#227 – Matthew Menke – Risk vs. Reward, Leverage, & Knowing Your Business
Matthew Menke shares his powerful story of turning down what many would consider a dream opportunity—taking over a family business—because he couldn’t make it work profitably. Instead, he built an ag business from the ground up and eventually returned to farming and...
#227 – Matthew Menke – Risk vs. Reward, Leverage, & Knowing Your Business
Matthew Menke shares his powerful story of turning down what many would consider a dream opportunity—taking over a family business—because he couldn’t make it work profitably. Instead, he built an ag business from the ground up and eventually returned to farming and ranching when he knew he could...
#226 – Randal Breen – From Living in a Shed to Full Time Farmer
Randal Breen shares his incredible story of building a farm from the ground up. Today, he operates on over 650 acres and direct markets meat and eggs to local individuals and wholesale accounts. One powerful example of the strong relationship he has with his community...
#225 – Alex McKiernan – Car Wrecks Can’t Stop This Family!
Alex McKiernan and his wife have built a diverse and thriving farm and ranch business that began with direct-to-consumer vegetable production through a CSA. Over time, it has grown into a large ranching operation that includes custom grazing, goat production for weed...
#224 – Caleb Smith – Switching from Dairy to Sheep
Caleb Smith has taken a unique path into agriculture. He had the opportunity to take on a 40-year land lease from a non-profit, which allowed him to build a dairy farm from scratch. In this episode, he shares that story, along with his recent transition from the dairy...
#223 – Hayden Heigele – Changing Genetics, Calving Window, and More
Hayden Heigele encountered some resistance when he wanted to introduce new farming and ranching practices on his family farm. Rather than giving up, he has been experimenting with low-input ranching while building an operation of his own, all while continuing to work...
#222 – Doug Badcock – Building an Adapted Cow on a Zambian Ranch
Doug Badcock is building a ranch in Zambia and trying to develop a cow herd adapted to his harsh climate! He shares all the traditional paradigms he's pushing back against and where he's finding success. He also shares the story of how and why he left the family farm...
#221 – Ryan Cone – Building a Business in Order to Buy a Ranch
I absolutely love Ryan Cone’s story of finding a creative path to building a large and successful ranch from the ground up. He shares how he bought a struggling medical sales business—just weeks away from shutting down—turned it around and eventually sold it to fund...
#220 – Neil Peterson – Integrating Cows on Cropland in Iowa
After doing missions work overseas, Neil Peterson moved back to the family farm in Iowa. He's now working to build a diversified and profitable farm that integrates cattle on land that many would consider suitable only for crops. We discuss how he's making that work,...
#219 – Craig Ference – Thousands of Cows Grazing Corn
I really enjoyed discussing Craig Ference's operation and perspectives on things from diversification vs. specialization on a large farm and ranch, to land ownership and more. We also discuss his unique cow program which involves grazing thousands of cows on thousands...
#218 – George Walker – From Direct Marketing to Sell/Buy Marketing
George Walker shares his story of starting his own farm when there wasn't room on the family operation. He also discusses why he transitioned from a direct marketing model to sell/ buy marketing, how that has improved his business and lifestyle, and why he's so...
#217 – Doug Marburger – Developing Bulls in Texas
Doug Marburger is the developer of all the bulls being sold at the upcoming PCC™ sale in Texas on April 1. He shares his inspiring story of not growing up on a ranch, yet after years of working on other ranches, he had the opportunity to lease his own land and start...
#216 – Laura Burandt – Stocker Cows
Laura Burandt, a popular past guest from episodes 122 and 126, joins us again to discuss their stocker cow enterprise. We discuss what it is, its advantages and challenges, and why they choose to run it alongside their native herd. Don't Miss Next Week's Episode For...
#215 – Casey Toews – Adapting Enterprises as Market Demands
Casey Toews and his family at Fishburn Ranch have transformed what was once considered very poor land through strategic management. The number of creative ways they are finding success in their operation is incredible. They import cattle and feed, custom bale graze in...
About the Ranching Returns Podcast
On this podcast, we talk to farmers and ranchers who are leading the industry in so many ways. We’ll discuss the various returns they get from ranching, including, of course, the significant financial returns, but also returns to their land resources and ultimately the amazing lifestyle. That might be the most important return ranching can offer!
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Strength
When we think of strength, we often think of body builders, athletes and gym rats. If we go a little deeper, maybe we can associate strength with fortitude, or the ability to endure suffering. We might even think of strength as a show of force, being stoic, or unwavering. Farnam Street had a good definition of strength in their weekly blog: “Strength isn't measured by victories, but by the caliber of challenges you're willing to face.” This doesn’t just apply to...