Dylan Taylor is a ranch apprentice at the Chico Basin Ranch, where he plays an integral role in the success of the 89,000-acre cattle operation. Born and raised outside of Fort Worth, Texas, Dylan had no ranching experience before coming to Ranchlands. In fact, much of his early career was spent in the Texas barbeque scene, where he worked for many years in some of Austin’s most renowned barbeque restaurants and even started his own with some of his best friends. And as you’ll hear in this conversation, he eventually transitioned out of the restaurant business and was hired on as a cook at the Zapata Ranch, which began his tenure at Ranchlands.

Learn more about Ranchlands and our Internship Program at https://ranchlands.com/

GL Richardson is a Santa Fe-based painter who translates the rawness, iconography, and motifs of the American West into consequential work that speaks to broader human truths. GL grew up loving art, but as he moved through school, his focus shifted away from painting and toward building a career in the world of advertising. But after college and grad school, while working as an ad man in San Francisco, he grew tired of big city life and the rat race of the advertising world– so he reached out to Ranchlands, was hired as an intern on the MP Ranch, and began a new journey in wide open spaces of the American West.

In this conversation, Ed and GL discuss his fascinating journey from advertising to ranching to professional art. They discuss his upbringing in Richmond, Virginia, and why he was so focused on building a career in advertising. They discuss his formative experiences on the MP, and how he went from having absolutely no experience in the ranching world to being an integral member of the Ranchlands team. They also explains how painting re-entered his life while working on the MP, and how he has managed to gain such a foothold in the world of professional art in a relatively short amount of time.

Learn more at https://ranchlands.com/

Find GL's Art at https://internetgl.com/

Upstate New York’s own, Mike Eli LoPinto moved to Nashville on a drunken New Years Eve bet in 2012, from Boone, NC, where he attended Appalachian State University. For the last 10 years he has been on the road, in support of artists which include Nikki Lane, Lilly Hiatt, and Whitey Morgan. He is currently on tour with Chris Stapleton and the All American Roadshow. He lives in Lebanon, TN with his wife Anna and their son, spending his spare time working on music in the studio. 

Learn more about Ranchlands: http://www.ranchlands.com

We welcome our founder, Duke Phillips III, back to the podcast to discuss the newest project at Ranchlands: the Collective. The Collective, launching May 1st, is a new opportunity to become a member of Ranchlands and gain deeper access to our mission of perpetuating ranching into the future via exclusive articles, podcast episodes, events, conversations, and experiences on working landscapes. By cultivating a growing group of people around the values of ranching, collaboration, and conservation, we see great potential to rebuild our human relationship with the environment. As Duke says in this episode, "we want people to look at Ranchlands as something that they own, something that belongs to them, that they're on board and that they're making things happen for the higher good."

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Learn more about the Collective and sign up for $5/month at www.ranchlands.com/collective

Email us with any questions, comments, or ideas at [email protected]

Dr. Bonney MacDonald is a Professor of Western Literature at West Texas A&M University. Bonney’s credentials are as extensive as they are impressive– she holds a B.A. in English and a B.A. in psychology from California State University, an M.A. in American studies from the University of Nottingham, England, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in American literature from Yale University. And at her core, Bonney is a committed and highly skilled teacher, and her love for literature, history, and the West is infectious to everyone who has the pleasure of spending time with her.

Learn more about Ranchlands: www.ranchlands.com Sign up for Bonney's Zapata Ranch workshop: https://ranchlands.com/pages/women-horses-the-west

Helen Levi is an artist, potter, photographer, and the owner of Helen Levi Ceramics. Based out of her studio in Queens, New York, Helen produces small-batch dinnerware and pottery that is as unique and beautiful as it is functional. Her ceramics have been featured everywhere from New York Magazine to Vogue, and, as you’ll hear in this conversation, she continues to grow and evolve as an artist and entrepreneur.

