voiceover of some pretty scary conspiracy theories, really. And I, I'll call'em conspiracy theories today, because some of it started as misinformation and then it just, it got scary. fast. People just assuming you know, aliens, the government, the, you know, you name it, people had come up with reasons. and, and, they immediately forgot that a, you have no context when you see that video. You can't even tell how many animals are there, that, that could be a normal day. You don't know because you don't, you're not part of that system. You don't know, Um, how big of a system that video was taken on. And then, it went viral on the internet and it was like the beef industry, you know, and I say this as a member, I don't wanna say this. and like Point any fingers because we tend to do this. And I, and I don't know the answer because it came out. And then we kind of sat on it for a couple days and we thought about it, and we're like, man, I, I don't know what to do about that. Do we bring light to it, and squash the rumors now? or you know, play defense or play offense or like try to get benched. I don't know.,we we did that as an industry and that's not a call out, that's a, gosh, I don't know what the best reaction is. Um, there are people who train, are trained in issues and communications and things like that who are probably way better to speak, on that. but I just knew that
Track 1:that
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:we had an opportunity to connect with people at that juncture and share the truth. And I thought, man, I. could really connect with people as a young female veterinarian who is
Track 1:is
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:In the thick of it. Um, and I wasn't looking at it as my moment to shine or, you know, like break through. It was more my moment to clear things up and maybe be that face that people were like, Hey, she seems trustworthy, or We know her personally, Here's the information.'cause there was a ton of people from across the country who had heard about it, but didn't quite understand you know, how did that happen and why did that happen right there and how have we not seen this before? and things like that. And So the inspiration for me actually writing the post came from my brother. And it's too funny because, um, I had a baby June 10th if you're keeping track of days. This occurred June 11th, Um, I. had a negative amount of time on my hands, but I.
Track 1:I
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I was living it, you know, and I, those are my people at the end of the day. And I have a wonderful support system who came up beside me and said, you know what? You gotta work, you gotta heal. You got a baby. Like, let's you know, let's just be on her team. And and so my support system, um, is amazing. After that I really realized, uh, how fortunate I am. But, so my brother calls me, he is on a tractor that day. a combine actually, He was cutting wheat And he was like, what the heck is going on at these feed yards? And he farms in Haskell County.
Track 1:County. Mm-hmm.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:right where this occurred. He goes, they're putting out, you know, questions for local firefighters to come out and help haul water. And Like, did we have a major, well go down, or what happened? Because it's a disaster and there's a lot of dead cattle. Like I'm the veterinarian for. Two, Two, of the big yards in Haskell County. And I was like, if my brother doesn't know what's going on. how many people in Haskell County. Yeah. Nobody does. He farms just north of the feed yard. Um, and, and, this is no offense to him. He he had a lot going on himself. He was combining wheat and He's a volunteer firefighter, so he is getting those calls and he's like, man, I can't get off my combine to go haul water, but if I need to let me know and I'll go do it And so I get off the phone with him. I explained what had happened and I was like, oh my gosh, if my brother doesn't know what's going on, nobody does. And we, have a problem. We need to connect with people. Like, that was the jumping off point. And so I I get on, um,
Track 1:um,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Facebook, I strategically chose to put words to it'cause I thought words would help squash. Like, I can't put another video out'cause you're not gonna go viral against a viral video But if I just. put Some words I strategically chose a picture of me at the feed yard. Um, at the time I was pregnant, there was a lot of questions on there. Like she says she just had a baby, but she's pregnant. in this picture. And like,
Track 1:Yeah, that was two weeks ago,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:The, the, the picture was a couple of weeks old, But I uh, I just put my heart out there. I was like, Hey, we're in the thick of it. This is what happened. Um, this is really hard and we've seen it before on varying, you know, degrees of severity, but it's bad in Haskell County right now. And we need your love and support. and We need you to understand that we know exactly what's going on and we're doing the very best we can
Track 1:we can
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:to get these animals some comfort.
