Better Beef

What happens between the ranch and the finishing yard? In this episode of Better Beef, host Kaid sits down with Iowa cattle backgrounder AJ Friedges to explore the work, decisions, and calculations that prepare calves for their next stage in the beef supply chain.  AJ Friedges explains how his operation purchases smaller groups of calves, brings them together, and develops them into larger, consis...

In this episode of Better Beef, Kaid Panek sits down with World Champion bull rider Josh Frost for a conversation about rodeo, ranching, family, and the relentless work behind success. From chasing a gold buckle to managing cattle back home, Frost offers a look at a life where professional rodeo and agriculture are deeply connected.  Frost reflects on the long road to becoming a world champion aft...

In this episode of Better Beef, host Kaid Panek sits down with Charly Cummings, one of the most respected voices in livestock auctioneering and the 2011 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion. From sale barns and production sales to his work with Superior Livestock, Charly has built a career around cattle, communication, and earning the trust of producers who place their livelihoods in his hands when...

In this episode of Better Beef, host Kaid Panek sits down with lifelong Indiana cattle producer and agricultural leader Donnie Lawson for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and the future of the beef industry. Donnie brings a unique perspective to the discussion, balancing life as a cattle producer with his responsibilities as a county commissioner and member of...

In this episode of Better Beef, host Kaid Panek sits down with Nick Pudenz, Director of Commercial Accounts at Diamond Animal Health, for a behind-the-scenes look at an important part of the beef industry most cattle producers rarely see: the development and manufacturing of animal vaccines and pharmaceuticals. Nick explains how Diamond Animal Health works with pharmaceutical companies, researcher...

In this episode of Better Beef, Kaid Panek sits down with Jennifer Boka, Senior Director of Livestock Operations for the National Western Stock Show, to explore her lifelong connection to agriculture and her vision for the future of the livestock industry.  Jennifer Boka shares how growing up on her family’s registered and commercial cattle operation, participating in 4-H and FFA, judging livestoc...

In this episode of Better Beef, host Kaid Panek travels to Blair Brothers Angus near Sturgis, South Dakota, to sit down with Britton Blair for a conversation about seedstock production, genetic improvement, conservation, and what it takes to build one of the nation's most respected Angus programs. From humble beginnings in the late 1980s, Blair Brothers Angus has grown into a premier operation mar...

In this episode of Better Beef, host Kaid Panek sits down with Bradie Jill Anderson—agriculture advocate, entrepreneur, former Miss Rodeo Utah, Cowgirl Magazine 30 Under 30 honoree, and national finalist in the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet. Together, they explore what it means to represent modern agriculture while preserving the traditions that have shaped the...

Welcome back to the Better Beef Podcast. Just ahead, we have Kaid Panek and he chats with registered dietitian, Emma Smith about beef's role in your diet. In this episode, Emma explains that diet guidelines are revised every five years and shape not only public recommendations but also institutional programs such as school lunches, senior meal programs, and daycares. While headlines emphasize a re...

Welcome back to the Better Beef Podcast. Just ahead, join host Kaid Panek as he sits down and chats with Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and a pioneering figure in livestock handling and animal welfare.  Dr. Temple Grandin recounts starting her career in Arizona feedyards in the 1970s, where cattle handling was extremely rough despite generally good liv...

Welcome back to Better Beef. Today Kaid Panek and geneticist Dr. Lane Giess, focused on practical cattle genetics, crossbreeding strategy, and the evolving role of data in the beef industry. Giess begins by outlining his background growing up in a South Devon seedstock operation, his long-running involvement with the National Western Stock Show, and his academic path through Kansas State Universit...

This episode of the Better Beef Podcast features veterinarian Dr. Grace Majors, a recent graduate of Washington State University who has returned to practice in her rural home community. The conversation focuses on the realities of rural mixed animal practice, the transition from veterinary school to real-world work, and the challenges of building producer trust as a young large-animal vet.  Dr. G...

Welcome back to Better Beef, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Today Kaid sits down with Chef Pete to discuss Beef in restaurants.  Chef Pete recounts growing up in a crowded home, pushed toward construction by his father, a tradesman who saw building as the safest path. After realizing on his first day doing concrete that this wasn’t his future, Pete took a winding road that included trouble w...

In this episode of the Better Beef Podcast, host Kade Panek sits down with Kyle, known across social media as the former Unhinged Rancher and now the Unruly Rancher. Many recognize his unfiltered rants, wild cow-tagging clips, and potbelly pig chaos, but this conversation focuses on the far larger part of his life that never makes it to the screen.  Broadcasting from west central Kansas, “out in B...