Working Ranch Radio Show

So, what are the behaviors that we see in Efficient Cattle and the behaviors in the Non-Efficient Cattle?  Basically, finding that cow that can do everything she’s supposed to do, but do it with less in her environment.  Dr. Jim Sprinkle , Extension Beef Specialist with the University of Idaho is my guest as we talk about their latest research that looks at the grazing behavior of cow/calf pairs o...

Today you get to ride along with me as I explore three different products that I am interested in knowing more about that would be applicable to… really any ranch or livestock operation of any shape and size. Now if you’re like me, you’re not necessarily looking for short cuts, but you are looking for ways to work smarter. So today we’ll learn about these three companies/products. First up will be...

Meteorologist Don Day is my guest today as he offers his Fall and Winter 2025 Weather Outlook… and all the key factors that play a role in our weather in 2024 are completely different than last year. We’ll first take a general view of the weather outlook, then will work across the continent by regions, and finally some general conversation about the spring of 2025. While he is mostly optimistic fo...

Selling the ranch may be the first option that comes to mind… or maybe I should say, the last thing you want to do. So then what are some other options that you can consider? Jerome Chvilicek , (Hall and Hall) is my guest as we discuss options... some you may have considered and some you hadn’t thought of.  But in either case you may not be sure how to get started or what you need to know.  Today...

Two views on the topic Mandatory Animal Identification.  First, we'll hear from NCBA's Ethan Lane followed by a different perspective from the US Cattlemen's Justin Tupper. Two independent conversations as I ask a variety of questions on this controversial topic like: Is a foreign disease a legitimate concern? Is our current system of tracking working? Can this be market driven versus government m...

Today it’s the story of Charles and Heather Maude , a young ranch family in Southwest South Dakota that have found themselves indicted for theft of federal property over 25 acres of National Grass Lands that had been a part of this 5th generation ranch family since 1910.   Rachel Gabel , spokesperson for the Maude family, is my guest as we unpack this story.  In 55 days from a normal and civil mee...

What are you doing on your ranch to make it more resilient to drought or extreme winter weather conditions? Dr. Paul Beck ( OK State ) is my guest as that question leads our conversation. Dr. Beck will outline three areas that we can manage with our ranches to build that “resilience” in our ranching operation.  Yes, the conversation will range from cow size to stocking rates to improved grazing an...

TMR Mixing wagons... not just for the dairies and large feeding operations and today Dr. Kelley Neuhold ( Westway Feed Products ) and what he is referring to are TMR Mixers.  Now TMR Mixers are not necessarily new in our industry but as more ranchers are picking them up used or new, what are some things we need to know about them.  For example, what’s the difference between a horizontal and a vert...

Galen Gerrish with American Grazing Lands Services is my guest.  They sell a lot of fencing material across the country and today we are going to discuss the components that they are finding success in for building Permanent Electric Fence, Portable Electric Fence, as well as Energizers. Things like wire, line posts, and insulators.  Maybe you’ve been thinking about adding this element to your ran...

No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “There’s an App for That”.  On this program, Dave Voth with Good Grazing Makes Cents , joins us as we discuss a few of the apps that are available to us for Grazing Management.  He’ll give us his review of some, and we’ll discuss others that he’s excited about as well.  But the purpose for an app is to help us be efficient in our management which in turn assists i...

Dr. Steve Paisley , (University of Wyoming) is back as a guest as we focus of Mid-Summer Nutrition in our cow herd.  Some of you are dealing with little to no grass, while other have grass, but its quality is quickly declining.  So, what are some options?  Also, the market is good right now.  What factors should you consider as you make strategic plans for the coming months both in cow retention a...

With the high cattle markets it easy to get lulled into a false sense of profitability. Allan Crockett is back as our guest as we are halfway through the calendar year and it’s a good time to reevaluate and be proactive for both planning for the rest of this year and future business plans. From marketing to tax Planning, to making wise decisions with how we can invest our profit so that we can tak...

It's a market like we’ve never seen before! Clint Berry is back with us as we recap the results from the latest Superior Livestock Video Sale and talk about the tone it set as we look ahead to the summer sales and fall run.  .  Are we seeing any sign of herd retention?  Is there the return on adding value to your calves whether it’s through various marketing programs to weaning… and how should you...

