Working Ranch Radio Show

As summer progresses, forage quality can begin to decline long before the pasture looks like it's running out. That subtle change can impact intake, digestion, weight gain, body condition, and ultimately your bottom line. Oklahoma State University professor Dr. David Lalman joins us to discuss when late-summer protein supplementation makes economic sense, which classes of cattle stand to benefit t...

Screwworm has dominated headlines across the cattle industry, but what happens after the initial crisis? Jared Wareham (Horizon Venture Management) and Chelsea Good (Good & Associates) join us to examine where the industry stands today—from the economic impact of a closed Mexican border and changing cattle markets to the latest technology being deployed to combat screwworm. We also explore the...

The first major summer video auction is in the books, and the results from Superior Livestock Auction's Corn Belt Classic are providing an early look at where the calf market may be headed this fall. Bailey Ballou joins us to discuss the fundamentals continuing to support historically strong cattle prices, what buyers are rewarding in today's market, and how health programs, genetics, and demand a...

Technology is changing ranching—but only if it leads to better decisions. This week, Shane White of Ceres Tag discusses wearable livestock technology and how data on feed efficiency, fertility, and grazing behavior may reshape cattle management. Then Gabe Wight of HerdAdvisor joins us to tackle one of ranching's biggest challenges: getting records entered and using them to improve marketing, culli...

A historic amount of American farm and ranch land is changing hands—and for many families, the biggest challenge isn't the legal paperwork. It's having the conversations that need to happen before the paperwork is ever signed. Today, land transition strategist Sonja Howle joins us to discuss the growing wave of agricultural land transitions, why so many families find themselves unprepared, and how...

If you had an extra $50,000 to invest into your ranch today… what’s the smartest way to use it? In part two of this special roundtable discussion, Zach Hopson, Dallas Mount, and Paul Foster discuss the worst ways to spend money, when equipment actually makes sense, paying down debt versus keeping cash available, and how ranchers are beginning to use AI and technology to improve decision-making, gr...

If you had $50,000 to invest into your operation today… where would it go?  Today is part 1 of a 2-part conversation with three ranchers from different operations answer the exact same question. Zach Hopson from East Texas, Dallas Mount from Eastern Wyoming, and Paul Foster from Northern Wyoming each bring a different perspective shaped by their own environments, business structures, land access,...

Cattle markets are strong… but are producers truly managing risk, margins, and marketing decisions — or simply reacting to the market around them? This week Abby Greiman of Ever. Ag joins us for a practical conversation on cattle marketing, breakevens, risk management, and why surviving cattle cycles often isn’t about swinging for the fences. We discuss understanding your costs, putting a marketin...

Today we take a closer look at the mission behind the Noble Research Institute and what it means for the future of ranching in the United States. Steven Rhines, CEO and President of the Noble Research Institute, joins us to share the history of the organization, the vision that shaped it in the 1940s, and how that work continues today through a focus on soil health, grazing management, and keeping...

Today we take a closer look at Eminent Domain and what it means for landowners. Tiffany Dowell Lashmet , agricultural law specialist with Texas A&M University, joins us to walk through the basics of eminent domain, where the authority comes from, some of the common truths and misconceptions, and the practical steps landowners should—and shouldn’t—take if they find themselves facing it. Plus, a...

Kentucky 31 fescue—for some it’s tolerated, for others it’s hated. This week, Dr. Harley Naumann with the University of Missouri joins us to talk about how to manage Kentucky 31 fescue and make it work in a year-round grazing system. From avoiding toxicity to stocking rate, forage diversity, and matching cattle to available feed, the focus is on building a system that works—not just for ranchers i...

What does it look like to shift irrigated pivot ground from crop production to grazing livestock? On today’s episode, Race King with the Matador Ranch joins us to share how their operation approached that transition. With over 20 years of experience, we discuss what led them to explore grazing under pivots, the steps they took to implement it, and the results they’ve seen over time. From labor and...

What do you do when farming no longer pencils out? Today, South Dakota rancher Troy Hadrick (Hadrick Ranch) joins us to talk about transitioning from dryland crop farming to a cattle-focused operation. We discuss what drove that shift, how direct-to-consumer beef sales created new opportunity, and what it really takes—from water and infrastructure to working with the right partners—to make a trans...

