How Community Keeps Ranching Alive - Jason Wrich | #97

This episode was recorded during the Colorado farm tour and features a long-form conversation with Jason Wrich from Wrich Ranches, a regenerative cattle operation built on leased land, rebuilt soil, and decades of hands-on learning.

We walk through the origins of the ranch, the economics behind conventional vs regenerative systems, the realities of grazing management, and the cultural disconnect shaping how Americans think about food.

The discussion moves from land stewardship and plant physiology to market forces, subsidies, meat processing, the American diet, and why local food systems matter.

It’s a grounded look at how real ranching works, what it costs, and what it reveals about the country’s future.

Key Topics

- Growing a regenerative cattle operation on leased land and limited resources.

- How plant physiology and grazing timing drive true soil health.

- The hidden financial reality of ranching: debt, land leases, and cattle markets.

- Why America is nutritionally sick and culturally disconnected from food.

- The need for micro-processors, local supply chains, and real decentralization.

Why You Should Listen

- A transparent breakdown of how ranch economics actually function.

- Firsthand insight into regenerative grazing, soil cycles, and land recovery.

- A candid discussion of American food disconnection and its consequences.

- An inside view of the challenges ranchers face in drought, markets, and policy.

Connect with Jason:
Website
Instagram

Timestamps

00:00:00 Camping, disconnection, and how far society has shifted from food
00:01:00 Airbnb guests becoming beef customers and building trust
00:03:00 Early exposure to farming and lessons from Rick’s grandfather
00:05:00 Ranching in the 1980s and why the family operation barely survived
00:08:00 Working full-time while farming full-time and raising a family
00:11:00 Selling high-elevation hay and the old-school trust economy
00:14:00 Processed food, hormones, and the roots of America’s health collapse
00:17:00 Customers witnessing slaughter and reconnecting with the life–death cycle
00:21:00 Grazing timing, plant cycles, and understanding true soil function
00:27:00 Managing weeds through grazing and cattle behavior
00:31:00 Leasing land, landowners, and why good relationships matter
00:36:00 Generational loss of agricultural knowledge and young agrarians
00:39:00 Restoring degraded pastures with biomass and proper cycles
00:46:00 The case for micro-processors and problems in large packing plants
00:51:00 Food stamps, ultra-processed diets, and engineered food addiction
00:55:00 Losing personal responsibility and the cultural consequences
00:59:00 Specialization vs. self-reliance and the fading generalist skillset
01:02:00 The American Dream, suburban design, and comfort eroding resilience
01:09:00 Public-land grazing vs. private leases and the real cost differences
01:14:00 Why selling calves can be more profitable than finishing beef
01:16:00 Community impact, customer stories, and why the work continues
01:17:00 Global visitors, land ownership, and what makes America unique