True Stewards

Jen Livsey plans and manages grazing on her family’s commercial cow/calf ranch, the Flying Diamond in eastern Colorado. Jen has an MS in Ranch Management from the King Ranch Institute and is the owner of EastCo, a pasture and livestock insurance group.

As Jen puts it, the family’s philosophy has been to leave things in better condition than they were found and to take steps to ensure the ranch passes on to the next generation. It seems to be working, as The Flying Diamond Ranch has been in the family for more than 100 years.

Our conversation was filled with laughter, covering a wide range of topics such as the Kit Carson biography “Blood and Thunder” and ranching for profit by layering multiple revenue streams. We also talk about tools to manage for drought, the disconnect between agriculture and consumers, and using Instagram to hire a ranch hand. Listen to the end for speculation on the ways ranching might change in our lifetime. Enjoy!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/jen-livsey ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:30 – Getting to know Jen Livsey and the Flying Diamond Ranch in Colorado

4:15 – Comparing the beef cattle business to poultry and pork

6:30 – Peering into the crystal ball of regenerative agriculture

10:00 – Grazing cattle are an integral part of the grassland ecosystem

12:25 – Ranching for profit and keeping the ranch in the family

17:15 – Layering multiple revenue streams and expansion via leases

21:30 – Tools to manage for drought

25:35 – Great new hire via Instagram

29:25 – Attracting the brightest minds to agriculture and managing our natural resources

32:30 – Disconnect between agriculture and consumers

37:25 – Efforts to improve communication between ag and consumers in Colorado

40:35 – In what ways will ranching change in the next 30 years?

44:25 – Integrating grazing on cover crops and transitioning marginal cropland back to rangeland

Trey Patterson is a thoughtful steward at the Padlock Ranch in northern Sheridan County, Wyoming and southern Big Horn County, Montana. Trey and his team are committed to achieving balance among five elements of purpose in order to put the Padlock Ranch in position to be here for generations to come.

Human excellence – having good people

Preservation of our natural resources

Being a positive contributor and influence in the community – both local and within the ag industry in general

Financial excellence – being profitable to be sustainable

Being an emblem for the ownership family

We had a fun conversation winding from the depiction of ranch life on the hit series “Yellowstone” to the limitations or challenges within academia of researching biological systems. We talk about the balance between tradition and innovation, the availability of water in the context of encroaching development, and – with the abundance of information available at our fingertips –  how to tell the difference between good information and bad information.

I hope you enjoy this episode with Trey!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/trey-patterson ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:43 – Trey Patterson’s path to the Padlock Ranch

4:25 – The Five Elements of Purpose at the Padlock Ranch

9:19 – Balance between tradition and innovation

13:46 – Discussing management practices that enhance biological systems

18:20 – Thinking of time-controlled grazing as a way to replenish your bank, which is your soil and root structure

24:05 – Unmanaged or ungrazed grasslands

28:23 – Working with conservation groups to improve water systems on the ranch

31:25 – Professional development for ranchers and the importance of verifiable information

34:04 – The limitations of academia when it comes to systems work 

35:50 – Urban encroachment, hobby farms, and the availability of water

37:38 – The importance of a safe, nutritious, and affordable food supply

39:52 – Using life cycle assessments to better understand contributions to greenhouse gas emissions

45:20 – Comparing the beef cattle industry in the US to other regions of the world

47:00 – Why is the consumer perception of what producers do different from what farmers and ranchers say they do?

Stacy Davies is a thoughtful steward committed to using natural systems or what he calls “biologically driven management” at the Roaring Springs Ranch in Oregon. Stacy credits his time under Doc and Connie Hatfield as well as a Holistic Management workshop in the late 80s as the beginning of his journey in holistic thinking and using natural systems to manage a ranch.

Stacy knows you must be flexible enough to adapt to nature’s complexity in order to take advantage of the symbiotic relationship between the cattle and the grasslands ecosystem that supports them. Conditions are constantly changing so Stacy and his team try to stay on top of things by using a suite of technology to monitor the plants and animals on the Roaring Springs Ranch. They are committed to science-based decision making and partner with a host of conservation scientists and researchers to increase our scientific knowledge of range management.

