Practically Ranching
Join Matt Perrier as he visits weekly with interesting, thoughtful, entertaining individuals within the beef community. Conversations will inspire curiosity and creativity while maintaining the independent spirit and practical nature for which ranchers are known.
Practically Ranching
#86 - Mark Gardiner, Going Forward Is All We Know
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Mark Gardiner is CEO of Gardiner Angus Ranch, Ashland, KS.
In this episode, we talk about the many challenges that wildfires have brought to Mark's region. Mark shares ways that they have overcome these challenges and grown stronger as a result.
Thanks for joining us for episode 86 of Practically Ranching. I'm Matt Perrier and although our sponsor is was, and likely always will be, Dalebanks Angus. This week I'm joined by someone who a lot of you might call a competitor of mine. I am gonna call him my friend, Mark Gardiner, CEO of Gardner, Angus Ranch, near Ashland, Kansas. You know, um, this year I told myself that I was gonna have more of a structured plan to these podcast episodes, and I had it charted out from now until next November, December. The topics and potential guests and everything was right down to the last detail and then the last eight days occurred and I inserted a couple in here that I never planned to have, especially with the topics of wildfire. You know, last week, I got to quickly have a conversation with Kendall Kay about, uh, how we could help while the fires were still going actually there in southwest Kansas and the panhandle of Oklahoma and meet some of those immediate needs for fire relief. And then this week I get the chance to visit with Mark Gardiner about a little more philosophical viewpoint. Kind of the whys and the hows of the fire and rebuilding efforts even into folks' responses to this tragedy both near and far. It's a great conversation, and I'm not gonna spoil too much of it, but I do want to warn you about a couple things. Mark Gardiner's mind operates at an extremely high level and in rapid fashion, and as much as I love interacting with folks that are this quick and this smart, I'm not always great at keeping the conversation on the rails. And so we may weave around and I may leave a few of these, uh, conversations dangling out there. So if I lost you, I'm sorry, that was my bad. The other thing is everybody who's ever seen or heard from or read about or met, Mark Gardiner knows that Mark's pretty decisive. He's really well read. He asks a lot of questions of folks that he trusts. He puts in a lot of thought. Then he makes his decision and he goes forth pretty black and white. It's why he's been able to build the impressive company and organizations and, and so many other things that he's built. But those of us who know him well know. There's also a bit of an emotional side and it doesn't come out very often, but times like the last eight days. Can bring that side out. And, um, when that happens, mark has a bit of a unique tendency. He starts talking about Kansas State University in some form or fashion. He'll talk about the football team or the coach, or he'll give you a few lines of our alma mater. So if those folks who are outside of our borders hear a quick mention of a football coach or the alma mater or something like that. Don't be confused. It's one of the many things that make Mark, Mark. You know what? As I'm recording these podcasts,. I'll jot down a quote that I think will be really cogent or worth repeating or using as maybe the episode title. I'll generally get two or three of these from most of our guests. Folks, I wish you could see my notes from this one. They are crammed full of nuggets of wisdom and practical observations and quotes that Mark delivered. Some of'em are Henry's, some of'em are ones he's read. Some of'em may be from the Bible, but they're all really, really invaluable. You know, I, I've known Mark since I was a kid. I've considered him a dear friend since the late nineties. He's one of these guys that challenges me and he makes me think, and he encourages my curiosity, and he inspires me to be a better leader, a better cattleman, and just a better person. Do we always agree on everything? No, probably not, but that's one of the things that I love most about folks like Mark. For all his success, Mark has been faced with plenty of adversity through the years. He doesn't dwell on it. He doesn't want sympathy. And in this episode we get to hear his family's perspectives on how to move on from challenges like wildfires. You know, like Mark says,"going forward is all that I know." I loved having this conversation. I hope you love hearing it as much as I loved recording it. And, uh, let's give a listen to Mark Gardiner. Well Mark, thanks for being with me today. I, I think all of us use the term, how are you? Um, and often don't mean it, but this time I think everybody wants to know,"how are you?"
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:You know, actually, Matt, I'm quite good Um, you know, circumstances is not gonna take away our joy. Uh, this is our path, and, uh, you know, it's uh, our job, to, to navigate. Through it and, you know, and we'll talk a lot about all the things that have happened but you know, people react differently. And, uh, you know, Our reaction is we've, uh, been trained for chaos, most of my life, as most ranchers have. And so we handle triage. Very well. And, And, we've had experience in these things before, unfortunately. But that being said, I mean it's a part of where we live and who we are, um, and so we're doing excellent and we, we, hope to to provide, uh. Not only an example, but a hope. And, and like I said, people react differently. There's some people that are crippled and brought to their knees, and that's okay. You know, they don't know what to do next and I don't pretend that I know what to do next, but I put one foot in front of the other. And so we, we do that. But how you react is not, um, is not good or bad. And I, And I see my reaction, as a big part of my training from my mother and father. And, uh, you know, this is, this is our reality, this is what we do, and we go forward. And so, uh, I, I've made jokes with several friends, that, you know, the Lord doesn't
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:give us more,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:than we can handle,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:but I have,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:looked up occasionally and said, really? And so, okay. I got you. Let's go. And, but, but we're good. We're good.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:I've looked up scripture. I have searched both in my heart and above and online and tried to find those words. But there's so many different times. I mean, if we're gonna, if we're going to talk, in biblical sense, I mean, look at David, look at Paul, look at Moses. All of these guys were asked to do things that they knew they couldn't do on their, on their own. And, uh, they reached out. And they reached up and He continues to provide and will for you all too. And I know you're a man of faith, and, and so many in our industry are, and honestly, just like you said, with all the trials and tribulations that we're faced with, I don't know how we'd get through it without, and so, yeah, and there are plenty of people that are saying prayers for you as well.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:How, I mean, and we received them and that's how you walk your faith is we don't know why, but we know this is our path. And you mentioned Paul, and you think about Philippians and you know, I won't get it right'cause I'm not biblically as literate as I would like to be. But you know, he was in jail and They and he didn't let his circumstances rob his faith. And, and uh, you know, i'll get emotional at some point when we talk about, you know, losing the cows. But, uh, we're still here. And we're still here for a reason. And so we're very Cognizant. Of that fact.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yep. Well, that question why that you just mentioned, um, we all ask ourselves that, I had a few people ask me that nine years ago when the Starbuck fire came through, which was, you know, a year after the Anderson Creek came through, a mere, what, 30, 45 miles away from you all? And there were a few utterances of why, but I've heard it more this time than I ever had before. And you know, the armchair quarterbacking that that happens, you know, how could this, how could this happen twice in less than a decade? And Henry never had to deal with this and et cetera, et cetera. And it's like, you know, I guess the same thing could be asked here in Eureka, Kansas, we had two tornadoes in three summers and they did a perfect X right through the middle of town and, and just tore out house after house after house. And everybody said, why? I mean, natural disasters kind of work like that I think sometimes. And as you said, we may be tested, but not tested beyond our means if we have that faith.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:And,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:when I think about the,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:in Eureka or, or in Oklahoma
