Casual Cattle Conversations

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293

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Casual Cattle Conversations is the podcast for beef cattle producers and ranchers to explore new ideas and hear stories that will help them improve their current management practices. Shaye Koester - Wanner connects listeners to other cattle producers and beef industry experts to discover what management practices, industry trends, current events and inspiring stories are impacting today’s beef cattle industry.

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August 10, 2026Episode 3230 min

Making Virtual Fence Cost Effective for Ranchers

This week on the Casual Cattle Conversations Podcast, Shaye interviews Jay and Cheyenne Smith, cattle producers on Idaho’s eastern edge near the Montana border, about adopting Vence virtual fencing and coordinating with neighboring permittees to make it cost-effective. After the 2022 Moose Fire and grazing restrictions, they partnered with the University of Idaho and worked with BLM and the Forest Service to implement virtual fencing on rugged public-land range; five permittees now use shared base stations while owning separate collars. They discuss early hesitations about data being used against producers, onboarding lessons about placing fences to match natural cattle trails, and management gains including fewer emergency rides, more schedulable work, improved utilization control, and more efficient gathers. Virtual fencing enabled their shift from winter to fall calving by keeping cattle positioned to come home, reducing labor needs, and providing movement data useful for investigating events like wolf predation or other disturbances. Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 00:00 Virtual Fence Neighbors 01:08 Meet the Smiths 01:34 Ranch and Grazing Setup 04:05 Fire Sparks Adoption 07:02 Getting Neighbors Onboard 09:32 Workload and Riding Changes 11:43 Sharing Towers and Data 14:14 Training and Fence Design 18:01 Better Utilization and Plans 19:15 Fall Calving Made Possible 22:33 Costs and Quality of Life 25:23 Wolves and Movement Clues 27:35 Next Generation Buy In

August 3, 2026Episode 3119 min

Extended Grazing Seasons Do's and Dont's

This week, Shaye sits down with Chance, a ranch manager at the Noble Research Institute, about extending grazing seasons to cut winter feeding and hay costs. Chance describes Noble’s 5,100-acre native-grass operation running about 200 cows, using intensive rotational grazing (moving daily to every few days) and aiming to remove only the top third to half of forage during the growing season so enough standing grass remains for winter. He stresses producers often plan too late, and recommends measuring pasture forage monthly to guide stocking decisions, destocking, or hay purchasing. Winter management includes protein supplementation (cubes/cake) for four to five months and occasional hay during heavy snow. They discuss other options such as cover crops (noting weather risk), rye winter pasture, crop residue grazing, and bale grazing/unrolling or pre-unwrapped bales to improve soil and return nutrients. Learn more about resources from the Noble Research Institute here: http://noble.org/find-a-course Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com 00:00 Cutting Input Costs 00:10 Meet Shay and Chance 01:31 Why Extend Grazing 02:05 Noble Ranch System 02:37 Summer Grazing Plan 04:51 Rotation and Calving Setup 06:42 When to Move Cattle 08:43 Stocking and Weather Limits 10:23 Cover Crops and Rye 12:14 Bale Grazing Methods 14:53 Put Nutrients Back

July 27, 2026Episode 3015 min

Making Ranches Investible for Your Family

This week, Shaye Wanner welcomes Chris Rawley of Harvest Returns to discuss what makes ranches “investable” and why it matters for operators seeking outside investors or bank financing to expand herds, land, or infrastructure. Raleigh explains Harvest Returns’ model of pooling investor capital and investing as a single partner via loans, notes, or equity, and says investable operations have a solid plan, clear financial statements, defined marketing/sales strategy, and a realistic path to investor returns. He outlines that key first steps include transparency and documentation across complex land and entity structures, accurate balance sheets reflecting assets and debts, and building a team for missing functions like finance, bookkeeping, accounting, and sales. Common mistakes include poor herd tracking/accountability (amid “phantom cattle” scams) and attempting to raise public capital without proper SEC-compliant legal help. Raleigh emphasizes getting herd and financial numbers in order, including hiring professionals. Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 00:00 Is Your Ranch Investible 01:24 Meet Chris Rawley 01:33 Why Investability Matters 02:38 What Harvest Returns Does 04:56 Investible Ranch Checklist 07:50 First Steps to Improve 09:30 Building the Right Team 11:09 Common Mistakes to Avoid 13:20 Raising Capital Legally