Track 1:comfort.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:and that's not gonna happen overnight and that's not going to, you know, stop deads from happening overnight. But we're working our tails off and just trying to connect with people on a really human level and. what's funny about that is the media training I had gone through at K State. You know, write your post sleep on it well, with a newborn. And what was blowing up? I,
Track 1:no sleep for you.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I was no sleeping. No. sleeping. So I had, um, I had written this post, I had scheduled it and I was like, I'm gonna think on it, make sure I feel good about it. Like the next day blew up. I actually had a doctor's appointment, for my son. um, To take him to, and I had left my phone in my vehicle and go into the doctor's appointment I had totally forgotten that I had scheduled it. And I had, I had slept on it. I had reread it, I had thought about it. I go into this doctor's appointment, you know, we weigh the baby, we check on the baby. Everyone's like, how are you doing? Nobody at the doctor's office knows what's going on in my professional life.'cause it didn't affect them. And Then I, I get out to my truck, my truck, or my phone has like
Track 1:smoke
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:oh, smoke coming out of it. Uh, Senator Roger Marshall's office like, left me a message, C N N N B C um, the Tucker Carlson show. It was just, oh no, what have I done? You know? And then I reread it and I'm like, okay, that was, you know, mostly halfway intelligent. So it, and it was truthful. And so I'm like, okay, I did not intend, I intended that to connect with the ranchers
Track 1:US
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Kansas. who were Like, what the heck is going on over there? And so that I can tell my friends, and I had intended that to connect with, you know, the professor at Kansas State University who has a group of students in animal science and they're hearing things and, you know, that's all I thought. I thought that would end. at the
Track 1:You were preaching to the choir, you
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Yes. I was like, man, I thought, um, but it went viral. Uh, I don't know. There's some estimations like on some of the sites that like 7 million people have seen it. Um, I don't know that 7 million people have like, spent enough time to actually read it or if like a huge percentage of those commented like, this lady doesn't know what she's talking. about, But, yeah, it was an interesting moment to reach out.
Track 1:out.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Connect with people, and try to do that in, in good and in in good light of the industry that I serve. Um, those were my motivations and I think I accomplished that. I think there was a lot of people who well Meaningly just, had questions and, and, I hope I helped to answer those. Um, but it served as like a huge opportunity for me to really, the amount of people that I reach on a daily basis through social media and and connect with consumers. And I've gotten some very. Interesting, messages and, and just conversations from that, that people reach out to me like, Hey, this girl knows something about feedlot cattle and it may not have anything to do with their question, but I can pair them up with somebody, you know, if they have a question about swine production, I'm like, Hey, I know a swine vet really well. Let me get you in touch with her. Or, you know, I know a rancher because even in the beef industry, like, I'm not going to pretend to know what goes on or what challenges you're having today, Matt, you know, it's, it's different where you're at, geographically, what, what part of the industry you're involved in. And so that I think is, is a really cool opportunity is to be able to pair people up and, and get people's questions answered after the fact, because I have, um, unfortunately I had that opportunity to connect very deeply with a lot of people. And then now I can steer'em kind of in the right direction if I don't know what I'm talking about.
Track 1:Well, the first thing I will say is thank you, because that post put into words so much more eloquently and so much more common sense fashion than anything that I could have done. This podcast was a month old at that time actually, no, it was, it was two weeks. Our first, our first actual guest came out the first week of June. And
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:a little bit older than my baby.
