This 18-Year-Old Donated $19,000—Here’s Why It Changed Everything

In this episode of the Hoel Truth Podcast, we sit down with Zach Tressler—an 18-year-old with a remarkable story of hard work, humility, and generosity. After 10 years in 4-H, Zach sold his livestock at the Rush County Fair and donated $19,300 back to help rebuild the fairgrounds.

Why would a high school senior give back instead of cash in? What lessons has 4-H taught him about life, leadership, and losing with grace?

🎓 Zach also shares his plans to study construction management at Purdue and reflects on how his 4-H experience shaped his mindset—and why giving back is more important than ever.

Chapters

• 0:00 Zach’s Life-Changing 4-H Experiences
• 0:45 Meet Zach Tressler: 10 Years in 4-H
• 2:00 The $19,300 Donation That Stunned Everyone
• 3:40 Why Generosity Matters at 18
• 5:10 What 4-H Teaches You About Real Life
• 7:00 Lessons in Losing, Politics, and Winning the Right Way
• 9:00 Plans After High School: Purdue and Custom Homes
• 10:20 What Kids Today Really Need to Hear
• 12:00 Hard Work in the Barn = Success in Life
• 14:30 Sibling Rivalry and Character Development
• 16:15 Family Legacy, Grit, and What It Really Means
• 18:40 Learning From Losses, Showing Up, and Pushing Harder
• 21:30 The Business of Giving Back: A Roofing Story
• 24:00 Early Generosity Inspires Future Impact
• 26:20 What Showmanship Teaches (and Why Girls Dominate It)
• 29:00 Drive, Competitiveness, and Show Ring Lessons
• 31:15 Raising Kids Who Understand Responsibility
• 33:00 Struggles, Freak Accidents, and Real-Life Lessons
• 35:00 Family Bonding Through 4-H
• 37:30 Encouragement for Young Families to Join
• 38:40 Final Thoughts on Generosity, Mentorship, and Legacy

Transcript

Zach, In your short 18 years, what experiences have impacted you most? I would say the big experiences would be, showing livestock and just working in the barn, like the hard work, the life skills that it teaches you. Those would be definitely the most important experiences to my life.

Welcome. This edition of the Hoel Truth podcast. Today, our special guest is Zach Tressler

And, today we're going to talk with Zach. Zach's a young man just graduated high school from Rushville Consolidated High School. And, as a company, we're big on community give back. And, more importantly, one of our core values is generosity. And I'm gonna let Zach introduce himself, but I'm going to go ahead and kind of sneak peek here, like, you know, if you know anything about 4H, they get you get you get to sell an animal for a premium at the auction.

And they are wanting to do a lot of work on the current facilities. And Zach said, hey, I'm going to donate mine back. And so we're going to kind of talk about that. But, phenomenal young man. I've gotten to know him through the Dave Ramsey class that we teach. So and, you know, actually used to work with his dad 20 years ago.

So, actually more than 20 years ago. So we're just going to let Zach introduce himself and just kind of talk about generosity today. So, like Bob said, I'm Zach Chesler, I'm 18 years old, and I just finished out my 10th year. And for HS, I'm still here on the State Fair, but I just finished up my 10th year.

And like he said, I saw my animal at the auction this past weekend and I donated all the proceeds back to the building. Just because for HS, he's taught me so much for HS, been my life for the past ten years plus because I have an older brother that was in it got out, two years before he was at it to you before I started.

So for H and livestock has been my life for a lot of it. And I just, I wanted to be able to give back and offer that to younger generations and give that opportunity to expand for H and allow for more people to come in. And so, so talk A what was the amount raised? So the amount as of last Sunday was $19,300.

And that all goes towards the building specifically on the rest County, for H campus. So I want to take a second. And this kind of like that's pretty cool. And if you follow us, if you know me personally, like, my kids just started showing this year and some people like, don't understand for a H. And, you know, it's kind of like arguing.

Is travel ball worth it. There's a lot of money in travel ball. There's a lot of money. And for h that it just there's expenses there. But when you hear an 18 year old willing to give $19,000 back, like let's talk about it, let's, let's, let's, let's quit complaining about kids these days and let's, let's lift the ones up that are doing awesome things.

