The Profitable Steward

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Do you believe that there is a connection between freedom and the land we steward?

In this episode, Jared Sorensen discusses the principles of Stewardship and Statesmanship. He talks about what is stewardship and why it matters. He also shares how we can become better stewards and better statesmen and ultimately more profitable in our businessess. 
 
You can watch the Youtube episode here.

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In this episode, William DeMille joins Jared to discuss how mimicking nature can help improve soil health and increase crop productivity. William shares the  importance of soil health, the challenges facing our soils, and the ways in which we can use nature as a model for sustainable agriculture.

We learn that healthy soils are essential for a healthy planet. They store carbon, filter water, and provide habitat for a wide variety of organisms. However, our soils are under threat from a number of factors, including climate change, erosion, and nutrient pollution.

We hear about some of the ways in which we can mimic nature to improve soil health. These include:

• Cover cropping: Planting cover crops helps to protect the soil from erosion and improve its fertility.
• No-till farming: No-till farming involves leaving the soil undisturbed after harvest. This helps to maintain the soil's structure and reduce erosion.
• Composting: Composting adds organic matter to the soil, which helps to improve its fertility and water retention.
• Diversity: Building diversity into your cropping system will lead to increased nutrient cycling and organic matter levels as the soil food web begins to fully function

Whether you're a farmer, gardener, or just interested in sustainable living, this episode is sure to provide valuable insights into the power of mimicking nature to build healthy soil.

William DeMille is a lifelong vegetable farmer. He studied 2 years of Horticulture and Agronomy at Northwest Missouri University, Maryville. He holds two certificates in aquaponic engineering and production from Cornell University, NY, and from GrowHaus Aquaponics CO, and also graduated from Dr. Elaine’s Soil Food Web School and Healing Mountain Massage School.  William is a farm consultant helping establish various agricultural startups since 2005 in Missouri, Oregon, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. He specializes in the education of food production and soil health. William is the Director of Georgic Development for Monticello College, Ut. He manages 2500 acres of grassland for the Ruby Mountain Foods Company where the highest quality grass finished beef is raised. During the shutdowns of covid 19 he built a solar greenhouse that he now manages and it feeds 20 people approximately 80% of their food. He is developing new vegetable varieties and breeding them for the high elevations of the intermountain west. In 2021 he started his own grass roots school at his home in Clover Valley Nevada teaching soil health and vegetable production which trains people how to grow food without fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides etc… It includes a 3 day Boot Camp class for all ages. For college aged students he teaches an advanced 17 week class each summer to train new farmers in vegetable production. William owns and operates a soil testing laboratory and has a YouTube channel about farming. He is growing his Patreon channel helping people grow food, and  holds a weekly free online Q&A on Thursday evenings.   


For more information you can contact him through:

Website: https://www.georgicrevolution.com/
 

Be sure to check out our previous episodes and click on the link to join our Webinar series:  https://www.agsteward.fyi/registration-page--1

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There are 3D's that can severely impact a farm family : death, debt, and divorce.

In this episode, Vernie DeMille joins Jared to explore the importance of having a strong and healthy marriage in maintaining a family farm. Vernie discusses the unique challenges that can arise in a farming marriage, such as managing finances, balancing work and family life, and dealing with the ups and downs of farming. Whether you're a farmer or simply interested in the ins and outs of rural life, this episode offers valuable insights into the importance of having a good marriage in maintaining a family farm.

Vernie Lynn DeMille is a woman of faith and hope.  She is an American farmer.  She is passionate about the pursuit of beauty in simple things: finding it, creating it, remembering it, and sharing it.  She is a believer in joy: that it is a method of travel and not a destination.  She believes that every season has a purpose and that we have a job to do within it.  She believes that living her life on purpose means that she must look with the intent to really see, listen with the goal of really hearing, and speak with the desire to serve, comfort, and encourage.