Track 1:my baby. That's right, that's right.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Your baby was a little
Track 1:yeah, exactly. Yeah. This would, this would uh, be my seventh. but you know, it's, I wanted to do something, and everybody that I called that quote unquote, knew something about issues management in the beef industry said, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, the old line that I was, it was drilled into me by someone that I worked a lot with in years past. Don't break selves into jail. Don't break yourself into jail and just stay quiet and this'll all go away. And I think that what you did and what you had started doing as an undergrad at Kansas State, you heard what it was that we knew about issues management in animal agriculture and in all of agriculture. And yet you put that, young millennial spin on it that said, okay, yeah, we need to be cautious. Yeah. We need to sleep on this. Yeah, we need to make sure that it's intelligently written and that it's fact based. but unlike a lot of the old guard from 20 and 30 years ago in the beef industry that says, don't break yourself into jail, you said, we can't wait. The, the jail is burning or the whole place is burning down. Um, and, and so, you know, I just, I can't thank you enough for proving, proving to the industry that gone are the days that we can wait and test a press release on 18 different focus groups before we actually respond and hope cross our fingers and hope that we can stay at this yellow level or whatever it is that we may have been at for long enough That Something else happens in the 24 hour news cycle that takes its place as a headline. So I, yeah, I just can't, can't say thanks enough for how you, for what you did, especially now knowing the backstory I had, I had no idea that you were, uh, a new mother and, and everything else that was going on, but not just what you did, but how you did it. Uh, it, it's huge and, and yeah, it just, it was, you were the right person for the job at the right time.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Well, I think that's the big lesson. Um, somebody
Track 1:somebody
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Was telling our story. And you know, in issues management. I think they, they, have a lot of lines to, to dance on. Sometimes they serve a membership, sometimes they serve a retailer or, you know, a producer group or whatever. it is. And, and so sometimes the private person who's self-employed, is the right person because at that moment like, Hey, I'm just fighting against the story they're telling for us. and nobody pays my bills But myself. and
Track 1:And
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I had the blessing of the, the clients I was working with at the time.'cause I looked at them and I said, Hey, somebody's telling your story, and it's not pretty, it's not what you want shared. And So that was I. maybe the easy part of what I did was, was that I'm not tied to an organization, so I, I do. get that our industry has some, some lines we have to dance on when there's something like this that happens. But then I keep that Big picture. You know, I go back to like at the beginning when I said we can't ask our consumer to go to the grocery store and find the milk from the cows that are treated well. Like we can't put a video out there and say, okay, please eat hamburger again. But, but find it from the cows that aren't from southwest Kansas. Right? It just doesn't,
Track 1:doesn't,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:that's not what our consumer wants to hear and that's not what our industry can put out. So, um, thank you for thanking me. But, but I'm on the same team and and I feel very passionately about that. So I, I was just hoping, you know, to correct this story that somebody else was telling for us. I just wasn't gonna stand for that'cause there's so much misinformation out there. And
Track 1:And
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:quite frankly, a whole lot of people. from the beef industry who didn't realize or understand what was going on either. And those of us that were in the thick of, it held that key. We knew what was going on, and and we had to almost share it to our industry first
Track 1:first because
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Um, because I've, I've done a lot of webinars since then on, you know, heat, stress and behavior and what does it look like and how can we study it. to improve and do better and, and heat stress Is gonna keep happening. We had a couple of days this summer. Uh, little bit of P T S d
Track 1:Yeah, I'll bet.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:My husband was like, you've gotta go to bed. I'm like, do you see our flag? It is not flying, it is not lifted off the pole. It is a hundred degrees and it's like 9:00 PM What are we gonna do,?You know, and we got out of it. We, we. got to where the cattle were very comfortable. We had the resources to deploy our heat mitigation strategies, and everything was a lot better this summer. Um, and Those are the normal storms, right? That just the regular Tuesday that we had to take care of. But um,
Track 1:um,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:our industry has learned a lot from last summer and I think we will continue to. Um, but that, that at the end of the day you're, you hit it on the the nail on the head. We have to serve our industry. to begin with'cause sometimes that's where the misinformation begins.
Track 1:Yeah. I
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:before we can go fight all the other problems.