So for H ten years, what's your plans? What's your future plans? So my plans are to go to Purdue University in the fall. I study construction management technology. And goals to, my own residential company. But we'll just kind of see where it goes home building, custom building and stuff like that. So. Yeah. And I told them Rush County in this area needs that.

So, but so let's talk for H. You know, let's talk highs and lows. I know just from falling, that the success that you had last year at the state fair, let's talk about that a little bit. Let's also not be afraid to talk about like some life lessons, you know, that you've learned maybe that first time that you got your but be that a show that maybe you thought you should of, you know, like it's here's the truth about four H.

Sometimes there's politics or showing. Sometimes there's politics involved. Best guess what? That's life tier. So, yeah, we'll just let you talk a little bit about just your four H experience. So I would say, I mean, for I just talk a lot for h. Just tell me about the highs and lows of life. I mean, yeah, it's taught me that to celebrate your wins and to be with the people around you and surround you with a group of people that are going to encourage you every day when you're working in the bar, whether you're in the show ring or whatever, but also at the same time, how to lose that?

You're not always going to get your way. There's going to be people out there that cheat the system, snake their way through and take the shortcuts. But like you mentioned, I was, I was fortunate enough to be able to win Grand champion at the Indiana State Fair last year. And it was a tough fight. I mean, it's been nine years of just constantly talking about all the people that jump through the hoops on the car ride home.

But once you win, when you know you did it the right way, and when you know you've put your hard work into it and you didn't cheat the system, it's it's so much better than just winning through cheating. And I mean, what I like, like you said, that's in life too, whether you're whether it's a job application, whether it's whatever.

I mean for it's, it's taught me that hard work carries a lot more than just positions that you're put into. And I mean, it's it's taught me anywhere. It's taught me discipline. It's taught me responsibility. I mean, you got to get up early. You got to get these animals there, feed all this other stuff. And I just think it's really important for it's is really important no matter whether you show livestock, whether you do projects or whatever, it's really important as far as teaching kids responsibility because like, I think forge is an outlet that a lot of kids or some kids don't have, and that's their opportunity to learn responsibility, learn accountability, and learn

how to how to win and both how to lose well and and one thing, you know, like I'm fortunate I've got a son, and two daughters. And, you know, one thing that I talk about is I'll say this like the problem in this country, most of them stand back to the lack of men being men. I mean, if I'm just being honest, you know, calling men out here a little bit, but, you know, my dad always put a lot of responsibility on us kids.

And some people didn't like that as much, you know, maybe. Maybe it's too responsible, you know? And I've just I've heard some things, you know, you've got to give responsibility and, you know, like, it's crazy. Like, what people don't realize is the man was going to be fed twice a day. Yeah. Like not once a day when it's cold.

Not I'll, I'm not going out there for two days, you know, like heck when it's really cold, you gotta get here a little more often to keep the water thawed out or whatever that is. And I mean the consistency. And you'll see this the older you get. I see it every day as a business owner, like the consistency of showing up every single day, putting in the work like that's really kind of the secret to success in life is consistency and not, you know, not highs and lows or, you know, yes, it's awesome to have a high of one.

And grand champion Mark lamb at the Indiana State Fair. Like celebrate that. Like that is freaking awesome. There's only one person that gets that every year. Yeah. You know however, you know when you started showing and maybe you're third or fourth in class and you weren't real happy with that. You didn't quit like you kept you kept coming back, you know, and that that tenacity and yeah, willingness, willingness to not give up.

Right. And I think that's important also with, like future jobs and everything like, yeah, there's going to be times that is tough like works work's tough sometimes. We've been able to persevere through that and just continue to be a good employee. It it it's really I think it's really important. Well and also you've got a, you know, more of a life lesson here.

It's like you've got to be able to change and move with the times. And you can't just, you know, like, you know, and I don't know all this the ins and outs of showing lambs, you know, I know some people will walk them on treadmills and stuff like that to build their like muscle up. You know, for us in the cattle world, like you're trying to grow hair.

