A bull ride gone wrong. A missing tooth. And hard-earned lessons about starting a farm, leading people and learning to adapt.
In Episode 2 of MOR Than Farming, Joe Presher and Chris Loranger kick things off at Meadow Oaks Ranch in Cameron, North Carolina, with the new ranch store, local beef, changing cattle prices and the kind of banter you probably won't hear in a farming manual.
Janice Wright of Rooted in NC drops in with her unmistakable personality and a quick introduction to the woman helping farms tell their stories. Then Chris calls his former Army squadmate, Chris "Big Country" Phillips, the Redneck Roughneck behind Phillips Ag-Co in Georgia. They reconnect over farm life, military service, oil-field work and building something of your own.
The conversation gets into bringing solutions instead of just problems, knowing your strengths, accepting honest feedback, adapting to new tools and giving your team ownership of the plan. And when Big Country finally explains the bruised face and missing tooth, Joe has a bull-riding story of his own.
There's also a surprise tucked into this episode. We're keeping that one under wraps. You'll know as soon as you hear it.
Chris closes with a reminder that applies far beyond agriculture: you can't wait for perfect conditions to start. Plan, take responsibility, learn from the hard days and keep growing.
CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS
Janice Wright | Rooted in NC
Farm marketing, business support and helping agricultural businesses get seen.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Chris "Big Country" Phillips | Phillips Ag-Co
Follow his journey building a farm and putting a lifetime of practical experience to work.
Website | Facebook
MORE FROM MEADOW OAKS RANCH
Explore the ranch or order local beef
Watch on Active Duty Rancher
Sponsored by Smith's Enterprise.
Hosted by Joe Presher and Chris Loranger.
Produced by Chris Loranger, C-Lo Media.
Intro music: Alex Beck.
Follow MOR Than Farming for more ranch life, real conversations and lessons that reach beyond the fence. What is one lesson you had to learn the hard way? Leave it in the episode comments.
00:00 Cold open and welcome
02:10 Ranch store and real-life chaos
09:27 Livestock prices and local beef
13:12 Janice Wright of Rooted in NC
18:17 Meet Chris "Big Country" Phillips
25:20 Resilience and bringing solutions
31:00 Adapting to change and using AI
34:04 Humility and honest feedback
41:29 Delegation and owning the plan
45:38 The missing tooth and bull ride
56:57 When the plan meets real life
01:06:27 Closing thoughts and community
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on MOR Than Farming are those of the individual hosts and guests, speaking in their personal capacities. They do not represent the official views, policies or positions of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), any branch of the U.S. military, the U.S. government, or any other organization or employer with which the speakers are or have been affiliated. References to military service, rank or affiliation are provided for context and do not imply official endorsement of this podcast, its sponsors, products or services.