Track 1:Exactly. Yeah. We, we have, we've learned as an industry on the production side of some tactics that we can deploy and, and how to be ready for some of these things. And I think we've learned from an issues management side of the industry that. The rules have changed the paradigm, the this, whether it be social media or this 24 hour news cycle or podcasters or talkers or YouTubers or whatever else, the rules have changed and we had not, I would argue we had not changed at least enough to be able to get out in front of an issue like this because we didn't have anything to hide. The reality is there, tell the truth. Tell what it is that we're doing and why this is happening, and show we give a damn? I mean, honestly, yes. Your words were accurate. Yes, your words soothed people, but the image of someone that was out there fighting the fight and doing all she could two days postpartum, I. Should give enough credibility to America's farmers and ranchers, veterinarians, feed yard managers, whoever it is that is trying to do the best for these animals so they can produce the best product we can. Quite often that's all we need to do, and we cannot do that, in my opinion, by sitting back and waiting for another, something to happen and take over the news headline. And, and that's where I, again, I think that you, you changed the game and, and the way I hope that we respond to these now, we don't need to get out here and, and try to go looking for a fight. And, and that's what sometimes I think producers in social media do. I even saw some producers who did exactly that and tried to wage war within the industry because of this issue. And, you know, they may or may not have had other rationale or reasons for doing that, but yeah, I mean, my preaching to the choir comment that you said you made this post to try to help educate us, that was critical too. That was, that was very critical. But then, yeah, before we had even read it, Tucker is calling you Carlson. That is not Stewart. Um, Tucker Stewart may have called you too, but uh,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:he did
Track 1:did actually. Yeah. Through, through, uh, Senator Marshall, of course. But, uh, you know, that's the power of the internet. That's the power of social media. We think that we're talking to a few people and if it's the right message and it's needed and it's a value to the world, the world's gonna see it. And that's, yeah. Something we have to be ready for, as you know now, all too well
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I won't throw the news. um, organization under the bus, but I had an interview probably day four or five. It all is so fuzzy to me. for
Track 1:is that? I can't imagine.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Yeah, I was. uh, I keep thinking I'm like, I just don't even remember the first two weeks of my child's life'cause the world was literally on fire. But um, the News interviewer very much wanted me to get on an article and, and definitely focus on climate change and the global impact that cattle have. And that's why this heat stress event happened And all of these things, And,
Track 1:fun stuff.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:and I, You and I could sit here and, you know, get into the minutia of what we believe or what, you know, everyone wants to believe surrounding that. But the end of that conversation comes pretty fast when I say, Hey, I'm a veterinarian, I'm not a climate expert. I don't claim to be a climate expert. nor do I, Want to be on record making any recommendations or statements about The climate.
Track 1:Yeah.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I can tell you how the heat index crisis affected cattle and that's it. And I said that same statement in, in some way or another for like, 20 minutes straight before she just hung up on me, like her agenda was to get me to go on record. And then she was Like so you're not gonna do that. And I said, no, I'm going to talk to you about the care that we put in. To this and the cattle and how they responded to that care and how we knew we were making a difference and that's it. And she she definitely did not get what she wanted, hung up on me. And I thought, man, I, that's also my responsibility to the industry, Right. That's not my wheelhouse. I don't have any expertise there. Not touching it. because somebody would've printed that. They would've, you know, I could see the headline, You know, veterinarian involved in heat index crisis believes that it's, it's the airplanes or, you know, whatever. It's like, no, we're, I'm gonna talk about what I'm good at and what I do on a daily basis And, and outside of that, I'm not going to do a news interview or a podcast on something I know nothing about.
Track 1:Well, that's, that is, and I, I kind of threw some of our issues, management old, way of doing things under the bus, but I'm sure that's something that you learned. Through all of that media training and through all of that issues management stuff at K State. and you've probably developed, maybe innately on your own because you are, whether you wanna say it or not, you are really, really good at this stuff. But, but that's one of the first lines, is stay in your lane. Know what it is that you're talking about and that you know firsthand an expert about and know what your message is and stay on it and don't let them, because quite often that's, that's what it's, what a good podcaster is gonna do is get you on some tangent, uh, talking about to something that, that they want you to, to trap you
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Yeah, everyone has a, Everyone has an idea of how they want it to go. and they'll try to derail you. I have a Instagram video that, we, we, spend a lot of money in the beef industry. a lot of time and a lot of talent on correcting misinformation with our consumers and making sure that people understand what it looks like on a feed yard. And I have a video on my Instagram that it kind of went a similar level of viral. I'd say it, it's about receiving cattle in the feed yard, but it went viral, like on my terms, because it, I've gotten I think the count is up to 42 direct messages. And that's a lot for my little Instagram. I'm not, not a big player in that game, but I, the number one question. it was about receiving cattle. I, I put it out last October. So receiving new cattle into the feed yard and what that looks like and the standards that I Hold my teams to on, on How. we can transition cattle better to the feed yard. And the number one question is, what kind of antibiotics do you give them every single day? they think that a, we have the labor to be administering an antibiotic every single day to all the cattle in the feed yard. they had questions. about, you know, What antibiotic are you using And I thought, oh my goodness, we've missed the mark. You know, like the, we think that it's this hard conversation to have or it's this big step we need to take. And It's as simple as that. People wanna know if we give a shot of antibiotics every single day to every single animal at the feed yard, I'm impressed that they think we can get that done.
