194. Grazing Smarter in North Dakota with Fourth Generation Rancher Shane Maddock

In this episode, Cal visits with Shane Maddock, a fourth-generation rancher from north-central North Dakota, where cattle country meets farm country. Shane shares the story of building a regenerative operation through drought, grazing challenges, and generations of learning. He discusses taking over a neighbor’s ranch after returning from National Guard service, developing cross-fenced paddocks and a positive/negative electric system, managing water in the Prairie Pothole Region, and adjusting his grazing philosophy from “a third, a third, a third” to adaptive management guided by what the grass and cattle tell him.

Topics covered

• Growing up on a holistic-management ranch and learning from his father
• Leasing cattle and structuring multi-year cow leases
• Designing high-tensile fencing and pos/neg wiring for sandy soils
• Transitioning from mild rotation to intensive adaptive grazing
• Managing drought risk with insurance pastures and flexible enterprises
• Using Rio Max minerals and observing dramatic feed-efficiency gains
• Calving-date adjustments and hybrid-vigor breeding decisions
• Founding Maddock Ranch Supply and serving the community
• His father receiving North Dakota’s Leopold Conservation Award

 If you’ve ever wondered how to keep cows productive through seven drought years out of eleven—or how to balance generational wisdom with modern regenerative ideas—Shane’s story delivers practical lessons on adaptation, family teamwork, and faith in the land’s resilience.

Resources mentioned

• Maddock Ranch maddockranch.com
• Maddock Ranch Supply  maddockranchsupply.com
• Man, Cattle and Veld – Johan Zietsman
• Grass-Fed Cattle – Julius Ruechel
• Holistic Management – Allan Savory
• Dirt to Soil – Gabe Brown
• North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition Mentorship Program
• Rio Max Minerals - riomax.net

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Original Music by Louis Palfrey