Regeneration Rising

After working on ranches in the Elk River Valley in northwest Colorado for a handful of years, Davey Baron had the jaw-dropping opportunity to start his own grazing and direct market beef business, and he pounced on it. In this episode of Regeneration Rising, host Taylor Muglia speaks with Davey about how he laid the groundwork for this opportunity to become Elk River Livestock, what life looks like in year two of running his own business, and how a strong community allowed him to build a lean enterprise. He shares that his experience in starting a business isn't exactly as cool as it seems, but a deep love of land and animals drives him to keep innovating and thinking outside the box to keep it growing.

Please note: Davey will be a new MENTOR for the New Agrarian Program in 2025! If you liked this conversation and are considering applying to our apprenticeship program, you can find his site description at https://quiviracoalition.org/newagrarian/locations/.

In this conversation, host Taylor Muglia interviews Julie Sullivan, mentor training and support specialist (and program founder) here at Quivira Coalition's New Agrarian Program. Julie discusses the inspiration behind creating the program's first Manager Fellowship and how it aims to bridge the gap between apprenticeship and ranch management or entrepreneurship for the "not-so new agrarian." She walks through the requirements to apply, nuts and bolts of the program, and her greatest hopes for the first cohort. This fellowship program is now open to the general public, not just New Agrarian Program alumni.

Our guest this week is Diane Anastasio, program manager & shepherd at Shepherdess Land & Livestock in Ojai, California. Diane describes how, although not growing up in agriculture, their Austrian and Italian family heritage is expressed through their practice of shepherding today, and how other creative endeavors like weaving and dancing tie in as well. We also talk about Diane's early experiences in agriculture at shearing school and New Cowgirl Camp, balancing an agrarian's need for urban and rural community, and what it's like to be a contract sheep grazier for fire mitigation on the hot hillsides of California.

On this episode of Regeneration Rising, we sit down with Nicole Scott, farm director of livestock operation and farm outreach at The Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in Cold Spring, New York. Nicole shares her story about getting started in agriculture and the different experiences that shaped her journey from apprentice to farm director. She describes what it was like to build confidence to do farm work after studying agriculture in classrooms in college, how her perspective changed as she gained more responsibility on the farm, and how she motivates herself and her apprentices to continue careers in agriculture.

This week on Regeneration Rising, Taylor interviews Jordan and Toni Sarazen, owners and operators of Goat Bros LLC, a mobile goat grazing business near Denver, Colorado. We discuss the huge life transition Jordan and Toni made from being financial advisors to living in a 5th wheel trailer custom grazing a goat herd up and down the front range, all caused by an idea Jordan saw on a tv show! They share tips about sound financial management for their small business, the importance of support to avoid burnout, and how they weather the ups and downs of goat grazing as a couple.

On this episode, host Taylor Muglia speaks with Will Vogl, owner and operator of Vogl Homestead Farm near Black Forest, Colorado. Will discusses the difficulty of accessing affordable grazing land on the front range and the development pressure his county is facing. While this can be a setback for many graziers, Will has used it as an opportunity to work with landowners and graze sheep on smaller parcels that cattle ranchers wouldn't consider. He talks about how he balances the operation with being a husband, father, and firefighter (who occasionally likes to take a vacation!), and how his skills in wildfire mitigation help him diversify land management services for landowners beyond just grazing.

In this episode of Regeneration Rising, host Taylor Muglia sits down with 2022 New Agrarian Program alumna Rachel Stoltzfus, who now works as a Herdsman at Herr Angus Farm in Nottingham, Pennsylvania. Rachel talks about lessons she took from her apprenticeship at Round River Resource Management, her process and decision to take a job at a cattle farm near her hometown, and learning curves she faces as she builds her career and life in land stewardship.

In this month's episode of Regeneration Rising, host Taylor Muglia speaks with Katie McInnes, Co-owner and Operator of The Dogs Run Farm near Clearwater, Manitoba, Canada. Katie talks about her journey from acting into farming and how community relationships and a bit of luck led her and her now husband Colin to securing land for farming. Katie also talks about what their farm looks like today, how they plan to grow, and how she integrates the farm with motherhood and mentorship through the Young Agrarians apprenticeship program.

On this episode of Regeneration Rising, our guest is Terrance Boyd, owner of Wild Boyd Farm in Matheson, Colorado. Terrance talks about his deep interest in being an active agent in his own food production, his journey into homesteading, and how he has turned the homestead into a ranch business that serves a variety of meat sales channels due to high demand for locally-raised meat in the Denver area. Terrance also talks about the complex cultural differences between rural/urban communities and challenges of equitable and affordable local food access.

Chase Hetler and Jessie Hook spent much of 2023 as Quivira Coalition interns through the Carbon Ranch Initiative, investigating the financial and ecological viability of compost application and erosion control structures on rangeland in the southwest. Host Taylor Muglia chats with both interns about their experiences and how their internships changed the way they see academia's role in ranching.