For more information you can contact her through:

Website: https://verniedemille.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vernie.demille
Email: [email protected]

Get a copy of her book, Walking My Father's Fields - Love Letters from a Daughter of the Land
 
Be sure to check out our previous episodes and click on the link to join our Webinar series:  https://www.agsteward.fyi/registration-page--1

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The fight against climate change is a global issue that requires open and honest dialogue to resolve.

In this episode, Seth Itzkan joins Jared to discuss the role of ruminants in reversing global warming. They talk about how ruminants can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil health, and increase biodiversity. They also discuss some of the challenges that ruminants face, such as climate change and deforestation.

This episode is for anyone who is interested in learning more about the role of ruminants in the environment. It is also for anyone who is interested in finding ways to reduce their impact on the planet.

 ​Seth Itzkan is Co-founder and Codirector of Soil4Climate. He is an environmental futurist investigating innovative means of land management that offer hope for reversing global warming. He is a TEDx speaker on restoring grasslands and with planned grazing. He has consulted for The Boston Foundation, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the US Bureau of the Census. He is a graduate of Tufts University, College of Engineering and the Studies of the Future Program at University of Houston-Clear Lake. His private consultancy is Planet-TECH Associates.

For more information you can contact him through:

Website: https://www.soil4climate.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-j-itzkan-4939a6260/

Be sure to check out our previous episodes and click on the link to join our Webinar series:  https://www.agsteward.fyi/registration-page--1

Jump over to YouTube to catch the video of this and all podcast episodes.
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Grazing operations benefit the animals, the farm, and the environment.  In this episode, Jim Gerrish joins Jared to talk about  Grazing Management to restore soil health. 

Jim Gerrish, is an independent grazing lands consultant providing services to farmers and ranchers on both private and public lands across five continents.  
 
 Jim was co-founder of the very popular 3-day grazing management workshop program at FSRC. These schools were attended by over 3000 producers and educators from 39 states and 4 Canadian provinces from their inception in 1990 through 2003. Fifteen other states have conducted grazing workshops based on the Missouri model and Jim has taught in eleven of these states. He is an instructor in the University of Idaho’s Lost River Grazing Academy held annually near Salmon ID. He typically speaks at 20 to 25 producer oriented workshops, seminars, and field days around the US and Canada each year.
 
 For 22 of the years he spent in Missouri, he stayed in touch with the real world on a 260- acre commercial cow-calf and contract grazing operation. In this setting, he took a worn out marginal crop farm and converted it to a highly productive grass farm. After the move to Idaho, Jim keeps his day-to-day grazing tools sharp through management of a ranch unit consisting of 450 center pivot irrigated pastures, 90 acres of flood ground, and several hundred acres of rangeland. He was deeply involved in the Green Hills Farm Project, a grassroots producer group centered in north-central Missouri and emphasizing sustainability of family farms. His research and outreach efforts have been recognized with awards from the American Forage and Grassland Council, Missouri Forage and Grassland Council, National Center for Appropriate Technology, USDA-NRCS, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Progressive Farmer, and American Agricultural Editors Association.

For more information, you can contact him at:
Website: https://www.americangrazinglands.com/
 
 
Learn more about his books:
1. Management-Intensive Grazing: The Grassroots of Grass Farming
2.  Kick the Hay Habit: A Practical Guide to Year-around Grazing

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In this episode, Tony Malmberg joins Jared to discuss about integrating Holistic Management in your decision making process to make your ranches and farms more successful. 

Tony Malmberg is a third-generation rancher. He has received many honors from agricultural organizations and environmental and wildlife interests, including the National Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemen’s Association. Tony demonstrates profitable ecological land use that adds value to his community.  

Tony has been a practitioner of Holistic Management for over thirty years and has supervised the implementation of Holistic Management on ranches in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Oregon, and Hawaii. Tony and his wife, Andrea, sold their Wyoming ranch in 2009. They used the “Holistic Decision Making Framework” in selecting northeastern Oregon and now ranch in Union County Oregon. They raise Beyond Organic Beef: Grown to Enhance the Land that Creates it and the People who Enjoy it. 