Yeah. So my kids are renting cars. I mean, some people put them in air conditioner coolers, you know, it's called a cooler room. Yeah, we don't have that. But my kids were renting them twice a day. Not they're not, you know, not wanting to sell like they were out there the last. I mean, and you know, the last, you know, cattle is there's a hair cycle.

Yeah. So once it starts warming up, you got to get that old hair out of there and start growing it back. And once that started and, you know, practically march, my kids were out there twice a day renting cars. That meant they were up at five, five, 15 before school. Yeah. After renting cars, blowing hair, blowing the hair out, working the hair with the brush, like in my kids just go out and do it.

And the funny thing is, I told. I told my son I was like, your sisters don't realize. It's it's really not responsibility. Yeah, they're helping you. So be happy, you know? But you seen that when you're when you're older. Brother started. Yeah. You know, you started helping. I'm sure. And it kind of just it got that going.

So that's and then like but but there's so many there's so many skill set that you're learning the responsibility the consistency. But then like the generosity to you be able to speak up and say, hey, I want to donate this back. You know, how many 18 year olds have the option to put thousands of dollars in the pocket?

Are going to be willing to say, I want to give this back, you know, and yeah, well, you don't have a clue is, you know, you don't know how far that's going to go. And the kids that are going to be able to come the show, they're like, we're huge about legacy around here. Like this business I've always said is way bigger than Bob or Emily Hole.

Yes. We started it to provide for my family. Yeah. No different than your grant Paul with housing supply back in the day. Yep. I'm sure he wanted to change his family tree, but it gets to the point eventually where it's like, okay, how many more people can I help? Like, you've got to get your household taken care of first.

Yeah. You know, but, like, how cool is that? That you're that you did that because there's going to be kids in that barn in 20 years. Yeah. And be quite frank, in 20 years, they may be your kids. Yeah. You know, but like that's like a The Leaving legacy, you know? So, two dogs, I mean, I'm just I'm so amazed.

And I mean, I know your family. I know your parents. Like, this doesn't come to a shock to me at all, but it's still pretty cool when you see, you know, an 18 year old do that. So talk about some of the struggles or I even hate to say, failures because life. Either you either learn, I always say I either win today or I learn today.

I try not to look at it as a failure, but maybe a learning, a learning opportunity that that, you know, you got from showing lambs. Yeah, I would say a, a big learning opportunity, would be my first few years, my brother was was fortunate to get in, but he kind of carried a big shadow. And, they always kind of I mean, they didn't really focus on him, but like, I, I felt like I always had had to work harder, for it.

And for my first couple of years, I was kind of in the middle of the pack at State Fair. And it's a bit it's a bit discouraging when your brother's at the top of the chain and like, you're still back here, but the biggest thing was I just, I just I was always the kid that was in the barn.

I mean, I was always the one doing the grunt work I would always offer, like my brother was still do it, but like, I was always kind of the first one to jump on the opportunity. And I think that's just that, that goes to my character and like, and I think a lot of that goes to my grandpa because me and my brother, we spent like every day in the summers with him and just learned so much about all kinds of things with him.

But I would say not only not only like being in the middle state Fair, but, just being challenged by other people, like people that that go from being your friends to jump in to the wrong side of the show world. And then you got to kind of ride the line whether you're still going to be friends with them or whatever.

But, I mean, at that point, they just push you. They just push you to be better, push you to work harder. And like, there's there's multiple years where we would leave State Fair and people would be upset and blah, blah, and I would always be the one that's like, we didn't work hard enough, right? We didn't. We didn't make it.

We didn't work hard enough. Let's work ten times harder. Last year. Be in the barn three times more. Whatever. Do what, do what we can. And fortunately, I was given that opportunity last year. And I just think it's and like you said, you learned through I mean, you in a sense don't fail. You either win or you learn from it.

So and I think I think showing has taught me so much of that. And I will carry that for the rest of my life. So absolutely. And what you'll learn is like when you meet somebody in business, like you'll build a house for somebody in ten years that was in four H. And like you'll make that connection. Like, yeah, I mean, we, we put we try to put a lot of content out and we, you know, I've talked before, there's articles written about me and my experience and for NFA and the FFA center needed new gutters and, they called us.

