Working Cows - Regenerative Ranching to Maximize Profitability and Soil Health

Shawn Freeland has been on quite a journey to get started as a first generation rancher. We discuss the role of grazing and paying attention to soil health in helping that journey succeed. We talk about getting started by buying 10 cows on a whim to pursuing a high input approach to putting his cows to work for him.Sponsors:Rogue Food Conference (Code: Cows30)Take the Survey:Working Cows 2026 Listener SurveyRelevant Links:Dry Creek Ranch

It is very easy to get the cart before the horse and spend all our time picking colors and fonts and never think about a message that will connect with our ideal customer. Matt Stone is here to help us avoid this trap. He talks us through our marketing strategy, our message, and finally how we should think about our branding.Sponsors:Kaizen SolutionsArrow L Ranch Composite Bull SaleTake the Survey:Working Cows 2026 Listener SurveyRelevant Links:Dakota GrowthMatt's Previous Episode:Ep. 431 Matt Stone – How to Find Your Ideal Customer

How do we pass on the faith to the next generation? God has entrusted us with tools that are simple. You might say ordinary. They are ordinary in that anyone can do them. They are extraordinary in that when we are faithful to deploy them God gives the increase to our efforts and more is accomplished through them than we could accomplish through any of our best laid plans. In this episode I share with you a sermon I recently preached at a men's breakfast at Bethel Church in Frontier, Saskatchewan.Happy New Year! May God add His blessings to your endeavors in 2026!

The first thing we need to understand is what profit is. Then we need to know what profit is for. Once we have that vision in place we can maintain our motivation over the long hall for sustainable growth. Josh Kerpan joins us once again to talk about the steps to developing that vision as well as a new program he has launched to help people remain accountable to take action on the vision for our business.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:RogueFoodConference.com (Use Code Cows30 $30 off your ticket)Relevant Links:Burnout to Breakthrough: The Freedom BlueprintKaizen Solutions - 100x Breakthrough

The fundamental reality of our lives is a spiritual one. According to Ephesians we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. As I have come to realize the role these battles were playing in my own life and how to fight in these battles my life has changed for the better. On this episode I share with you a talk I recently gave at Bethel Church's Fall Meetings in Frontier, Saskatchewan.Merry Christmas! Thanks so much for tuning in throughout 2025. May God bring you Grace and Peace in 2026.

There is a lot that goes into someone making a decision to make a purchase. How do we understand the driving factors that move people toward purchase decision and make sure that we are prepared to meet them with a product when they are ready? We answer these questions and more in this conversation with Shane Barber of Barber industries. We answer these questions by discussing the lessons Shane has learned in selling his Storage Drinker.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:RogueFoodConference.com (Use Code Cows30 $30 off your ticket)Contact Shane:(605)381-2525Relevant Links:Science of Persuasion

It's not hard to come up with a list of blessings that spring from a life lived in agricultural pursuits. Dr. Allen Williams and Kyle Richardville of Understanding Ag join me today to think a little more deeply about the why behind these blessings. We look at God's Two Great Books the book of His Word and the book of His Creation to see if we can discern His hand in blessing us as we partner with Him in the stewardship of creation.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:UnderstandingAg.com

On the backside of every challenge is an opportunity. The limiting factor of your operation from one perspective is the opportunity from a different perspective. You have to learn to think differently about your operation so you can see the ways it sets you up for success. Adam Lasch is here to help us think differently about what certain styles of operations are good at and how they can optimize their opportunities to achieve better results.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:Ranch RightTire WinderRelevant Links:X Post Thread Discussed

Efficiency is great. Sentimentality is not. Sometimes the thing holding us back from getting to a more efficient cowherd is our unwillingness to let these cows go and start over. Today we discuss how to select for a more efficient cow herd with Bart Carmichael of Wedge Tent Angus Ranch. We discuss the roll of our management in changing a cow herd as well as the unusual selection criteria that actual leads to greater performance.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:RogueFoodConference.com (Use Code Cows30 or Wedge30 for $30 off your ticket)Relevant Links:WedgeTentRanch.comBart's Previous Episodes:Ep. 428 Bart Carmichael and Pat Guptill – How Principles Keep You From Getting Left Behind by Chasing FadsEp. 249 Bart Carmichael – Managing for Increased Diversity Ep. 218 Bart and Shannon Carmichael – Finding the Right Phenotype

When we think of a generational farm we often think of multiple generations from the same family working the land over the course of centuries. Brian Dougherty and Sara Faivre are seeking to start a generational farm that is generational in it's founding and has a vision of being passed on to another generation sooner rather than later. This approach has changed the way they think about structure, roles, and a host of other crucial topics. We discuss this unique approach in this episode.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:UnderstandingAg.comRelevant Links:WildTypeRanch.com

Stress at shipping, processing, and weaning are three things that cause major losses in the cattle industry. There are more tools available to deal with these than just those that have been typical in recent years. Ellen Bench of Remedi Animal Solutions joins me to discuss the remedies available to help with these issues. We also talk about best practices for the implementation of a homeopathic livestock health protocol.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)Relevant Links:RemediAnimalSolutions.comEllen’s Previous Episodes:Ep. 412 Ellen Bench – A Homeopathic Approach to Calving SeasonEp. 371 Ellen Bench – Implementing Homeopathic Livestock HealthEp. 368 Ellen Bench – Homeopathic Livestock Health

Grazing Lawns? What is that? According to Nate Chisholm they are an integral part of natural grazing systems and they should have a place in our grazing systems. We discuss what a Grazing Lawn is as well as how they would be practically implemented into our grazing plans.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:Ranch RightSea-90 Ocean Minerals

How do we balance cows that won't break the bank with calves that the market is willing to bid on. Steve Campbell helps me answer this question that was recently posed to me. We discuss different strategies that can help with this conundrum as well as the common questions Steve is getting as he travels the country.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:RogueFoodConference.com (THROUGH MONDAY 12/1 Use Code Black40 for $40 off your ticket)Relevant Links:TailorMadeCattle.comSteve's Previous Episodes:Ep. 233 Steve Campbell – Bull Sale Catalog Wish ListEp. 196 Steve Campbell – Remineralizing Cattle with SaltEp. 160 Steve Campbell – Selecting the Right Cow

Roger and Betsy Indreland have been on a journey to develop bulls that fit holistically. These are bulls that are durable and fertile, but they are also tested for some of the intangible traits like sensitivity to pressure in stockamnship scenarios.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:Powerflex SupplyRangeWardRelevant Links:Indreland Angus

Passing the Ranch on to the Next Generation isn't easy. The Consultants at Understanding Ag have caught my attention due to the high concentration of their consultants that have accomplished this goal. Today on the Working Cows Podcast we discuss the keys to successful succession with Gabe Brown, Blain Hjertaas, and John Hays about how they have approached this challenging task.Thanks to our Studio Sponsor, Understanding Ag!Head over to UnderstandingAg.com to book your consultation today!Sponsor:UnderstandingAg.comGuest's Previous EpisodesEp. 463 Gabe Brown - How Food Can be Common Ground for Common GoodEp. 461 Blain Hjertaas - Winter Feeding Strategies that Drive ProfitabilityEp. 459 Gabe Brown and Dr. Temple Grandin on Creating a More Resilient Food SystemEp. 445 John Hays and Jeremy Sweeten - Practical Tips for Regenerative Hay MakingEp. 443 Blain Hjertaas and Michael Thiele - Does Regenerative Agriculture Work in Northern EnvironmentsEp. 439 John Hays and Jeremy Sweeten - How Amp Grazing Drives Profitability Even in the MidwestEp. 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

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