Ranch Stewards Podcast

Hosted by Ranchers Stewardship Alliance

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

A podcast dedicated to the stewardship and conservation of grasslands , diverse ecological landscapes , and the salt-of-the-earth individuals who devote their lives to this endeavor.

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55 recent

October 22, 202641 min

Cows on Farm Ground: Making Grazing Work on Crop Acres

In this episode, I'm joined by Opheim rancher Tony Gundermann and RSA's Conservation Director Martin Townsend to talk about running cattle on farm ground. Tony walks us through why he seeded some of his farm acres back to grass and what it took to start thinking like a grazier instead of a farmer. We get into the nuts and bolts of making that ground work for cattle, from getting water out there to putting up fence, and why Tony went with electric fence and solar wells instead of barbed wire and power lines. Martin shares how RSA helps producers figure out what's actually worth building, plus what he's seen work (and not work) when folks blend grazing into their farm ground. If you've ever thought about bringing livestock onto your crop acres, this one's for you. Pull up a chair and give it a listen! Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

September 24, 202634 min

Mini Series: RSA's The People Behind the Mission | Maida Knapton, Mapping Specialist

In this episode of Ranch Stewards Podcast, we kick off our new mini series, RSA's The People Behind the Mission, where we sit down with members of the RSA team to learn about their backgrounds, their work, and what it's like being part of RSA. First up is Maida Knapton, who serves as RSA's Mapping Specialist. Maida shares her passion for working lands, the people who care for them, and practical conservation on the ground. Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

August 20, 202652 min

From Paradigm Shifts to Profit: A Ranching for Profit Roundtable

In this episode, Dallas Mount, Wes Salveson, and Aaron DeVries share their journeys into ranching, the impact of Ranching for Profit, and practical insights on grazing practices, business management, and succession planning. Perfect for ranchers looking to improve profitability and land stewardship. Dallas Mount's background and journey into ranching Impact of Ranching for Profit on business practices Innovative grazing practices in winter Importance of succession planning in ranching Land stewardship and sustainable practices Resources: Man, Cattle, Veld: Book by Johann Zietsman Knowledge Rich Ranching by Allan Nation Quality Pasture by Allan Nation Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

July 16, 202638 min

Stewardship Across Generations: The Webb Ranch and Future of the RSA Grassbank Program

In this episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, Communications Director Lauren Pettoruto sits down with third generation rancher Bill Webb and RSA's Executive Director Angel DeVries to explore the history of the Webb Ranch, the importance of grazing and conservation for healthy working lands, and how the RSA Grassbank Program is creating new opportunities for the next generation of ranchers. From family legacy and conservation to mentorship and the future of agriculture, this conversation highlights the people and partnerships helping keep working lands working. Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

May 21, 202655 min

Paying Kids, Planning Retirement, Protecting the Ranch Now

Most ranch families know they need to have financial conversations. Far fewer actually sit down and have them. In the Season 3 finale of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, host Haylie Shipp sits down with financial advisor Ty McDonald for an honest discussion about the topics many agricultural families tend to put off: paying kids through the ranch operation, retirement planning, succession conversations, and preparing both the ranch and the people behind it for the future. Together, Haylie and Ty discuss: Paying children through ranch operations Retirement planning for ranch families When to begin talking about transition and succession Long-term care planning Financial planning stages for agricultural operations Why avoiding financial conversations can create bigger problems later This episode also serves as Haylie’s farewell episode as host of the Ranch Stewards Podcast as she steps away from her full-time role with the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance to focus on family and her home ranch. After more than 10,000 downloads across 65 countries, Haylie thanks listeners for supporting the podcast and the broader conversations surrounding ranching, stewardship, conservation, and rural communities. Connect with Ty McDonald: • LinkedIn • Facebook • Down Home Financial Solutions Be sure to check out the blog section on Ty’s website for additional articles and resources related to agricultural financial planning, retirement strategies, and ranch business management. This podcast is sponsored in part by Vence, a virtual fencing livestock management system for cattle. Find out more at www.VenceFence.com . Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

