James is an Iowa farmer and cattleman discovering ways to integrate feeder and stocker cattle on cropland in unique and profitable ways! We discuss his turning cropland into grass to background stockers, how he uses crop residue as a cattle finishing area, and how he uses cover crops! Lots to learn in this one! Resources Mentioned: Practical Farmer…

Taylor isn't afraid to sit down and do the numbers, he looks at each enterprise opportunity and does what makes sense not just what everybody else does. This focus has allowed him to find success starting a farm from scratch on North Carolina farm. In this podcast he shares his career in NASCAR and transition to full time farming. Resources Mention…

If you are a cattle guy, please don't skip past this episode when I mention that todays guest is a goat producer from Iowa. Adam Ledvina shares how goats can be extremely profitable on acres that cattle and even sheep can't fully utilize on steep slopes with overgrown woods, brush and weeds! He explains how he has developed a low input profitable g…

Cal is a fellow grazing podcaster and farmer/rancher from Oklahoma. We discuss his career and how he's shifted to a low input, grazing management focused grass farmer and has found success in doing that! Resources Mentioned: No Risk Ranching - Greg Judy Noble Research Institute Working Cows Podcast Ranching Reboot Herd Quitter Podcast Just a Few Ac…

Noah and his family have a diversified farming operation running 180 cow/calf pairs, several hundred hogs for Niman Ranch, feedlot beef and crops. They do a great job integrating livestock with the cropping enterprise through getting cattle out on the land, or diversifying their crop rotation and putting those harder to market grains through pigs o…

Rachelle and her family are crushing it at life and farming down in Southeast Minnesota! Rachelle talks about how they manage to run a dairy farm, 500 goats, 800 sheep, stocker cattle, run a direct market business and raise a family with 7 kids! If you want to see more, check out their youtube at wholesome family farms on youtube! Resources Mention…

Allen and I discuss how important epigenetic selection is for building an adapted herd of livestock for your farm or ranch. It's when you have a properly adapted herd that you can reduce inputs and significantly improve business profits! We talk about how his cost of production per cow is significantly below national averages. If you are looking to…

Ariel and I discuss her journey to her current ranch in New Mexico. We talk about the differences in the regions and production models they've experienced. How they logistically manage a ranch over tens of thousands of acres and managed a ranch 700+ miles away in another state! Lots to learn from her awesome experience! Resources Mentioned: Quivira…

Aaron has an awesome story of finding a way to build a first generation farm capable of supporting his family! He shares his story in this episode with lots of bits of wisdom we can all benefit from! Resources Mentioned:Executive Link and Ranching for ProfitSell/buy marketing schoolsKnowledge Rich Ranching - Allan NationThoughts and Advice from an …

Dr. Richard Watson started a grazing dairy business in 2007 which has since expanded to 3 sites totaling over 2000 acres with a capacity to milk over 2500 cows. He is now working on developing a milk processing facility to vertically integrate his business to capture the premium that his grazing model offers but has so far been challenging to captu…

Kit Pharo has built an incredibly successful ranch and seedstock business as one of the top ten in the seedstock 100 for several years in a row and serving thousands of customers over several decades! I asked Kit to share with me some of his reflections on that experience and what he sees as important traits and actions for somebody who wishes to b…

Fortunate to have the opportunity to have a collaborative podcast with Jared Knock and Justin Fruechte, hosts of the Roots and Ruminats podcast. We discuss everything from our respective operations, to managing diverse farms, farm succession, improved perennials vs. natives vs. annuals and so much more! Check out Barn2Door at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.barn2door…

Will Harris is one of those guys who pioneered much of regenerative agriculture, direct to consumer marketing, vertical integration on the family farm level and so much more! It's an honor to get to share some of what he's learned with you through these conversations. You can hear more of his story on episode 55 or better yet buy his new book "A Bo…

Stories like Drews are some of my favorite to share on this podcast! Drew didn't grow up on a family ranch, but over the course of the last 15 years or so has built up a successful grazing business which he now does full time and purchased several hundred acres in northern Missouri. To sign up for Wally Olson's online sell/buy marketing class go to…

Gage Iverson is a rancher who has successfully grazed his cowherd all winter long for several years in a row in an environment where so many think it's not possible! Take a listen as we discuss his experience, what it's done to improve profitability and his tips for somebody wanting to do the same thing! Check out Barn2Door at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.barn2door.c…

For many, when they look at the economics of their cow/calf enterprise and see the lack of profitability, their assumption is that the cow/calf business is not for them. Dallas shares that the average cow/calf producer is not profitable, however, top producers have found it to be incredibly profitable. So we discuss how to improve the profitability…