I didn't know why they called us, but they called us. And then, my sales rep at that time, Chris, now he's my sales manager callback is like, hey, boss. He goes, they need like 2500 linear feet of gutters. So just rough numbers, 25 to $30,000 worth of gutters. Yeah. And I'm like, do they have the budget for it?

He goes, no, what they're doing is they're going to evaluate which building needs it the worst. And and then work on raising the money. Have us do it, work on raising the money, have us do it in the sales rep. I mean, he's phenomenal. He's like, I don't want commission on this job. This is organization. He goes, I've heard you talk about what you've got out of the FFA.

So long story short, I call him and they're like, hey, we actually called you guys because they're in the fog or an hour away from here because of we did some research and we found out that you're an FFA and for H. Yeah, I was like, yeah. So we ended up doing it as a community to give back.

I said, pick the collar, we'll take care of it. He's like, well, so what's it going to cost us? And I was like, it's not going to cost us anything. And we were even fortunate enough to to my gutter guy. That helps me. That does work for us. It's a subcontractor. He donated. I bought all the material he brought him and his helper.

He paid his helper and donated his time. And I told him I was like, Bill me? Like, I'm not that. I mean, I'm not asking you to work for free. Yeah. You know, and but that's also the culture that we've built here at Whole Roofing. Yeah. You know, so we can, you know, do a $25,000 job. And it was awesome because Adam's out there helping, tearing down gutters.

And I mean, we did that 2500 linear feet in less than a day. We had marketing out there. We had sales out there. We had production out there. Yeah. Heck, I even made my kids take the day off of school and I took them because that's that's important to me. Like the kids, the kids look up to this and like, my son doesn't realize what you just did.

Okay. Yeah, but what my son does realizes he goes to Heartland Christian School. Yeah. And they're they're doing a building fun. And he said, dad, can I take some of my money for my premium and donate to my own school? Yeah. Like ten years old. But that's that's the amount of work that we're putting in the barn. And, you know, like you said, like you get beat at a show, you don't pout about it.

You're like, I didn't put enough work in. Yeah. You know, and so it's it's funny you say that Jeff Cook with show time premium feeds we're good friends with. And he said, he told the kids one day he's like, just when you go in the house every night, just look at yourself and say, did I work hard enough that I think I beat everybody else that's working cattle today?

Yeah. And, you know, it's just it's that drive. And unfortunately we live in a world that it's, oh, you don't like my whatever, my hair color, my sexual preference. What it's like. Yeah. I said of like, nope, I've got to, you know, I get my butt kicked every day in business. Yeah, I've got to get up and, you know, and keep going.

So that's, that's what I love about forex. That's why I brought you in here. So, so who was a better who was a better show man, between you and your brother? I would say he probably takes the cake just because he was older. And he beat me more times than I. I thought, but like I said, I also had two years without him.

Right? So maybe I ended up being better, and. But at the end of the day, we always pushed each other. We're close now for two years apart. And we we did everything together. So we always we were always pushing each other in the barn. So we were always making each other better. But I would say probably at the end of the day he brought a taste cake that that's funny.

Just because I've had people that's seen my three kids. Yeah. You know, and I mean, Rhett's the brother. Rhett's the one that I told him this morning. The first one I told him last night, the first one outside, the first one inside the barn this morning. Because my kids, sometimes they get, they get squirrel. And I start thinking about other stuff for time.

They leave the house and go to the barn. Got donuts. So Rhett informed me at lunch that, hey, I'm the one that got in the barn first when I get my donuts, dad, you know, so. But it's funny because, my son was fortunate enough to win showmanship. Yeah, and what showmanship is, if you don't, if you never know, it's it's completely on how well the kid shows the animal in a regular class.

A it's all about how good the animal is. Now, there are some showmanship techniques that you can help kind of show a good showman, know how to show the bad out of their animal, you know? And my son was fortunate enough to win junior, champion junior showman at the fair. And, you know, it just that that ties back to the hours that he spent in the barn.

I mean, the times that he walked his calf out in the field or the yard for literally days in a row, you know, I mean, you you understand that because, you know, you've done it. So, but everybody tells me my youngest is going to be the spitfire showman, but if my son is, my son has done decent in showmanship this year.