May 12, 202653 min

Hands-On Learning for the Next Generation

Looking for practical conversations about the future of agriculture, ranch labor, and the people who keep working lands working? The Ranch Workforce Project Podcast Series brings together ranch managers, educators, consultants, and agricultural leaders to tackle real-world workforce challenges facing the industry today. Created through a collaboration between the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance and the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program , this limited series explored hiring, onboarding, mentorship, burnout, retention, internships, compensation, and building stronger pathways into agriculture. Ranch Workforce Project Episode Guide 1. Introducing the Ranch Workforce Project https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/18582017 2. Bringing New Hands, New Ideas, and New Energy into the Agricultural Workforce https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/18612930 3. Intentional Short Term Labor: Seasonal Work, Internships, and Apprenticeships Explained https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/18702496 4. Cracking the Code to the Ideal Ranch Employee https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/18785956 5. How Good Onboarding Builds Better Ranch Employees https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/18858820 6. Why Your Best Employees Leave and How to Make Them Stay https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/18941266 7. Burnout on the Ranch: The Hidden Cost of Pushing Too Hard https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/19008964 8. What Are Ranch Workers Really Worth? https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/19085287 9. Hands-On Learning for the Next Generation https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/19159146 If you found value in these conversations, we’d appreciate you sharing the series with someone else in agriculture. Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

May 7, 20261 hr 20 min

Ranch Insight: Sheep Industry Takeaways for Beef Producers

What can the beef industry learn from the rise and decline of the sheep industry? In this final episode of the Rural Resilience webinar series, we are bringing you a replay of a live conversation with Brent Roeder, Montana State University Extension sheep specialist. Brent has spent his career in the sheep business, and in this talk he shares hard-earned lessons from decades of change, including global competition, shifting consumer demand, labor challenges, technology, and industry structure. More importantly, Brent draws some striking parallels between the sheep and beef industries. These are trends he believes cattle producers should be paying close attention to. This episode is the audio from a recorded webinar. If you would like to watch the full presentation, including slides and audience discussion, check out the link below. Watch the full webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNmpuli86GM In this episode, we cover: The rise and decline of the U.S. sheep industry Key moments that reshaped the industry over time Global markets, imports, and price pressure Differences in efficiency between sheep and beef production The role of consumer demand and retail space Technology, genetics, and industry innovation What the beef industry can learn before history repeats itself About the Guest: Brent Roeder is the Montana State University Extension Sheep and Wool Specialist and supervisor of the Montana Wool Lab. His work focuses on improving profitability, wool quality, and lamb production, while applying new technology to practical ranch management. About the Series: This episode is part of the 4-part Rural Resilience webinar series hosted by the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, focused on practical tools, technology, and insights for ranchers navigating change. Stay Connected: For more resources, upcoming events, and additional webinars, visit the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Enjoying the podcast? Be sure to like, share, and subscribe to the Ranch Stewards Podcast. It helps us keep these conversations going and reach more folks in the ag community. Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