July 20, 2026Episode 2938 min

Economics of Developing and Reselling Heifers

This week, Shaye Wanner interviews NDSU livestock development specialist Jon Biermacher about the economics of buying weaned/backgrounded heifers in spring, breeding them, and selling them about a year later as long-bred heifers or as pairs, using an Excel-based enterprise budget tool developed from a student producer’s plan. The model includes key costs (heifer purchase, pasture/feed/hay/mineral, health, breeding, transport, interest, marketing) and compares AI plus cleanup bulls versus natural service, finding about a $55/head advantage to not using AI (not counting added labor) and little observed revenue premium for AI’d breds. In their projections, pairs returned about $100/head more than bred heifers. Results show costs are dominated by heifer purchase and feed, with profit highly sensitive to purchase price; a ~$0.20/lb increase can erase roughly $200/head projected net return. This conversation is helpful for anyone looking to create projections on their operation with resources from the NDSU team. Join Rising Ranchers Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/risingranchers Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 01:31 Meet John Biermacher 04:54 Defining the Enterprise 06:08 Building the Budget Tool 13:03 Markets and Assumptions 15:04 AI Versus Bulls 19:48 Where the Costs Sit 22:26 Breds Versus Pairs 25:35 Break Evens and Risk 31:47 Tools Beyond Spreadsheets

July 13, 2026Episode 2818 min

3 Transition Planning Tips You Won't Want to Forget

In a solo episode of the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, host Shaye Wanner shares her background growing up on a ranch that evolved into a registered Red Angus seedstock operation and now living on her husband’s centennial family farm, to frame three key transition planning tips. First, she urges producers to honestly ask whether they truly want to be on the family farm or would rather farm/ranch independently while staying close to family, noting legacy isn’t limited to land ownership and that not all family members work well together. Second, she advises financially planning for the unknown by saving and working with bankers and financial professionals even without a clear transition timeline, since taking over must still be a sound business decision. Third, she emphasizes, “You don’t get to change what’s not yours,” encouraging respect for older generations and clarity about one’s current role. Join Rising Ranchers Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/risingranchers Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 00:08 Welcome and Ways to Connect 01:45 My Ranching Background 05:20 Three Tips Overview 05:41 Family Farm or Nearby 10:01 Plan for the Unknown 13:27 You Cant Change It

July 6, 2026Episode 2756 min

Which Technologies Pay Off for Ranchers

Today on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, Shaye Wanner talks with ag tech consultants Chelsea Good (Good & Associates) and Jared Wareham (Horizon Venture Management) about how cow-calf producers can decide which technologies are worth adopting. They stress that many tools enter agriculture from outside the industry and may be “solutions looking for a problem,” so ranchers should evaluate technology like a toolbox and demand ROI, especially in an asset-rich, cash-poor business. Examples include mismatched expensive tags for sale barns versus value-based traceability programs, strategic uses of GPS and estrus-detection tags (often for herd bulls or specific heifer programs), virtual fencing’s geography-dependent economics, and emerging biometrics, camera applications, and gene-edited pest control. They also discuss digital recordkeeping and payment systems as adoption challenges without policy drivers, and encourage producers to share pain points and explore tech that supports long-term generational sustainability. Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ Learn more about Chelsea and Good & Associates here: https://www.goodandassoc.com/ Learn more about Jared and Horizon Venture Management here: https://www.horizonventuremanagement.com/ 00:00 Tech That Pays Off 01:09 Meet Chelsea and Jared 04:40 Picking Tech by ROI 09:50 AI Is Not Magic 11:50 Genomics Fit and Value 14:39 Virtual Fencing Reality 17:09 Smart Tags and GPS 28:14 Cameras and Computer Vision 37:40 Gene Editing and Pests 43:17 Digital Records and Payments

June 29, 2026Episode 2625 min

Hair Shedding the Secret to Higher Weaning Weights and Conception Rates

Today, Shaye Wanner interviews Jamie Courter, a University of Missouri assistant professor and genetics extension specialist, about research and producer use of cattle hair shedding scores. Corder explains hair shedding’s link to heat stress—especially in the Southeast with endophyte-infected fescue—and summarizes findings that earlier-shedding cows wean heavier calves, including Simmental data showing hair shed score 1 cows weaned calves 45 pounds heavier than score 5 cows. She describes the 1–5 scoring system, typical shedding pattern, and recommends scoring the whole herd on the same day when variation is greatest, noting bulls shed earlier and younger cows score higher than mature cows within a year. She discusses recent genomic work suggesting shedding relates more to changing daylight than temperature, notes variation exists within all breeds, and points listeners to University of Missouri Extension publications for scoring guidance and research details. Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ Learn more about hair shedding research at https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g2049 Sign up for the upcoming RancherMind with Jasper here: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ranchermind-events 00:51 Jamie’s background 01:37 Why hair shedding matters 03:39 Research results and economics 05:02 Daylight vs temperature genetics 08:37 Scoring timing and method 11:39 Bulls calves and age effects 16:47 Consistent scoring observers 17:48 Across breeds and selection 21:49 Culling signals and resources