This being his first year. Yeah. He's been pulled into the the overall drive, a couple times, you know, at different shows. But, they've all the one thing they've always said is he needs to be more intense. Yeah. When he comes in. And the funny thing is, the judge actually said that at the county fair this year, he's like the the kid.

I'm going to pick has come in here every single time. And I can see the look on his face that he's here to show cattle. Yeah. Now my girls are probably going to be smiling at the judge, which where this is going to be funny because this. I want your opinion on this. So what I've noticed in showmanship.

Yeah. At the top five, 99% of the time, four of them are girls. Is that is that the same in the same world? Yeah, it rings true. And I would say, I would say mostly because I and it's different from a cattle to sheep world. And I have a younger sister. That's the same way. She's just like, well, she's not really a smiley type.

Like this year we show in the same master showmanship class. And she just gets up there and I go, hey, make sure you make sure you smile when you get in there. And she just looks me just glares. She's just kind of got that attitude and whatever. Please tell me she didn't meet you. No, she didn't, but, she wanted to so bad.

But, No, I just think as far as from a show perspective, like it is, there's there's a lot of girls in it, but they just. I think they know how to compose themselves better. Like, at least to me personally. And with even in the grand drive last year at State Fair, like I, I had worked to get to that point.

So my nerves were just on edge and the animal knew it. And I just think that and I just from like I said, from a show standpoint, I think it's just smoothness and just how they their presence in the ring because like when guys or boys or whatever come in, they're like they're normally had that kind of presence in that, that serious like.

But if you get a girl that comes in there and is serious about it and has that look like it's just different, I guess. Well, it's funny because I just, we were at a show in Utah, actually, and Brett was second in that class and showman and showmanship and that was that was a big show, like 4 or 500 animals here.

And, Brett was showing this heifer and it was and it ended up being through Matt Lattner and the people that actually owned the heifer. Was this, this old rancher in Colorado and super duper gay, but he just remind of you, like, of a real cowboy, you know, big old mustache, cowboy hat. Like that guy ranches, like, we don't have any ranches around here.

You know, we can be cowboys all we want, but, like, really ranch. And. And he walked up, put his arm around. Rick goes, you were better than her. That judge. This must have like, girls today, guys. And you and Rhett laughed and I just told him, I say, you're gonna have to work harder. Yeah. They're cuter. They smile.

They, you know, and you know, and he just he laughs like, my boy is super serious about it. And like, he's super competitive. Like he went home and he's like he told his mom he had some Brie champions. And then he had third overall heifer. And he told his mom, he pretty much said he was going to burn the Brie Champion banners because they weren't purple barns.

Yeah, yeah. And I said, okay, kid, I love your drive. Yeah. However, we're not going to destroy something that's nice. That's been given to us a and B, we've got to enjoy that for a minute because for his first year he had a heck of a year. Yeah. You know and not everybody can win 3 or 4 Brie or three Brie champions third overall junior showmen like you know.

So I just try to stress that. But I also don't want to beat that competitiveness out of them. Yeah, because the world's going to beat the snot out of him when he gets out there. Yeah. And he's got to have that grit and get up and go like you. I know you don't feel good, but you got to get to work today.

You know kind of thanks. So and I think with like the reason why we did the, the donation stuff back, is because there is families in the community that maybe want to and maybe have the opportunity to come in and do the livestock side of it, but they just don't feel like maybe it's something with the facilities or there's not enough room or whatever.

And maybe with upgrading those facilities, it'll draw more people in. I mean, because all but the beef side has seen a significant decline, like the swine, the sheep and everything like that. And that was what we really wanted to do. And that was a big idea for donating that money is to just bring more people in and not not to hand out, like, like you said, like you start to work for stuff.

But just to give people that opportunity and give more space for more people to come in and learn the, the key life skills that I feel that for teaching. Well, and, kind of what what is that one skill that you think? What is one skill that you think have that probably. I mean, I know there's multiple that.

What is one life skill at your age? I mean, you're probably gonna look up in ten years and be a different answer, but right now, like, what's what's one life skill from four that you feel like is really helped you get where you're at right now? I would I would say hard work. I mean, just whether it's working for a show, whether it's working towards state fair, whether it's just doing work in general.

