Working Cows - Regenerative Ranching to Maximize Profitability and Soil Health

Craig Guffey of Swearngin Angus in Lawrence, KS joined me to share his perspective on the EPD. We talk about it’s origins, how it has been misused and misunderstood. We also talk about the alternatives and what to look for in a profitable cow.

Steve Campbell joined me again to talk about an out of the box approach to delivering minerals to cattle. We talk about the things affecting cow health as well as the things to avoid when looking for quality cattle minerals.

Troy Bishopp is a farmer, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. He joined me to discuss the process of moving from a dairy with forage to a custom grazing business in central New York. We talk about the differences between farming in the East and ranching in the West. We also touch on some the myths about the differences between the two regions.

Austin Troyer is a first generation rancher in Ohio. He and his wife have gotten their start by finding undervalued land and putting the work in to make it usable. We talk about the process of obtaining these leases as well as getting them ready for livestock and finding the right class of livestock to take advantage of the topography and forage.

Greg Christiansen of Grandview Livestock in Eastern Kansas joined me to discuss the benefits and challenges of incorporating goats and sheep into a commercial cattle operation. We talk about how goats are good for land than trends toward brush as well as the opportunities that exist to incorporate goats into land that is currently only being grazed by cattle.

Elaine Froese is a farm coach with 30 years of experience helping families facilitate healthy relationships. She joined me to discuss the process of getting the succession planning discussion started as well as some realistic goals and expectations. We also take some voicemails about getting people to join in the discussion and what to do when someone wants to change the agreement.

Mother-Daughter pair Leann Schafer and Chelsey Erdmann are Proud 5th and 6th generation on the farm, feedlot, cow-calf, and Purina feed dealership operation in central North Dakota. Their family farm got its start in 1893. Today it continues to be a family business with four generations involved daily. The opportunity to work close to and see family every day is the best part of their business. Af...

Craig Thompson and Gordon Decker joined me to talk about how agriculture is a great place for men in crisis to experience life change. We talk about how they are approaching this at Rockside Ranch as well as future expansion goals for the ministry.

Zack Smith joined me to discuss the progress on bringing the Cluster Cluck 5000 to market and scale the practice of Stock Cropping. We also talk about the economic benefits from the first year of the experiment plot.

Don Campbell is a legend of Canadian Holistic Management. He has been involved in all levels of Holistic Management International in Canada since the early days of it existence. Don joined me to talk about how HMI thinks about the grazing principles. We talk about how Don has seen the carrying capacity of his ranch nearly tripled with this management style. Don has a refreshing people first approa...

Justin Fruechte and Jared Knock, hosts of the new Roots and Ruminants podcast, joined me to talk about why they chose those two entities as their foci for their podcast. We also discuss the opportunities that exist on annual crop ground. To close out the show we answer a couple of questions from the private Facebook Group the “Working Cows Microbiome.”

Logan Pribbeno, a rancher at the Wine Glass Ranch in Southwest Nebraska, joined me to discuss their use of grazing exclusion cages. We talked about how and why they use them as well as what decisions are influenced by the process of range monitoring. Logan and I also discuss the advantages of being a second generation manager in a regenerative system.

James Rogers, a ranch manager and consultant, joined me to discuss the truth under regenerative agriculture. We talk about our understanding of God’s hand in designing a good world that works well when it is managed in a way that cooperates with the resources He provides.

Mike Seely, Co-Founder and CEO of Native Microbials, and Mallory Embree, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Native Microbials, joined me to discuss the products they currently have on offer and those they will be bringing to market early in 2022. We talked about how they work, how they are administered, and how they are different from the current regime of supplements on the market.

Austin Hart of Redd Summit Insurance joined me to discuss the benefits of Pasture Rangeland and Forage Insurance. We talk about how it works and some of the success stories and strategies Austin has seen employed.

Chad Conard is an engineer and rancher from Colorado. He joined me to discuss his process for training bulls to his style of stockmanship. We also discuss his approach to the bulls as well as how these practices can help us answer the questions of the #meatout crowd.

Aaron Berger, a UNL Beef Educator and host of the BeefWatch Podcast, joined me once again to discuss supplementation strategy. We talk about how to find the best supplements in your region, when to supplement as well as different ways to think about delivering those supplements.

Wayne Knight, Interim Executive Director for Holistic Management International, joined me to talk about the practical impacts holistic management has had on his land, his family, his community, and his finances. We talk about selecting the right animals and measuring the right outcomes to facilitate better decision making. We also touch on how holistic goal setting facilitate a resolution to a dif...

Dallas Mount, CEO of Ranch Management Consultants, joined me to discuss The Grazing Principles as taught at the Ranching for Profit school. We talked about stock density, herd effect, recovery period, and even answered some question from the Working Cows Microbiome. Sponsor:Field Work Talk

Daniel Griffith drawing on life in his Wildland the acclaimed author and poet, emergent conservationist, and Savory Institute Hub Leader, Educator, and Consultant provides a poetic portrait of the powers, magic, and rich abundance harvested by learning the language of connection and the restorative powers of Relationship.

Ken Charfauros, a local meat processor and entrepreneur, joined me to discuss his three phase vision for expanding the local meat processing capacity in Western South Dakota. We discussed his desire to see the return of the local butcher and his desire to educate people capable of producing a consistent and quality meat product regardless of species.

David Kleinschmidt is an educator and consultant with Understanding Ag. He joined me to discuss the Law of the Maximum and the Law of the Return as an alternative to Liebig’s Barrel or the Law of the Minimum. We talk about what we should measure and how we should think about how we can influence the results of those tests.

Brian Alexander, AKA Red Hills Rancher, and CK Wisniewski joined me to discuss the launch of their new “Ranching Reboot” podcast in partnership with PastureMap. The Ranching Reboot podcast will focus on the stories of those doing unique things in ranching and give them an opportunity to share and pay forward the lessons they have learned.

Hadley Hill is a ranch manager at Askin Land and Livestock near Lusk, WY. He has had an unconventional history as it relates to ranching. He joined my wife and I to detail that history and some of his key takeaways from the different contexts in which he has worked.

My wife, Miranda Conry, and I sat down each night during Ranching for Profit and captured our thoughts about the day, what surprised us, what we learned, and how people in the class influenced us. This episode closes out with some reactions from our fellow class members.