Track 1:that done. Yeah.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I, I Have a couple 50,000 head feed yards. I would hate to think what kind of processing barns we would have to build to accomplish that work. And, nor would that be how our industry
Track 1:industry does
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:are how we are stewards of the technology we've been given or, You know, there's so many things that you and I can sit here as, as stewards of beef production and say, that is not, that is ridiculous. But instead I was able to connect and say, no, that's not what happens. Some animals do require antibiotic treatment, it's under my prescription. I train these people, diagnose sickness and, and administer care to these animals, and that was
Track 1:was
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:the answers they wanted and needed. That was it. That was not complicated.
Track 1:Well, and that's again, just like we had talked about before. You gave him the facts, you entered the conversation and didn't run from it and, and those conversations, especially when we talk about antibiotics because of the F D A rules that include ion fours and some of these additives that do exactly what from a climate change standpoint and from an emissions and efficiency standpoint, what the public says they want less use of feed resources. Less, uh, methane production. I mean, let's be honest, some of the things, the quote unquote, what they call labeled antibiotics such as rementon or, BoTech or anything like this, some of these things get at exactly what they want from an environmental and climate change standpoint.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:In animal welfare.
Track 1:And animal welfare,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:less heat, heat stress in Animals that are conventionally fed at the feed yard.
Track 1:Yeah. And that's, that's one thing that I had gotten from a lot of folks. These types of conversations. They are so intertwined and they are so nuanced and they are so dependent on a systems approach to solving these problems. It's not, it's not a vacuum. It's not, we just have to do this and that will be solved and everything else will be rosy. Well, the unintended consequence, I mean, the last meeting that actually where I met you in, in, uh, Manhattan last July, We talked about exactly that the antagonisms that exist when you make one decision and it affects 18 other things in your feed yard, in your cow calf operation, whatever the case may be. And those are the types of conversations that I think we have to, we have to have, we have, we have not trusted the interest and curiosity of our consumer to a large enough extent, in my opinion today. They don't simply want a soundbite. We may not be able to give'em the whole load of science in a post, but we do have to, I think, show that we are open to a further conversation, whether that be through a message on an Instagram post asking you how many antibiotics you're giving these things every day, or whether it just be, why is it that you're doing this? Why? Why do you feed besides just green grass and. Corn to these cattle? Uh, or why do you feed'em corn in the first place? know, The, these are conversations. They may not be easy, but they're ones that I think that, that we have to have.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Absolutely. I would agree.
Track 1:So you talked about, um, you talked about Rider wanting to take you off on a tangent. I'll take you off on one. Um, you've done some work speaking about antibiotics and, and additives and in, and things like that in our industry. Um, you've done some work with some different companies to do trials and things that show us and vaccine efficacy and, you know, use of antibiotics and things like that. Are you still doing some work like that on trials? And if so, you know, what have you learned and what do we continue to learn as we test some of these new technologies in, in feed yards?
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Yeah. So in my intro I didn't really get into that.'cause sometimes if you start bringing up research, as part of your title, people are like, oh gosh, she does research. Like they think of a laboratory with like, uh, goggles and a white coat. And,
Track 1:Yeah. What's your laboratory look like?