I mean, when it comes to livestock and my grandpa, has raised livestock for years. So I go beyond the show world. I mean, we're, we're breeding use and we're lamb and use out. So there's always work to do around the barn. And I think just being around livestock has taught me so much hard work, like, I'm, whenever I'm at my job or whatever, whether it's 100 degrees outside, like, I'm not going to give up until.

And that's not me bragging or anything. It's just it's forage. And just being around livestock has taught me so much about just this has to be done. Yes, the weather sucks, the temperature whatever, but it's got to get done. And I think that's that's the life skill that I'll carry for forever. Yeah. I mean, it's, you know, just in general you just be shocked it, it's too hot or it's too cold and there's too much snow on the ground or whatever.

And it's like it's, it's it's got to get done, you know, and you know, like even my son, like, I know people that got done showing at the fair Friday and the kids probably haven't seen the animal since. Yeah. Saturday morning now we had to go clean the barn up. I will give credit to my daughters. Me and my boy got up, we fed him and then we went to go clean the barn out the girls went out and rinsed the calves.

But it's you know, that's something else that I mean, they're going to spend hours and hours doing, like it's just I don't know, it's and and and I just showed junk out of the field. Like I didn't have a barn. I didn't have a wash rack, like. Yeah, we washed them. And the freaking muddy pan there in, you know what I mean?

So. And my calves got washed maybe three times before the fair. Yeah. My kids are rinse it. Ours twice a day, you know, but, And yeah, you're right. The livestock world like the dot. I mean, animals die, unfortunately. Yeah. You know, and you can and you don't. You don't have any kids, but, like, you lose pregnancies in the livestock.

Yeah. Unfortunately, we lose pregnancies in the human world, like, you know, there and, you know, and we've had a we've had a few die. We had a calf. Just get stepped on. Yeah. Total freak accident. But it was an opportunity for me to teach the kids like, stuff happens, you know? Yeah. And, you know, also, I think it's good when people realize where their actual meat comes from.

And there's some people in this community that thinks that they just go to Kroger and pick it up. Yeah, yeah, you can go to Kroger and pick something up, but like, go see the work that's put in 365 days a year, you know, and, whatnot. So what? So state fairs kind of your last. Yeah, that's that's our last show.

We really just, like I say, with breeding and everything, winter and fall shows and stuff, they really came into our time with the breeding side of it. So state fairs just kind of our, our end goal is we work towards all year. And so that's coming up and to July beginning and beginning August. So, so, how many years your sister got left for us?

My sister's fourth or fifth year, I think. I see she's got a couple more years, but. So she just shows lambs. Yes, yes. Well, actually, no, she's, at the state level. She just shows lambs. She shows dogs, she shows. I mean, that kid does more frequent projects like a cow. She shows chickens, she shows rabbits, all this other stuff.

And I mean her her willingness to get in the barn and be there as much as possible is just astonishing to me. I mean, she's got so much on her plate, but she loves everything she does. And and you mentioned about your daughters going out and doing that in the morning. And I think, I think that's another thing that just.

Yes, I mean, you do see the, I guess the bad side of how much how, how much stress the show world can put on families. But as far as my family goes and I feel like you would feel the same in this, like it brings, it brings us all together because we're all working for one goal. We're all working together.

And it just I mean, I've had opportunities with my family that I don't think I would have been able to get. But everything else, yeah, we we have our moments in the barn where animals aren't working right or kids aren't working right. I've got that more morning. But, but no, I just think it's it's a bonding experience, especially with kids and especially with the parents and stuff and like, for my sake, like my grandparents, but.

Well, and like, you know what I've learned and like the show cattle world, like, that's 12 months a year. And, you know, I heard a family say, like, we don't do vacations, like you're typical family vacations, you know, like showing cattle, but it's it's it's it's it's all in, you know, and like, it'll be interesting I think with my daughters, like the first time they, my kids had to show in the same class against each other because, you know, Brett, he wants to win.

