Cattle Conversations

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Cattle Conversations episodes

June 22How to Protect Profit During Drought
Today on Casual Cattle Conversations, Shaye interviews Devlon Ford, a regenerative ranching advisor at the Noble Research Institute, about managing drought in cattle operations. Ford explains drought-stress indicators producers should watch for, including forage color and condition, lack of rainfall, and cattle manure consistency as a signal of declining forage protein.
Reactive options discussed include early weaning, strategic destocking (culling old, open, ornery, and poor performers while considering market profitability), and carefully analyzing the costs of purchasing hay or supplements. He also suggests subdividing pastures to increase stock density, improve grazing uniformity, and extend recovery time. Proactively, Ford emphasizes calculating carrying capacity and setting stocking rate below it, using rainfall trigger dates for destocking decisions, avoiding overgrazing to protect soil cover and biology, and using flexible enterprises like stockers/custom grazing during high-forage years.
Learn about carrying capacity and stocking rate with Devlon: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/casual-cattle-conversations-podcast-shownotes/devlon-ford
Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/
00:00 Drought Reality Check
01:54 Meet Devlon Ford
02:36 Spotting Drought Stress
04:24 Early Weaning and Selling
05:24 Destocking for Profit
06:09 Feeding and Hay Economics
10:11 Grazing Tactics in Drought
13:10 Plan Ahead for Drought
13:37 Carrying Capacity Basics
17:43 Overgrazing Costs
20:21 Flexible Enterprises and Emotions
24:40 Cull Lists and Records
27:26 Final Field Reminders
29 min
June 15 How to Reduce Overwhelm on the Ranch
Today on the Casual Cattle Conversations Podcast, Shaye interviews Jasper Oeltjen of Heritage and Horizons about why ranchers feel overwhelmed financially, mentally, and operationally, and how those areas intertwine. Jasper shares her background in education, IT strategy, and a 14-year cow-calf operation, describing how constant hustling led to plateauing and reactive decision-making that created domino effects in nutrition, calving, labor, medications, margins, and relationships.
They discuss how unavoidable hard seasons are easier to navigate with a foundation of goals, clear expectations, and defined roles. Jasper outlines a four-phase “road trip” framework: set shared long-term goals, map the route with shorter targets, define day-to-day tactics and metrics aligned to goals, and proactively anticipate issues (like aging cows or replacement needs) to avoid “construction.” She also explains helping producers clarify goals via conversation and four focus categories: optimize, innovate, maintain, or grow.
Start Building a More Intentional Operation 👇
https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ranchermind-events
Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0
Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/
00:59 Meet Jasper Oeltjen
02:32 From Hustle to Strategy
04:06 Reactive Decisions Dominoes
07:10 Financial and Operational Strain
10:23 Relationships and Tough Seasons
12:48 Root Causes Goals and Roles
17:34 Four Phase Planning Framework
20:56 Finding Your Real Goals
26:06 Keep It Simple and Take Action
29:10 Rancher Mind Series Invite

32 min
June 08 How to Monitor Water Quality for Beef Cattle
Today, Shay interviews NDSU Extension Livestock Environmental Stewardship Specialist, Miranda Meehan about how cattle water quality affects intake, performance, abortions, central nervous system disorders, and death. Meehan explains how geology influences salts, sulfates, TDS, nitrates, and phosphorus in springs, ponds, creeks, and wells, with drought concentrating minerals and increasing risk; she also notes regional concerns such as higher nitrates in the Southern Plains.

She recommends testing at least a week before turning cattle into a pasture and more often during drought, using simple screening tools like handheld TDS meters and sulfate strips, then submitting samples for lab panels (pH, sulfates, TDS, nitrates) when elevated. If water is unsafe, options include fencing off sources, hauling water (including possible ELAP/FSA assistance), and longer-term infrastructure like wells, pipelines, or rural water, while checking aquifer test data. They also stress monitoring for cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms, which can occur earlier or later in the year and can kill within 15 minutes, using visual checks and tools like trail cameras.

Learn more about what Vence could look like on your operation here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG

Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/

00:41 Meet Miranda Meehan
01:05 Why Water Quality Matters
02:43 What Impacts Water Sources
05:11 How Often to Test
05:56 Easy Screening Tools
07:38 Reading Lab Results
09:47 Fixing Bad Water
11:50 Blue Green Algae Danger
13:56 Tech for Monitoring
18 min
June 01 Global Agriculture Challenges and Perceptions
Today, Shaye welcomes back Nebraska rancher, Jaclyn Wilson to discuss how extensive international travel has shaped her ranch management and views of global agriculture. Wilson describes how travel began through the Nebraska LEAD program and expanded into regular international speaking and industry visits, leading to operational changes at home such as organized team planning with whiteboards and calendars and greater delegation. She contrasts U.S. open-pasture wintering with UK/Ireland winter confinement driven by mud and heavy clay soils, and shares a Netherlands example where turning cows out to grass becomes an agritourism event.
Wilson outlines Dutch regulations and subsidies tied to nitrates, water runoff, stocking limits, and methane, and questions measurement accuracy for emissions and carbon credits. From Kenya, she highlights corruption concerns, diverse agricultural tours, and a “My Tank” water project. She emphasizes U.S. beef efficiency and safety but notes persistent overseas perceptions about sanitation, traceability, confinement, and antibiotics, and encourages producers to stay aware of global concerns and opportunities, including genetics and investment abroad.
Learn more about what Vence could look like on your operation here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG
Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0
Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/
01:24 Jaclyn’s Travel Bug Origins
03:29 Ranch Changes From Travel
05:35 Whiteboards And Planning
07:16 Winter Housing Culture Shock
10:16 Netherlands Dairy And Agritourism
12:00 EU Rules Subsidies And Nitrates
15:21 Methane Carbon And Measurement
17:52 Africa And Nuffield Journey
20:33 Kenya Corruption And Water
24:43 Water Links Every Country
25:48 Why Home Matters Most
28:08 US Beef Strengths And Perception
31:13 Genetics Trade And Open Minds
38 min
May 25Maximize Grazing Resources with Virtual Fence
On today's show, Shaye Wanner interviews Saskatchewan ranchers John and Deanne about using Vence virtual fencing on their 400 cow-calf commercial operation near the Bronson Forest. They explain how virtual fencing improves utilization on rough, boggy forest lease country where conventional fencing is difficult and expensive, while saving labor, supporting planned/rotational grazing, and helping soil health by controlling stock density and drift with back fences.
They describe added benefits like better monitoring for predation claims, reducing temporary electric fencing on rented land, and sorting groups (heifers, main herd, and open cows) using different virtual fences, achieving about a 95% success rate in a week. They discuss software tools like maps and heat maps, training protocols, cow-to-cow variation in responses, challenges with bull collar retention, collar loss rates improving with tighter fitting, and battery life lasting closer to six months than nine.
Learn more about what Vence could look like on your operation here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG
Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/
01:01 Biggest Grazing Wins
02:42 Why Vence
03:30 Ranch and Region Overview
06:04 Secondary Benefits and Predators
08:24 Sorting Cows with Maps
13:31 Software Insights and Training
16:42 Heat Maps and Logging Changes
19:47 Bulls Learning Curve and Next Steps
24:10 Challenges Battery and Retention
28 min
May 18Reducing Stress for Cattle
On this episode of the Casual Cattle Conversations Podcast, Shaye interviews first-generation Texas rancher Kim Jungkind about staying curious to reduce cattle stress and improve performance. Kim shares how observing cattle led her to test music and color preferences: her herd moved away from rock music but gathered closely to Bach, especially Yo-Yo Ma’s cello, which she now plays during feeding and stressful events like trailering or difficult births to calm the herd; she connects stress reduction to better weight gain by preventing metabolic energy loss.
She also found cattle are drawn to yellow after placing art in a corral, and notes cattle see yellow best and blue well, inspiring practical changes like using yellow flags on sorting sticks. Kim recounts transitioning from nursing and academia to ranching after inheriting her father-in-law’s operation, receiving community support through a local church, and facing a major fire early on. She recommends helping new ranchers network and directs listeners to order her book, “Back to the Barn and Bach,” at www.insightskj.com.
Links and Resources
Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS
Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG
Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/
00:48 Why Curiosity Matters
01:15 Yellow Flags Reduce Stress
02:14 Testing Music Preferences
04:00 Stress Economics Weight Gain
04:46 From Nurse To Rancher
07:14 Finding Help Through Church
09:32 Wildfire Wake Up Call
10:57 Learning Cow Personalities
12:45 Grandin And Behavior Research
14:08 Playing Cello For Cows
17:33 Art In The Corral Colors
19:25 Key Takeaways Curiosity Community
21:13 Where To Get The Book
25 min
May 11 Tips for AI'ing Cattle
On this episode of Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, Shaye interviews Jaclyn Ketchum, who grew up on a registered Red Angus ranch using AI and embryo technologies, earned advanced degrees in reproductive physiology, and now runs her family’s custom AI business while expanding embryo work. Ketchum explains benefits of AI and fixed-time AI with synchronization, including access to superior genetics at lower cost than buying bulls, use of sexed semen, improved early conception linked to heavier calves, more uniform calf crops, and reduced bull-to-cow ratios with cleanup bulls.
She discusses why some producers still heat-detect, heifer protocol considerations, and how weather can reduce estrus expression and conception. Key success factors include communication, strict protocol timing, facility readiness, proper product handling and dosing, semen storage and shipping, skilled technicians, and managing expectations before and after AI.
Mentioned Episodes
Lacey Quail on Improving Preg Rates: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/casual-cattle-conversations-podcast-shownotes/lacey-quail
Jennifer Koziol on Bull Fertility: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/casual-cattle-conversations-podcast-shownotes/p4fffrydex27m1zkm1cj7bmrgpp56d
Links and Resources
Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS
Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations
Learn more about CattleMax Here: https://bit.ly/4aG7K5q
Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/

