In this episode, Rebekah Pierce, author of Agri-Energy: Growing Power, Growing Food, joins Carolyn Nation to share her hands-on experience with agrovoltaics—the practice of grazing livestock under solar panels. Rebekah currently manages seven solar grazing sites across four counties in upstate New York, transforming underutilized land into productive agricultural systems while providing vegetation management for solar companies.

The conversation explores how solar grazing works in practice, how farmers can find and secure contracts, and why sheep have become the go-to species for these systems. Rebekah also addresses common concerns around farmland loss, food safety, and soil health, offering a grounded, farmer-first perspective on integrating renewable energy with agriculture.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

Getting Started with Solar Grazing
Rebekah explains how she landed her first solar grazing contract in 2022 and how farmer-to-farmer connections opened the door to rapid growth.

Finding Opportunities in the Solar Industry
Solar grazing requires “detective work”—from tracking construction projects and attending town board meetings to navigating the divide between solar builders and maintenance companies.

Land Use, Soil Health, and Public Concerns
Many solar sites are built on non-prime or previously degraded land. Through managed rotational grazing, these areas can improve significantly while remaining in agriculture for 20–40 years.

Livestock Compatibility with Solar Sites
Sheep are the most practical option today, but Rebekah discusses emerging possibilities for cattle, poultry, and other livestock as panel designs evolve.

Farming Under the Panels
Beyond grazing, farmers are growing vegetables, hay, sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, and even cranberries under and around solar arrays as equipment and layouts adapt.

Economics Without Subsidies
Payments for vegetation management come directly from solar companies, providing steady income that has been transformative for Rebekah’s first-generation farm.

Safety, Food Quality, and Environmental Reality
Rebekah addresses concerns about contamination, panel materials, and food safety, pointing to research showing no issues with meat from solar-grazed sites.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

Start tracking local solar projects by attending town meetings and monitoring planning notices.

Build relationships with solar developers, operations companies, and cooperatives like United Agrovoltaics.

Consider sheep as a low-barrier entry point for solar grazing systems.

Use intensive rotational grazing to improve soil health while meeting vegetation management requirements.

Stay persistent—solar grazing contracts often require repeated follow-ups and long timelines.

📌 Resources & Links:

Agri-Energy: Growing Power, Growing Food by Rebekah Pierce

United Agrovoltaics Cooperative

👉 Subscribe to the Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast for more real-world conversations on regenerative agriculture, innovative land use, and building resilient farm businesses.

In this episode, Dr. Anibal Pordomingo shares hard-earned insights from more than two decades researching, producing, and refining grass-finished beef systems in the Argentine Pampas. Drawing from direct experience with chefs, markets, and consumers, the conversation explores what truly defines quality in pasture-finished beef—and why perception, preparation, and consistency matter just as much as production practices.

Dr. Pordomingo challenges common assumptions about marbling, breed, age, and appearance, emphasizing that the eating experience ultimately determines success. The episode bridges pasture management with culinary realities, highlighting how grazing decisions, genetics, finishing timelines, and post-harvest handling shape tenderness, flavor, and reliability.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

What “Quality” Grass-Finished Beef Really Means
How chefs and consumers define quality—and why visual traits alone are unreliable indicators.

Fat, Marbling, and Moisture
The critical role of intramuscular fat in grilling performance, tenderness, and flavor, even in grass-finished systems.

Seasonality and Consistency Challenges
Why pasture-finished beef is inherently more variable than grain-fed, and how producers can manage that risk.

Aging, Freezing, and Handling
Best practices for dry aging, freezing, and chilling to preserve eating quality and avoid moisture loss.

Cooking Methods Matter
How heat, searing, salt, and slow cooking influence outcomes—and why chefs adapt techniques to the meat they’re given.

Genetics and Harvest Timing
The importance of early-maturing, easy-marbling genetics and harvesting at two and a half years or younger for consistent tenderness.

Hamburger Is Not an Afterthought
Why ground beef quality plays a major role in consumer perception and overall carcass value.

Story vs. Eating Experience
Why farm stories and stewardship help—but can never compensate for poor flavor or texture.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

Prioritize tenderness, juiciness, and flavor over appearance when making finishing and harvest decisions.

Manage pasture and finishing timelines tightly—grass-finishing leaves little margin for prolonged low gains.

Use genetics that support marbling and natural tenderness in forage-based systems.

