Sustainable Stock: Reviving Legacy Genetics

Sustainable Stock: Reviving Legacy Genetics

Sustainable Stock: Reviving Legacy Genetics is a podcast dedicated to exploring the power and potential of traditional cattle genetics while celebrating the ranchers who are bringing these practices back to life. Hosted by Patrick Powers, this podcast connects the past with the present, showcasing the resilience, efficiency, and fertility of the cattle breeds that helped build strong herds in the 1960s and '70s. Each episode features in-depth conversations with ranchers and breeders who are rediscovering and preserving the cattlemen practices that have stood the test of time. These ranchers are committed to using common-sense methods that focus on what truly works, blending the wisdom of the past with modern solutions for sustainable ranching in today’s world. At its core, Sustainable Stock is about returning to the fundamentals—embracing practical, time-tested approaches that prioritize what’s best for the land, livestock, and the rancher. We honor the heritage of ranching and are passionate about creating a future that’s rooted in both tradition and sustainability. Whether you’re passionate about heritage genetics, the future of ranching, or simply interested in the story behind the herd, this podcast is for you.

Episodes

September 25, 2026 • 91 mins

Episode 33: The Cost of Progress with Ben Guimaraes of Brazil

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

What can we learn from a country that has spent decades making large-scale decisions about cattle genetics, breed direction, and improvement?

In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with Ben Guimaraes of Brazil to take a much broader look at one of the largest cattle industries in the world. Ben walks through the history that shap...

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Episode 32: Ohlde Cattle Company with Tim and Trudy Ohlde

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

What happens when you spend decades building the kind of cattle you believe in and refuse to change direction every time the industry does?

In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with Tim and Trudy Ohlde of Ohlde Cattle Company to talk about the history, philosophy, and breeding decisions behind their program.

Tim shares some of the e...

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 Episode 31: Imported Dependency with Oscar Jimenez of Costa Rica 

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

What happens when cattle, management, and genetics are imported into an environment they were never built for?

In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with Oscar Jimenez of Costa Rica to talk through what he is seeing in both dairy and beef production across the country.

For years, Costa Rica has followed many of the...

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June 3, 2026 • 50 mins

Episode 30: PCOS Round Table

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

What started as scattered observations across different herds slowly turned into a much bigger conversation.

In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with John Atkinson of Cashmere Cattle, Grant Vassberg of Kallion Farms, and Dr. David Rainosek to discuss fertility, hormonal balance, embryo production, and a growing theory surrounding possible PCOS like pa...

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Episode 29: Profit Per Acre and Practical Fertility with Johann Zietsman 

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

Bigger cattle. More inputs. Lower fertility. Slower progress.

If that sounds familiar, this conversation challenges what “better” cattle and “good” management have come to mean.

In this episode, Patrick Powers is joined by Johann Zietsman, a world-renowned cattleman, grazing consultant, and au...

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Episode 28: The Next Steps in Herd Improvement with Hays Boyd 

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

What separates cattle that look good from cattle that actually hold up?

In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with Hays Boyd of Backbone Ranch to walk through his recent trip across Australia, sharing photos, stories, and the cattle behind them.

From ranch to ranch across Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia, on...

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Episode 27: Volatile Markets, Reliable Cattle with Chengetai Mukosera 

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

What happens when unstable markets force you to rethink what actually holds value?

In this episode, we sit down with Chengetai Mukosera of Zimbabwe, an accountant turned cattleman who entered the industry with spreadsheets and theory, only to have real world conditions reshape his entire approach. 

Starting with Si...

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Episode 26: The Gap Between Function and the Show Ring

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

What happens when the traits rewarded in the show ring drift away from the traits that keep cattle productive in the pasture?

In this episode, Patrick Powers is joined by Grant Vassberg and John Atkinson to discuss Grant’s recent trip to Thailand, where he judged cattle and got a firsthand look at how show ring priorities influence b...

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Episode 25: Panama’s Fertility Paradox with Roderick Murray

-Full video episode available on YouTube-

What happens when a country selects cattle for trophies instead of calves?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Roderick Murray to unpack hard numbers, hard lessons, and a practical path back to fertility and profitability on grass. Drawing from herd-level observations and long-term production data, we discuss why birth rates h...

