Working Cows - Regenerative Ranching to Maximize Profitability and Soil Health

Winter feed costs continue to be one of the greatest determiners of profitability for ranches. Meaning, that more of it we have to do using equipment the less profitable we will be. Brett McRae has been working diligently to find ways to cut down on winter feed costs. One practice that has really moved the needle for him and his operation is grazing standing corn. Today we discuss this practice with him. We talk about how he chooses a field, how he determines forage demand, forage availability, as well as the soil health benefits of this practice.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:Ranch RightSea-90 Ocean Minerals

John Moody has been involved in many fights for food freedom. From Raw Milk to Cottage Food Laws he has seen the tactics that work and those that don't. He has also seen the tactics used by the other side of these arguments. John helps us think critically about how to win these fights and the tools that are actually effective in battle.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:RogueFoodConference.com (Use Code Cows30 for $30 off your ticket)

There are myriad reasons to stop making hay. Dr. Carson Roberts shared 10 of them in a recent article. He joins me to discuss those reasons, but we also discuss the practicalities of quitting hay making as well as a case study of the difference in makes in profitability.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:UnderstandingAg.comRelevant Links:10 Reasons You Should Quit Hay Making

Joel Salatin has an invitation to soybean farmers. He wants them to trade in the equipment for cattle and take advantage of present market conditions in both the cattle markets and the soybean markets that mean it is more profitable and fun to run cows. We also discuss the upcoming Rogue Food Conference in Rapid City, SD on February 6th and 7th and some of the reasons he and John Moody started the Rogue Food Conference.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:Rogue Food ConferenceMark Your Calendars: February 6th and 7th, 2026 in Rapid City, SD

If we raise great grass-finished beef and get it processed with excellence, but we can't sell it we will have invested a lot of time and money in a product that doesn't generate revenue. Dr. Allen Williams is here to help us think deeply about how we actually sell grass-finished beef to our customers. We will talk about how to respond to questions regarding pricing as well as what cuts we should spend the most time marketing.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:UnderstandingAg.comGuest's Previous Episodes:Ep. 458 Dr. Allen Williams - The Connection Between Epigenetics and ProfitabilityEp. 452 Dr. Allen Williams - Tips for Maintaining the Quality of Grass-Finished Beef Through the Processing PhaseEp. 430 Dr. Allen Williams - Keys to Successful Grass-FinishingEp. 404 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams on Fixing America’s Broken Rural EconomiesEp. 402 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – Fixing America’s Broken Water CycleEp. 380 Gabe Brown, Dr. Allen Williams, and Fernando Falomir – Soil Health Academy Q and AEp. 369 Dr. Stephan Van Vliet and Dr. Allen Williams – Growing Nutrient Dense FoodEp. 361 Gabe Brown and Allen Williams – 2024 State of AgricultureEp. 305 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – Matching Management to ContextEp. 290 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – Three Rules of Adaptive StewardshipEp. 283 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – The 6-3-4Ep. 281 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – The State of Agriculture in North AmericaEp. 148 Dr. Allen Williams – Grazing for Soil Health

If you read one author you can become a clone, if you read two authors you can become confused, if you read 100 authors you can become wise. Taylor Henry listened to many books as he planned his exit from one profession. We discuss what he sees as the commonalities among those books and how that has shaped how he thinks about the business of agriculture.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:Remedi Animal SolutionsEp. 371 Ellen Bench – Implementing Homeopathic Livestock HealthEp. 368 Ellen Bench – Homeopathic Livestock HealthAcres USA:ConferencePodcasts

RS June, co-founder of BeefMaps.com and the Beef Initiative, drives urban outreach to connect consumers with local ranchers. Shannon Ebersole, a rancher and co-founder of the Beef Initiative, coaches ranchers on direct sales. They discuss how BeefMaps facilitates consumer access to diverse local beef, consumer preferences for fresh produce, and the importance of community resilience. With strategies for increasing rancher profitability through direct sales, they emphasize trust-building and the cultural benefits of local food systems.

Zach Osburn's farm has become a place that produces more than just healthy soil and profits. He is working to see life transformation among men in crisis on his farm. He does this through several different approaches. He shares some of the different pieces of this process today on the Working Cows Podcast.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:Ranch RightSea-90 Ocean MineralsRelevant Links:Rockside RanchRelevant Episodes:Ep. 236 Craig Thompson and Gordon Decker – Restoration Matters PodcastEp. 190 Craig Thompson and Gordon Decker – Rockside Ranch

Gabe Brown has traveled extensively within the United States and around the world. He sees a movement taking shape. People are passionate about healthy food that is grown in healthy soils. This movement reaches into communities, businesses, and governments. It has even reached into the castle of a king or two. He joins me to discuss the way this movement is impacting these different sectors and how we can make sure our businesses are primed to make the most of this opportunity. Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:UnderstandingAg.comGabe Brown's Previous Episodes:Ep. 459 Gabe Brown and Dr. Temple Grandin on Creating a More Resilient Food SystemEp. 404 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams on Fixing America’s Broken Rural EconomiesEp. 402 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – Fixing America’s Broken Water CycleEp. 380 Gabe Brown, Dr. Allen Williams, and Fernando Falomir – Soil Health Academy Q and AEp. 388 Gabe Brown and Luke Jones – Making the Regenerative ShiftEp. 361 Gabe Brown and Allen Williams – 2024 State of AgricultureEp. 305 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – Matching Management to ContextEp. 293 Gabe Brown and Matt McGinn – Transitioning to More Adaptive StewardshipEp. 290 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – Three Rules of Adaptive StewardshipEp. 288 Gabe Brown and Shane New – Managing the Nutrient CyleEp. 283 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – The 6-3-4Ep. 281 Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams – The State of Agriculture in North AmericaEp. 277 Gabe Brown – The State of the American Food SystemEp. 121 Gabe Brown – Heifer Development in Sync with NatureEp. 067 Gabe Brown – Dirt to Soil

Many gurus and business consultants have sung the praises of highly diversified businesses with many streams of income. These businesses are not without their own unique challenges. Dallas Mount of Ranch Management Consultants is here to help us think differently about what success looks like. Sometimes it means identifying the one or two things we do really well and then doing a lot more of those few things rather than adding a lot more enterprises that only produce marginal results.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:Ranch RightSea-90 Ocean MineralsRelevant Links:Ranching for ProfitDallas' Previous Episodes:Ep. 372 Dallas Mount – Using Business Language – July 8th, 2024Ep. 333 Dallas Mount – Making Good DecisionsEp. 304 Dallas Mount – What is Profit For?Ep. 198 Dallas Mount – Succession Strategies – July 14th, 2021Ep. 179 Dallas Mount – The Grazing Principles – March 9th, 2021Ep. 156 Dallas Mount – Having the Courage to Talk – September 22nd, 2020Ep. 120 Dallas Mount – Working ON the Business – December 30th, 2019Ep. 090 Dallas Mount – Profitablity Targets – May 21st, 2019Ep. 043 Dallas Mount – Turning the Tables – August 20th, 2018Ep. 029 Dallas Mount – Learning in the Land Down Under – May 15th, 2018Ep. 002 Dallas Mount – Four Pillars of a Ranching Operation – November 6th, 2017