What if doing things "by the book" still wasn't getting you where you wanted to go?
Matthew Menke grew up in a multigenerational cattle operation where conservative stocking, low inputs and traditional management were simply the way things were done. But after a stockmanship clinic challenged nearly everything he thought he knew about moving cattle, one realization stuck with him: if they could be wrong about stockmanship, they could be wrong about anything.
That willingness to question led Matthew down a much bigger road.
In this episode of Fenceline Conversations, Matthew and Bret talk about rotational and adaptive grazing, rebuilding soil health, increasing carrying capacity, custom grazing, walking away from a profitable hay business, learning the hard way not to change too much too quickly and why good stewardship requires a lifelong willingness to learn.
They also step outside the pasture to talk about Matthew's other life behind a fiddle, including years on the road with Gary P. Nunn and the unexpected phone call that landed him inside Nashville's historic RCA Studio A recording with Colter Wall.
It's a conversation about cattle, soil, music, mistakes and what can happen when you stop assuming the old way is the only way.
Tags: fenceline conversation, bret wright, fenceline conversations, podcast, motivational podcast, custom grazing, adaptive grazing, ranch, farm, hay, agriculture, agriculture podcast, farming, ranching, cattle, raising cattle, texas cattle, texas ranch, texas, cattle business, cattle herd, stockmanship, stockman
Timestamp
1:07 - Introducing Matthew Menke
2:42 - Background
4:37 - the lesson that changed the future
11:44 - How Business is Setup
13:44 - Diversification / Custom Grazing
17:41 - Stopping hay production
25:19 - Too Much Change Too Fast
26:05 - Parasite Issues / New Cows Coming In
29:43 - Worming Cattle
31:19 - Playing The Fiddle & Being a Professional Musician
35:56 - Up Ahead
37:51 - Brett & Kayla Recap
Links
Matthew - [email protected] Ranching For Profit - https://ranchingforprofit.com/
Martin Black Horsemanship Clinic - Martin Black Horsemanship Resources
Key Topics Discussed
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Learning stockmanship from Martin Black
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Questioning long-held cattle management practices
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Moving from set stocking into rotational and adaptive grazing
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Managing larger groups of cattle
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Increasing carrying capacity
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Water and fencing infrastructure
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Leasing land within a family operation
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Ranching for Profit principles
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Custom grazing as a business tool
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Separating land and operating businesses
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Paying market rent and opportunity interest
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Matthew's hay business
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Why he ultimately stopped producing hay
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Soil health and plant root systems
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Microbial communities
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Fertilizer and herbicide dependence
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Exporting nutrients through hay
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Bale grazing and unrolling hay
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Animal impact
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Parasite management
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The dangers of changing too much too quickly
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Reducing dewormer use responsibly
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Dung beetles and soil biology
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Adaptive genetics
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Lifelong learning
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Playing fiddle while continuing to ranch
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Touring with Gary P. Nunn
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Recording with Colter Wall
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RCA Studio A
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Balancing agriculture and music
