Cattle growth goals and livestock use of large, topographically challenging landscapes have been at odds for some decades. Weaning weights went up, cow weights went up, and herd distribution on rangelands went down. Dr. Jim Sprinkle, an Extension beef specialist at the University of Idaho, has been doing research that is providing guidance on developing cows that do both, leading to herds that are more efficient on feed and graze hillsides -- the Perfect Range Cow. This has significant implications for reducing land use conflicts, particularly with riparian grazing concerns on public lands, but also profitability and sustainability of range livestock operations.

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Visit the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-170-dr-jim-sprinkle-perfect-range-cow for a full transcript of the interview and links to resources mentioned in the episode.

Malnutrition should be defined as any diet that results in metabolic derangement. Few Americans suffer from lack of access to calories. But we are unhealthy, with metabolic and chronic diseases increasing steadily. These are true statements, but how we should respond to them individually and societally is controversial. Peter Ballerstedt ("Sodfather of the Ruminati”) earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Georgia and his doctorate at the University of Kentucky. He was the forage extension specialist at Oregon State University from 1986 to 1992. He worked in the forage seed industry from 2011 until 2023. He is a member of several national and international scientific societies, participates in related global initiatives, and is a Past-President of the American Forage and Grassland Council.

Peter’s personal experience has led him to re-examine human diet and health. What he has learned doesn’t agree with the advice given for the past several decades. Peter is an advocate for ruminant animal agriculture and the essential role of animal source foods in the human diet. He strives to build bridges between producers, consumers, and researchers across a wide variety of scientific disciplines – increasing awareness of metabolic health and ruminant animal agriculture’s essential role in social, economic, and ecological sustainability. Peter has spoken at many different events in the US and internationally. Many of his presentations are available on YouTube. Peter and Nancy live in western Oregon (northwestern USA) with their three dogs, Conor, Noni, and Iris.

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Go to the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-169-peter-ballerstedt-metabolic-dysfunction-opportunities-eaters-and-graziers for a transcript of this interview and links to resources mentioned in the episode.

Chuck Jarecki ranched in Montana from 1961 to the 1990s, using grazing to heal lands broken by the plow that never grew enough to justify continued crop farming. He had success using the classic management tools: develop stockwater in places cattle don't like to go, graze the most preferred species moderately, and give grasses time to grow back before you graze them again. Chuck won't elaborate much, but what he says is worth listening to and he has lived out his brief advice, starting with instructions from his mentor, Don Ryerson, to learn with "your face in the ground and your butt in the air."

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

A transcript of the conversation and links to resources mentioned in this episode is available at the episode page at ahttps://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-168-chuck-jarecki-ranching-your-face-ground-montana

Beni Paulson is a North Dakota rancher who breeds, trains, and sells bucking bulls. He also raises beef cattle and produces country-western music that is more western than eastern. He sings of what he knows. And he's learned a thing or two about grazing to heal pieces of the northern Great Plains that were degraded through cropping and overgrazing. If you've never heard of the American Bucking Bull breed . . . I hadn't . . . tune in to this interview.

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Go to the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-167-beni-paulson-bucking-bull-breeding-country-music-and-good-grazing for the transcript of this interview and for links to resources mentioned in the show.

Gabe Brown was thinking about and practicing regenerative grazing before it had a name. Grazing management that maintains the productive potential of naturally occurring ecosystems is an ecological imperative that is as needful today as it was 10,000 years ago. In this conversation between Gabe and Tip, they land on definitions for regenerative grazing, discuss problems with the term 'sustainable agriculture', and speculate on future directions for ecological agriculturalists. And Gabe answers a question he's never been asked before.

This work is supported by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, project award no. 2022-38640-37487 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Visit the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-166-gabe-brown-regenerative-grazing for the transcript and links to resources mentioned in the episode.

How does barbed wire affect wildlife? Is there a better way to manage livestock location that distributes grazing effects and cares for the other animals occupying these landscapes? Maybe this is not a new idea? Jay Kehne with Conservation Northwest believes virtual fence is one of the answers. CNW facilitated and funded implementation of a virtual fence system for numerous ranchers affected by a large wildfire in 2020-21 that burned nearly half a million acres of sage grouse habitat in the Pacific Northwest. He's learned a thing or two about virtual fence and shares much of that in this interview.

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Visit the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-165-virtual-fence-benefits-wildlife-jay-kehne-conservation-northwest for links to resources mentioned in this interview and a full transcript.

The King Ranch is considered "The Birthplace of American Ranching". On its 150th birthday, King Ranch partnered with Texas A&M Kingsville to establish a masters program in ranch management, the only one of its kind. Rick Machen is the executive director of this program and speaks to the efficacy and reach of the Institute, still in its first quarter-century. Rick and Tip discuss why ranching well matters more than ever, why training future ranchers is critical, and how the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management functions to serve these Texas-sized goals.

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission.

Go to the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-164-king-ranch-institute-ranch-management-rick-machen for links to resources mentioned in this episode as well as the full transcript of the conversation.

Andrew Coppin is the co-founder and CEO of RanchBot, a company aiming to reduce the cost and stress of managing stockwatering supplies in the large percentage of the world's surface where water really matters to grazing operations of all sizes. But as a former investment banker in corporate finance, Andrew has broader socioecological goals: "Ranchers are the largest custodians of natural capital on the planet outside of governments, and 98% of ranchers I know are trying to respect the land and work in sympathy with nature, and they're trying to leave the planet better than they found it for their children and their children's children. This is embedded in most ranchers' raison d'etre--RanchBot can help ranchers verify natural capital, to gather data that demonstrates stewardship."

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Go to the episode page for a full transcript and links to resources mentioned in this interview: https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-163-stockwater-monitoring-technologies-and-natural-capital-andrew-coppin-ranchbot

The Montana Grazing Lands Coalition 2025 Grazing Expo is an event designed to empower land managers with tangible resources while highlighting the West-wide impact of sound grazing lands stewardship. In this interview with Megan Terry, executive director for the Montana Grazing Lands Coalition, we discuss the importance of rancher peer-to-peer learning, integrated face-to-face grazing management education, and why people should attend the 2025 Grazing Expo in Billings September 4-7 and get involved with their state's or region's Grazing Lands Coalition. Listen to Megan's story about becoming an advocate for active management of wild rangelands.

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Visit the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-162-grazing-lands-expo-2025-megan-terry for a full transcript of this interview and links to resources mentioned in this episode.

What would rural finance look like if it truly supported long-term stewardship and resilience? This is the question Zach Ducheneaux has been asking himself and working toward for a couple of decades. Zach is an agricultural producer, a farming advocate, and the former Administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency. From experiencing firsthand ag lending dysfunction in the 1980s farm crisis, to witnessing local community relationships in action that resulted in local lending based on trust, to helping USDA design lending programs that promote young farmers and ranchers, Zach understands ag lending like few others. In this interview he introduces principles that promote long-term capital reinvestment and producer-centered terms. This is good for borrower and lender. And it builds social capital, something badly needed in a modern economy.

The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Go to the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-161-5th-c-agricultural-lending-zach-ducheneaux for more information or to contact Zach.