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:yeah.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Friends near Oklahoma City that their house got hit twice, you know, and you're almost like. You know, I don't wanna say the word embarrassed, but you know, you said Henry didn't deal with it. I'm 65 years old now, so I'm almost grown up. But all that being said we've had wildfires my entire life every single year, just not to this magnitude.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Right. And so when
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:you, you hear the arm chair quarterbacks, and you think about, well, you need to have fire breaks and burns and back burns and, and mow these. We've done all that Okay? And we continue to do all that there, there is a reason that it hits this area just like the, the tornado belt. And there's a reason, I mean, you can burn the flint Hills, more efficiently and safer than we can because they're the flint Hills, there's rock underneath there. There's Also more rain
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:A reason we don't burn out here in the Sandhills of southwest Kansas as much. We've done some things, we'll continue to do some things. There's a reason that the Sandhills of Nebraska doesn't. Do it,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm. You
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:and and I hear the armchair quarterbacks say, well, you know, if they'd treated the ground right and this and that, well, part of it is being a steward of the land and, you know, not taking all the grass, and so you leave that cover. And I, I challenge those folks that, I mean, if you're gonna, think that way. Think back to the 1930s and the dirty thirties. If we farm it all up between here and Wichita, see how that works for you? It'll just blow away. And So, uh, I really, really believe that what we have learned, I mean the, the good side about this fire is Eva and I were gathering cattle and the rest of our crew, you know, I kind of teased her and joked I. Who to think thought we'd get to do this
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:wise.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:You know, this
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yeah. Same way.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:And I've, you know, last time, I mean, I have my, tears and I have. My moments, but you think about, you know, we lost a lot of cattle, but we lost, two thirds less than last time because we got 600 head moved outta harm's way. And the ones we didn't get moved outta harm's way were just too far from anywhere safe to get to. We, we went through those areas and that's where we got hit in some times and had some challenges'cause we were trying but we had further to go with that. And so I think when you look at um, where we live, I mean, i've had people go why don't you grow corn
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:that
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:why don't you, you know, have row crops. It doesn't rain out here. And so there's a reason for that and and, uh, i'm gonna tell Lyle Perrier this someday, but I remember a conversation you and I had, oh, maybe whenever you came home from American Angus and you called me in May of that year, and so don't you edit this out'cause this is good stuff. But you
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:in
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:"how in the, world, how in the world have you been able to survive with your dad? All these years?" And I said, what's going on, Matt? He said, well, Tom won't let me do anything. I mean, Every time I say something, he, he tells me all the reasons I can't. I start laughing and you go, what's so funny? And I go, well, I was the same way with Henry. I was gonna show him the whole world and everything. I said, remember this... they're still there for a reason because they're pretty good at what they do. You gotta get a better plan. And so we're, we continue to evolve with our plan. We had a fire action plan and we kicked into place and, and, it's so much better than last time. And, and that may be, that's not so much from our plan as it is from, from the path of the fire. It didn't, it didn't obliterate the whole county, just the south half of the
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:yeah. Yeah.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Uh, but i, I smile about that. And, you know, these challenges and these opportunities to learn and get better, you know, that's our charge. That's our path, and that's what we'll do.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yeah. It's, there are so many lessons here. There were so many lessons at in the Starbuck fire, and there are so many lessons in everything we do. This one is out there for everybody to see and,, but yeah, as long as we're learning from those challenges, from those problems, from those things that are dealt, I, I think that's how we're supposed to move forward. You, you mentioned conservation practices and, and that's a paradox that is, either troubling or fascinating to me as we look at things here in the Flint Hills as you look at things out that way. If we're doing right to try to improve the resources on these ranches, we're leaving more ground cover, we're leaving more, uh, leftover forage and we're rotating through those pastures and giving them some rest and, and things that we never even thought of 30 and 50 years ago. And yet when we do that, when we talk about wildland fire is not, is it's no longer soil cover or improving health or wildlife habitat or any of these things that we may be doing it for it's fuel. Period. End of story. And so the paradox to me is the better we do as farmers and ranchers, no-till practices, leaving all this wheat stubble and corn fodder and, and everything else out there on the ground. The more prone to big fires we are, and we see it here in the Flint Hills, even though we burn on a regular basis every year to three, five years. But last year with all the rain that we had, with all the rain that you had, yeah, we were blessed with a lot of forage, but we're also sitting on a Tinder box. And if the wrong conditions happen like they did last Tuesday, there's no beating it down. Like if we'd overgrazed it, like if that was a tilled field with not a stand of, of, uh, wheat stubble, that that would just go out on its own. Now we gotta fight it. Again, that, that's one of those ironies or paradoxes that is challenging to deal with.'Cause we hopefully are addressing one problem and yet sort of causing another.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:But I think that the word paradox is perfect in that that's what we do in that, there's a conundrum or whatever word we want to use for that is, um, being good stewards. And, you, you leave cover, you do all those things the no-till. And you know, I will say that, we have, uh. Families in our area that lost cattle too. That because they don't have as large a area to be able to rotational graze the way we do. We both know the way you make a living is harvesting pounds of beef off of this
