Grazing Grass Podcast sharing Regenerative Ag Stories

Show notes available at https://grazinggrass.com/episodes/25 Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

Austin Troyer of Crossroads Land and Livestock shares his journey as a first-generation farmer in eastern Ohio, building a large-scale grazing operation entirely on leased land. Austin explains how working for established ranches shaped his low-input mindset, how he spent years searching for the right lease, and why he has chosen to prioritize sheep alongside cattle on reclaimed strip-mine ground. Throughout the conversation, Austin breaks down the realities of fencing, water limitations, winter grazing without hay, and the business decisions that allow his family operation to grow without heavy capital investment.In this episode, we cover:Starting from zero with no livestock backgroundFinding and securing long-term leased grazing landBuilding miles of low-cost electric fencingGrazing reclaimed strip-mine ground in OhioManaging cattle and sheep togetherWhy sheep fit steep and invasive-heavy landLivestock guardian dogs and predator controlWinter grazing without hay or equipmentAdjusting stocking rates instead of buying machineryDirect-to-consumer sales vs wholesale marketsWhy marketing can be harder than productionThe philosophy of low-input grazing operationsWhy This Episode Matters This episode offers a realistic look at what it takes to start and scale a grazing operation without land ownership, expensive equipment, or high inputs. Austin’s experience highlights practical decision-making, patience, and mindset shifts that are especially valuable for beginning farmers, leased-land operators, and anyone questioning conventional approaches to infrastructure, winter feeding, or expansion.Resources MentionedThe Turnaround by Dave PrattRanching for Profit SchoolOnX MapsNo-Risk Ranching by Greg JudyFind Out MoreWebsite: https://www.crossroadslandandlivestock.comInstagram: @crossroadslandlivestock Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

Loyd Borntrager is a second-generation dairy farmer from south-central Kansas who has transitioned his family farm from conventional dairying to a pasture-based, direct-to-consumer raw dairy model. At Borntrager Dairy, Loyd focuses on grass-fed production, once-a-day milking, and building a resilient farm business centered on quality, family life, and strong customer relationships. His operation includes Dutch Belted cattle, on-farm dairy processing, and diversified livestock enterprises.Topics Covered in This EpisodeTransitioning from conventional to grass-based dairyingWhy Dutch Belted cattle fit a grazing dairy systemOnce-a-day milking and its impact on cows and family lifeDirect-to-consumer raw milk sales under Kansas lawProducing cheese, yogurt, butter, and other dairy products on-farmUsing sprouted barley fodder as winter feedPasture species mixes for dairy cows in a 30-inch rainfall regionStrip grazing, fencing, and water infrastructureIntegrating layers, hogs, and pastured rabbits into the farm systemShifting mindset from production volume to product qualityWhy This Episode Matters This episode offers a real-world look at what it takes to move away from volume-driven agriculture and toward a quality-focused, customer-centered farm business. Loyd shares practical lessons about breed selection, grazing management, and lifestyle tradeoffs, making this conversation especially valuable for graziers considering dairying, diversification, or direct marketing.Resources MentionedThe Forgiveness of Nature by Charles WaltersAcres USAStockman Grass Farmer magazineFind Out MoreWebsite: https://borntragerdairy.comSocial media: Facebook and Instagram (Borntrager Dairy)Email list: Available through the Borntrager Dairy website Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