Beyond his holistic philosophy on range management, Stacy is focused on long-term sustainability, not only for his operation or his community, but for rural communities all across the US to prosper economically, socially and ecologically. Our conversation hits on the interdependence between rural and urban communities, the importance of valuing the environmental benefits provided by our working lands, and how consumers can help influence the way ranches are managed. I hope you enjoy!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/stacy-davies ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:40 – Getting to know Stacy Davies and the Roaring Springs Ranch in Oregon

3:49 – Managing for biological and ecosystem health

6:00 – Candidate Conservation Agreement with USFWS for the Great Basin redband trout

8:35 – Using natural systems to manage the ranch

10:35 – Implementing management strategies that benefit the environment and soil health

11:35 – Fire effects on vegetation and succession, and the importance of edge effect

15:03 – Science-based decision making and increasing our scientific knowledge 

17:48 – Stacy’s goal on the ranch and the value of private land stewardship

19:42 – How consumers can influence the way ranches are managed

21:50 – Rural-Urban interdependence

23:02 – How valuing the environmental benefits provided by our working lands can better reward good management

26:16 – Consolidation of ranches, its impact on rural economies, and why folks in cities should care

30:11 – Discussing how to appropriately incentivize lessees to improve their management practices

35:45 – Fear of unknown, perceived complications deter some folks from taking advantage of conservation programs

39:32 – Keeping an open dialogue between ranchers and consumers, and recognizing the dependency on one another

41:15 – The things that motivate Stacy and other ranchers, and Stacy’s challenge to podcast listeners

Hans Herkert, a first-generation rice farmer in California’s Central Valley, and I talk quite a bit about the ways rice fields serve vital ecological functions – including raising salmon and providing temporary shorebird habitat during migration. There is an emerging awareness or recognition that ecosystem services are crucial to maintain a hospitable planet for human life, and we find ourselves in a position where we must use preservation, restoration, and biomimicry on working lands.

Coming from a small town heavily dependent on agriculture, and with extended family in the farming industry, Hans got his career started serving in a support role and then took the plunge in 2011 by acquiring a lease on a 154-acre field. The bird and wildlife benefits from rice field management were always at the top of mind for Hans, and I learned quite a bit about the evolution in California from burning rice straw after the harvest to now flooding the fields to decompose it instead. By recreating floodplains that used to exist naturally, rice farmers like Hans are providing critical wildlife habitat and building climate resiliency.

Hans and I talk about the emerging research and pilot programs attempting to value these kinds of ecosystem services, including a recent study by University of California and the California Rangeland Trust. We talk about a few conservation programs that incentivize farming practices that maximize benefits to wildlife, the potential challenges scaling up these programs, and one of the biggest challenges facing California: the demands for water. Hans is a thoughtful steward of the land and I hope you learn as much as I have from our conversation.

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/hans-herkert ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:39 – The path from growing up in Colusa to that first lease

4:12 – Not your grandfather’s rice field – how is rice farmed today?

6:45 – The ecological impact of flooding rice fields after the harvest

7:57 – Water in the context of rice production plus the benefits in recreating floodplains that used to exist naturally

11:02 – Recent studies attempting to value these ecosystem services

12:05 – Incentive programs to increase economic feasibility of synching farming practices with benefits to wildlife

14:38 – Is there enough funding for every farmer to participate if they want to?

16:52 – Resources for people interested in these types of programs

17:37 – How Hans stays on top of current farming trends and best practices

18:17 – The demands for water in California, increasing supply through storage and conservation

22:37 – Agriculture practices not only coexist with wildlife but can allow wildlife to thrive

24:00 – Steep learning curve starting out and the importance of the business management side of things

25:44 – Failure is an opportunity to learn

27:16 – Hans suggests actions to take to learn more about these conservation efforts

28:06 – Birding in the Sacramento Valley in the winter time, after the harvest

After a successful career in computers and technology, Richard Taylor and his partner Suzie Paris spent many years searching for the perfect place to begin their next adventure. In 2001 they purchased 832 acres in Texas Hill Country and named it the Blue Mountain Peak Ranch due to its position as the highest point in Mason, Texas.