Ron Scott ( Purina ) is my guest as we jump into a deep discussion on Fetal Programming.  We’ll explore a study done out of NDSU on heifer calves all the way from birth to a calving cow and the correlation between the nutrition, minerals, vitamins, their mommas received and their performance as 1st time mommas and their ability to re-breed. Fetal Programming is a subject that dove tails nicely int...

The cost of not getting the second calf from a heifer you either bought our developed is a big hit.   Karla Wilke , (University of Nebraska) joins us today as we go through several discuss points regarding getting that "elusive" second calf. While some would say “don’t baby the girl”, there could be some flaws in that theory.  And what about the genetics we are breeding into our herd and how it sh...

"Everything that happens out here creates compounding cascading effects, and those effects are never neutral. They're either positive or negative"... a quote from our guest Allen William (Understanding Ag and Soil Health Academy ).  On this show he explains Adaptive Grazing and how it can generate positive effects on your ranch. Allen will explain what it IS, what it is NOT, and the 3 rules adapti...

The gloves are off, which is usually what happens between siblings after Mom & Dad are gone if a good estate plan is not in place.  Today we’re gonna take the gloves off and get gritty in a discussion with Attorney Rick Durfee (Durfee Law Group) about estate planning and the family dynamics that can often create conflict. Plus, the danger of relying on a Will as an estate management tool, some...

Meteorologist Don Day joins us for the full program as we look at our extended weather forecast for the summer and fall across North America.  He’ll discuss what lies ahead as a La Nina weather pattern begins to take shape. But first a discussion on modern weather forecasting and what it’ll take to have even more accurate forecasts.  And, are you an Antidotal Climatologist?  Find out what that mea...

It's more about the "unknown" than the "known" when it comes to Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). Dr. Fred Gingrich , American Association of Bovine Practitioners , is my guest today as we discussed the Influenza Type A H5N1 outbreak now being confirmed in Dairy Cattle.  As a beef cattle rancher I have A LOT of questions like... Are beef cows susceptible? What are the symptoms? How is it transferred? Is...

Today you get to listen in as I talked with two, totally unrelated, products in our ranching industry that I am considering using on our ranch.  The first is GPS tags in livestock.  Rob Paxson with 701X lays out how GPS tag technology works, how you would use it, who’s using it, who controls the data, and of course the cost. Then we’ll hear about a product aimed to mitigate stress in livestock cal...

It’s all in the Title when it comes to Cull Cattle Management… Right Way… Right Time .  Trey Patterson ( Padlock Ranch ) and Patrick Linnell ( CattleFax ) join me today as we discuss the details of a guide to Cull Cattle Management called Right Way – Right Time. Our initial discussion starts with looking at practices that lead to financial losses to our overall industry but also erodes consumer co...

The use of Antibiotics, Implants, and Feed Supplements... honestly it feels like the start of an awkward conversation. However, Dr. Michael Apley (KSU) unpacks these topics as we not only talk through the history of Antibiotics in our food animals, but also their purpose in today’s cattle industry… from both an animal efficiency point of view but also from an animal welfare perspective. Then we'll...

The USDA closed the loophole that requires IF a beef product CHOOSES to be labeled a "Product of the USA" it must be Born, Raised, Slaughtered, and Processed in the USA.  Leo McDonnell is my guest as we get his take on this change.  It's a topic he has been advocating for, for 25 years. And as we know Country of Origin Labeling has been a controversial issue in our industry for many years.  So, wh...

Over 6 million head, that’s the size of the cattle herd in the state of Kansas and today Matt Perrier ( Dalebanks Angus & host of Practically Ranching ), 5th generation rancher from Eureka, KS, walks us through the history of the Kansas Cattle Industry. From those iconic Kansas cow towns to the expansion of the railroad, the arrival of the Black Angus in the US, and the Kansas City Stockyards...

Estate Planning... a topic nearly every ranch family will have to… or has dealt with.  Attorney Dal Houston walks us through the various topics like: the difference between a Will and a Trust; the difference between a Revocable Trust and an Irrevocable Trust as well as discussion on Joint Tenancy, Partnerships, and LLC’s.  You may have heard this topic before, but it's crucial to the sustainabilit...