TSCRA Talk

Kent Rollins, renowned chuck wagon cook, along with his wife, Shannon, join TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown to discuss their path in taking the history and heritage of ranching and beef to a national audience. Raised on the Red River near Hollis, Oklahoma, Kent grew up working cattle with area cowboys and learned the art of cooking with his mother at a young age.   As opportunities arose, Kent cook...

TSCRA executive director of government relations, Melissa Hamilton, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, with insight on three Propositions on the ballot for the November 7 election. Hamilton encourages cattlemen and landowners to vote yes on Propositions 1, 6 and 8.  Hamilton shares that Proposition 1 - protecting the right to engage in farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture and wild...

Emily Lochner, executive director of engagement and education at Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and a seedstock producer, joins TSCRA Talk  host, Kristen Brown, for an in-depth conversation about EPDs.     Lochner shares the background on EPDs and how they have continued to evolve as gene technology improves through DNA analysis. She discusses the importance of evaluating the...

Curt Pate, a renowned livestock handling clinician, join TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to share about his experiences that led him down the path of stockmanship at the ranch as well as his insight on the impact it has to the ranchers bottom line.     Pate describes his childhood as incredible as he shares about growing up in Montana with family in a variety of segments of the livestock industry....

Aljoe says that the grazing principles are the most beneficial management tool in managing forages, lands and grazing landscape. He goes into detail about soil management, forage care, human involvement as well as profitability. Aljoe emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach, it all has to come together. Rest and recovery, while often lumped together, he explains there is a key difference...

Cattlemen and corn grower Wesley Spurlock visits with TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown about the interdependence of cattle and corn on each other. Spurlock farms and runs cattle throughout the Texas Panhandle and is a past president of the National Corn Growers Association.       Spurlock discusses how the growth of feedyards and cattle production increased the need for corn and how that relationshi...

Compass Ag Solutions’ Bryan Vasseur, chief operating officer, and Garren Bellis, business and risk management consultant, join TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, for a high-level discussion on the cattle market.     Vasseur starts by explaining the fundamentals that impact and drive the market, going in-depth on seasonals and the cyclical pattern of the markets that create the highs and lows of the y...

Scott Williamson, TSCRA Executive Director of law enforcement and theft prevention, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss a prevalent issue on the rise – fraud. Williamson discusses how utilizing the internet, while convenient, opens the door for misrepresentation of the items such as cattle, horses or hay.  Williamson emphasizes the importance of utilize credible sources to locate comm...

Tucker Brown, NCBA 2022 Beef Advocate of the Year, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to share about his social media platforms. A sixth-generation rancher, Brown has more than 176,000 followers on Tik Toc and 52,000 plus on Instagram and received a combine 5-6 million views per month on average.  Brown shares how the R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas has historically hosted student tours...

Attorney Jim Bradbury joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss the importance of ranching operations being set up as a separate legal entity, diving specifically into limited liability companies.  Bradbury comments on the advantages including liability protection and ease of use. He encourages the listeners to take their business seriously by taking the time to set up the LLC and being dil...

Will Durrett, rancher and Superior Livestock rep, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss value-added opportunities for ranchers to maximize profits. Durrett shares insight on value-added opportunities starting with a comprehensive vaccination program, backgrounding calves and being BQA certified. Additionally, heal so discusses producer-verified programs and, going a bit deeper, programs...

Miranda Skaggs of Bryan, Texas and Emmie Bertoni of Yoakum, Texas join TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to share about their experience this past summer at the inaugural Cattle Raisers Roundup.    The group of – 15 youth from across the state of Texas spent five days touring all aspects of the cattle industry including TCU Ranch Management, R.A. Brown Ranch, Texas Tech University Red Raider Meats,...

In episode 34 of TSCRA Talk, host Kristen Brown visits with 92 year-old Jimmie Powell of Fort McKavett. Powell shares stories of working cattle horseback from a young age out of necessity during the war. He tells of riding his pony and training horses as he got older.  Additionally, Powell talks of how ranching has changed over the years and the importance of being involved with agriculture organi...

Chad McNutt, co-founder of Livestock Wx, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, for a high-level discussion on drought.  A biologist by trade, McNutt has experience working for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a livestock background to provide cattle raisers valuable insight on the situation. McNutt shares the duration of a drought is key as it impacts grass production, soil mois...

Hannah Fuerniss, manager of nutrition and health with the Texas Beef Council, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss the role of beef in a balanced diet. Fuerniss discusses the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a joint report from USDA and the Health and Human Services Department, which is meant for nutrition and health professionals who can then make decisions and recommendations with t...

Coleman Locke and his son, John Locke, of the J.D. Hudgins ranch in Hungerford, TX join TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss operating a multi-generational ranch. As a fifth-generation family member at the ranch, Coleman likens working with different generations of family to a marriage – communication is vital. John, who is part of the sixth generation working on the ranch, says that success...

Jay Evans, chair of the TSCRA water subcommittee, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, with an update on important topics for cattlemen and landowners concerning water. Evans starts by commenting that drought tends to put a spotlight on water and the need for clean, usable water. He talks about the Texas Produced Water Consortium formed during the 2019 Texas Legislative Session, which is focused...

In episode 29 of TSCRA Talk, Brent Smith, Kinney County Attorney and third-generation rancher, joins host, Kristen Brown, to share his experience both personally and professionally with the crises on the border. Smith describes the current state in the county as an active invasion with the high-speed smuggling cases, bailouts and helicopters flying day and night trying to apprehend illegal immigra...

Jon DeClerck, a cattle consulting nutritionist for Purina Animal Nutrition, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss the planning that goes into a successful breeding season.  DeClerck highlights the fact that reproduction is the number one factor that effects profitability at the ranch. He discusses having the right nutrition available for cows throughout the year to increases the opportu...

AgriLife Extension assistant professor and economist Justin Benavidez joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss the ins and outs of selling beef directly to consumers. He shares that there are risks and rewards for producers who engage in the direct selling process, which he goes into detail about through the conversation.  Benavidez recommends starting with a business plan that first outli...

TSCRA Special Ranger Marvin Wills joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to share a few of his most memorable cases over the last 14 years, as well as tips to prevent cattlemen from becoming the victim of a crime. Wills explains the importance of staying vigilant with livestock and property, which includes keeping a record of all equipment VIN numbers and having contracts on all partnerships. He st...

Dr. Ben Espy, a veterinarian with an extensive equine-focused practice, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss equine wellness tips. In addition to being the King Ranch veterinarian, Espy cares for professional roughstock and timed event horses. For 25 years, he has served as  the head of veterinary services at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. He was awarded the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Ass...

Sustainability expert Myriah Johnson joins TSCRA Talk host Kristen Brown to discuss three components that make up the broad scope of sustainability — environmental, economics and social. Later in the conversation, Johnson shares about ongoing research to continue to strive for improvement in terms of sustainability. Digging deeper into the environmental pillar of sustainability, Johnson explains i...

Jeremy Fuchs, director of policy communications and government relations at Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, joins TSCRA Talk host Kristen Brown to discuss the legislative happenings in 2021. Fuchs shares that the second and third special legislative session in Texas produced productive funding for border security and COVID relief funds to help with rural broadband infrastructu...

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director Carter Smith joins TSCRA Talk host Kristen Brown to discuss Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD. Smith shares the background on CWD being identified in the state of Texas and the monitoring taking place through both mandatory and voluntary testing. He says  early detection and containment are vital to prevent the disease from being spread. With th...