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:And even Places that had much less fuel, they burn up too. And so when you get, uh, the red flag warning and you get, 70 mile an hour winds and, and you get, that challenge of that going across there and you, you, think about this and I, I'm hearing it's approaching, it's certainly. Over 300,000. I've heard some quotes of 400,000 acres, which that's an improvement from the million acres of the, of the Starbuck fire, but you know, during, I mean, it extends 90 miles, but it's 44 miles across. For where the fire is. And so how do you get out of the way of that? And and you don't you you have to, you have, to be prepared and you have to move and, but I I think that paradox is not going to change. I told you, you know, Henry never dealt with that on this scale, and we've done it twice now in nine years. you think back to the Native Americans, and it's just from history that I've but they would, would set fires out here to get the buffalo, to come in those areas. But timing of that is what's so key
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Much like us, you know, the poor folks in Russell County, whatever around Christmas a couple years ago, if and when it rains and it will rain. We're almost to the growing season. They weren't, they had a
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:long time. Yeah.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:And so I think there's all kinds of, of opportunity and blessings to, to come from this, but my point to the experts that, you know, there were embers landing in Wichita, Kansas,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:oh yeah.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:You know when, and the, the difference between this fire and last fire we were surrounded by fire last time and the wind kept switching direction and we thought the fire was out in many times to the west of us when it started up again, but or way. Far east. And Ember would shoot several miles in that wind and start a new fire. And, and so we're 170 miles from the Wichita airport. So if it the embers can land in Wichita, Kansas, they can certainly, uh, cause fire elsewhere. So. it's where we live. It's the environment. We have to learn to deal with it. We continue to learn to deal with that. uh, just say it's a, it's a catastrophic event. Uh, and, uh, we, we be prepared as much as we possibly. Can. But I got a text from a, conservationalist that i've worked with, and said, well, I'm gonna come and teach you how to make this not happen. Again. And, uh,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:sign me up too. While, while he's at,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Yeah. Well, uh, you know, I thought of lots of responses'cause I tried to answer all my messages and my best response was no response. So we'll continue to learn, we'll continue to learn from that person too. But there's no one easy answer there. There just isn't. And that's because that's the environment we live in.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Well, I'm guilty as, as you are of asking why you were brought up to ask why and think through things and figure out if there is an answer to that. Sometimes there's not, but if there is, what can we do? Um, and I've wanted to have you on as a podcast guest for a long time and, and all of the different things that you've helped create and start and improve in our industry all started with the question"why?" And so I asked it too. I asked it a week, well, a day after the fire started, of a buddy of mine who's pretty knowledgeable in terms of fire, volunteer fireman, has served on a lot of different types of crews in a lot of different types of areas. And he said, um, it's pretty simple. He said, wind. I said, and my question was not why did it happen in Ashland, but why do we have these happen so much more often today? The size and scale and scope. Anderson Creek, Starbuck, four County, now Ranger Road and so many others just in Kansas. And he said, yeah, it's wind. He said, there's data that shows we've been tracking red flag days for decades and decades and decades, and the number that we've had in the last decade has increased and they're talking about the number in the next decade increasing again. And so we don't need to make this about climate change. I've said it before on here. I believe the climate is changing. I just don't think that we have much, if anything, to do with it as man, but. The climate has changed for millennia. I think we're in a time, maybe specifically in this area of the plains, that we see more windy days. We see, I mean February, my goodness, we've hardly had a winter except for the first few days, maybe of February. And so there's so many things here that are completely out of our control, at least in the short, short term. And so when you look at things like that, uh, whatever, you all had seven or eight or 9% humidity, which I just can't even fathom it being that dry coupled with 50 to 75 mile an hour winds. Um, yeah, things that probably happen every day. Smoldering embers from a landfill or sparking power lines or whatever the case may be, are going to take root and blow those embers down. And yeah, there you go. Now you've got a wildfire that's outta control.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:'Cause when You said, you know, your fireman friend talked about wind, we have spent my entire life Joking. About people come out here and they blow their hats off and they go, is
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:always windy.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:This? And we are like, uh, usually it's a little worse. So, and, uh, climate's evolve. People evolve, uh, environments evolve. I'm sitting right where, you know, many, many thousands, millions of years ago. Was, was underwater. It
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:It was the bottom of the sea. And so, you know, you can call it climate change, or climate evolution. I think we go through cycles. And, you know, I mean, we all remember. Kind of from 2011 to to 14, where 2011 we had three inches of rain the entire year. No bigger than 50 hundreds at, at any one time versus. You know, I can't think of his name. He's really good. And, uh, you know, he's the, the NCBA weatherman. I remember two years ago, it hadn't rained yet, and I was on a program in texas. And he was saying, well, we're gonna be average and, you know, April's our best month. And he was saying that in April. And I going, well, you know, it hasn't been too good yet. And then then it started raining in May, and last year was the same way. It hadn't rained at all till May. And, you know, normal years, 18 inches of rainfall. And I'll give the quote on normal normal's, a setting on a dryer, you know, and I got that from my friend Rex McCloy. There's just life. There is no normal, well, 18 is, is our average, but last year, I, I still can't fathom it, you know, from May, until november. Through November. We got 34 inches of rain. And that doesn't happen.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Wow.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Did. I was worried about the fuel load and I, you know, I put cattle in those areas and we did more mowing and, and more preparation than we've ever done before. But, uh, the Great Plains of Kansas, the reason the Great plains of Kansas and the Panhandles and all that is um, grass in general is the best thing to have here and so, uh, wind low humidity uh, some mistakes that are made on, on how we're gonna dispose of some, some, uh, landfills. You know, we knew this was coming for a week. And, uh, I actually was in Manhattan, as you know, last week, and I had an early morning breakfast with what we'll call Uncle Larry Corah. And he said, how's this, how's that? I said, we gotta get through. today. And my son Quanah is going to school there now for this one year. And he goes, I cannot believe you just said this morning as he rushed out. Here that evening. I can't believe you said we gotta get through this day. And it's kind of like I talk about Henry, it is like, you know, the older I get, the smarter Henry
