Cattle Conversations

Today, Shaye Wanner is having a conversation with guest, Josh Gaskamp to discuss how wildfires affect ranchers and how to reduce risk through grazing management, prescribed fire, and planning. Josh explains that wildfires remove forage inventory, threaten livestock, and can raise feed costs, with fall fires creating greater hardship than spring fires.   He describes using adaptive grazing to reduce fine fuels by preventing excessive, gray thatch buildup, promoting younger growth with higher moisture, and improving soil health so residue breaks down faster. He outlines how to assess thatch by visual cues and digging into the soil, and when prescribed fire may be used for forage quality, brush control, biodiversity, and wildfire mitigation. They also cover planning for private and public lands, including livestock priorities, safe zones, alternate forage sources, and coordinating access for fire crews.   Learn more about wildfire mitigation strategies with Noble here: https://www.noble.org/find-a-course/   Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/             02:04 Meet Josh Gaskamp 03:18 How Wildfires Hit Ranchers 06:24 Grazing To Reduce Fuels 10:17 Spotting Too Much Thatch 12:49 Prescribed Fire As Tool 16:33 Public Lands Wildfire Plans 17:54 Building A Response Plan 21:32 After The Fire Recovery

This week, Shaye is joined by Jonathon Haralson of Your Ag Empire about building resilient, multi-generation agricultural operations. Haralson defines an “Ag Empire” as the dreams rural families pursue across cattle, row crops, and related businesses, then shares his background in Texas production agriculture and commodity risk management.   He explains Empire Ag’s work as business strategy support, improving recordkeeping, restructuring debt to match cash flow, and helping producers identify hidden business “holes” and emphasizes that sustainable success rests on strengthening body, mind, and spirit through preparation, nutrition, activity, gratitude, and belief in something bigger.   He outlines Empire Ag’s strategy, accounting, branding (including direct-to-consumer), and lending arm (EA Capital). They discuss growth versus optimization, opportunities from transitions, and the importance of family communication in succession planning, ending with Jonathon’s key takeaway on dropping the ego and aligning on your vision and mission.  Learn more about Your Ag Empire here: https://youragempire.com/  Learn more about the Noble Research Institute here: https://www.noble.org/find-a-course/   Learn more about Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef   Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG     Learn more about AtTheYards here: https://bit.ly/400T7mF   Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/          01:25 What Does Building an Ag Empire Look Like  02:43 Jonathon’s Ag Journey  05:19 How Empire Ag Helps  07:28 Body Mind Spirit Framework  11:05 Busy Season Body Tips  15:08 Mindset Under Pressure  18:14 Spirituality and Purpose  19:44 Financial Levers and Lending  25:01 Growth vs Optimization  26:56 Opportunities for Young Producers  32:21 Succession and Family Communication 

Today, Shaye Wanner interviews Donovan Wagner of Wagner Financial Services about why ranchers should invest during strong cattle markets instead of putting all equity back into land, equipment, and cattle. Wagner emphasizes planning for retirement, health events, and farm/ranch transition challenges, especially balancing inheritances among on-farm and off-farm children and avoiding family conflict.   He discusses tools including life insurance (including second-to-die and riders that can provide funds for long-term care needs), SEPs for larger deductible contributions (noting complications with employees), traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs for lower tax brackets, and HSAs for deductible medical expenses. Wagner stresses asking advisors about experience, fees, and coordination with CPAs and attorneys, keeping wills updated, using goal-based planning, and starting systematic contributions, even a small monthly amount, to benefit from compounding.  Learn more about the Noble Research Institute here: https://www.noble.org/find-a-course/  Learn more about Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef  Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG    Learn more about AtTheYards here: https://bit.ly/400T7mF  Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/      00:00 Why Invest Now  01:03 Meet Donovan Wagner  02:17 Equity Traps and Succession  05:04 Fair Is Not Equal  06:17 Life Insurance for Heirs  09:34 Pay Yourself Systematically  10:27 SEP and Roth Basics  13:32 Traditional IRA and Employees  15:19 Health Planning and HSAs  16:38 Long Term Care Options  21:15 Retirement Goals and Software  23:18 Avoiding Common Mistakes  26:10 Starting Young and Compounding   