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Episode 24: Matching Cattle to Country with Matt Robbins 

What if the fastest path to profit is choosing cows that match your weather, then letting grass lead the schedule? We sit down with Matt Robbins to unpack how his family left hay dependence, heavy inputs, and misaligned genetics behind and built a resilient, profitable herd for hot, humid Arkansas.

Matt explains why management and genetics have to move together. We dive i...

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 Episode 23: Small Acreage, Big Results with Joseph Klotz 

What if a 12-acre ranch could outlast drought, dodge input spikes, and still raise fertile, gentle cattle that pay their way? That is the story Joseph Klotz tells from Seely, Texas, a rancher who proves you do not need a thousand acres or a show banner to build a profitable, resilient herd. We dig into how his family’s weekend Brahman operation shaped a lifel...

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 Episode 22: What Dairy Can Teach Beef with Ben Gotschall 

What happens when a poet comes home to rebuild a family dairy with grass, genetics, and a bison herd as his calendar? Ben Gotschall invites us inside Holt Creek Jerseys, a ranch dairy in the Nebraska Sandhills that treats milk like a seasonal food and manages cows by the rhythm of the prairie, not the demands of a spreadsheet.

We dig into what true seasonal...

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Episode 21: Grazing School with Charlie Totton, Courtney Tyrrell & Bart Carmichael 

Think you know what your cattle will eat? Watch that certainty crumble when ten heifers meet a “weedy” paddock and turn it into beef and soil armor.

We sit down with Charlie Totton and Courtney Tyrrell, along with educator and rancher Bart Carmichael, to unpack the South Dakota Grassland Coalition 2025 Grazing School, a producer-l...

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 Episode 20: Preserving a Legacy with Watt Casey Jr. of Casey Beefmasters 

What does it take to build cattle that pay their way without props? We sat down with Watt Matthews Casey Jr. of Casey Beefmasters to trace a 77-year line of selection grounded in the Six Essentials—fertility, weight, conformation, hardiness, milk, and disposition—and a ruthless commitment to real-world performance. From a closed herd sin...

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 Episode 19: Generations of Stewardship with George Kempfer 

What happens when cattle are expected to perform in one of America's most challenging environments? They either adapt or fail. At Kempfer Cattle Company, five generations of ranching experience have created herds specifically designed to thrive where others can't survive.

George Kempfer takes us inside his family's operation, where nearly 3,000 mother cows...

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Episode 18: Docile Brahmans?!? with Grant and Nicole Vassberg of Kallion Farms

What happens when a breeder decides to push back against everything the cattle industry holds sacred? Grant and Nicole Vassberg of Kallion Farms have been doing exactly that with their bold approach to Brahman cattle.

For 15 years, Kallion has carried the label of “black sheep” in the Brahman world - systematically breeding away from the stereo...

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September 10, 2025 • 61 mins

Episode 17: Soil to Steak with Steve Campbell

Forgotten wisdom meets modern ranching challenges in this fascinating conversation with Steve Campbell, a seasoned cattle coach who helps producers improve everything from soil health to cattle selection. Campbell shares the profound concept of the "Solo Cup Cow" – a simple yet powerful visual guide that reveals why cattle conformation matters far more than most realize.

Cam...

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August 27, 2025 • 30 mins

Shooting The Bull: Episode 4 Preview

What happens when cattle breeding principles stay focused on function instead of fashion for three generations? The Meitler brothers reveal the extraordinary power of consistency at their family's Hereford operation, where their bulls routinely work for 10 to 12 years while mainstream operations sell replacements every 2 to 3 seasons.

From their hunting cabin in rural Kansas, brothers Darris and C...

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Episode 16: From the Breaks, Built to Last with Charlie & Courtney Totton

Deep in South Dakota's challenging Missouri River breaks, Charlie Totton and his daughter Courtney are quietly revolutionizing cattle production with a refreshingly straightforward approach. For nearly three decades, they've focused on breeding moderate-framed, fertile, low-maintenance Angus cattle that thrive where others fail – on steep terrain, mi...

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August 12, 2025 • 32 mins

Shooting The Bull: Episode 3 Preview

What does “proven” really mean in the cattle industry?

In this preview, Patrick Powers sits down with John Atkinson and Grant Vassberg to pull apart one of the most overused and misleading terms in the business. From herds with 900-day calving intervals still being sold as “elite,” to bulls kept marketable with 30 pounds of grain a day, they call out the marketing spin that...

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