Logan Karcher is the owner and operator of Burnt Hill Cattle Company in southern Illinois, where he raises grass-fed beef, hair sheep, pasture pork, and poultry using regenerative grazing principles. Logan shares his journey from conventional agriculture and rodeo stock to intensive grazing, hair sheep, and diversified enterprises that fit both the land and his goals. His story highlights how education, experimentation, and observation shaped an operation focused on soil health, profitability, and simplicity.In this episode, we explore:Logan’s transition from bucking bulls and feed-based systems to regenerative grazingHow college, mentors, and grazing schools influenced his management decisionsWhy hair sheep became a key enterprise on limited acreageRunning cattle and sheep together with single-strand polywireSheep economics compared to cow-calf on small farmsClearing wooded ground using sheep instead of equipmentLessons learned about fencing, water systems, and infrastructureCover crops, grazing on cropland, and working with conventional row-crop farmersWhy low-input livestock systems matter for long-term resilienceWhy This Episode Matters This episode offers a clear, real-world look at how regenerative grazing works on a small, mixed operation. Logan’s experience shows how stacking enterprises, matching livestock to the land, and staying curious can dramatically improve both profitability and quality of life. For anyone managing limited acreage or considering sheep, this conversation provides practical insight without hype.Resources MentionedNo-Risk Ranching by Greg JudyStockman Grass Farmer magazineGrazing schools and Soil Health Academy eventsUnderstanding Ag programsFind Out MoreBurnt Hill Cattle Company on FacebookFar Away Farms and Arena (operation Logan manages) Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

Daniel Rose of Grassroots Ranch shares his path from having no farming background to building a diversified, direct-to-consumer livestock operation through leased land near Tulsa. Inspired by reading You Can Farm and learning directly from experience, Daniel walks through the realities of raising grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, and forest-raised pork while managing forage, fencing, water, and labor. This conversation offers an honest look at learning curves, early missteps, and the long-term mindset required to make grass-based farming work.Topics Covered in This EpisodeGetting started in farming without an agricultural backgroundLeasing land as a practical entry point into livestock productionEarly lessons from raising sheep and understanding market demandTransitioning into grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, and porkLearning rotational grazing through trial, error, and observationManaging forage challenges like broom sedge and giant ragweedUsing chickens and pigs to improve soil fertility and pasture healthMobile infrastructure for broilers, layers, and hogsWatering livestock without permanent water systemsViewing farming as both land stewardship and a businessWhy This Episode MattersThis episode matters because it shows what starting from zero actually looks like. Daniel’s journey is not built on inherited land or generational knowledge, but on curiosity, experimentation, and steady refinement. For anyone questioning whether they have the right background, resources, or experience to begin, this conversation reinforces that progress comes from taking action, learning from mistakes, and improving systems over time.Resources MentionedYou Can Farm — Joel SalatinStockman Grass Farmer magazineAsana (project management software)Find Out MoreGrassroots Ranch websiteGrassroots Ranch on Facebook (Grassroots Tulsa)Grassroots Ranch on Instagram Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

In this episode, a new section called The Overgrazing Section is also added where Cal takes a deep dive into one of the practices of the guests.Listen to learn more![02:50] - The start of Joshua’s business[07:23] - What led him to South Poll cattle[09:46] - The climate in Southern Ohio[11:49] - Stockpiling fescue[12:57] - Angus cow and Cal[14:09] - Trouble with electric fences[15:31] - What fencing does Josh have[17:06] - Joshua’s perimeter for electric fencing[18:52] - How he does watering[20:03] - The grazing land for cattle[21:00] - Siphoning water line [22:39] - Other livestock Joshua has[23:03] - About the business of hogs[25:20] - His pasture poultry business[25:35] - Chicken tractor he uses[26:00] - How did it go with the chicken this year[26:24] - How he does marketing[27:28] - The Overgrazing Section- about his solar fence charger[29:27] - Moving with paddock moves[33:36] - His favorite grazing grass related book[35:00] - Advice for beginning grass farmerShow notes available at https://grazinggrass.com/episodes/20 Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

Show notes available at www.grazinggrass.com/episodes/19 Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

Show notes available at www.grazinggrass.com/episodes/18 Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

More detailed show notes at www.grazinggrass.com/episodes/17 Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!

Show notes available at https://grazinggrass.com/episodes/16 Follow us on social media!Website: https://grazinggrass.com/Facebook: Grazing Grass PodcastInstagram: @grazinggrassTwitter: @grazing_grassAffiliate links:Riverside - Create professional-quality podcast episodes with ease using Riverside's seamless recording and editing tools.Podium - Unlock your podcast's potential with Podium, the AI copywriter for show notes, articles, social posts, and more!