Root of the Matter

A podcast created by the Tennessee Farm Bureau where co-hosts Lee Maddox, Amy Beckham and Thomas Capps take turns interviewing folks on issues, events and news with the goal of getting to the root of the matter on what is defining our most important indus

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Recent Episodes

ROTM: Profitless Harvests – The Financial Crisis Hitting The Farm Economy

Posted October 8, 2025 • 00:23:22

The numbers don’t lie — row crop farmers across the United States are losing significant amounts of money. Recent data from a University of Tennessee...

ROTM: Lance Pekus Cowboy Ninja

Posted October 1, 2025 • 00:14:21

Lance Pekus balances his life between two passions. When he’s not working alongside his family on their Idaho ranch, he’s training for or competing...

ROTM: Seconds From Disaster – A Farmer’s Close Call and a Safety Wake-Up Call

Posted September 24, 2025 • 00:21:53

In this episode of Root of The Matter, we hear firsthand from Franklin County Farmer, Kary Robinson, who made it through a...

ROTM: Forecasting Weather On The Farm

Posted September 17, 2025 • 00:21:53

Weather can make or break a farm season—and farmers are watching the skies more closely than ever. In this episode, we dive into the newly released...

ROTM: Dr. Paul Plummer

Posted September 11, 2025 • 00:30:24

On this episode of Root of The Matter, we have Dr. Paul Plummer as out guest. Plummer has been Dean of the University of Tennessee College...