In this episode, we talk to Helen about everything from her artistic journey to parenthood. We discuss her first love of photography, how she eventually transitioned into professional pottery, her first big break selling pottery, and how she has gone about balancing the growth of her business with her desire to keep it at a manageable size.  We also discuss the role of place in her artistic process, her love of the southwestern United States, the transition from hobbyist to professional potter, how motherhood has changed her outlook, and much more.

Senator Lucía Guzmán is a lifelong leader and public servant. Born and raised in Texas by immigrant parents, Lucía has led an inspirational life. She studied theology and became an ordained minister, served for many years on the Denver School Board, and served as a Colorado State Senator from 2010 through 2019. In this episode, Lucía discusses her parents’ move from Mexico to the United States, her upbringing in Katy, Texas, and the important role that school played in her life. We discuss her calling into the ministry, and how her faith built a solid foundation for her life in politics. She also explains some of the lessons learned from serving in elected positions, the importance of having respect for those you may disagree with, and why it is critical that we find a way to bridge the rural-urban divide.

Molly Wizenberg is the author of three memoirs, including her most recent book titled “The Fixed Stars.” She also created the James Beard-award-winning food blog Orangette and now writes a Substack newsletter called I've Got a Feeling.  And on top of all that, she’s a wife, a mother of two, and the host of the podcast Spilled Milk.

Molly will be leading her second writing workshop at the Zapata Ranch this summer– Food as a Doorway to Memory – thus, Ed and Molly talked a lot about her approach to teaching. She shares some techniques that help writers find their authentic voices, and she talks a lot about other authors and teachers who have positively influenced her journey as a writer. Molly has been riding horses since childhood, so this episode covers both her love of horses and her daughter’s budding obsession with riding.

Johnny Ortiz-Concha is a chef, artist, and the creator of /shed, an intimate, one-of-a-kind dinner project based in his hometown of Taos, New Mexico.

Johnny grew up on the Taos Pueblo and dropped out of college to pursue his dreams of a career devoted to cooking and food. After working in some of the United States’ most highly acclaimed restaurants for seven years, he returned to Taos and started /shed. Through the project’s small-scale dinners, Johnny provides his guests with a deeper, more meaningful connection to the land, food, and culture of northern New Mexico.

In this conversation, we discuss his fascinating path– from his family’s rich heritage and lineage, to the first time he connected with food as a boy, to his vision for the future of /shed. We talk a lot about the importance of finding purpose and meaning in one’s work, and his goal of building community through his /shed.

To learn more abou /shed, visit their website or Instagram.

Revist the article Johnny wrote in January 2022 for The Ranchlands Review, "Mastery."

Alejandro Carrillo is the owner of the Las Damas Ranch located in Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert. Before becoming a full-time rancher, Alejandro enjoyed a successful career as an IT consultant.  But in 2004, he made the decision to leave the software industry and join his family’s ranching business. Since then, he has revitalized the Las Damas Ranch by implementing holistic management principles–strategies and tactics that have allowed the arid landscape to thrive despite rarely receiving more than 10 inches of rain annually. Alejandro is a highly sought-after speaker and educator on many topics related to holistic management. He’s a gifted teacher, a creative thinker, and a humble leader.

--- Topics Covered:

1:50 - Alejandro’s career in IT

4:30 - About Las Damas Ranch

8:50 - When and how did Alejandro learn of Holistic Ranch Management

13:20 - Alejandro’s mentors

16:15 - Management changes to Las Damas 

21:00 - How many pastures at Las Damas then and now?

24:00 - How many head of cattle then and now?

25:45 - Working with The Nature Conservancy

29:00 - New challenges Alejandro faces

33:20 - What does Alejandro look for in employees

38:45 - Alejandro’s teaching ability and workshops

44:00 - What does teaching do for Alejandro personally

49:00 - Must read books

52:00 - Why should a lifelong city-dweller care about the land?

55:00 - Common misconceptions

59:00 - What gives Alejandro hope for the future

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RESOURCES:

Grasslands Regeneration Project

The Savory Institute

Jim Gerrish

Stockman Grass Farmer Magazine

Las Damas Ranch Case Study

Grazing for Rain - Alejandro Carrillo

Ranch Resilience with Alejandro Carrillo