Pay close attention to post-harvest handling, aging, and freezing methods to protect quality.

Remember that one great steak—or hamburger—can determine whether a consumer chooses grassfed beef again.

📌 For more insights, resources, and current specials, visit us here:
👉 stockmangrassfarmer.digital

👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to the Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and explore practical, experience-driven lessons on grazing, beef quality, and building resilient grass-based systems—straight from the pasture.

Recorded at: SGF’s First Gathering at Polyface (2021)

In this episode, Jordan Green shares the foundational mindset and practical decision-making required to become a true farm builder. Recorded at SGF’s first-ever Gathering at Polyface, the conversation reflects on the realities of building a farm business through economic uncertainty, market shifts, and long-term growth challenges.

Drawing from his experience as a Polyface apprentice, Marine Corps veteran, and diversified farmer alongside his wife Laura, Jordan explores how focus, simplification, and resilience shaped their farming journey—from the late-2000s economic crisis through the COVID-era disruptions. This episode emphasizes building systems that endure rather than chasing short-term wins.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

What It Means to Be a Farm Builder
The difference between operating a farm and intentionally building a long-term, resilient farm business.

Lessons from Economic Downturns
How the 2008 financial crisis and pandemic-era challenges reshaped Jordan’s approach to risk and growth.

Simplification as a Growth Strategy
Why narrowing enterprise focus can strengthen profitability and sustainability.

Choosing the Right Enterprises
Matching farm enterprises to land capability, labor capacity, and lifestyle goals.

Building Through Uncertainty
Developing adaptability and decision-making frameworks that hold up when conditions change.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

Build your farm with a long-term vision rather than reacting to short-term pressures.

Simplify enterprises to reduce risk and improve operational clarity.

Align your business decisions with your personal and family goals.

Embrace adaptability as a core strength, not a weakness.

Focus on systems that support resilience through economic and market cycles.

📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to visit us for our latest specials, live events, and monthly magazine:
👉 stockmangrassfarmer.digital

👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to the Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and explore real-world lessons from producers building farms that last.

In this remastered episode of the Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast, we revisit a foundational session from the Multi-Species Grazing School, led by renowned grazier Greg Judy. This episode is Part 1 of 3 from the first module of the complete Multi-Species Grazing course, and it sets the philosophical and practical groundwork for building resilient, profitable grazing systems through diversity.

Greg shares his personal journey from financial struggle to becoming debt-free through custom grazing, leasing land strategically, and embracing practices others were unwilling to try. The conversation dives deep into why single-species systems break down, how plants and animals work together to heal soil, and how livestock can replace machinery for brush, weed, and parasite control.

This episode challenges conventional thinking and reframes “problems” like weeds, brush, and invasive species as opportunities—when managed correctly.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

Why Multi-Species Systems Work
Diversity strengthens grazing systems by improving soil biology, forage quality, and overall resilience.

From Custom Grazing to Debt-Free Ranching
Greg’s journey of keeping money on the farm, leasing land wisely, and building equity without debt.

Understanding Weeds as Soil Indicators
Weeds exist for a reason—often signaling soil deficiencies rather than being the core problem.

Turning Problem Plants into Feed
How plants like Sericea lespedeza can become high-quality forage with proper timing and management.

Using Animals Instead of Machines
Sheep, cattle, pigs, and goats as “solar-powered tools” for brush control, parasite management, and fertility cycling.

Parasite Control Through Species Diversity
Why cattle and sheep break parasite cycles—and why goats require different management.

Tree and Brush Management Strategies
Practical methods for controlling woody species while preserving valuable shade and long-term landscape assets.

Profitability Without Guilt
Why making money is essential for staying on the land—and how profit and stewardship go hand in hand.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

Focus on building diversity—both plant and animal—to strengthen soil and forage systems.

Use livestock impact instead of mechanical mowing to solve vegetation problems.

Match grazing species to specific forage and problem plants.

Rethink weeds as indicators, not enemies.

Keep money on the farm and be willing to do what others won’t.

📌 Want to Go Deeper?
This episode is Part 1 of 3 from the first module of the complete Multi-Species Grazing course.

