Working Cows - Regenerative Ranching to Maximize Profitability and Soil Health

We often think that hay making and land regeneration are at odds. That doesn't have to be the case if we are intentional with our approach to hay making. John Hays and Jeremy Sweeten of Understanding Ag join me to discuss the ins and outs of regenerative hay making. We discuss the challenges to landscape regeneration presented by hay making as well as some practical tips for how to hay in a way that fits the 6-3-4 framework.

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When it comes to regenerating landscapes hay fields present a particular set of challenges. Keith Berns of Green Cover Seed joined me to share what he has seen work well in helping those hay fields improve using cover crops, grazing, and strategy to keep progress moving forward.

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Northern Environments can be challenging. From ice and snow to bitter cold temperatures there are a different set of challenges in the North. Blain Hjertaas and Michael Thiele of Understanding Ag have a lot of experience making Regenerative Agriculture work in these challenging environments. We discuss the strategies and practices that they have found helpful in overcoming the many challenges of their environment.

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Cow poop is an ecosystem unto itself. There are many insects and other organisms living in a dung pat that can help us to make use of the nutrients excreted out of the back end of a cow. Dr. Ryan Schmid shares with me what he has seen work well as far as taking advantage of the helpful insects and mitigating the impact of those that can become pests if the system gets out of balance.

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You will go farther with people than you can go by yourself. To succeed with people you will need to build different skills than it takes to manage grass, money, and livestock. Josh Kerpan is seeking to equip ranchers with the skills they need to manage their people well.

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America is a global leader in agriculture. Our influence has an incredibly broad reach. The problem with that is most places around the world don't have the infrastructure and supply chains to support feeding cattle like we do in America. The result is that many places around the world that have used American beef genetics (Taurus and Indicus) now routinely have 40% calf crops with most females only producing a calf every two to th...

The Midwest can be a difficult place to graze for a host of reasons. The competitiveness of the cash rent market, parasite load, mud, forage quality, and many other issues face those seeking to profitably graze in this region. Today we are joined by John Hays and Jeremy Sweeten of Understanding Ag to discuss their own experience with profitable grazing businesses as well as what they have seen work well as they have consulted on a ...

As Taylor Moyer and his wife have sought to bootstrap their ranch operation they have had to think outside the box from an enterprise mix perspective, marketing perspective, and as it pertains to the potential sources of revenue the ranch can produce. This has led them to many capitalize on many different opportunities including custom grazing poultry and using “weeds” as a backdrop in senior photos and wedding photos. We discuss t...

Supply management may not line up with free market principles, but the fruits of it to this point have been positive for Sean Smith and his family. These strategies have helped the to remain profitable at a scale a family can manage. They have also freed them up to experiment with some more regenerative practices.

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We are facing water quality and quantity issues across a broad swath of the agricultural landscape. This impacts not only our rural communities, but also those in cities and towns downstream from our operations. Brian Dougherty and Eric Fuchs join me today to discuss the simple methods agriculturalists can use to improve their land’s ability to hold on to more water. This will simultaneously fix many of the water quality issues in ...

In this world we will have trouble. We will experience pain, suffering, loss, and difficulty. How do we do that well? What role does faith play in helping us to successfully navigate these challenges. Dalton Darnell of 3:10 Ranch Life shares about his experience in dealing with Psoriatic Arthritis. We discuss the role of community, exercise, and his walk with Jesus in helping him overcome all of the related issues.

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As we progress down the regenerative journey we will see many changes on the landscape. Not the least of which is the diversity of wildlife that will be attracted to our operations. Jeremy Sweeten and Kent Solberg join me to discuss the ways to create spaces for wildlife as well as strategies for capitalizing on the wildlife that come as the landscape becomes more attractive to them.

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Tyson Langland started his career with a data and analytics firm that worked with NFL football teams. When he decided to come back to the family farm and take over the cowherd, he brought that expertise with him. He achieved some goals regarding maternal traits early on, but that left him wanting more in the realm of performance. Since that time, they have been on a journey using genomic testing to speed up their movement toward th...

The US Military has millions of acres within the US Border. In addition, they have the opportunity to impact many more acres outside of the United States by assisting those around US Military installations abroad to bring their management into alignment with regenerative principles. Maj. Eric Czaja is working to see this happen starting here at home and spreading abroad.

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Your ideal customer is looking for what you are selling when you are selling it. They are willing to pay more because you have what they are demanding when the supply is lowest. Knowing your ideal customer isn’t just for direct-to-consumer business. In fact, Matt Stone of Dakota Growth joined me to discuss how Cow/Calf operators can find their ideal customer and be the guide to help the hero in this story find what they are looking...

If we are going to grass-finish our animals, we should do it excellently. There are many pieces to accomplishing this. It is possible in almost all latitudes and longitudes. Today, Dr. Allen Williams shares with us what he has learned about grass-finishing in nearly 30 years of doing it.

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If we aren’t measuring what matters we can’t manage it. First, we need to decide what we are trying to accomplish and then start measuring the data that correlates to that goal so that we can make good decisions for profitable businesses. Eric Jasinski of Ambrook helps us think about how we can get started on this journey.

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Principles are powerful tools that can help us to avoid the temptation to follow the crowd and ranch like everyone else. Today we talk to Bart Carmichael and Pat Guptill about their new venture together, Principled Land Managers. We discuss both of their histories with regenerative agriculture as well as how they work to foster the kind of mutual mentorship relationship they have enjoyed among those who participate in their program...

Burke Teichert has a long track record of success in managing profitable ranches. Over that time, he has noticed some commonalities among successful ranch managers. He has boiled it down to Five Essentials. Today we discuss these 5 Essentials and how to apply them in a way that all resources under management are on a continuous plane of improvement.

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