How Adapted Genetics Grew into a Large-Scale Grass Finished Beef Business (WCP 542)

Kevin Wiltse has been on a soil health journey since the 1990's. He and his father made the transition to No-Till in the late 90's. He has since added in cover crops and grazing. This didn't accomplish everything they wanted to from a soil health perspective. Kevin has since made the move to convert some cash grain acres back to perennials. We discuss that journey and the lessons learned on this episode.Sponsors:RanchWork.comBig Country Genetics (Catalog)Relevant Links:Wiltse Family Farms

Most teams could be more productive. It isn't always a lack of alignment, mission, or vision that limits the effectiveness of teams. What really limits the effectiveness of teams is the execution. How do we analyze what needs done a break it down into digestible chunks. This is what the Ranch Work Method was designed to help you do. John Locke and his teammates at Ranch Work Solutions are using the SCRUM method to help teams reach their full potential.Sponsor:Sea-90 Ocean MineralsRelevant Links:Ranch Work Solutions

John Kempf of The Regenerative Agriculture Podcast and Advancing Eco Ag has been helping people develop more regenerative systems for years. One of the links in that chain is a reduction of dependence on chemical fertilizers. He joins me today to discuss the three-step process they have been taking people through to accomplish that goal.Sponsors:Indreland Angus RanchRanch RightBarber IndustriesSouth Dakota Grassland Coalition "Grasslands in Action" ConferenceRelevant Links:Advancing Eco AgJohn KempfRegenerative Agriculture Podcast

Daniel Doerksen and his family were seeking genetics that could get by on what the landscape could provide. They were able to accomplish that. One result of that was that they now had animals that could finish well on grass. This meant that they were able to take advantage of a market for Grass Finished Beef in their local area. This has lead to the starting of a butcher shop and a burger restaurant that has contributed to the success of their business.Sponsors:Big Country Genetics (Catalog)RanchWork.comRelevant Links:Gemstone Cattle CompanyGemstone Grass Fed Beef

How do we find the animals that can drive profitability by producing great offspring in their environment without assistance? We can do it yes, through management. That was part one of this conversation. In this, part two of the conversation, we discuss how the genetics express themselves in their environment and how to continually seek more and more adapted animals.Sponsor:By-O-Reg+Relevant Links:Wedge Tent RanchPrincipled Land ManagersSouth Dakota Grassland Coalition Grasslands in Action Conference

Peter Askew has been running RanchWork.com for decades. He has seen a lot of what works and doesn't work when it comes to hiring employees on the ranch. He joins me to discuss some the lessons he has learned in helping ranchers find employees and employment.Sponsors:Barber IndustriesSouth Dakota Grassland CoalitionIndreland AngusGraze! MagazineRelevant Links:RanchWork.com

Rob Havard has been on a journey from disillusionment with agriculture to running a financially struggling farm to paying off debt and being able to help others in his community get started. This has been made possible by his adherence to the principles of Holistic Management. Holistic Management has helped him see how functional genetics fit into a profitable system.Sponsors:South Dakota Grassland Coalition "Grasslands in Action" ConferenceRanch RightRanching.FYIIndreland RanchRelevant Links:Call to the Land PodcastPhepson AngusRob's Previous Episodes:Ep. 225 Bob Havard – Grass-Fed Beef GeneticsEp. 098 Bob Havard – Regenerative Ag in the UK

Jimmy and ShayLe Stewart of Big Country Genetics have scaled their operation from scratch. This December they will sell 130 forage developed bulls and 100 bred heifers. They started in 2019. The ability to scale that quickly intrigued me. I invited them on to talk about their mindset, how profitable cows helped this growth, and the values that have shaped their business over time.Sponsors:Remedi Animal SolutionsEp. 371 Ellen Bench – Implementing Homeopathic Livestock HealthEp. 368 Ellen Bench – Homeopathic Livestock HealthRelevant Links:Big Country GeneticsJimmy's Previous Episode:Ep. 504 Jimmy Stewart - How to Let Your Environment Shape Your Cattle

The deck has been stacked against grass and specifically grazing animals for a while now. The RANCH Act seeks to help alleviate these challenges by creating a working lands payment structure that encourages marginal crop acres to come out of row crop production and open them again for grazing acres. AJ Munger has been involved in the development of this legislation. He joins me to discuss the process of bringing this legislation as well as what it seeks to accomplish and how it could help grow the cow herd in the United States.Sponsors:Big Country GeneticsRanch RightGraze! MagazineSeven Weeks CoffeeRelevant Links:South Dakota Grassland CoalitionSouth Dakota Grasslands InitiativeCentral Grasslands RoadmapRANCH Act

Luke Perman helps me think better. He has recently been sharing some challenging articles and perspectives on X. He joins me to discuss those ideas today. We talk about indicators of a peak in the cattle market, how to remain profitable no matter where the market goes, and where to make strategic investments to help mitigate our tax burden.Sponsors:Ranching.FYIBig Country GeneticsSeven Weeks CoffeeRelevant LinksLuke on XAmerican HippopotamusKnowledge Rich Ranching by Allan Nation