Yeah. Like, you know, he he's willing to put the work in, but he wants to win. Yeah. Reagan. She's my oldest girl. She's my middle child. If it's cute, it can be the worst animal in the ring. But if it's cute, she's going to have a smile on her face. Yeah. Now, Riley, my youngest one, she's got focused, and she's going to want to beat her brothers.

But the first time she steps in a show. So it's going to be interesting to kind of see you guys. My daughters are each going to show as of right now, each show a Herford heifer. Yeah, there's a chance they're going to show against each other some. And it will be interesting to see how they respond because, you know, I made sure my son went and thanked his sisters after the county fair with the success he's had for all their hard work, because, you know, he doesn't totally realize how much you know that helps.

But like you said, there's it's a family bonding thing. Yeah, I get it. You're Grant Paul just literally done it his entire life. Yeah. You know, but still like, you know, there's been times that just out in the barn, like, you know, my anniversary was two days ago, and we spent our night of our anniversary. Ranching calves. Yeah.

Working calves, like. I mean, I was fortunate enough we let the kids here for lunch that day and made them, like, got to go through and peace and quiet. But, like, there was no fancy dinner. The Ruth's Chris, you know what I mean? Like it's just you do it because it's what you love, right? Right. Yeah. And I'm so thankful that Emily puts the time into it because she doesn't.

She doesn't. She never did it. She said she wanted to show hogs. It just didn't work out when she was younger, you know, but you know, but but it but there has to be a drive and a competitiveness. Who's more competitive, your mom or your dad? I would say definitely my mom. Yeah. She shared, she said that a lot of big shows and they were fortunate.

They only showed use. They didn't really show market lambs. They should fit it. Use. And she she was fortunate to do a lot of big shows and and she does she does push us a lot. And sometimes it is it is frustrating. But no, I do I do appreciate the drive that she has given me. And and like you said, with your kids, I feel like it's the same story at my house.

Like my sister, she to this year before county fair and my grandpa last year. She's like, like what? What land do you want to show? And her response is, whatever you want to be my brother. And that's not that's just like a sibling rivalry thing. And then whenever she picked her land that she wanted to show because we'd only grow out like 5 or 6 or whatever.

And she was just, just every day was working with that. She was pulling them out, was getting them set up. And I think it yeah, she wanted to beat me, but it also pushed her to be better with that. She specifically and I just I mean, I just think I think she's annoyed by it having to compete with me, but I know that it makes her better so.

Well. And, you know, I see that in the business world when it comes to sales guys, is the easy metric around my business. Like you put 2 or 3 good sales guys. Yeah. And then you kind of have a just a guy just getting by like that other one's just staying above them. But when you've got 2 or 3, I mean truly life like put yourself around, you know, I try to put myself in rooms that I'm uncomfortable in.

Yeah. That most people wouldn't even step in because, you know, I want to learn from people that have the businesses two or 3 or 4 times. That's my size, you know? So I've got to go put myself in that room. But I also want to make sure I'm encouraging young men like you that have all the pieces and you're, hey, I think I want to build custom homes.

Heck yeah. Because I've said that we need want like my philosophy in life and it's business. If you're good, you're needed. Yeah. Like whatever kind of trade that is. What whatever. You know and and it kind of also just circles back around of like pour your heart and soul into whatever you're doing, you know, Adam loves she videos editing that kind of stuff.

Thank God, because I need that stuff in my business and I absolutely suck at it. Now. I love going out sell people to work for me here. So, you know, there's a skill set, you know? Yeah. And Ellie's phenomenal. Answering the phones and just loving on people. You know, I've got some sales guys. They think they're pretty good.

No I'm joking. They're they're good. They're good at their job. And I mean, it just makes it's cool to step back and kind of watch your life unfold and just see the people that you're around, and then also that elevates you because you're around other people that competitively show lambs. Yeah. So you've got something to China that kind of drives for and you know, you're getting around in people and that's just at the end of the day that's like that's just that's just elevating you.

Yeah. And I think like like you said with the the business side of it, you I mean if you have you're, you're good sales guys that just push the ones below it and just I guess just give them something to look forward to. I would say that's another big thing about the donation towards it is we we we knew we weren't getting raised like $100,000 just out crazy for that.