Ryan and his family have decided to make the shift from cow/calf to stockers to improve the profitability of their Montana ranch and they are jumping all in! He talks about the why, the how, and so much more in this conversation! Resources Mentioned: Dirt to Soil - Gabe Brown Ranching for Profit Herd Quitter Podcast Working Cows Podcast Ranching Re…

Jesse and I discuss tips for managing many different obligations, we discuss his experience with TCU Ranch Management. But most of our time is spent on his ranch enteprises, grazing management and how he is being compensated for his management with carbon credits through Grassroots Carbon. I believe this is the first time I have ever discussed carb…

Merry Christmas!! In episode 101 we discussed Trevors decision to switch from cow/calf to custom grazing. We catch up a year later to discuss how his first year running a large herd of stockers has gone for him. Before we discuss this year, we go into depth on an enterprise analysis on his cow/calf enterprise and why this decision made sense for hi…

For the 150th episode I listened back to the top 5 episodes by listens and clipped some of my favorite parts of those conversations. There is so much great stuff in each of these episodes! Check out Barn2Door at ⁠⁠⁠www.barn2door.com/herdquitter⁠⁠⁠ and receive a free academy class ($99 value) if you sign up.As always, check us out at Herd Quitter Po…

Chad Peterson has a wealth of experience in a variety of different grazing based enterprises now in multiple states. We discuss many of his learning experiences over the years and why he currently runs a stocker operation in Montana. We talk about ultra high stock density grazing, forage utilization, supplement feeding stockers, and so much more! C…

Logan Mannix along with his father, uncles and several cousins run Mannix Family Beef in Montana. They have a diversified, large scale, vertically integrated beef operation. Currently they run 1250 cows, background calves, and grass finish and market 400 head of beef direct to consumer as well as to several wholesale markets. We discuss everything …

Amos and his wife Tina have a diversified business in Northeast Iowa where they crop farm, run livestock, sell cover crop seed and offer custom seeding as a service. In this episode we discuss how cover crops can be used on high value tillable land to increase the profit of the operation, how to integrate them with crops and livestock and much more…

Matthew ranched like most people in his area but after learning a little about low input ranching and regenerative management and it's potential to help improve production and profitability he began to transition his cow herd and management to improve. He shares many of the learning lessons he experience transitioning over 500 cows to a low input g…

Many say that today it's impossible to become a full time farmer or rancher if you aren't born into it or marry into it. But I've got three past guests Sage Askin, Vannie Collins, and Christopher Baggot on who have each built from scratch their own successful operations within the past 15 years. They come from different starting points but share di…

Connor is a grazier in Wisconsin who at only 24 years old is already a full time farmer and a land owner. He has a diversity of livestock enterprises including custom grazing, cow/calf and heifer development. We discuss enterprise selection, where to invest capital, accessing land and much more! Resources Mentioned: Gregg Judy NRCS Office Neighbors…

John spent several years moving from farm to farm taking advantage of opportunities to build equity in land and cows until he got to where he is today. John owns 300 cows and 500 acres and operates his own successful grazing based dairy with his wife in Tasmania, Australia. We walk through his story, discuss the risks associated with debt and growt…

I brought back three past guests who all are working to develop composite genetics that will offer adaption to the heat, humidity, and parasite pressure that many ranchers in the US face while not giving up the performance or quality that our purebred angus, red angus and hereford cattle provide. We dive into the different breeds they are using whi…

Joel Salatin is one of the most popular farmers in the world. He has written 16 books, is the editor of the Stockman Grass Farmer, and owns and operates the popular Polyface Farm. We discuss his farm, how he monetizes agritourism and education on his farm and learn tips to creating a successful direct to consumer enterprise as well as how to change…

Rachel and her husband farm and ranch in Nebraska and have a diversified operation consisting of no-till crops, organic crops, cow/calf enterprises as well as a grass finishing and direct to consumer business. We discuss these different enterprises as well as the blessings and challenges that come with raising a family on a farm! Resources Mentione…

Elaine is an internationally known farm transition expert! The topic of transition is something that every farmer will have to deal with at some point and very few have a plan. She walks through 3 of the important conversations that need to be addressed before a transition can take place. Resources Mentioned: Dick Wittman - Wittman Consulting Elain…

Tom is author of the book "Ranching Like a 12 Year Old" where he shares his story of developing a ranch template to help simplify the management of a ranch to improve lifestyle and to allow for the opportunity to scale. He shares how this model allowed him to build a ranch custom grazing thousands of animals and also how to grow more grass than man…

Chris is a first generation farmer who has managed to grow a large and successful direct marketing enterprise and grazing based farm on row crop land in Indiana. Just in that statement their are a number of things many would say are not possible or at least are extremely difficult to do. Take a listen to learn how he did this and so much more! Reso…