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:It didn't take a brain surgeon. We had to get through this day. And, and we did get, through the day, but um, we had some challenges because of, of what happened. And, and so we go forward.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:As you talk about that day. Um, it takes me back there, I guess it was a week ago today. That's hard for me to believe, but you called me that morning because my son had gotten to visit with you the evening before during the scholarship interview. And, uh, I was tagging weighing calves and I couldn't get to my phone. And so I'll keep that voicemail that you left'cause it was very kind. But what was about to happen that neither of us knew. Um, I'll, I'll keep that for a long time, if not forever. And. I turned around and texted you. Now, the text didn't go out because I, I'm not sure I was at a range or something, but, basically thanked you and then two or three hours later came home at lunch, turned on the Wichita News, and they had this little bitty flame, northeast of Beaver, Oklahoma. And, um, I just immediately said a prayer and texted you and said, we're praying for you, knowing where that had to be going. And little did I know just how quickly and how devastating it would be once again. But yeah, I mean, that's, that's where you live. That's where it's almost, um, I hate to say inevitable, but it, it is likely enough given the country where we are, where you are and, and, and operate, uh, with the fuel load and the wind and the humidity that yeah, those things are gonna happen. So. I'll ask you, same thing that everybody else has. Um, what do you do different going forth? Is there anything that you can put a handle on? Because you all, you said you put into action and clearly did what you learned as far as getting cattle out of the way and saved hundreds and, and all total with every, all your neighbors thousands of cattle, probably from devastation, uh, because of what you learned in the Uck. What else? Um, is there anything that jumps to mind now that you know, hey, this is what we could do, or, because you don't wanna say, I don't want to grow grass like we did ever again, because that's kind of nice to have that.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Hmm. Well, I think we have to. Stay curious. We have to keep learning and we have to keep working. Um, this will sound, I'd like to make fun of myself as Mark Smart Gardiner because I screw up on a daily basis, but
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:ditto.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:I don't want to say there's, we did pretty well. and That sounds stupid. We did pretty well. And it's, uh, like I said, I joked with Eva, like, who'd have thought? I mean, and and I texted some of my friends and neighbors that got hit hard. I go, perspective equals, um, this isn't as bad as last time.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yep. And
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:not and, but it's still devastating, And so I think we, continue to do what we have done. We'd be cognizant of that. We, but can't do it the, the exact same way that other areas even of Kansas do it. so, and I. I am floundering because I don't know at this point what we do that much. Different than what we have done. You know, we, you know, last time those circumstances came together and that was the only time in my life they'd ever come together and they'd never come that way together for my dad who you know, lived to be almost 84 years of age. And so he had never seen that. So the coincidence of those same circumstances happening again in this, um, nine years later is unfortunate, but it happened. But I don't know what we do drastically different. You know, the, the fire departments have been doing, you know, burning those fire guards. Ever since. I mean, one of the big things, on the Starbuck Fire, it jumped Highway 2 83. Well, if we had just done this, this, and this, well, they've burned those fire guards every year since then, and we've done different places on the ranch and it's, it's easier for us to be more efficient and frankly safer to mow. So we, we have mowed those areas and, and, but i'm using a lot of words to say we'll keep working to get better. We did do better, um, we will get better, but I don't know that we can drastically change a lot of things because we can't start burning those Sandhills completely and, and removing all the cover.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Mm-hmm. And that brings the
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:whole new, uh, challenges and, you know, we've got ruminant animals, I can get, get to talking about stuff. I like to talk about that, convert this grass. Into the greatest tasting protein in the world to feed the world. And That's what we do. So Part of what we do, being so good at that and being stewards of the land, and I believe we are stewards of the land, Henry Gardiner would've been so proud of this, grass and, and we were too um, and proud of the cover and proud of how we and the rotational grazing all those things that. That he was doing way back when. Well, we do it better now
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:because,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:uh, uh, we know how to do it better and, and we have a little more resources and a little more education than he had at that time. I don't know specifically what we will do differently. We will keep examining those things, but. But our community and our community of Southwest Kansas and both Panhandles, we did pretty well.'Cause we've got experience.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yep. You know, in the wake of the fire last week, I, I broke my social media rule and, and my rule for myself is never read the comments
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:My brother, his, his, nephews and son, were telling the comments because he got roasted. For this or that.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Oh gosh.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:him be the, the voice. But I was like, don't take it personally. You wouldn't believe that. Well, he does know all the things i've been called. And this and that. And so, um, I go, you know. That's not who we are.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Our job is to tell the truth.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:And to to seek the truth. And everybody's an expert. I mean, people are gonna tell you how to breed cattle, tell me how to breed cattle. They're gonna tell us how to do these things and, and we're both doing the best we can to fit our situation. But I wanna hear about your. Broken rule or reading the comments on social
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:I'm, I'm not quoting any of'em back, but the more I read, the more furious I got and, and you know, I haven't seen maybe on purpose, maybe God didn't want me to before this podcast, and I hope my curiosity doesn't get the better of me and make me go back. I haven't seen you or Greg get roasted and, and, uh, if, if I do, um, I'm gonna break rule number two and that's never leave a comment