June 22, 2026Episode 2528 min

How to Protect Profit During Drought

Today on Casual Cattle Conversations, Shaye interviews Devlon Ford, a regenerative ranching advisor at the Noble Research Institute, about managing drought in cattle operations. Ford explains drought-stress indicators producers should watch for, including forage color and condition, lack of rainfall, and cattle manure consistency as a signal of declining forage protein. Reactive options discussed include early weaning, strategic destocking (culling old, open, ornery, and poor performers while considering market profitability), and carefully analyzing the costs of purchasing hay or supplements. He also suggests subdividing pastures to increase stock density, improve grazing uniformity, and extend recovery time. Proactively, Ford emphasizes calculating carrying capacity and setting stocking rate below it, using rainfall trigger dates for destocking decisions, avoiding overgrazing to protect soil cover and biology, and using flexible enterprises like stockers/custom grazing during high-forage years. Learn about carrying capacity and stocking rate with Devlon: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/casual-cattle-conversations-podcast-shownotes/devlon-ford Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 00:00 Drought Reality Check 01:54 Meet Devlon Ford 02:36 Spotting Drought Stress 04:24 Early Weaning and Selling 05:24 Destocking for Profit 06:09 Feeding and Hay Economics 10:11 Grazing Tactics in Drought 13:10 Plan Ahead for Drought 13:37 Carrying Capacity Basics 17:43 Overgrazing Costs 20:21 Flexible Enterprises and Emotions 24:40 Cull Lists and Records 27:26 Final Field Reminders

June 15, 2026Episode 2431 min

How to Reduce Overwhelm on the Ranch

Today on the Casual Cattle Conversations Podcast, Shaye interviews Jasper Oeltjen of Heritage and Horizons about why ranchers feel overwhelmed financially, mentally, and operationally, and how those areas intertwine. Jasper shares her background in education, IT strategy, and a 14-year cow-calf operation, describing how constant hustling led to plateauing and reactive decision-making that created domino effects in nutrition, calving, labor, medications, margins, and relationships. They discuss how unavoidable hard seasons are easier to navigate with a foundation of goals, clear expectations, and defined roles. Jasper outlines a four-phase “road trip” framework: set shared long-term goals, map the route with shorter targets, define day-to-day tactics and metrics aligned to goals, and proactively anticipate issues (like aging cows or replacement needs) to avoid “construction.” She also explains helping producers clarify goals via conversation and four focus categories: optimize, innovate, maintain, or grow. Start Building a More Intentional Operation 👇 https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ranchermind-events Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0 Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 00:59 Meet Jasper Oeltjen 02:32 From Hustle to Strategy 04:06 Reactive Decisions Dominoes 07:10 Financial and Operational Strain 10:23 Relationships and Tough Seasons 12:48 Root Causes Goals and Roles 17:34 Four Phase Planning Framework 20:56 Finding Your Real Goals 26:06 Keep It Simple and Take Action 29:10 Rancher Mind Series Invite

June 8, 2026Episode 2317 min

How to Monitor Water Quality for Beef Cattle

Today, Shay interviews NDSU Extension Livestock Environmental Stewardship Specialist, Miranda Meehan about how cattle water quality affects intake, performance, abortions, central nervous system disorders, and death. Meehan explains how geology influences salts, sulfates, TDS, nitrates, and phosphorus in springs, ponds, creeks, and wells, with drought concentrating minerals and increasing risk; she also notes regional concerns such as higher nitrates in the Southern Plains. She recommends testing at least a week before turning cattle into a pasture and more often during drought, using simple screening tools like handheld TDS meters and sulfate strips, then submitting samples for lab panels (pH, sulfates, TDS, nitrates) when elevated. If water is unsafe, options include fencing off sources, hauling water (including possible ELAP/FSA assistance), and longer-term infrastructure like wells, pipelines, or rural water, while checking aquifer test data. They also stress monitoring for cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms, which can occur earlier or later in the year and can kill within 15 minutes, using visual checks and tools like trail cameras. Learn more about what Vence could look like on your operation here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0 Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 00:41 Meet Miranda Meehan 01:05 Why Water Quality Matters 02:43 What Impacts Water Sources 05:11 How Often to Test 05:56 Easy Screening Tools 07:38 Reading Lab Results 09:47 Fixing Bad Water 11:50 Blue Green Algae Danger 13:56 Tech for Monitoring