#296 – Ross MacDonald – Building a First-Generation Ranch
Ross MacDonald shares his awesome story of building his own ranch business from the ground up — from his first land purchase to his recent shift toward building a low-input PCC® registered herd. He also shares what it’s been like helping launch the first Pharo Cattle...
#296 – Ross MacDonald – Building a First-Generation Ranch
Ross MacDonald shares his awesome story of building his own ranch business from the ground up — from his first land purchase to his recent shift toward building a low-input PCC® registered herd. He also shares what it’s been like helping launch the first Pharo Cattle Company® Canadian sale! Switch...
#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...
#263 – Dallas Mount – Succession, Debt, People, Investing
I gathered questions and comments from popular social media clips with tens of thousands of views and invited Dallas Mount, owner of Executive Link and the Ranching for Profit school, to address them. We cover topics ranging from people management and succession...
#262 – Jesse Nelson – Regenerative Crops and Livestock in Idaho
Jesse Nelson shares his journey of buying his grandfather’s farm in Idaho, along with the challenges and successes that came with it. Today, they raise organic crops, beef cattle, and laying hens, and direct market! Switch to Audio-Only Resources Mentioned: When Weeds...
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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Rebuilding America’s Cowherd
Rebuilding America’s cowherd will take more than just an end to the drought. Yes, the drought has certainly played its part in diminishing the national herd, but there are other factors at play here, I’m sure. Ponder these points: The industry has selected excessively for growth and carcass for decades. This has led to a loss of longevity, with middle-aged cows being called old. This has also led to a depletion of genetic fertility. It’s really tough to grow a...