Practically Ranching

Kelly Tastove is the Operations and Donor Relations Manager with Symphony in the Flint Hills, a non-profit organization that  heightens appreciation and knowledge of the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie.Each June, the Symphony brings more than 5000 people into a pasture in Kansas and provides one of the most picturesque settings for a symphony that you'll ever witness. www.symphonyintheflinthills.org

Chelsea Good is the Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs and Legal for the Livestock Marketing Association. She lives and works in the Kansas City area and represents beef producers in a myriad of avenues. Raised in a generations-long family dedicated to beef industry progress and leadership, Chelsea takes every opportunity possible to educate folks about today's beef industry. 

Lee Borck is Chairman of Innovative Livestock Services, Inc. and Chairman of the Beef Marketing Group Cooperative.  He's a past president of Cattle-Fax and the Kansas Livestock Association and has served on the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the National Cattlemen's Association. A graduate of Ag Econ at Kansas State University, Lee is a huge supporter of his alma mater and has served in various volunteer capacities within KSU.Raised in Marshall County, Kansas, he spent much of his adult life in the Great Bend area and now calls Manhattan, KS, home.www.ilsbeef.com

Dr. Dan Thomson is a professor in the College of Animal Science at Iowa State University. He produces Doc Talk on RFD-TV and online. He is also a partner in Production Animal Consultation. Dr. Dan also works with various segments in the beef industry to help connect the dots and foster what he terms a "One Beef Concept."www.doctalktv.comwww.pacdvms.com

Gregg Doud is Chief Economist for Aimpoint Research. He served for three years as the Chief Ag Negotiator for the U. S. Trade Representative. He has also worked in Ag Policy in our nation's capitol for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, U.S. Wheat Associates and the Commodity Markets Council. A native of Mankato, KS, Gregg now lives in Edgewater, MD.www.aimpointresearch.com

Doug Spencer is the State Grazing Specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He's based in Kansas, and his mission is to help ranchers and land managers maintain grasslands throughout his area and even across the high plains. While he works in a myriad of areas, his passion is native rangeland preservation. He lists several links to help range managers have the best data and info to help in this effort. douglas.spencer@usda.govRangeland Analysis Platform (RAP): https://rangelands.app/rap/ RAP Production Explorer: https://rangelands.app/production-explorer/Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW): https://www.wlfw.org/landscapes/great-plains/ Vulnerability Guide for Woody Plant Encroachment: https://www.wlfw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/E-1054WoodyEncroachment.pdf Yield Gap Info: https://www.wlfw.org/yieldgap/Flint Hills - 14th most intact grassland: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.626 

Tom Perrier is President and majority owner of Dalebanks Angus. He's been a servant leader in nearly every community and agricultural organization in his home of Eureka, Kansas. Most importantly, he's been a great husband, dad and grandfather to his family. This week, his family is being honored by the Livestock and Meat Industry Council as their 2023 Stockman of the Year. I sat down with Dad last January to record this podcast and it was posted immediately prior to the award, presented in Manhattan, KS, on March 2, 2023.www.dalebanks.com

Casey Niemann is founder of AgriSync, a customer-service platform for ticketing and remote support built specifically for ag businesses and equipment dealers. Casey, his wife Tammy, and their children reside in Des Moines, IA. Both of them served as FFA State Officers while at Kansas State University, and both have continued to provide exemplary leadership within the agribusiness segment.

Tom Black is manager of Reynolds Cattle Co. Well into his 80's, he has forgotten more about cattle production than most know today. In an age when loyalty to a company or ranch is fleeting, he has worked for the same family in the panhandle of Texas for 64 years.He's soft-spoken and polite, but after eight decades living off the land in some of the harshest environments in the U.S, his toughness and tenacity are evident. The Reynolds family is a stalwart of Texas ranching, and Mr. Black has been with them through thick and thin. Their story is a great one, and Tom touches on some of the high points during this epidsode.

Callahan Grund is the Executive Director of US Cattle Trace, a private, not-for-profit corporation made up of representatives from all beef industry segments with the mission of securely maintaining and managing data collected for disease traceability.We talk the recent history of cattle identification, technologies used and applicable uses for ID in the U.S. beef industry. www.uscattletrace.orgOther podcasts mentioned during the episode:https://theangusconversation.buzzsprout.com/2029894/11702471https://ksubci.org/?powerpress_pinw=5438-podcast