But our biggest thing that we wanted to do was just get that ball rolling, right, get out, get people thinking about donating to for Aids and I, like you said, with your son, like show the younger generations that whether it's for Aids, whether it's donating to people that just need some help in life, just if you had that extra opportunity to give that and to just kind of kind of be a light for the younger kids, that general, like you said, with generosity, it's it's crucial to life and just our world today.

Well, and, you know, kind of as we wrap up and, you know, we talk about generosity like, you may be listening to this and like, I don't have $19,000 to give. Okay. But you do have time to give. And you you do have some money to give. And before you can give $19,000 away, you've got to give $19 a.

Yeah, like I think back, I've had it on the podcast twice. Zoe, man. Like, we always the last 3 or 4 years we've done the food can drive for Christmas on Main. Yeah. And a few years ago, like, I put it on Facebook and she donated not a whole lot of money, but she's in college working three jobs, 2 or 3 jobs to get through college.

And she still reached over and donated there. Now, today, she's in a full time job. She could donate more, and I'm sure she will eventually. But that is the cool thing about like the generosity. It really is contagious because, you know, what they did for you was, hey, we're going to do, they kind of let people pledge money.

Yeah. And so they brought you out there and I said, hey, here's what's going on. Here's the amount that we're at. Yeah. Well then five minutes later, five people later seem like you're welcome back in the ring. And I'm like, what the hell are they doing here? And then they're like, all right, we're going to go ahead and give the opportunity.

So I ran it up and I bought it like, you know, it was like it was so easy for me to do it. Yeah. Because I'm like, okay, it's gone completely all back to future kids. And I mean that that truly will affect hundreds of kids. Yeah. Every year. So and I and and what I don't want is I don't want to overshoot.

I mean what you've done is awesome and I can't I don't want to beat a dead horse, but also like just encourage people to help. And, you know, like I've been fortunate there's been a lot of people that reached out and helped my kids this year. You know, you're going to have the opportunity to come back to the barns, and I know you're going to be pushing your sister, but you're also going to be able to look over and there's going to be some young kid starting that maybe doesn't have the grant pole.

With all the experience that you have, that you can kind of reach over there and help, because even my son and I've, I try to talk a lot about this kind of stuff. And he's already told me Shane Yeager is a good friend of mine. Shane's got little kids, real little kids, minor little. And he goes, dad, I can't wait till Dawson gets in the show.

And he goes, I can teach Dawson. Yeah. What these people have taught me. Yeah. You know, so, I mean, I just, I'm going to let you kind of just give, you know, your last words of encouragement, of, you know, generosity, encourage people to. Yeah, to be generous just because, let's be honest, this world needs more generosity.

And before I hand it over to you, I will say, like what I really enjoyed about the beef judge and the champion heifer drive. He's like, this world's pretty messed up right now. Yeah. And he goes, there's a lot of good things happening in this barn right now. And he goes, I understand you're all competitors. You're setting out here right now as parents, and you hope your kid beats that kid.

Yeah. You know, but like step back and evaluate the good people that are around here. Because as messed up as this world is, like, there's a ton of good people inside them barns. And that's what a lot of people don't understand when it comes to forage and that kind of stuff. The amount of time that parents and grandparents and yeah, forage advisors, it takes an army to do what the show world does.

And I didn't mean to cut you. No, no. You're good, you're good. I'll let you roll into that. But, I would say just like it goes beyond me. I mean, more as I mean, one person is such a small fraction of what I am, what is made up in the world. But just to be generous, to be generous to whether it's forage, whether it's food, drive stuff, whether it's whatever.

Everybody needs a little help now and then, whether, like I said, whether that's mentoring or money or whatever it is. And just being generous to those organizations that give opportunities, young kids, to push themselves to be better and to learn responsibility and to do all that. It's just it's so important for the future of not only for age, but the future of the community.

And I mean, if you if you get the ball rolling with generating before for or, donating to for age and everything that could lead to donating around town, that could lead to raising money for new buildings and all this other stuff. And I think it it does go to show like in our community. We had that big donation for the Love Center and the youth, and Rushville has really benefited from that.

And I just think generosity can always be applied in any application. So thanks guys for tuning in and thanks for taking your time to chat with us today.