Adam Ledvina - Blue Collar Goatscaping

Adam Ledvina is a superhuman goat grazier conserving land in Iowa with over 1000 goats.

If you had 1000 grazing goats, could you manage them all by yourself? What sort of fencing solutions would you use? Are livestock guardian dogs necessary to protect them from predators? 

In today’s episode, expect to learn how Ledvina manages his goats, often spread out across 12 different locations all over Iowa, as the sole employee of his company; how he implements both electric net fencing and a fenceless system; and why he chose to forgo guardian dogs entirely after hearing two horror stories from other graziers. 

Find Adam @https://www.facebook.com/IowaKikoGoats/ and https://www.facebook.com/BlueCollarGoatscaping/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Goat Grazing and Adam Ledvina

01:35 Understanding Blue Collar Goatscaping and Iowa Kiko Goats

03:31 Adam's Journey into Goat Farming

03:31 How Adam Got Into Goatscaping

08:04 The Idea Of Using Goats For Invasive Plant Management

11:17 Starting Small: Adam's Initial Herd

13:25 The Evolution of Adam's Business Model

14:32 Meat Production and Market Dynamics

16:30 Logistics of Managing Multiple Herds

20:29 Customer Base and Client Relationships

22:25 Convincing Landowners of Goat Benefits

27:38 Creating Management Plans for Clients

29:36 Setting Up Grazing Operations

34:29 Challenges Of Guardian Dongs in Goat Management

40:01 Gathering the Goats: Training and Techniques

42:32 Scaling Up: Acreage and Job Bidding

47:20 Pricing Strategies: Understanding Costs and Risks

48:57 Urban Challenges: Virtual Fence System

52:03 Innovations in Grazing: The Virtual Fence System

53:42 Economic Viability: Assessing the Cost of Virtual Fencing

58:00 Training Goats: Adapting to New Technologies

01:00:37 Fencing Solutions: Hard Panels vs. Electric Fencing

01:03:16 Bale Grazing: Feeding and Soil Health Benefits

01:09:35 Mentorship in Goatscaping: Guiding New Entrants

01:12:24 Challenges in Goatscaping: Balancing Work and Growth

01:14:49 Value of Service: Why Charge for Grazing?

01:16:07 Connecting with Adam: How to Reach Out

01:17:38 Podcast Intro Video.mp4