Today on the Cattle Convos Podcast, Shaye Wanner interviews Shannon Emley, from Ambrook, about managerial accounting for ranchers. Shannon contrasts technical accounting for taxes and lenders with managerial accounting focused on clarity for business decision-making, emphasizing that clean, up-to-date books and properly categorized transactions are the foundation.   He explains how producers can analyze profitability by enterprise (cow-calf, stockers, custom grazing, hay), reduce emotion in decisions, and evaluate choices like grow-versus-buy feed, raise-versus-buy calves, or own-versus-hire equipment by capturing full costs including labor, fuel, and repairs.   Something he notes that makes Ambrook unique is that it can track sub-enterprises, locations, and metrics like profit per acre or per head, even down to individual cows using projects, plus inventory and timing of feed use. Emley recommends starting small, spending about 10 minutes weekly, and using the last 12 months’ P&L to forecast cash, including loan and equipment payments.  Learn more and try Ambrook at: ambrook.com/casualcattle  More links and resources from this episode: Learn more about the Noble Research Institute here: https://www.noble.org/find-a-course/   Learn more about Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef   Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG     Learn more about AtTheYards here: https://bit.ly/400T7mF   Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/          00:00 Big Decisions Made Easier  00:59 Meet Shannon Emley  02:22 Managerial Accounting Basics  03:29 Clean Books First  04:27 Enterprise Profitability  06:12 Grow Versus Buy  09:03 Start With Key Questions  10:17 Going Deeper With Tracking  13:30 Forecasting Cash Flow  15:10 Simple Weekly Habit  17:35 How to Try Ambrook   

This week on the Cattle Conversations Podcast, Shaye Wanner interviews fifth-generation North Central Montana rancher, Tyrel Obrecht, about using Vence’s virtual fence system on their replacement yearling heifers (mid-May to mid-September) for the past three years.     Tyrel explains choosing heifers over the main cow herd due to cost and better water development on deeded ground, and securing initial cost share through World Wildlife Fund’s RSVP program to install towers and trial the collars. He demonstrates the software for drawing fences, training cattle near barbed wire before moving to invisible lines, and using heat maps to evaluate grazing patterns around water and minerals.     Benefits include tighter grazing control in prairie potholes and creek pastures, freeing BLM pastures, supporting conception rates, and better rest distribution; challenges included early collar retention issues fixed by improved attachments and occasional updates/weather-related breaches.  Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG    Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/  01:11 Meet Tyrel Obrecht  01:27 Ranch Background Setup  03:05 Why Try Vence  04:09 Starting With Heifers  05:44 Cost Share Funding  07:50 Benefits In Grazing  09:06 Software Fence Drawing  11:22 Training The Cattle  14:01 Moves Updates Reality  17:25 Heat Maps Insights  19:02 Nutrition Planning Data  20:45 Challenges Collar Retention  22:27 Is Vence Worth It?   

Today on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, Shaye Wanner talks with Connor and Jacob of Dakota Prairie Beef in southwestern North Dakota about building a custom feeding operation focused on serving local producers, especially through replacement heifer development and backgrounding. They describe their backgrounds, two-location setup, and how they support breeding prep while producers provide AI technicians.   Key challenges they talk about include sourcing affordable, quality feed, especially in dry years, and managing cash flow during seasonal slow periods. They explain how equipment upgrades and the Performance Beef software improve feeding efficiency, remote management, billing transparency, and employee usability.   Performance Beef also enables individual-animal traceability via EID scanning, treatment records, and weight/ADG tracking so producers can receive detailed data on their cattle. They emphasize consistent service, communication, facility improvements to reduce stress, and being a stable, long-term partner rather than maximizing short-term profit.  Learn more about Performance Livestock Analytics here: https://bit.ly/47PxY3W   Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/      00:00 Feedlot Data Made Simple  01:09 Meet Dakota Prairie Beef  02:36 Connor and Jacob Backgrounds  03:48 Heifer Development Focus  06:19 Challenges Feed and Cashflow  08:28 Tools Performance Beef Setup  10:02 Animal Health and Traceability  13:49 Billing Transparency and Staff Use  16:23 Future Goals Efficiency Upgrades  19:26 What Ranchers Should Know   

This week, Shaye welcomes back Jacob Sebade, founder of AtTheYards and part of a 6,000-head family feedyard in Emerson, Nebraska, and Jim Akers, COO of the Bluegrass Livestock Marketing Network in Kentucky, about maximizing cattle exposure through better pre-sale information. They explain how the AtTheYards app helps sale barns collect standardized consignment details, videos, documents, and health/genetic info and publish upcoming lots so buyers can find cattle, filter by criteria, contact the right barn representative, and connect with order buyers.   Jim uses the app across seven barns to enter cattle in the field via smartphones, generate clean standardized sale sheets, and notify buyers earlier, including Sunday arrivals. The app offers buyer accounts, watchlists, and email alerts. They discuss value-driving questions such as weaning length (often 60+ days), open heifer guarantees, specific vaccine protocols, implants, and nutrition.  This conversation shows that AtTheYards isn’t just for marketing feeder cattle. It also serves seedstock producers and the Cattleman’s Corner feature provides easy to analyze graphs about market prices, packer leverage and the market wire.    This new business model is exciting for sectors of the beef industry. It is available today at app.AtTheYards.com or in the App Store and Google Play.  Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/      00:14 Meet Jacob And Jim  01:30 Why Exposure Matters  02:37 Standardizing Cattle Info  05:44 How AtTheYard Works  08:37 Dashboard And Rollout  10:11 Deadlines And Intake  11:36 Buyer Features And Alerts  13:13 Download And Data Quality  15:05 What Buyers Value Most 

