Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Cattle Health & Well-Being Chairman, Wayne Cockrell of College Station, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, with information about the New World screwworm. Cockrell discusses the threat to the cattle industry as well as the wildlife industry in the United States. Additionally, he shares how producers can be proactive in educating themselves and creating a plan for their operation.  

To learn more about NWS visit screwwormtx.org 

Austin Tucker with Specialized Crop Insurance and Matt Makens of Makens Weather, join TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss the importance of strategy in utilizing pasture, rangeland and forage insurance. Tucker shares information about PRF including location, time periods, productivity factors, coverage levels and common misconceptions. Makens comments on factors involved with long-range weather outlooks and a big-picture look at 2026.  

A special thank you to our episode sponsor, Specialized Crop Insurance.  

Learn more at:  

prfrainfall.com 

makensweather.com 

rma.usda.gov  

Dee Church, vice president of Nutrition Plus, and Noah Jesko, Nutrition Plus range specialist, join TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss utilizing mineral when evaluating the nutritional program at a ranch. Jesko explains how samples are taken and evaluated to create a custom mineral plan. Additionally, Church shares insight into the technological advances utilized in mineral evaluation.  

Learn more about Nutrition Plus at Nutritionplus.biz.  

Dr. Ron Gill, professor and extension livestock specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss best practices of cattle transportation. From equipment and facility evaluations to loading considerations, Dr. Gill shares valuable insight for cattlemen.   

Resources:

RanchTV - https://www.youtube.com/@RanchTV 

BQA.org  

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Carl Ray Polk joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to recap the 89th Texas Legislative Session. Polk discussed a variety of topics including the new Texas brand database; cell-cultured proteins; wildfire prevention, mitigation and response legislation; and oil and gas waste water.  

Kayla Jennings with Jennings Ventures and Tucker Brown of the R.A. Brown Ranch join TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to share their knowledge and experience in direct-to-consumer beef sales. With two different approaches to beef sales, the conversations provide valuable insight as they share their experiences.  

Learn more at jenningsventurescattle.com and rabrownranch.com.  

Resources:  

Texas Beef Council resources

AgriLife Extension handbook 

US Foods Meat Buyers Guide 

Bill Fox, central region program manager for National Grazing Lands Coalition, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to share about the programs NatGLC offers, including Legacy Landscapes.  

The mission of the National Grazing Lands Coalition (NatGLC) is dedicated to providing voluntarily ecologically and economically sound management of all grazing lands for their adaptive uses and multiple benefits to the environment and society through science-based technical assistance, research and education. 

Learn more at grazinglands.org.  

Mike Turner, manager of Blue Ranch located near Dumas, Texas, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss their holistic resource management approach. Turner shares how the conventionally grazed ranch was transformed into a rotational grazing system with focus on forage, wildlife, water and soil health.  

The Blue Ranch received the 2024 Texas Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award and the 2024 NCBA Region IV Environmental Stewardship Award. 

Dr. Kate Rogers, executive director of the Alamo Trust, the non-profit organization responsible for the daily operations of the Alamo historic site, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss the ties of ranching in Texas and the Alamo as well as The Alamo Statewide Stampede.  

The public fundraising challenge among the 254 counties in Texas is accepting financial donations as well as proceeds from livestock sales. Learn more at www.thealamo.org/livestock.  

Macy Ledbetter, wildlife biologist and president of Spring Creek Outdoors, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, the best practices, challenges and strategies for landowners looking to balance livestock and wildlife management. 

Ledbetter brings his experience with Texas Parks and Wildlife as well as years of consulting for landowners across the state of Texas, to the conversation.