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Yep. Yep.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Because I'll be hard pressed not to respond. But the ones that hit me right off the bat were the Wichita News stations who had a picture of the fire and had hundreds of comments below it, and everybody had a political slant on why this was happening or a religious slant on why this was happening or all of the answers. And I'm like, what do these people do? How, while the flames, I don't even think the flames had gotten to Clark County. Sure. Hadn't gotten to Ashland yet, and people are already saying the things they're saying. I saw one post, this wasn't even the comments, but one post. So this would've been a Facebook friend of mine who might or might not any longer be a Facebook friend of mine, but he had a, he shared a post of some news agency and took it upon himself to blame this fire on the current administration and their stance on climate change. And I'm like,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:fault.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:I knew it. You know, first off. Too soon. Um, second of all, I am not sure that things work quite that quickly. Uh, even in an administration that gets things done fairly quickly. Uh, and, and so, you know, but some of'em even came from within our own industry and our own communities and, and those are the ones that just absolutely slay me. And, and not to take us up too off course, but it's not just the Ranger Road fire. It's not just decisions that were made southwest of Ashland, Kansas, or in Beaver, Oklahoma, burning landfill stuff. Whatever the case may be, it's everywhere. And the way that we communicate, hidden behind a screen as a keyboard cowboy with no fear for consequences of what we say or do. On somebody else's life. And, and, and it's dangerous. I mean, I've seen it in our school system recently. I've seen it in different, member driven organizations. Things get so personal so quickly and blame gets assigned without knowing all the nuanced things that went into responses or decisions or whatever the case may be. And, maybe to take a little more global approach to our discussion here, what do we do about that? I mean, you've fixed a lot of things through your career. Value-based marketing and profitability, demand growth, all these things in the beef industry. How do we fix the simple thing of society not wanting to sit down face to face and have a conversation and just have this one-sided blame game.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Well, again, I can quickly say I probably don't know that, and I don't know if you're going to to this'll be filmed, but these things right here. They're a blessing and a curse and I'm holding up my cell phone
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:yep.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:and
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:And
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:whether it's Ava Perrier or Lyle Perrier, you know, creed Caldwell, the next generation, Quanah Gardiner. Cole, Ransom, Jack, Abilene. You know, you think about Henry and Tom, they were pretty good about getting the work done and they're still pretty good about getting the work done and we are too. Uh, Henry's saying that I like to quote his. know,"we can't fix the windmill'cause we're too busy hauling water." Come on, mark. Connect the dots.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yep.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:The aVAs and Quanah's of the world they gotta go out there. and They have to communicate. and I think it's no different than how you and I have lived our lives. We have a network of people, I have a network of people and that I don't make a decision without. What do you think about this? And you visited with Kendall Kay last week and, and that was wonderful. And I mean he, Kendall Kay, Randall Spare, you know, Kirk Gray, I mean, on and on and on, and out. You know, Steve Hunt, I'll leave people out, but I think. You know, we've had the speakership that so many people put together to honor Dad, and it's been wonderful. But I got roasted over the different speakers and that's okay. You know, it is like, oh. You're promoting this, you're promoting that. No, I'm promoting discussion, you know, and the, the World Wildlife Fund, or they came through and I remember them bringing'em through before we had'em, uh, Jason Clay, be the speaker, and they go, what are you afraid of? And I'm like, you, know, you're a tree hugger that wants to put me out of business. And I was a little bit joking, but not totally.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yeah. But
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:go, if we're sitting at the same table, and we're talking, and that's a little bit like with the caustic nature. Of Democrats versus
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm. You know,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:we're probably both pretty. Much centrist. And you know, I mean, i'm pretty conservative on most things, but I'm pretty liberal on, on education and helping people that need help and all that. But I think back often matt, to what I would call the greatest, generation, you know, of World War ii, where I still think of Tom Perry and Henry Gardner as part of that greatest generation. You know, uncle Larry, Corah, Bob Dickinson i'm talking about Kansas Legends here. Which are agriculture. Legends in America. Well, let's, let's talk about this. And I always tease Larry Corah, he's got the voice of God, you know, but when I hear Uncle Larry Cora's voice, I think everything will be okay. And, but let's. Sit down and let's talk about it and let's think about these things and let's work to get better. But, But hiding behind a phone or a keyboard and not having interaction. And this is uh, ironic, I guess I would say I was supposed to be on my way to the Pennsylvania Cattleman's Association to be their speaker uh, last Friday. And I was disappointed I couldn't do that. And of course, you spent time in Pennsylvania
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Very gracious and, and, very understanding. You know, and i've had, you know, when we interviewed those students the other day, they'll, I'll say, what questions do you have for me and, well, why do you go out and about Why do you do this? And I'm go, my name's Mark from Ashland. And, and we're just people. And the people on the other side of the table are just people too. They, they wanna feed their, family, they wanna raise their kids. They want to, to be safe, They want, to be healthy. But all those things are hard. To achieve if you're not out there where somebody can touch you and see you and, uh, you know. It's, it's just so imperative that we have these interactions, and, and I joke with the next generation, you know, you know, you talk about having podcasts about what we do for a living, and I wanna do that someday too. But i've done two senate ag. Hearings and been before the Department of Justice, and I got death threats, Matt,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:oh gosh.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Of saying, I don't, want government mandates, I don't want, to lose value-based pricing. And I'm not saying we don't have, problems. I'm saying that we need to sit at the table and figure out those problems, ourselves and not the government. Isn't, I mean, I think I read somewhere that, uh, the government's good at one thing and, and that may be the military okay. But, but coming. In and fixing a business, or even mandating, I mean, we know what we have to do with the LDP and the fencing and all the, there's certain rules that have. to be followed in this next step. So, to answer your question. humans have to interact. Humans have to care. And one of those student interviews, um, and I use this in all my presentations now because when I make fun of Mark"Smart" Gardiner... all I ever wanted to do, Matt was stay home. I wanted to be with the cattle, I wanted to be with the horses, you know, but Henry Gardiner made me go off to school. You're gonna learn all these things. And you're gonna do these things, and, and I, learned a lot. But the biggest thing I learned and what this student told me and put it into words, so, well, everybody loves the animals. I love the animals. But every animal is connected to a human. So we have to make sure the humans succeed so we can, can help the animals. succeed. And I, I really. Really believe that. So I think we, we, you know, it's okay to disagree and I think we've lost that art in the discussion because when we disagree, we get to a better place. And some would say that's compromise. And, you know, compromise is not all, bad. I'm never all, right or all wrong. And so I don't, I think we've lost some of that uh, with all the technology, you know, you're old enough to remember when you came in at night, you answered all your phone calls at night or early in the morning or noon.'Cause everybody, those are the only three times they could get you. Well now, I mean, I'm not gonna answer this. If my arm is in a cow and I can't get, to it. I will answer you when I can, but it becomes so immediate that we have to do it so quickly. That maybe we don't communicate as well as we did. Even with the landlines, let alone writing letters to each other. We have to sit down and have human interaction, um, and have discourse and disagreement to get to a better place.