👉 For just $37, unlock the complete Multi-Species Grazing School with Greg Judy and learn how to build healthier pastures, diversify income, and cut input costs. This 10+ hour on-demand course streams instantly and lets you learn at your own pace—risk-free with our 100% money-back guarantee. www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/msg-tiny

🌱 For more insights, resources, and current specials, visit:
👉 stockmangrassfarmer.digital

🎧 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to the Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and keep learning—wherever the pasture takes you.

In this episode of The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast, Danielle Devota shares practical, boots-on-the-ground lessons from her first full season selling meat at a farmers’ market. Drawing from her experience raising grassfed beef, pasture-raised chicken, and forest-raised pork, Danielle walks through the real considerations behind moving from selling meat shares to offering retail cuts—and what that shift meant for customer relationships, cash flow, and long-term planning.

The episode explores the realities of small-scale, regenerative meat sales, including product availability, butcher scheduling, pricing confidence, and market logistics. Rather than offering theory, Danielle provides clear, experience-driven insights that can help producers decide if farmers’ markets fit their operation—and how to do them better if they do.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

Why Retail Meat Changed Everything
How offering smaller quantities expanded Danielle’s customer base and created more consistent cash flow.

Seasonality & Product Availability
Educating customers on why certain cuts—and meats—aren’t always available year-round.

Choosing the Right Market Commitment
Testing markets before committing, picking timeframes that fit forage and production cycles, and knowing when to skip low-return days.

Cut Selection & Inventory Strategy
Focusing on staple cuts first and letting customer demand guide future offerings.

Market Costs & Labor Reality
Being honest about booth fees, equipment, time investment, and the true cost of having multiple people at the stand.

Booth Placement & Visibility
Why consistency matters—and how advocating for your space helps retain regular customers.

Pre-Orders & Customer Flow
Using pre-orders to manage inventory and create momentum at the booth.

Email List Building at Markets
Turning face-to-face interactions into long-term customer relationships.

Creative Displays for Frozen Meat
Using signage, photos, and chalkboards to make frozen products easier to understand and sell.

Standing by Your Pricing
Preparing for price objections and confidently communicating the value of pasture-raised, regeneratively produced meat.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

Start with a limited product lineup and expand only after demand is proven.

Use farmers’ markets as both a sales channel and a customer education opportunity.

Protect your time and cash flow by evaluating each market day as a business decision.

Capture customer contact information every chance you get.

Remember—not everyone is your customer, and that’s okay.

📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to visit us for our latest articles, podcast episodes, specials, and educational offerings:
👉 stockmangrassfarmer.digital

👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and learn from producers navigating real-world grazing, marketing, and livestock challenges—straight from the pasture.

In this episode, Bud Williams shares a timeless, experience-driven perspective on livestock marketing that challenges conventional thinking and expands how producers view profitability. Rather than focusing solely on selling animals, Bud explains why true marketing success comes from a whole-system approach that includes buying decisions, grazing management, inventory control, cash flow, and understanding market cycles.

Drawing from decades of hands-on experience, Bud breaks down commodity cash markets, futures, and direct marketing—while emphasizing that profit is made at the time of purchase, not by hoping for higher prices later. This classic presentation remains as relevant today as ever, offering practical wisdom for producers navigating volatile markets and long-term business sustainability.

Bud details how market cycles truly work, why declining markets often create the best opportunities, and how poor pricing discipline across the industry leads to instability. He also explains why scale isn’t required for profitability—clarity, discipline, and smart decision-making are.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

What Marketing Really Means: Marketing goes far beyond buying and selling—it includes animal care, grazing land management, feed use, cash flow, and inventory control.

Profit Is Made When You Buy: Why waiting to “make money when you sell” is a losing mindset—and how smart buying creates margin.

Understanding Market Cycles: The traditional cattle cycle still exists, but modern markets create shorter, faster cycles that savvy producers can use to their advantage.

Selling High and Buying Low—On Purpose: Why maintaining cash and grass inventory matters more than expanding herd numbers in hot markets.

Cash, Grass, and Inventory Management: Viewing grass, money, livestock, and equipment as inventory—and knowing when not to buy at all.

Futures and Risk Protection: Why most producers should avoid futures unless they truly understand them—and how they were originally designed to protect producers.

Why Profitability Doesn’t Require Scale: How wise management consistently outperforms size in livestock businesses.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

Focus on making profit at the time of purchase—not by predicting future prices.

Maintain inventory in grass and cash, especially when livestock prices are high.

Sell animals early when drought or market pressure is coming—before everyone else does.