They began improving the ranch by cutting Ashe Juniper, first themselves and then with teams of people with chainsaws and with prescribed burns. The removal of bison, traditional livestock management, and a changing climate have contributed to Ashe Juniper exploding across the landscape of Hill Country. Containing the Ashe Juniper to the ravines has led to less runoff and more rainfall absorption, an increase in native flora and fauna, and a rebirth of springs and creeks.

During our conversation, Richard and I talk about his selection criteria when shopping for a ranch, how the work done here influences San Antonio and Austin’s water supply, and the ways they control Ashe Juniper, commonly known as cedar to locals. We talk about the importance of a goal statement for most aspects in life, how rising land prices require us to rethink the economic models around land ownership, and the increase in species diversity after controlling the cedar, deer and cowbird populations.

NB: Richard misspoke about the general timeframe to build an inch of topsoil. In the references section down below I’ve included a link to just one of many articles that cover this topic. Soil formation rates vary across the planet with slowest rates occurring in cold, dry regions and faster rates in hot, wet regions.

There’s a lot packed into this 42-minute episode, so I hope you enjoy!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/richard-taylor ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:30 – Searching for a property at the top of its watershed

3:02 – Fire suppression and the invasion of ash juniper, commonly known as cedar

6:11 – Can you control cedar?

7:39 – Restoring the native seed inventory

10:16 – An intro to the science behind prescriptive burning

14:45 – Seeing an increase in biodiversity after fire events

17:07 – An example of linked species, the web of life

18:26 – Black-capped vireos, short-tailed hairless lizards, and student research on species diversity

20:41 – Improving water features on the ranch

21:28 – Resources helping the eco restoration efforts on the ranch

23:54 – Return of milkweed and monarch butterflies

25:04 – Sequestering carbon in our grasslands and building up the soil

26:00 – Barriers to others accessing these resources, using prescribed fire, et cetera

27:22 – The value of collaborating and sharing information with your neighbors

30:00 – Cost of land, population growth, and lessons from the Golden Mile in Massachusetts

33:59 – Partnering with Texas Parks and Wildlife to improve wildlife habitat

37:24 – An introduction to cowbirds and their impacts

39:20 – Ecotourism including hikers, bikers, campers, and student researchers

40:03 – Reiterating the impact of water on this ecosystem

Nancy Peterson and her husband, Rex, bought Plum Thicket Farms in the Nebraska Sandhills in 1998 after moving from the Colorado Mountains where Nancy had a cow/calf veterinary practice. Over the years they have built the herd to 300 cows, and have taken many steps to develop water efficiencies and make its pastures drought-resilient. Their son, Patrick, heads the farming operation and is passionate about improving soil health and conserving resources using cover crops and no-till farming practices.

During our conversation, Nancy and I talk about drought planning, minimizing erosion and increasing water retention through cover crops and no-till farming, and the challenges switching from a wheat-fallow system to a no-till system. We talk about the cheap cost of food in the US vs Europe, cattle prices not rising with inputs, and how that’s impacting our rural communities financially, socially and ecologically.

I hope you enjoy this episode about Nancy Peterson and her family’s passion for raising excellent beef cattle while improving soil health and increasing biodiversity.

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/nancy-peterson ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:36 – An introduction to Plum Thicket Farms in Nebraska’s Sandhills

7:58 – Some of the conservation projects at Plum Thickets including increasing pollinator habitat

9:51 – Side Roll vs Center Pivot Irrigation – names and features of the systems you’ve driven by over the years

11:50 – Increasing efficiency of water use with soil moisture sensors

13:26 – One of the ways the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages best conservation practices

16:26 – Considerations when transitioning to no-till

18:08 – Biggest challenge in agriculture – Narrow profit margins in this business

20:21 – Nancy advises her younger self to build her business acumen

22:03 – Drought resiliency planning

26:12 – Recovering from drought, COVID Response, and narrow margins

29:19 – Educational resources Nancy relies

30:33 – Accepting and learning from failure

31:29 – Talking about the mental health of farmers

32:28 – Problems facing Rural America

35:04 – Beef as a valuable part of a balanced diet and the role livestock plays

36:40 – Profit in the food chain but not with the producers

If you're a desk jockey that daydreams about starting a farm, you'll want to pay particular attention to this week's episode with James A. Morin, MBA, a first-generation farmer in Canada.