Why do calves often crash about three weeks after weaning or shipping?  Today  Dr. Blaine Ellison of Applied Bio Technologies, Inc joins us to explain the 21-day cortisol surge in cattle — a stress response that can suppress immune function, shut down weight gain, and increase sickness risk. In this episode we discuss: • Why cattle often stall out during the first 21–28 days after stress • The evo...

Embryo transfer has long promised accelerated genetic progress, but with pregnancy rates sitting around 42%, producers are forced to ask hard questions about cost, risk, and return on investment. In this episode Cara Wells , founder and CEO of Emgenisys , shares how artificial intelligence is being used to analyze embryo viability before transfer. By capturing a brief video through a microscope an...

What will 2026 bring — and how much hinges on the timing of El Niño?  Meteorologist Don Day joins us for our Extended Weather Outlook as we look at the remainder of winter, the setup for spring moisture, and what a building — but potentially “Goldilocks” — El Niño could mean for summer grass, storm tracks, and monsoon development. From snowpack concerns to regional precipitation trends, we walk th...

Clint Berry ( Superior Livestock ) joins us for our annual Cattle Market Outlook following the latest projections presented at Cattle Industry Convention by CattleFax . As we head into 2026, we evaluate where we are in the cattle cycle — have we truly stopped liquidation, or simply slowed it? We discuss heifer retention trends and projected prices across the board, including fed steers, 550-weight...

This week we’re joined by University of Kentucky livestock economist Dr. Kenny Burdine for a timely conversation that starts with cow size and weaning weights — and quickly moves into the bigger picture of efficiency, consistency, and profitability in the cow-calf business. We discuss how mature cow size ties back to real costs, why consistency in the calf crop matters more than many producers rea...

Today we sit down with Nebraska rancher John Maddux of Maddux Cattle Company to talk about business decisions that often matter most — and are sometimes the hardest to make. John shares how a disciplined financial mindset has shaped their operation over generations, including how they evaluate cows as assets, balance emotion with economics, and make long-term decisions designed to keep the ranch v...

Are we leaving money on the table with our breeding decisions? This week Wyoming rancher Jared Boardman (Wishbone Simmental) joins us for a business-minded conversation on cattle genetics and breeding decisions in today’s market. We step back and take a hard look at how many commercial producers select genetics based on the small percentage of replacement heifers they keep each year, while the maj...

We kick off 2026 with a forward-looking conversation on where the cattle industry is headed and how ranchers can position themselves for the year ahead. My guest is Jared Wareham , (website: Horizon Venture Management ) a beef industry, ag-tech consultant and Southern Colorado rancher.  We discuss cattle markets, herd rebuilding, cost of capital, and what may be holding expansion back — without si...

This week we wrap up our two-part countdown of the Top Shows of 2025, highlighting the four conversations that stood out above the rest. These episodes focused on the fundamentals that shape real-world decisions on the ranch — from reexamining the true cost and scale of making hay, to revisiting key cattle market questions and what actually played out over the year. We also revisit a rare, multi-p...

This week on the Working Ranch Radio Show, we kick off a two-part countdown of the Top Shows of 2025, highlighting some of the most meaningful conversations from the past year. In Part 1, we revisit shows ranked number eight through number five — discussions that challenged how we think about grazing management, calving-season decisions, long-term commitment in the cattle business, and what it tak...

As we start to wrap up the year, business coach and author Allan Crockett joins us to talk through something every producer is facing right now: noise. Whether it’s politics, market swings, social media, or industry in-fighting, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and drift off center. Allan breaks down how to separate what we can control from what we can’t, how our mindset and daily habits shape our dec...

In Part 2 of our in-depth look at virtual fencing, Justin continues the conversation with Theo Beaumont of Halter and Dallas Mount with Ranch Management Consultants to focus on how this technology performs in real-world ranching conditions. Theo explains what ranchers can expect when it comes to training cattle and managing different types of terrain, while Dallas adds perspective on carrying capa...