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:What gets us to that place? What, what? I mean, do we have to contin? I mean, do we take everybody's phones away? Because I agree. I agree wholeheartedly. It's why, and I've said it however many episodes we've had, I've probably said it almost every episode. It's why I started this goofy thing called the podcast because I, I came back after giving social media up for Lent about three or four or five years ago, however long this thing's been going, and we were in the midst of the post COVID I challenges within the beef industry. And we had too many cattle backed up and not enough people processing'em at the plants. And, uh, guess what? Yeah.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:death threats from.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Oh, there you go. And, and, and, and so my response was, we can't talk about this on Facebook through comments and a post. And so we're gonna have hour long discussions about these really critical issues. Usually probably going to be pertaining to marketing. Lo and behold, I mean obviously I fixed everything because now we're seeing the best, the best times in the
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:did.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:In right, right. But I haven't gotten very many people that wanna talk about the woes of the market over the last two or three years for some reason. But I, I still believe, I still believe we have to do things, whether it be face to face or something, that enough people can hear people disagree, point out the reasons that they do, and then come to an understanding. Maybe, maybe there's a compromise, maybe there's not. Maybe it's just okay. I at least understand now why Mark Gardiner thinks that we should be able to value cattle the way the a grid does. Now I understand. Now I get it. And, and but you see a one-sided Facebook post and you may not, you may send a death threat instead.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:And, and, and that's so true. And I have horse trainer friends and one of'em told me one time, you know. Somebody brought him a horse and they do this, this, and this, and, uh, he just handed the reins back to him and said, show me. I, I can't understand. Unless you show me. And That's a little, bit what we're here now as far as, you know everybody telling us how we should have done it well, we've lived this life. And we're learning and we're experiencing it. And I will, I mean, I'll step back a little bit on the podcast. I love your podcast.'Cause and, and I feel like we're good enough friends, and I know you pretty Well, but you have fascinating guests that I wanna learn from. And I think it's that curiosity and I can't remember my dad on. Am Jam when we were, delivering bulls and stuff. I mean, he, dr. Laura and I can't remember, I mean, he loved listening to those talk shows, and he, he would stay up late at night'cause he was kinda learn. I mean, he, would, he would nerd out. On all the different informational podcasts now and, i do too. You know and, you know, I, I stole this who stole this from somebody else, but even the Starbuck fire or the, what do we call it? The ranger, Road Fire. Now I gotta get my terminology, you know, but I got this from a rodeo clown who I don't know where he got it from. You know, everybody wants to focus on the outcome. The process is the prize. The journey is the prize. The path is the prize, and so. What you do on a podcast where you, I mean, when I say face-to-face, we need to have these discussions and, and your guests and, and other guests, of other podcasts that I find indus interesting. They help, me think, and then i'll. Call this this group of people that I trust. We'll just keep it in Clark County, I'll call Kendall Kay and Randall Spare. What do you think about this, you know, I ask kendall Kay all the time about my risk management.'cause we buy a lot of customer cattle now. Well, my best risk, management is using my resources to back them up by putting a lot of pounds on with cheap gain, whether it's wheat or grass.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:So
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:I'm off. in the weeds over here on those details. But I think this access to information, again, back to this phone, i tell kids. I go, this is wonderful. I mean, you're also old enough to remember the very first or the early sire evaluation reports
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Oh yeah. American an
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Association that, know, it used to be Merry Christmas, they come around Christmas and then they came twice a. Year. God, we were going, rolling then. And you know, now it's weekly. It's so easy now that people forget to, to do the process, to be able to get, you know, get to a better place. And so I think we're trying to do that, and this is all so new and all so fast that That we're
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:learning
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:as we go. And I think the experience. Allows us to get better. You know? I mean, i'm getting nonstop. Texts and emails and calls during the fire. You know, that fire anywhere close to you. Yep. You know, and you know, so you, you do what you can, but it, it's instantaneous. So we probably don't have the training. It's a little bit like me on a computer. I'm better than I used to be, but I had zero, computer classes. Okay. So I think that's part of that. Evolution. But I go back to the student from Kansas State that said, uh, you know, every, everybody loves the animals. Everybody loves these things, but they're all connected to a human. So we've gotta make sure the humans succeed. And that's whether we agree politically. I mean, we do live in the greatest country in the world, and we do live on, on the greatest planet in the universe of. Because this is right here, right now this is where our feet are. And so what, and I look in the mirror all the time. It's like you know, that's my biggest shortcoming. And so we, we have to to, be accountable and we have, to, I mean, I look in the mirror and I say, what could I, do better? And well, my best friends called me and I gotta be careful here i'll have start talking about K State and calling Klein. But yeah, here I go. I can still see those cows. And Collin Klein's gonna do a great job and we're excited about that. And, but I can still see those cows, and I can see the cows from, the other day. But we say, you know, like I said last time I said, this time we're gonna focus on the living. We're gonna go forward, we're gonna get better. And, uh, and we're gonna learn. And that's that curiosity and that journey. And, you know, well, I know a spot that allow full. well. We're still here for a reason. Matt, and I won't get into the details, but both times, uh, it would've been pretty easy for certainly me not to be here, but the hand of God was on my shoulder both times and, and he's like, there's more work to do. So I think all these things, these discussions, and I've been pretty quiet. Like I said, Greg has been the, the voice because, uh, he was more accessible at that time and. I think he did a great job. But now that we have things, um, we're full steam ahead. That's the only thing I know you know, we've got the cattle and and safety and we shipped all of our customer cattle to to the feed lots. We put all of our grass cattle on, the wheat, so we're good for a bit. On that, but you know, we're semen testing bulls. We're trying to finish up the April catalog, we're getting ready for the May catalog. I mean, life goes on. And so and that's, that's, you know, our devastated neighbors, it's the same thing. And so we need to make sure that, um, that life goes on. For them and we, you know, get their cattle replaced, get their infrastructures replaced. But, you know, this is, I mean, I said it about the Starbuck fire and I'll say it about this fire. This has been the biggest blessing of my life.'cause all that outside of the, cows is just stuff. Okay. Uh, i'm sitting in my house at home. I couldn't do that. last time. Okay.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yep. And so