James is an interesting guy who is fully committed to the local food movement, having served on the board of a food coop and being a founding member of an online farmer’s market. With 20+ years in retail and commercial banking, James has thought very deeply about the capital investment needed to scale regenerative agriculture. During our conversation we also talk about the recent rise in popularity of soil health, getting a handle on greenwashing, the futility of farming without YouTube, and the challenges of sustainably and equitably providing food for a growing world population. I hope you enjoy this episode!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/james-morin ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:19 – An introduction to Kipling Ridge Farms

4:34 – Translating 20+ years in retail and commercial banking to the farm

6:15 – Expansion through increased efficiencies, focusing energy on managing the animals

8:14 – Wholesale marketing through an online farmer’s market

11:15 – Challenges with direct marketing and the traditional farmer’s market

12:06 – Bringing Kunekune pigs to market

16:26 – The financial and time commitment behind the food we purchase

20:20 – Rising popularity of regenerative agriculture, mainstream documentaries, and the potential for greenwashing

24:01 – Challenges transitioning toward a more local or regional approach to agriculture

26:50 – Poultry predators and the ecological outcomes of forest stewardship on neighboring parcels

29:11 – Those thinking of starting homesteading are advised to start small and take it slow

32:48 – Youtube and other farming resources

36:31 – Are animals bad for the planet? – The role livestock play in nature

40:12 – Capital investment needed to scale regenerative agriculture

Luke Perman is a thoughtful steward of his land, the cattle, and the wildlife at Rock Hills Ranch in South Dakota. A fifth-generation rancher, Luke is focused on long-term sustainability and you can tell his values are reflected in the business. Beyond his holistic philosophy on range management, Luke actively engages with the public to help spread the word that raising high quality beef is not only compatible, it can actually enhance the quality of grasslands in the Great Plains.

During our conversation, Luke and I talk about how he maintains flexibility to match the grass available with the animals on his ranch, the dangers when optimizing for just one metric, and the importance in applying principles from other industries to his family business. We talk about soil carbon and carbon markets, challenges accessing markets from the Northern Great Plains, difficulties in raising antibiotic free meat, and so much more. I hope you enjoy!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/luke-perman ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:42 – An introduction to Rock Hills Ranch

4:29 – The importance of diversifying your operation to match forage supply with animal demand

7:34 – Influencing rate of cattle growth

9:37 – Grassland carbon, the voluntary carbon market, and accurately quantifying the amount of carbon sequestered

13:42 – Beware of the silver bullet and focusing on only one metric

15:30 – Influences outside of agriculture, learning how to think, and the power of observation

19:17 – One of the biggest challenges to producers in the Northern Great Plains is access to markets

22:18 – Drought resilient strategies, the power of observation, and trigger dates

25:30 – Grass fed vs grain fed, the effect of starch on the bovine rumen

29:52 – Difficulties when raising antibiotic-free meat and the value of traceability in the beef supply chain

34:04 – Restoring the Great Plains, CRP, and issues bringing the bison back

38:46 – Finding Luke and Rock Hills Ranch on social media

Bob Howard is a 3rd generation rancher in Idaho. His family’s operation is based out of Hammett in the winter while summers are spent in the mountains from Midvale to McCall. Bob leads Desert Mountain Grass-Fed Beef, a cooperative created by ranchers to provide a high quality 100% grass-fed beef option to consumers. More than two dozen families are working in cooperation to raise healthy cattle while improving their soils.