This week, Shaye Wanner interviews Shane Maddock of Mattock Ranches about holistic/regenerative management, shaped by his father’s practices since 1992. Shane describes their North Dakota commercial cow-calf operation with backgrounding, yearlings, heifer development, and some row crops and small grains near Maddock. He explains rebuilding degraded soils by reducing reliance on outside inputs through frequent moves, adequate rest and full grass recovery, and adaptive grazing based on pasture conditions.   Shane shares unconventional infrastructure like permanent fencing and water tanks placed in the middle of cropland to enable winter grazing, bale grazing, and flexible feeding. After initially seeding diverse cover crops, he shifted to perennials and now plans a sod-based crop rotation with renewed cover cropping. He is composting feedlot manure and experimenting with compost tea to boost soil biology. Key challenges include labor, infrastructure setup, and profitability, and he urges ranchers to question tradition and find mentors.    Learn more about Performance Livestock Analytics here: https://bit.ly/47PxY3W   Learn more about Ambrook here: ambrook.com/casualcattle     Learn more about Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef    Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations    00:47 Meet Shane Maddock  01:22 Why Regenerative Matters  02:28 Operation Overview  04:10 Growing Up Holistic  05:21 Grazing Principles Basics  06:25 Cover Crops to Perennials  08:02 Neighbors Think You're Crazy  09:05 Adaptive Grazing Decisions  10:30 Rest and Recovery Cues  11:07 Water Tanks in Cropland  13:58 Winter Grazing Setup  15:04 Virtual Fencing Curiosity  16:18 Compost and Tea Trials  19:00 Learning Resources and Soil  21:06 Challenges and Profitability   

This week, Shaye welcomes back Chris Sherman, CEO of Tech Support Farm, to discuss fall cybersecurity and fraud threats facing farms and ranches. Sherman highlights RFID tag swapping in cattle sales, emphasizing vigilance and real-time verification to prevent animals being sold at incorrect values.   He also warns that busy seasons increase bank fraud and vendor-payment scams, advising producers to verify payment changes and urgent requests by phone, watch for spoofed emails, and use simple email folder rules to flag fake invoices. If a bad link is clicked or money is sent, he recommends contacting a cybersecurity provider, reporting significant losses via the FBI’s IC3, and carrying cyber insurance.   He notes commercial accounts often have only 24 hours to dispute fraudulent transactions and suggests tools like Positive Pay, along with MFA/2FA, strong passwords, and paid domain email for better protection.  You can learn more about what Chris offers at https://techsupport.farm/.     Learn more about Performance Livestock Analytics here: https://bit.ly/47PxY3W  Learn more about Ambrook here: ambrook.com/casualcattle   Learn more about Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef   Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations    00:00 Risk Meets Cybersecurity  01:14 Meet Chris Sherman  02:37 Fall Threats Overview  04:03 RFID Tag Swapping  06:00 Busy Season Bank Fraud  08:22 If You Clicked Or Paid  12:27 Ponzi Schemes Due Diligence  14:15 Harvest Season Digital Hygiene  15:52 Passwords And Paid Email  16:25 Year End Vigilance Wrap Up   

Today on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, Shaye interviews Corteva pasture specialist, Rachel Walker, about prioritizing fall weed control to maximize usable forage and extend grazing days. Walker explains that winter-emerging weeds like plantain, thistles, and poison hemlock should be treated in fall when young, using options such as DuraCor and UltiGraze.   She describes DuraCor’s two-actives approach and notes grazing is allowed, with hay sales restrictions depending on state. They discuss why weed control matters in drought and for preventing livestock losses to toxic plants, and how improved control can reduce hay feeding and enable adding diverse grasses and clover. Walker recommends frequent soil testing and taking advantage of free forage testing, and adds fall brush control timing guidance.  Learn more about Corteva solutions here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations    Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/     00:00 Fall Weed Control Urgency  01:10 Meet Rachel Walker  02:43 Drought and Hay Outlook  04:07 Grazing Longer Into Winter  06:19 Targeting Winter Weeds  10:21 Why Weed Control Matters  14:09 UltiGraze and Soil Testing  16:39 Forage Testing and Nutrition  18:23 Clover Integration With NovaGraze  20:16 Brush Control Timing