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:all these things are part of the, the process and, uh, you know, when we get. You know, I I say tom and Henry, so much, but I always joke it was like, I sure like to be the kid a lot better than being the grownup. It's, uh, you know,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:I
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:to be the adult. I have to be the one that's strong. And when I called my friend and said, I let the cows down again, and, you know, we set a prayer together, he said it for me. And it's like, you didn't, you know, um, it was, that was the path and that that's what, what happened and now we, uh, picked the best path forward. and We don't, we don't know the. Answers to why, but we do know the answers to, uh, one foot in front of the other and we get better. I.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:And that's, that's so hard for humans. I mean, because, we are curious. We are wanting to do everything that God put us on this earth to do and to be the best versions of ourselves and, and make these decisions. And, you know,"we're cowboys. We wanna be independent. We don't need anybody's help." And yet, in times like this, maybe that is the why. Maybe it's because--in my opinion, and most people listening to this podcast, I think--maybe that is God reminding us, coaxing us to remember that, that it is His plan. There is a reason, and someday we hope that we will get to see that plan in its full glory. But for right now, we just have to trust and we have to have faith, and we have to turn to Him, and we have to pick others up and do everything we can for our neighbors and all of the things that you've just talked about and that you've just done over the last week, and will continue to do. And, and yeah, it's not easy. It's, it's very hard. And you're right, uh, there would be a lot of people that, in your shoes nine years ago, wouldn't have been able to regroup and build back and probably just about get to the point where you were built back and then see this again. But you did it. And as you just said, there's more work to do. And that's, that's your family's mantra. That's what I've always seen from and maybe it's everybody in Clark County. You used to be the only guy I knew in Clark County. And, um, thanks to, uh, your network and introducing me and Starbuck Fire and so many other opportunities I've gotten to meet a lot of others. And there must be something in the water out there. I mean, you all are strong folks, you are visionary folks and maybe that's part of the reason that this is the way that you iron sharpens iron. This is the way you get stronger and even better. And, and I think that we have to recognize the things we can learn from afar from folks like those in Southwest Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle, and so many areas that have had to, had to face these things.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Well, I think that's so well said. And I concur wholeheartedly, and I think most people in our industry do. I'm often reminded, uh. You know, I thank God for the strength to be thankful
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Every day
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:for the good days and the bad ones alike.'cause we learn from
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:And I've said over and over and over again, we get to be here and we get to do this and we're thankful. And I, I think if anything else, uh, you know, you look in the mirror and and what is your purpose? You know, or you, you, listen to the lord, what is your purpose? And, and, uh, I believe my purpose, is to, uh, hopefully be a good example, but to, to share these things, and, you know, obviously i reached out to you'cause I think we should communicate and, and communicate hope and opportunity in the future. But I think, uh, to, to do that, and to to give those that it may hit them a different way. I mean, Agriculture doesn't know anything else. And I would suggest most humans don't know anything else other than to get back up and start over again. And, you know, Greg had Just said two weeks ago,"you know, we almost got our numbers built back, and the cow herd." And, um, so it's okay. It's, uh, we'll, we'll do it again. And, but I, I just think it's so important to remember that, that we're really, really fortunate and really, really thankful to be able to, to live this life. I've listened enough of your podcast, uh, you know, I mean, is it a lifestyle or is it a business? Well. We need it to be both, but we probably choose it more for, the way to one, it's what we know. Two, it's what we do. But the biggest reason is because it's the way we want to raise our families. It's uh, what, we are able to do for the next generation. And I mean, whether it's Eureka, Kansas or Ashland, Kansas, I'm excited about, we've got more young people and I graduated high school. In 1979. There are more young people back here now than any time in my lifetime. You know, the twins have, I mean, I was from a class of 35. They were from a class of 18 and
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:almost
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:half of their classes here, they're either ranchers or veterinarians or nurses or bankers. You know, this is a pretty good, I mean, pretty good place to raise a family and so I just am so thankful and so. Um, pleased that we get to do this and we get to be here. And, you know, I remember people coming here and they say, and we're a long ways from anywhere. And I kind of like that'cause that's, that's what I like. But they go, what, what in the world do you do here. And I say Everything I ever dreamed of.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Remember awesome. And I think all the neighbors would agree and times like this, that may be harder to see, but looking back, it's, it's what, it's what draws you even closer to the land and to each other, and to your faith and to your family. And, and that's, I think that's, again, we keep asking why that may be another formulation of that answer to why, um, because you don't, you don't learn those lessons on concrete. You may, but it's not gonna look the same. And there's, you're not going to have that tie to His creation and to nature and to the good and the bad and the ugly. But, but it is something that, um, is part of that lifestyle, is part of that livelihood and, and one that we probably can't recreate,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:but that, think about the US after 9 1 1, and that spirit of we're all in this together. And, and you know, I think Randall Spare was telling me this, or somebody was, but last time it was like the bomb had been dropped on all of us and we'd all been obliterated. And, uh, I call her Katie Giles, but it's Katie Giles Shaw,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:You know, Matt, we moved 500 head of cattle on. On Thursday, we had to move all the cattle outta the way on Tuesday. Ship those to make room for those. But because of our neighbors, I mean, I mean There. Were, there were 14 trucks and trailers. We moved them from, from, 10 different pastures. All over the ranch and you know, and Katie picked up Eva and I and hauled us back several miles so we didn't have to ride there. And I go, did you get hit? And she's like, no, I kind of feel guilty about that. I go, well, don't
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:yeah, because they got
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:obliterated last time. But
