Lance Pekus balances his life between two passions. When hes not working alongside his family on their Idaho ranch, hes training for or competing on NBCs hit show American Ninja Warrior. His impressive performances have earned him the nickname Cowboy

In this episode of Root of The Matter, we hear firsthand from Franklin County Farmer, Kary Robinson, who made it through a scary accident on the farm. He opens up about what went wrong, how it could have been prevented, and why safety on the farm should n

Weather can make or break a farm seasonand farmers are watching the skies more closely than ever. In this episode, we dive into the newly released 2026 Farmers' Almanac with its editor, who reveals bold predictions for Tennessee's fall and winter. Plus,

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 of Veterinary Medicine for about a year now. A thirdgeneration Tennessean and UTCVM alumnus, Dr. Plummer returns ho

Mike Partin serves as the CEO of the Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative and was recently elected president of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Board of Directors. He also farms beef cattle on the side with his father back home. With

Emily Ivey runs beef cattle on her family farm in Loudon County. Over the past few years she has really worked hard to put good environmental practices in place on her farm. She recently was recognized for all of her environmental efforts by being given t

Patrick Jaynes is no stranger to public service. He grew up in rural East Tennessee and later served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Lamar Alexander. Jaynes is now the the USDA State Director for Rural Development in Tennessee. On this episode we chat

Robert Hill is the 2025 Tennessee Young Farmer of the Year. Robert farms alongside his dad, sister, and brother in-law in Lauderdale County. They farm around 5,000 acres of cotton, corn, and soybeans. On this episode Robert talks about why farming is more

Gabe Harville of Smith County is is the 2025 Tennessee 4-H Council President. On this episode of Root of The Matter Gabe talks about his 4-H career and the lasting impact it'll have on him as he heads off to college in the fall.

Obion County, Tennessee native Stephen Vaden is the newly sworn in U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. Lee Maddox sits down with Vaden to talk about his journey to the number two position at USDA, and how he's bringing his Tennessee agriculture roots wi