00:00 Why AI Matters
00:18 Meet Jaclyn Ketchum
01:50 AI and Fixed Time Benefits
07:53 Why Skip Synchronization
11:17 Heifer Protocol Basics
13:20 Planning a Successful AI Day
22:07 Heat Detecting 21 Day AI
24:35 Weather and Conception
27:45 Resync and Backup Plans
30:18 Sync for Natural Service
32:37 Repro Efficiency Big Picture
34:45 Final Takeaways and Wrap

40 min
May 04 Cybersecurity: The Biggest Overlooked Threat to American Agriculture
On this episode of Casual Cattle Conversation, Shaye interviews Chris Sherman of Tech Support Farm about why farmers and ranchers are at risk for cybercrime and how to improve security. Sherman explains that cybercriminals target finance, information, and service disruption, and notes agriculture’s scale, liquidity, critical-infrastructure status, rapid tech adoption without “security by design,” a culture of trust, generational transition risks, and reliance on residential-grade hardware.

He cites examples, including a Minnesota cooperative ransomware attack during harvest and spoofed bank emails that led to lost money and a land deal, plus invoice fraud against ag businesses. Action steps include using a custom domain with commercial email and security tools, stronger 12+ character passwords and multifactor authentication, reviewing social media/device access, locking phones/computers, spotting phishing via headers, links, timestamps, and PDFs, segmenting farm Wi‑Fi, and using tools like antivirus, endpoint monitoring, and mobile device management. Wrapping up, Chris also recommends Tech Support Farm’s “Fence Check” assessment. Learn more about what Chris does at https://techsupport.farm/services/.

Links and Resources
Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS
Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations
Learn more about CattleScales Here: https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr
Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/

00:00 Cyber Risk Warning
01:34 Why Ag Is Targeted
04:08 Five Ag Cyber Gaps
08:41 Spyware Routers Cameras
09:55 Chris Background Mission
13:07 Email Domains Encryption
16:37 Real World Attack Stories
20:31 Action Steps Passwords MFA
27:52 Phishing Emails Links
30:05 Security Tools MDM WiFi
35:48 Fence Check Takeaway
40 min
April 27 Stop Haying to Improve Your Bottom Line
Have you ever considered that haying might not fit your operation anymore? This week on the podcast, Carson Roberts, a University of Missouri state forage specialist with a background in alfalfa production and cattle, discusses why producers must treat haying as a separate business enterprise and know the true cost of production to evaluate profitability.

He outlines using regional hay budget sheets and accounting for income, seed, fertilizer, herbicides, custom hire, labor (including the producer’s time), fuel, repairs, overhead, land charge, and especially machinery ownership and opportunity interest. Carson argues hay often becomes unprofitable due to rising and excess equipment costs, over-equipped farms, and mismatched cattle-to-equipment inflation, suggesting some operations may profit more by selling hay equipment, converting hay acres to pasture, and buying tested hay while building reliable supplier relationships. He highlights cheaper feed alternatives such as grazing/stockpiled fescue, corn stalks, and grazing milo, and notes that aligning calving date with spring forage can reduce winter hay needs and costs.

Links and Resources
Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS
Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations
Learn more about CattleScales Here: https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/

02:56 From Agronomy to Forages
05:00 Why Know Hay Costs
06:52 Building a Hay Budget
11:31 Equipment Overload Trap
15:50 When Hay Doesn’t Pencil
19:45 Scale and Reality Check
22:10 Buying Hay Strategically
26:43 Grazing Beats Haying
29:32 Hay Testing and Sourcing
33:11 Winter Grazing Options
36:35 Calving Date and Profit
39:40 Weaning Weights Myth
46 min
April 20 The Value of Weighing Cattle
Why is weighing your cattle important? In this episode of the Casual Cattle Conversations, Shaye interviews Dawn Anderson from the CattleScales team about why weighing cattle is valuable and how different scale options fit different ranch setups. Dawn shares her family’s ranch background and explains how their weighing systems evolved from beam and hanging scales to load bars and chute-side scale heads.

They discuss how accurate weights improve confidence in breeding and culling decisions, reveal herd consistency, guide feed testing and ration changes, track average daily gain, help market seedstock and finished cattle, and ensure proper medication dosing. Dawn emphasizes that scales are an investment, there are portable and stationary options, and ranchers can call to match a system to their goals. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr.

Links and Resources
Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/

00:00 Why Weigh Cattle
02:01 Meet Dawn Anderson
05:16 Scale Evolution on the Ranch
08:56 Better Data Better Decisions
12:56 Backgrounding and ADG Tracking
14:22 Cow Performance and Culling
17:18 Accurate Treatment Dosage
20:39 Feeding and Pen Decisions
22:24 Marketing With Confidence
26:33 Choosing the Right Scale
32 min

About Cattle Conversations

From the publisher's feed

Cattle Conversations is the podcast for beef cattle producers and ranchers to explore new ideas and hear stories that will help them improve their current operations and lifestyles. Shaye Wanner…