I get questions from folks quite often via email or social media. I appreciate people reaching out and over the years a few questions have come up multiple times that I thought might be nice to address via the podcast. I'm happy to share more in depth on any one topic or address some of the others. Respond to the poll on the podcast or reach out to…

Al and his family have a pretty unique ranching story. He started in Indiana as a crop farmer and had the opportunity to take over a ranch there, he later moved and built a ranch in Oklahoma followed by moving again and building another ranch in Missouri. He shares many of his learning experiences, and discusses using Romosinuano cattle to improve …

Clint is an ag business advisor who acts as a third party board member for farms and ranches. Today we discuss some of the experiences he's had in this role, we discuss succession and much more. Resources Mentioned: University Extension Financial Experts, Attorney Workshops Herd Quitter Podcast As always, check us out at Herd Quitter Podcast on Fac…

Carl and his family own a diverse farm and ranch operation. They implement no-till and cover crops on their farmland and manage goats in multiple states! Resources Mentioned: Ranching for Profit Herd Quitter Podcast As always, check us out at Herd Quitter Podcast on Facebook and Instagram as well as at herdquitterpodcast.com. You can also check out…

Even with record prices, many are not finding the best of times as good as they would expect. Operations dependent on high levels of feed inputs, a full fleet of equipment and an abundance of labor are feeling the effects of inflation on all of those expenses. This means that even during record high prices many are still losing money or having slim…

Sean McGrath is a Canadian rancher running cattle in an environment where most people have to feed 200+ days a year yet feeding less than many do in the southern United States. We discuss how he has made cow/calf production profitable in his region, we discuss swath grazing and bale grazing and much more! Resources Mentioned: Ranching for Profit Ag…

My first conversation with Jordan was way back on episode 80 and he generated a lot of good discussion! Today we dig into some of those topics about how to build a bullet proof low input business model to increase profitability on your ranch! As always, check us out at Herd Quitter Podcast on Facebook and Instagram as well as at herdquitterpodcast.…

Nevil and I discuss things affecting the cattle market today including the weather, cattle numbers, prop 12 in California, the general economy, consolidation and coordination in the cattle industry and much more! As always, check us out at Herd Quitter Podcast on Facebook and Instagram as well as at herdquitterpodcast.com. You can also check out Ph…

The heat, humidity and endophyte infected fescue found in Missouri and throughout the southeast present a real challenge to cattle producers there. Weston and I discuss things such as developing adapted genetics to your environment, calving window and other things that have helped him be a more profitable producer. Resources Mentioned: PCC Newslett…

Today I get three guys I have a ton of respect for together to discuss ranching. We talk about drought, grazing management, apple cider vinegar, and more.As always, check us out at Herd Quitter Podcast on Facebook and Instagram as well as at herdquitterpodcast.com. You can also check out Pharocattle.com for more information on how to put more fun a…

Laura joins me for part 2 of our conversation of her Texas ranch, listen to part one on episode 122 to hear her story and their grazing management. In this episode we discuss her cow/calf production model and how they have reduced costs dramatically allowing them to have a cost of production nearly half of the national average. As always, check us …

Sage is somebody who I have wanted to get on the podcast for the longest time! His story is one that has inspired me and continues to every time I hear it. He started his ranching operation not long ago and now manages several ranch units in multiple states. In this episode he shares his story which has so much valuable information on how he did it…

Jill Winger is an entrepreneur. She is an author, podcaster, restaurant owner, blogger, social media influencer, direct marketing and first generation rancher! We discuss all of the things as well and the importance of being intentional about our food choices and how they started up their ranch and direct marketing enterprise. Lots to learn from th…

Gene Goven is a farmer/rancher in North Dakota who has an incredible story of building soil and profitable ranching in North Dakota. He now leaves more forage behind as residue when rotating than the ranch used to produce when he took it over. Lots of wisdom in this episode. As always, check us out at Herd Quitter Podcast on Facebook and Instagram …

Laura has a pretty awesome story of education and work experience to getting back to her family ranch in the Texas Panhandle. Today she is running the family ranch with her dad and implementing sell/buy marketing, adapted low input genetics and grazing management to help her ranch become more profitable. Resources Mentioned: Healthy Land, Happy Fam…

Logan Duvall and his family run a privately owned outdoor farmers market where they source and purchase food from local farmers and ranchers and market them to health conscious consumers shopping for high quality regenerative food. In this episode we talk largely about what it takes to market food direct to consumer, we talk about his store and con…

I'm joined again by Hobbs Magaret. In our past conversation on episode 110, we left a lot of topics undiscussed and so today we hopped back on a call again to talk about his genetics, grazing management, and more. As always, check us out at Herd Quitter Podcast on Facebook and Instagram as well as at herdquitterpodcast.com. You can also check out P…