Avoid increasing herd size during peak markets; build reserves instead.

Minimize equipment purchases and protect cash flow to stay flexible.

Produce what the market wants—not just what you prefer to raise.

📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to visit us here for our latest specials and exclusive offers: 👉 stockmangrassfarmer.digital

👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and learn practical, real-world livestock marketing wisdom straight from one of the most influential thinkers in grazing and animal management.

In this episode of The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast, Mike Stockton shares a clear, experience-driven look at common breeding season strategies and the decision-making process behind selecting the right approach for your operation. Drawing from his own work raising direct-market beef on leased land, Mike explains how calving timing and breeding method choices affect labor, cash flow, genetics, and long-term herd resilience.

Rather than promoting a single “best” system, this episode focuses on options—helping producers evaluate what works best for their land, resources, and goals. Mike also details why he chose artificial insemination to access adapted genetics affordably, inspired by leaders like Kit Pharo, Greg Judy, Jaime Elizondo, and Gabe Brown.

Three Common Calving Systems
Year-round, spring, and fall calving — with practical pros and cons for each based on forage availability, climate, labor, and marketing flexibility.

Why Spring Calving Gets Attention in Regenerative Systems
Aligning peak nutritional demand with abundant grass to reduce costs and improve calf health.

Fall Calving as a Heat-Management Strategy
How cooler temperatures support breed-back success and market timing advantages.

Bull Options Explained
Renting a bull, buying a bull, or using artificial insemination — including cost, flexibility, genetics, and management considerations.

Using AI to Access Adapted Genetics
Mike’s experience sourcing South Poll genetics locally and keeping breeding costs under $50 per calf.

Breeding Decisions for Direct-Marketed Beef
Why body condition, fertility, and longevity matter when selling beef directly to customers.

Match your calving season to forage growth and climate to reduce feed costs and stress on cows.

Consider AI if you have a small herd or leased land and want access to high-quality adapted genetics without owning a bull.

Remember that the bull contributes 50% of your herd’s genetics — invest thoughtfully.

Use breeding decisions as a long-term strategy to build herd value and resilience.

Don’t be afraid to test a new approach each year and evaluate the results.

📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to visit us here for our latest specials and exclusive offers:
👉 stockmangrassfarmer.digital

👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and explore practical grazing and livestock management lessons straight from the pasture.

🌱 Grassroots of Grazing — Now Just $37! 🌱

Unlock Jim Gerrish’s foundational grazing school at a tiny, can’t-miss price. With 8+ hours of practical, proven strategies, this course gives you the tools to improve forage production, extend your grazing season, and manage your pastures with confidence.

Whether you're new to grazing or refining an established system, Grassroots of Grazing delivers the clarity and direction every grazier needs — all for just $37.

Start transforming your pasture today.

www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/gog-tiny-offer

>>>

🎙️ Episode Title: Goals & Objectives with Jim Gerrish
📝 Featured Speaker: Jim Gerrish

In this episode of the Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast, we explore the vital importance of setting clear, actionable goals for your farming or ranching operation with expert insights from Jim Gerrish. Whether you’re focused on business growth or lifestyle improvements, Jim emphasizes the need for SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound—and shares his personal journey of balancing lifestyle ambitions with a successful consulting business.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

Whether you're fine-tuning your current plans or starting from scratch, this episode will inspire you to take actionable steps toward achieving both your personal and business goals.

🌱 Tune in now and start shaping the future of your farming operation today!

Ready to take your regenerative ranching to new heights? Learn more here: https://www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/profile

Be sure to explore the links for our monthly magazine, upcoming live events, and latest specials.

Grassfarming is a 24-7 job and you can’t always get away. 

So we’ve put together this podcast, so that you can listen while you work (or whatever you’re doing) but always on your schedule. Whenever and where ever you want.

In this episode we're flipping the script as host Steve Kenyon of Greener Pastures Ranching leads a special Wednesday Night Networking conversation featuring Carolyn Nation, co-owner of The Stockman Grass Farmer magazine. This wide-ranging discussion explores the history of the iconic publication, the legacy of Alan Nation, the evolution of regenerative grazing education, and the real-world challenges of custom grazing and landowner relationships today.