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:my laboratory's a hot mess. So because I have access to a lot of animals that go through, confined animal feeding systems, they, come in, especially like on the beef, on dairy space. They come in at really steady and, and similar stages, similar ages, similar backgrounds. And so we are able to do a little bit of contract research with my clients and myself, um, overseeing it. And the number one takeaway I have from, doing business in the United States, the US food system, the agricultural, network of, of rules and regulations and everything is, my goodness, we have a safe, safe food supply. I have a lot of confidence in the safety of the food we are producing every day. And I hope that I can, you know, by the end of my career, I hope I've imparted that on a lot of consumers because there is nowhere else on the planet that is going to the links we go to, to prove safety efficacy. actually Just the logistics of putting a new technology into animal agriculture, what that looks like from a, can we do this in the time constraint that we, that we have to get these animals done? My favorite thing to do, at a feed yard is figure out, you, how many days would it take us to do this if we had to run these animals through the processing barn, or if we had to, add another ration to the feed mill. You know, how many hours are we adding to our day and, and do we have those hours to add? And so that part of my professional career has come as a surprise to me as part of getting my master's. I just have a little bit of experience with research and a, a little bit of experience, in how to monitor studies so that they have relevance and they have, you know, kind of a stamp of saying like, this was done correctly and we can trust these results. My, my big takeaways from that is, is the safety of our ag industry is so impressive to me. And then the second thing is, At the end of the day we're asking, people to do a job and we can't forget that. And those people are just like you and I. There are ways to cut corners. There are ways to do a job really well. There's a way, you know, to not do a job really well At the end of the day. these technologies, that we can employ are only as good as the logistics of putting'em in the hands of the people and the labor who need to do that. And so we have to empower those people We have to raise them up to a level of saying, Hey, these are our standards. This is as good as. we wanna be, and tomorrow I want you to be better. So I'm very passionate about that and the research just really drives that home that some of these technology is our amazing. And if I can't put its boots on the ground and put it to work tomorrow with my team, it's pretty useless. Uh, it's a lot of money wasted. And So that's been a fun part of my job. always, always the most challenging part is, is the fact that we're raising biological creatures and we are the people that are trying to do that every day. and so that, that translates well right to the ranch. to the Feed yard, to the dairy to any farm in the United States. that those are the big challenges, but it doesn't change when we have a new technology, or a new thing on the horizon that we want to implement.
Track 1:employ. So those biological creatures, whether it be the animals that are placed under our care or the people that are around you, um, how do you, for us parents out here that have kids still around the house and and needing our care, how do you balance those tens or hundreds of thousands of animals that are supposed to be under your care and the three animals plus a husband? Is that right? Four animals that are under your care at home? How in the world do you get all this done?
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I usually say not well. balance. Um, it was in the eye of the beholder. Some days it's not pretty. I'll just be honest. Some days we're, you know, pulling into preschool and I'm just fighting the battles I need to fight and it, it's, um, always entertaining, but not always graceful.
Track 1:I
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I will say. And I, I continuously lift him up and give him the credit. when due. Um, it takes a lot of intentional goal setting and conversations surrounding those goals to have two spouses, function on the level that we are needed needing to function professionally and holding ourselves to the standard that we hold in our family life. it takes a lot of communication that doesn't come from society very well. Right. I am, Um, I'm, I'm not usually met with a lot of, I, I am a woman in a man's world a lot of days. And so I am, I'm met with a lot of, how are you doing this? How's this going? Um, I love when I go to a veterinary conference and I get this question a lot of, so is your husband home babysitting? the kids? I'm like, man, don't offend him like that. He is, he pulls his weight and, that comes from internal work and, and goal setting and things like that and, and respect for each other. um, because
Track 1:he
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I know he has big dreams. I have big dreams We are going to accomplish these things, but I know I need to be able to bend when, when he needs me too, and, and he picks up When I'm dropping things and things like that, And I just hope at the end of the day, um, our kids see that and I I hope they see that, you know, we're we're doing it for them and we're doing it for our family and, and we're having a lot. of fun on the way. It's not all disaster and difficult. And, a train wreck, my kids sometimes would argue with you that you know, my truck they're like, mom, your truck's a little messy. today. I am like, yeah, Well, I had to wrap up a surgery and then come pick you guys up So, There's, there's some suture and scissors and things like that rolling around in the backseat. And, um, I hope we have really understanding kids at the end of the day, and, and we haven't scarred them. but I think um, again, that comes back to that goal setting and communication of, Hey, mom's gonna be traveling for work. This is what it's gonna look like. You know, if you have questions or you need you need an extra hug this week, we get it. Let us know. You know, because it doesn't have to all be so difficult. And then we, we do have a community of people around us. You know, we both have, we both come from supportive families. Um, We have really supportive people in our life from our, our daycare provider, our, friends and neighbors that are willing, to lean in and help us when needed because they, they see it, right? They see us coming and going and they see, um, when the kids bounce out of the vet truck and other stuff. bounces out too, they're like, oh my gosh, these people But, uh, we really are fortunate and that's, that's part of the allure to living in a small town. Um, there's no secrets The neighbor knows, uh, they, they know when mom's really, really busy. Yeah, they usually know before I do. And they lean in when we need it, and we're really blessed to have that. But it's a fun, I don't know if balance is the word I would give it some days, but it's, it's a wonderful chaos. I love every minute of it, and I wouldn't trade it. Gosh, those kids, they're, they're growing up so fast and it's so much. fun.
