The Rural Reveal

Matt & Liz Hulsizer - Farmer Mental Health and Suicide

Tragedy struck the Hulsizer family in the midst of harvest season in October 2013 when David a 51-year-old Illinois farmer committed suicide. He left behind a grain, cattle, and hog family farm, and a family left to pick up the pieces and figure out WHY this tragedy had happened.  Matt and Liz Hulsizer along with their family uncovered financial debt that were unaware of which led to their own stress to keep their farming livelihood alive. Today, they reveal how David’s suicide impacted their lives as newlyweds, the difficult decisions they made to keep the farm afloat, and their message about mental health.  Today’s episode is brought to you by Rooster - an agribusiness consultancy and full-service marketing firm that serves the farming, food and rural lifestyle industries. Learn more at roosterstrategy.com [http://roosterstrategy.com/].   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com [https://colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Rural Reminisce: Bill Northey

Bill Northey is an Iowa farm boy who took on leadership roles in farm organizations before stepping into politics and being elected Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.  He kept that role until he moved to the USDA during the Trump Administration and served as Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation.   Ken Root has reported on Northey since he was the unlikely winner of the highly contested Agriculture Secretary race in 2006.  Root and Northey traveled together on two trade missions: China and Brazil.  They also had many other colorful encounters.  Root asked whether he may return to public service as US Secretary of Agriculture or run for Governor of Iowa.   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com [https://colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Rural Reminisce: John Block

Ken Root spoke to John Block, former US Secretary of Agriculture in the Reagan Administration.  Block grew up in Illinois before attending the US Military Academy at West Point.  He served in the US Army and returned home to farm.  In the 1970's, Block began to become active in farm organizations and state government.  He was the Illinois Commissioner of Agriculture when Ronald Reagan ran for President of the United States. Block shares many of the events of the era and a particularly scary meeting date with the President that didn't happen.  Block was a marathon runner during his time in office and kept a blistering pace traveling around the world to market US grain.  Root was a reporter on the Secretary's trade  mission to Korea, Japan, China and another to Central and South America.   Mr. Block has had a life of triumph and tragedy.  He remains committed to the home farm in Illinois, his family and his country. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com [https://colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Rural Reveal: Carey Portell

U.S. traffic deaths sharply increased in 2021 - nearly 43,000 people died according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is the highest number of fatalities since 2005.  Specifically, police-reported alcohol-involvement crashes were up 5%. This number could be higher - it’s only accounting for the reports collected by law enforcement. Mothers Against Drunk Driving National President Alex Otte said, “Our nation has taken a dangerous and deadly step backwards in traffic safety and impaired driving.” On this episode of The Rural Reveal, Kelsey Litchfield interviews Carey Portell, a farmer from Missouri navigating life after surviving a horrific drunk driving car wreck. Carey reveals her challenging road to recovery full of surgeries, pain, and trials one after the other. Her story is one of resiliency and serves as a stark reminder of how one person’s choice to drive intoxicated can change many lives. Today's episode is brought to you by Rooster - an innovative agriculture and rural lifestyle marketing company that solves client problems before they become problems. Learn more at roosterstrategy.com [http://roosterstrategy.com/].  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com [https://colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Rural Reveal

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com [https://colleencallahanconsultancy.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]