The episode offers a candid look at how WNN began during COVID, why it continues to thrive in its sixth season, and how informal, producer-led learning is shaping the regenerative agriculture community across North America. Steve and Carolyn blend storytelling, history, business insights, and practical advice for graziers navigating today’s changing land access and livestock markets.

Carolyn shares the remarkable story behind SGF — from Alan’s early journalism days to the pivotal New Zealand trip that transformed the magazine into the leading voice of grass-based agriculture. Steve expands on his own journey with SGF, his experiences as a custom grazier, and the human relationship dynamics that make or break grazing enterprises.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

The Roots of the Wednesday Night Networking Series
How WNN began during COVID, why it has lasted six seasons, and the unique peer-to-peer learning format that keeps producers coming back.

The Origin Story of The Stockman Grass Farmer
How a trip to New Zealand and one farmer’s comment about being a “grass farmer” dramatically reshaped the magazine’s mission.

Alan Nation’s Legacy
Reflections on Alan’s journalism career, his influential books, his global impact on grazing thought, and how SGF continues to share his insights through “Alan’s Obs.”

The Evolution of SGF’s Education Platform
From print to events like “The Gathering,” to digital content, podcasts, and business schools co-led by Steve and Joel Salatin.

Realities of Custom Grazing
The importance of the Animal Keepers Act in Canada, navigating difficult customer and landowner personalities, and why reliability matters more than the highest-paying clients.

Land Ownership & Leasing Challenges
How generational transitions complicate grazing arrangements and strategies for working with landowners unfamiliar with agriculture.

Economics of Land Leasing & Grazing Rates
Why lease rates vary so drastically, what drives market shifts, and why maintaining long-term relationships often outweighs raising prices.

Supporting the Regenerative Community
Carolyn’s invitation for producers to contribute articles and share their experiences for the benefit of the wider grazing community.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

Build relationships intentionally — the people you work with matter as much as the land or livestock.

Protect your operation legally with tools like the Animal Keepers Act or liens when appropriate.

Focus on reliable customers and landowners rather than chasing the highest price.

Share your story — real-world grazing experience helps strengthen the entire community.

Leverage education and peer networks like WNN for continuous learning and support.

📌 For more insights and resources — including SGF courses, digital content, magazines, and our latest specials — visit: 👉 stockmangrassfarmer.digital

👉 Tune in on your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast for more real-world grazing wisdom from the leaders shaping today’s regenerative movement.

In this episode, Brad and Elizabeth of Otter Creek Farm share their journey transitioning a multi-generation New York farm from a conventional model to a diversified, regenerative, fully grassfed operation. The episode explores how they rebuilt their systems around animal welfare, soil health, transparency, and community connection, and why direct marketing became the heartbeat of their business.

Brad and Elizabeth walk through the decisions that shaped their operation — from abandoning commodity markets to developing a robust meat share program, pursuing Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Grassfed certifications, and introducing farm stays to deepen customer relationships. Their story highlights the practical realities, challenges, and rewards of regenerative farming in a cold-weather climate.

🔑 Key Points Covered:

The Transition to Regenerative Farming: Why Otter Creek moved away from conventional practices and toward a holistic, humane, grass-based system.

The Power of Meat Shares: How selling directly to customers through a subscription-like share model transformed their income stability and customer loyalty.

Certifications That Matter: The impact of AGW’s AWA and Certified Grassfed programs on marketing, animal care, and customer trust.

Winter & Drought Management: Strategies the farm uses to maintain animal health, protect soil, and ensure feed availability in tough seasons.

Diversification for Stability: Why they added farm stays, poultry, and thoughtful enterprise mix — and what they don’t do anymore (like haying).

Marketing Through Transparency: How newsletters, education, on-farm experiences, and storytelling help customers feel connected to their food and the farm’s mission.

🌱 Actionable Insights:

Build customer trust with clear communication and behind-the-scenes access — it strengthens loyalty and supports premium pricing.

Consider a meat share or subscription model to gain early-season cash flow and predictable revenue.

Don’t hesitate to collaborate with neighboring farms to reduce workload, outsource weaker enterprises, or expand offerings responsibly.

Use certifications strategically — the right ones can reinforce your values and enhance your branding.

Design your enterprise mix around what you do best, what the land supports, and what brings both profitability and joy.

📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to visit us here for our latest specials and exclusive offers:
👉 stockmangrassfarmer.digital

👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and discover powerful real-world lessons from farmers and experts leading today’s regenerative movement.