#298 – Jason Fradette – Building a Ranch
Jason Fradette and his family built their ranch from scratch. He talks about buying their land, the management changes they made to become more profitable, and more! Switch to Audio-Only Resources mentioned: Ranching Returns Podcast Understanding Ag Working Cows...
#298 – Jason Fradette – Building a Ranch
Jason Fradette and his family built their ranch from scratch. He talks about buying their land, the management changes they made to become more profitable, and more! Switch to Audio-Only Resources mentioned: Ranching Returns Podcast Understanding Ag Working Cows Podcast Don't Miss Next Week's...
#275 – Glenn Elzinga – Building Alderspring Ranch
It’s important not just to look at successful ranches when learning how to build one, but to understand how they became successful. Today, we dive into Glenn Elzinga’s story of building Alderspring Ranch from just 6 cows on 60 acres into what it is today — one of the...
#274 – Jarod Kiggans – Creative Financing as a First-Gen Rancher
After 270+ episodes, there aren’t too many times I hear an idea I haven’t heard before. But in this episode, Jarod shares how he came up with creative financing strategies to purchase his first line of equipment, his first cows, and his first piece of land. This is an...
#273 – Michael Mendel – Finding Success in a Diverse, Multi-Family Farm
Michael Mendel shares how his family emphasized an early transition of farm ownership to the next generation and discusses the many different enterprises they run and how they work together. We also discuss his spring and fall cow herds, heifer development and calving...
#272 – Kit Pharo – Kit Addresses Low-Input Critics
Kit responds to comments and questions from podcast clips. Here are just a few of the topics we discuss: Maternal vs. terminal selection Applying pressure in heifer development What is the ideal cow size? The effect of calving season on lifestyle and profitability...
#271 – Dylan Enger – Growing a Family Ranch
Dylan Enger shares how he and his brother returned home to ranch with their uncle. We discuss them adding new enterprises and maintaining full-time off-ranch jobs, which left more money in the business for reinvestment and expansion! Switch to Audio-Only Don't Miss...
#270 – Tristen Miller – Building Businesses and a Farm
Tristen Miller quickly realized he didn’t want to work for anyone else. He and his wife have been building their own cattle operation while also developing several other businesses. He shares how he got into custom spraying, trucking, started a feed company, and grew...
#269 – PJ Budler – What Makes a Profitable Cow
PJ Budler is a cattle expert who’s judged over 100 cattle breeds across 51 countries! He’s seen what well-adapted, functionally efficient, fertile cattle look like around the world, and we unpack all of that in this episode. You'll also have a chance to hear PJ in...
#268 – Dallas Dodson – Building a Profitable Ranch
An investor wanted to buy a ranch and asked Dallas Dodson to manage it. He had two conditions: I don’t lose money at anything. If we can’t have fun doing it, let’s not even start. In this episode, Dallas shares how he took those words and built a ranch that was both...
#267 – Tristan Swartz – Doing It Wrong Dairy
You can find Tristan Swartz and Doing It Wrong Dairy on Facebook, with over 400,000 combined followers! He's not afraid to do things differently. He shares his story of farming in Missouri, owning a wheat harvest crew, and moving to Wisconsin to start his own dairy!...
#266 – Joe Pokay and Hugh Aljoe – Cutting Inputs on 13,500 Acres
Noble Research Institute does more than offer outstanding classes on ranch finance, soil health, and grazing management. The actually own and manage 13,500 acres across six ranches. Today, Joe Pokay and Hugh Aljoe join me from Noble to discuss their experience...
#265 – Harry Cope – Missouri Grazing Farm
Harry Cope shares the story of his family farm, navigating the 1980s farm crisis, and making the shift from row crops to a grazing-based operation. We dive into the different enterprises he runs today, his process for converting endophyte-infected fescue into diverse...
#264 – Dallas Simmonds – From 40,000 Acres to 0
Dallas Simmonds built a large successful grain farm in Canada and grew it to over 40,000 acres. He then quit hoping that more time and freedom would help him find peace or fulfillment. It didn't. He shares his story of building the farm, building a team, quitting and...
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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Playing the Field
The advent of Estimated Progeny Differences (EPDs) had an unexpected effect: it leveled the playing field. Data let producers – new and established, small and large – compete on equal terms. For the first time, cattle could be compared across herds and environments. What could go wrong? Commercial cattlemen could now shop the field, pick bulls from any breeder anywhere, and were told to trust the science. The unintended consequences, however, were severe....