May 5, 20261 hr 13 min

Ranch Water: Low-Tech, High-Impact Restoration

⚠️ Heads up: this is a dense, information-rich episode pulled directly from a live webinar. If able, you will want to watch the full video replay on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gzL3MsevnOY?si=nPpL5mv1pDfQAfkm If audio is what you’ve got capacity for, you’re in the right place. This session explores Ranch Water: Low-Tech, High-Impact Restoration with Paul Jones of Tomichi Creek Ecosystem Services. Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR) is a hands-on approach to rebuilding natural water systems. By working with natural stream processes, landowners can: Improve water retention Restore riparian function Increase drought resilience Create lasting benefits for livestock and wildlife These techniques rely on minimal materials and practical methods that can create long-term impact on your land. ABOUT PAUL JONES : Paul began his career with the Colorado Division of Wildlife in 1992 as a District Wildlife Manager. Over his career, he: Served on the Gunnison Sage Grouse Working Group—the first collaborative group of its kind in the West Helped protect over 15,000 acres through conservation easements and habitat work Contributed to the development of the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for Gunnison sage-grouse across 40 private ranches In 2006, he became Aquatic Conservation Biologist for the Southwest Region, working with native fish species and boreal toads until retiring in 2018. Today, he runs Tomichi Creek Ecosystem Services , focusing on wet meadow restoration and restoring gullied systems once thought too degraded to recover. 📩 Contact Paul: tomck2018@gmail.com RESOURCES Brian Fox’s BDA success story (“Becoming the Beaver”): https://youtu.be/YaQS8erqbbs?si=sUYI3PUzWv-Pcm3O Related episode — Eye in the Sky: Ranch Drones: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166701/episodes/18714276 GIS & Mapping Tools for Wet Meadow Work: USGS TopoView — https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewe ... USGS Lidar Explorer — https://apps.nationalmap.gov/lidar-ex ... USGS StreamStats — https://streamstats.usgs.gov/ss/ USDA NAIP Imagery — https://nrcs.app.box.com/v/naip/folde ... QGIS (free GIS software) — https://qgis.org/ Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

April 30, 2026Episode 1132 min

No Fence, No Problem? Virtual Fencing on a Montana Forest Allotment

Not long ago, virtual fencing felt like a “maybe someday” idea. Today, ranchers are using it in some of the toughest country out there. Virtual fencing isn’t exactly a new conversation anymore, but how and where it’s being used continues to evolve. In this episode, we head off the prairie and into a forest allotment in western Montana. With rugged terrain, wildlife pressure, and little to no traditional fence, this is a real-world look at how the technology performs when things get complicated. Host Haylie Shipp is joined by Jim Felton of Felton Angus Ranch and Grace Inglee with Vence to walk through how virtual fencing works, how it’s being used on forest allotments, and what ranchers are learning along the way. In This Episode What virtual fencing is and how it works How it performs on forest allotments vs open prairie Managing cattle in rough terrain without traditional fence Time savings, labor considerations, and adoption Lessons learned from real-world use Resources Previous episode: An Unfiltered Rancher Response to Virtual Fencing https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2166701/episodes/16149902-an-unfiltered-rancher-response-to-virtual-fencing Upcoming events: https://ranchstewards.org/events Why This Matters At the Ranch Stewards Podcast, we focus on the intersection of ranching, conservation, and community. This episode brings all three together and highlights how tools like virtual fencing can help producers manage land more effectively while staying connected to the landscapes and people that matter most. This podcast is brought to you in part by Vence. Learn more: https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/hub/vence/ Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

April 28, 202636 min

What Are Ranch Workers Really Worth?

What should ranch workers really be paid, and why is nobody talking about it? Wages in agriculture can feel like a taboo subject, but avoiding the conversation is not helping anyone. In this episode of the Ranch Workforce Project, host Haylie Shipp sits down with Dr. Rachel Frost and McKenzie Rojas of Arrow M Cattle Company to break down what compensation actually looks like in today’s ranching world. McKenzie has built a strong following by saying the quiet part out loud. She tackles tough topics like pay, expectations, turnover, and transparency in ag. Drawing from her experience on both sides of the fence, she offers a candid look at how employers and employees can better understand each other and build more sustainable working relationships. In this episode, we discuss: Why ranch wages are more than just a paycheck Real world pay ranges for entry level to experienced workers How housing, food, horses, and benefits factor into compensation The importance of honesty and transparency in hiring Common disconnects between employers and employees What today’s workforce expects and why it matters for the future of ag 🔗 Resources and Links Dan Scott Ranch Management Program https://animalrange.montana.edu/danscott/ Arrow M Cattle Company https://www.facebook.com/ArrowMPH/ 🎙️ About the Show The Ranch Workforce Project is part of the Ranch Stewards initiative and the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program at Montana State University. The show focuses on supporting the people behind agriculture. ⭐ Enjoying the podcast? Follow, rate, and review to help more folks in agriculture find these conversations. Share this episode with someone who should be part of it. Support the show The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come. For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram . Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit www.ranchstewards.org/support .

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