For more information, you can contact him at:

Website:  https://www.holisticmanagement.guide/
Email: [email protected]

Learn more about his book "Green Grass in the Spring: A Cowboy's Guide to Saving the World" here: https://www.holisticmanagement.guide/greengrassinthespring

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A business that is not profitable is not a business at all, but it's just a hobby. 

In this episode, Dave Pratt joins Jared to talk about ranching for profit in order to find the breakthroughs that will improve the health and productivity of your ranch, the profitability of your business and the quality of your life. 

Dave Pratt is one of the most sought-after speakers on sustainable agriculture and profitable ranching in the world today. He has taught the Ranching for Profit School in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Africa.

Dave grew up on a small ranch and worked for cattle and sheep ranchers in Northern California where he learned ranching from the bottom up. In addition to his practical roots, Dave holds BS and MS degrees from the University of California and Washington State University. A Range and Livestock Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension Service for 15 years, Dave researched cell grazing and strategic issues impacting the sustainability of ranches.

For more information, you can contact him at:

Website:  https://ranchmanagement.com/
Email: [email protected]

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What if the key to a more profitable cattle operation isn’t producing bigger calves—but building a better system?

In this episode of the Profitable Steward Podcast, Jared Sorensen is joined by renowned rancher, businessman, and cattle industry leader Kit Pharo, founder of Pharo Cattle Company. With decades of hands-on experience, Kit shares timeless lessons on building a profitable, sustainable, and resilient ranching operation.

Kit discusses the importance of calving in sync with nature, selecting the right cow for your environment, and why profit per acre—not weaning weight—is a better measure of ranch profitability. He also explains what it means to be a “herd quitter” and why knowing when to change your management approach can make all the difference.

After initially focusing on producing bigger calves, Kit discovered that increasing weaning weights didn’t necessarily increase profits. He shifted from a production-driven model to a profit-driven approach, focusing on reducing expenses while increasing beef production per acre.

Today, Pharo Cattle Company markets more than 1,000 forage-developed bulls each year, demonstrating the power of a low-input, forage-based approach to cattle production.

Key Takeaways:

* Calving in sync with nature and choosing cattle adapted to your environment
* Why profit per acre can matter more than weaning weights
* Shifting from production-driven to profit-driven ranching
* Knowing when it’s time to become a “herd quitter”


For more information, you can contact him at:
Website:  https://pharocattle.com/

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 What better way to start of the podcast than to have Allen Williams as our guest. 

Allen Williams is a 6th generation family farmer and founding partner of Grass Fed Insights, LLC, Understanding Ag, LLC and the Soil Health Academy. He has consulted with more than 4000 farmers and ranchers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, and other countries, on operations ranging from a few acres to over 1 million acres.

In this episode, he discusses the following:
1. The challenges and issues in Agriculture. 
2. Definition of Regenerative Agriculture
3. The 6 principles of soil health
4. The 3 rules of adaptive stewardship 
5. The 4 Ecosystem processes, 
6. The Barriers to implementing regenerative agriculture 
7. The characteristics of a succesful Ag Entrepreneur 
8. The current state of Regenerative agriculture

For more information, you can contact him at:

Website:  https://understandingag.com/ 
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 662-312-6826

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Welcome to the first episode of the Profitable Steward Podcast. 

In this series we'll learn and explore regenerative agriculture principles. Through practices that improve soil health, animal health and good stewardship, we will help you increase your productivity and profitability. Join us as we bring experts from the fields of Agriculture, Leadership, Personal Development, Finance, and  Health to help you achieve your goals of profitability to be truly regenerative and "regenerational" to involve the next generation. 

Meet your host, Jared Sorensen. 

Jared is a life-long learner and has been applying and teaching principles of holistic management, soil regeneration, and biodynamics. Jared has mentored many young people seeking to get a start in agriculture. Some have gone on to purchase, lease, or manage ranches.

For more information visit https://www.agsteward.fyi/

Jump over to YouTube to catch the video of this and all podcast episodes.
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