Track 1:Well, you mentioned as we were talking about that, uh, heat event two Junes ago, that it was just mayhem. Um, maybe every day is just a little bit of mayhem. but I love the line when you were talking about communication with everybody around you, your support system, your husband, everybody around you that you included the kids that you said, Hey, this is how this week's gonna be. If you need an extra hug, let us know. And that's something that hits with me because I've been there. I know my wife Amy, and any of our kids could say that, that we maybe get there on a daily or weekly basis. But that type of communication, whether it is with the reporter that's trying to trap you, or the kid who is wanting to love you, that kind of open, honest, To the point, communication, um, is necessary. And I think that all of us can learn a lesson, not just on how to represent the beef industry, but also be a decent human being and put things in priority order and not say that, well, I can't be a working mom, I can't be a working dad who's married to a working mom because it's gotta be one or the other. It doesn't have to be one or the other. It can be both. It can be all the above. You've just got to intentionally plan and communicate and do exactly what you're doing. So you're a, uh, you're a great example for all of us, I would say in, in all that you've been doing. And all I can say is keep up the good work and keep telling us how to get it done.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Well, thank. you. I'm, like I said, I'm having a lot of fun doing it. And, um, at the end of the day, I just want.
Track 1:want,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:I want the very best, right? For our family, for our industry, for my community, um, the state of Kansas. So it's not, it's not hard
Track 1:to
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:to put those boots on, every day and go do those things when, hey, I, I just want us all to, at the end of the day, have a really good life. And I, I think that Kansans do a pretty good job, of that. Um, I particularly think people, um, working in agriculture do. a pretty darn good job of that.
Track 1:Yeah, we've, we've said that in, in many different ways, and that's a common thread in this podcast that I don't seek people out for, for guests that, that are gonna say that message. But it comes out nearly every time. And, and I think it's legit. There is a difference. It's not to say that I. Urban America is less than rural America. It's not to say that one region in the country doesn't have it figured out like another region does, but there is certainly a difference. And, and, the values and the willingness to just, like you said, neighbor up and, and help out whenever you can. Um, they're, they're pretty evident amongst this, this group. So. Well,
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Absolutely.
Track 1:thank you again, Tara, for being with us today. And, um, all the best to you in your, in your practice and in your fam with your family. And again, keep up the great work.
dr--tera-barnhardt_4_09-19-2023_141142:Thank you for having me, and uh, great work on your, podcast and thanks for all you do for the industry, through reaching people with practically ranching. it's it's a great, great opportunity.
Track 1:We're glad to do it. So thanks a bunch.
Thanks again for listening to practically ranching brought to you by Dale banks, Angus. Wait efficiency, gain marbling yield. The industry always wants more. But those extra few pounds or percent often come with increases in labor feed and other inputs. For decades, our family has focused on optimal animal performance. With labor saving foundation traits like foot soundness, fertility, longevity, sound, utters, and docility. Now this system's approach to genetic selection may not produce the bull. With the most of a given trait or EPD. But we think it results in hundreds that find that sweet spot between sensible inputs and optimal outputs. We'll sell 150 yearling and coming two year old bulls at our annual practical profitable genetics bull sale. Saturday, November 18th. The bulls will be freezed, branded fertility, tested, vaccinated, poured, and ready for immediate turnout. We're excited to have some new sire groups by balanced trait, sires, such as to Tehama Patriarch, Yon Top Cut, HF Safe Sound and Sitz Reslient. Plus we'll have the time tested sire groups by deer valley growth fund Connealy cool and other bulls that you've seen in our program. Bull sale catalogs will be available in late October. Just contact us@dalebanks.com to request yours. Videos will be out on the bulls and mid-November the bulls will be walked through the sale ring for live bidding on November 18th. Or you can register on the cci.live to bid online. Thanks for your interest. We hope to see you at the sale.