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:exactly that,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:that, so much. And you know, and a lot of my friends, and neighbors, I just text'em and say, hang in there and, and every single one of'em, and they got blasted and they go, eh, we're okay. We'll go forward because they're still, there. But I think whether it's 9 1 1 and the way the US was for a long, period of time, and I think you know. The things that we worry about markets and rain and policy. And, and it's back to, you know, I talked. About last time losing the house and I just lost stuff. I'd like to have some of those pictures back, but, but we still got those memories. But when you think this time about half of the county could have help the other half of the
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:That spirit of, of home and community is real and it's alive and it, i I think that is a very, good point that that's part of the reason why, is to remind us why we are here, we're to, to, uh, be stewards of all this but also um, to take care of each other and and. Show the next generation, you know, we keep talking about Henry, or I keep talking about Henry and
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:You
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:know,
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:or you know, the generations before that, I mean, I, I can look out my window here in three miles away. Is where my granddad was born in a dugout, a hole in the ground. Now They lost that place and several other places, but that place was three miles away. They, they chose to stay here because this is their home. This is their community. Somebody said to. Me, why don't you relocate? And I go, I do not understand. This is my, home. This is my family. This is our ranch and this is where we're gonna be. And, uh, that won't change.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yep. I said that I had to look this up because I, like you am, am not as, astute at memorizing scripture, but, um, I looked this up this morning. I was tagging calves and, and kind of getting my head right for this podcast. Proverbs three verses five to six. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. I mean it once again, the great Creator, um, says it best. And I think that that wraps everything up into a nutshell. I mean, it's, it takes a certain amount of trust. Um,, We can't always understand it, uh, as much as the gardener or the Perrier or any other family that is constantly asking, how do we do this better? How do we do this more effectively and more efficiently? Every once in a while we have to just lean on Him. And I think thing times like this probably prove it as much as anything we still can learn, but sometimes we won't be able to change His plan.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Well think that's so true. And I mean, and that verse had been sent to me many times and, and uh, it resonates with me. And, you know, we talked about Paul and and the situations and, and I wrote this, verse down recently. Um, you know, I mean. We gotta change. The algorithm. We, you know, we look at Philippians four through eight, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence,
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:there is any
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:of praise, think about these things. Philippians four, four, joy is the Lord Our worst day. Can't change that. A defiant joy and strength and peace, all joy that is rooted in faith. And So when we think about this, and, uh, of all people, and you probably do the same thing as a k State sports fan, listen to, you know, fitzgerald's daily delivery today. About, this is our path. This is the way we go. And you know, I mean, we all have faith, different ways, but faith is in that new baby calf. Faith is in, your children and the next generation. And the next generation. Of cattle or horses or whatever it is. But, our circumstances cannot change our joy, whether it's good or bad. If we choose to go forward. And it's so important to choose, you know, that's all I know is going forward. And I think that's all most people know. And so when we look
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:that
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:faith and, you know, I smile because, uh. Uh, I don't know where I heard it or it's pretty common, but there's a lot less atheists in Clark County Kansas than when that fire's coming at you. And, uh, we won't get into the details of it, but we about lost Scott Thune, our, our man of 25 plus years. And, and um, it was a little hot where I was trying to, go to get to him and I didn't make it, but the fireman did. I made it, but I did, I couldn't find him'cause I couldn't see him. But you don't think God was with him when he was, you know, the, I have three of our crew including Scott, that are on the Englewood fire. Department, and I said to Scott, and he's coming home tomorrow. I go, where'd you go? He said, I went and laid down in the ditch. And I go, how'd you know to do that? Well, they trained us that because the smoke rises, the, the fire had already been down there and that's where the best air is.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Yep.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:So, um, had prepared for that path. And Now I know next time to lay on the ground. too. So, uh, I'm using, a lot of different words to say... this is our path. We're very thankful for it. We're very aware that we're still here for a purpose. And, uh, and you know, like I said, Henry had lots of sayings and one of his favorite sayings was, we can do this, so let's get to doing it.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Well said. And regardless of the comments that you or Greg or others may have seen, I, for one, and I'd say all of us are doggone glad you are still here to rebuild, not just Gardiner Angus Ranch, not just your neighbors and Clark County and Panhandle, Oklahoma, and every place else that got hit, but continue to go forward in the beef industry and breeding Angus cattle and creating demand and everything else that you've done for the industry and, and for your family. And so I just. I can't thank you enough for all that and for being with us here today. I know it's tough. I know it's still raw and anybody that can't tell that doesn't have much of a heart. Uh, but rest assured, we're still praying for you and we'll continue and, and we didn't even talk about one of my bullet points of what more do you need? But I think that folks can find that online and, and, um, we'll continue to send the prayers and everything else hopefully will come about as well.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Well. We, want to say thank you to everybody and like you said, it's well documented on how to help. But you know, one last thing that I would say is, is thank you to all of you thank you to the agricultural community. And, uh, you know, even. In amongst of all this chaos, I've always said, uh, if you can't see God and all this, you can't
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:mm-hmm.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:And he is here, he is real, he's helping us all.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:Indeed he is. Mark, thanks a bunch. God bless you all as you go forth and, um, keep getting that work done.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:We will thank you and thanks for what you do. And I greatly enjoyed the visit. And we'll talk about K State football.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:There you go. There you go. Not because we have to, but because we want to this time.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:Yeah, that's my, that's my one. Guilty, guilty pleasure.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:That's good. Well, I'd say you've earned it, so Mark, thanks
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:thank you so
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:much. Thank you.
mark-gardiner_1_02-24-2026_092317:to all of your family and everybody that's listening. Thank you so much.
matt_1_02-24-2026_092028:You bet. Thanks again for joining us for Practically Ranching, brought to you by Dalebanks Angus. If you like the show, be sure and follow us. We'll be out again in a couple of weeks with another one, and we look forward to visiting again then.