In our conversation, Bob and I talk about the history of the coop, 100% consensus decision-making, minimal disturbance seeding of cover crops, planned intensive grazing, reversing global warming by sequestering carbon in the soil, and so much more. As you’ll see, Bob is a thoughtful steward of the land and he’s committed to being regenerative and sustainable on this earth, preserving what we love about agriculture, rural communities, and the environment.

There’s a lot packed into this 40-minute episode, so I hope you enjoy!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/bob-howard ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:35 – The Howard Ranch, shifting paradigms, and grass-fed beef

4:38 – Extending the growing season in Idaho

6:05 – Bob’s journey towards holistic management, and finding a community of like-minded people

7:01 – Desert Mountain Grass Fed Beef Coop

8:55 – 100% Consensus Decision-Making

9:49 – Providing a consistently delicious product with Akaushi cattle

11:41 – Exploring the pros and cons of a vertically integrated grass-fed beef business

12:40 – The benefits of providing a stable price to customers AND ranchers, and avoiding the commodity business

16:37 – Global warming, carbon sequestration, the increase in large fires across the West, and conscientious grazing management to reduce fuel loads and encourage more carbon into the soil

23:07 – Measuring emissions from cattle livestock

26:26 – Resources to stay current on agricultural practices and trends, smart phones and the power of observation

27:16 – Livestock grazing as a resource management tool

32:09 – Learning from failure, fragile topsoil in the Great Basin, and post-fire vegetation recovery

35:15 – The potential to mimic nature with livestock and, depending on application, the ability to degrade or regenerate with the same tool

37:12 – Bob’s thoughts on our connection to our food source and improving the dialogue between agriculture and urban populations

Dan Brick is a fifth-generation farmer in Greenleaf, Wisconsin who earnestly takes his role as steward and caretaker of Wisconsin’s natural resources and water ways. After a series of significant runoff events influenced Dan to increase the pace and scale of his transition to cover crops and minimal tillage, today Dan’s operation, Brickstead Dairy, is 100% no-till and keeping the soil and its nutrients on his land is a top priority. Healthier soils mean greater water infiltration and by absorbing every droplet of rain that falls, Dan’s farm can better withstand heavy rains without losing top soil.

Dan is an advocate for soil health and water quality – both with Wisconsin farmers and his local community. Brickstead Dairy is part of the Lower Fox Demonstration Farms Project, a collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USDA-NRCS, and the Brown County Conservation District. The group puts research and innovative conservation practices on the ground to demonstrate how to reduce soil erosion and minimize impacts to water quality. Brickstead Dairy also regularly hosts outreach events for the general public so they can learn more about the farm they drive past every day on their way to school or work.

In our conversation we talked about some of the challenges with farming in Wisconsin, experimentation with reduced disturbance manure applications, the ability to learn lessons from your failures, biogas and carbon neutral milk production, thinking like a CEO, how the type and quality of soil can make your vegetables taste better, and so much more. There’s a lot packed into this nearly 40-minute episode, so I hope you enjoy!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/dan-brick ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:34 – A brief overview of Brickstead Dairy in Greenleaf, Wisconsin

2:32 – Tie stalls vs free stalls

4:45 – The cost of farming in Wisconsin

7:33 – Farming practices changing over time

8:50 – Lower Fox Demonstration Farms Network

12:05 – Challenges with farming in Wisconsin and learning lessons from your failures

16:34 – Low-till vs no-till and challenges making the transition from traditional agriculture

20:48 – N-P-K vs natural methods

21:51 – Comparing wine with corn and the influence of soil on flavor profiles and nutrient density

22:56 – The importance of having a great team around you

24:44 – Soil testing and nutrient management planning

25:56 – Hidden costs of financial distress

27:34 – Carbon neutral milk production and producing energy from manure

29:01 – Increased rate of consolidation of farms in Wisconsin

32:59 – Having the mentality of a CEO

33:39 – Urban development and educating your neighbors and local community

35:35 – Public perception of farmers’ concern for water quality

37:11 – Milking cows in the morning and tailgating at Lambeau Field 45 minutes later. Go Pack Go!