Working Cows - Regenerative Ranching to Maximize Profitability and Soil Health

Hosted by Clay Conry

Business Entrepreneurship Marketing

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Episodes

628

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

What is the key to becoming a more regenerative ranch? How do we increase the effectiveness of our management of the Land, Animals, Money, and People that have been entrusted to us? The Working Cows podcast exists to glorify God by providing farmers and ranchers a platform to discuss and share best practices for increasing soil health, profitability, stockmanship and leadership ability. Each week host, Clay Conry, will talk to leaders in the industry who have made the regenerative shift in their business so that their ranches are more profitable from an economic and ecologic perspective. They will discuss grazing, Holistic Management, herd health, low-stress stockmanship, leadership, and of course putting your cows to work for you.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 19, 202654 min

Starting and Scaling a Ranch from Scratch (WCP 538)

Jimmy and ShayLe Stewart of Big Country Genetics have scaled their operation from scratch. This December they will sell 130 forage developed bulls and 100 bred heifers. They started in 2019. The ability to scale that quickly intrigued me. I invited them on to talk about their mindset, how profitable cows helped this growth, and the values that have shaped their business over time. Sponsors: Remedi Animal Solutions Ep. 371 Ellen Bench – Implementing Homeopathic Livestock Health Ep. 368 Ellen Bench – Homeopathic Livestock Health Relevant Links: Big Country Genetics Jimmy's Previous Episode: Ep. 504 Jimmy Stewart - How to Let Your Environment Shape Your Cattle

October 12, 20261 hr 1 min

How the RANCH Act Helps Grow the Cow Herd (WCP 537)

The deck has been stacked against grass and specifically grazing animals for a while now. The RANCH Act seeks to help alleviate these challenges by creating a working lands payment structure that encourages marginal crop acres to come out of row crop production and open them again for grazing acres. AJ Munger has been involved in the development of this legislation. He joins me to discuss the process of bringing this legislation as well as what it seeks to accomplish and how it could help grow the cow herd in the United States. Sponsors: Big Country Genetics Ranch Right Graze! Magazine Seven Weeks Coffee Relevant Links: South Dakota Grassland Coalition South Dakota Grasslands Initiative Central Grasslands Roadmap RANCH Act

October 5, 202658 min

Maintaining Profitability in Any Market (WCP 536)

Luke Perman helps me think better. He has recently been sharing some challenging articles and perspectives on X. He joins me to discuss those ideas today. We talk about indicators of a peak in the cattle market, how to remain profitable no matter where the market goes, and where to make strategic investments to help mitigate our tax burden. Sponsors: Ranching.FYI Big Country Genetics Seven Weeks Coffee Relevant Links Luke on X American Hippopotamus Knowledge Rich Ranching by Allan Nation

September 28, 20261 hr 3 min

How a Great Vision Can Help Build a Fruitful Business (WCP 535)

The team at Vision Flight has helped many people hone their vision through their various consulting and educational roles. The problem was this wasn't scalable. They could only help one family at a time. Today we talk to Melinda Sims, John Locke, Shanon Sims, and Emilie Hopson about how they put their years of experience together and develop a tool to help people develop a great vision for the future of their business and life. Sponsors: Austin Hart at Redd Summit Advisors Ranching.FYI Big Country Genetics Seven Weeks Coffee Relevant Links: Vision Flight (Code: WORKINGCOWS20 for 20% off) Guests Previous Episodes: Ep. 003 Melinda Sims – Windrow Grazing Ep. 084 John Coleman Locke – Mob Grazing to Improve Land, Livestock, and Life Ep. 147 Stuart Austin and John Coleman Locke – Discussing Density Ep. 199 Shanon Sims – Raising Your Own Bulls Ep. 276 Shanon Sims – Having Hobbies Away from the Ranch Ep. 387 Shanon Sims – Being a Grass Nerd Ep. 518 Emilie Hopson - How to Grow Employees that Help your Business Thrive

September 24, 202645 min

Making Intentional Pivots for Greater Profitability and Alignment (WCP 534)

Stan Oller and his family have been making intentional pivots not only so they can generate greater profitability, but also to bring the business more into alignment with their passions. This includes pivoting away from direct marketing, pivoting to sheep, and now a desire to move West from Arkansas to fulfill their desire to steward vast landscapes. Sponsors: Graze Magazine Big Country Genetics Ranch Right Austin Hart at Redd Summit Advisors Relevant Links: Contact Working Cows

September 18, 202630 min

The Connection between Soil Health and Soul Health (WCP 533)

In a previous conversation with Luke Jones he told me that healthy soil has room for air, light, and water. That got me thinking about the similarities to the conditions that help make for a healthy soul. I have had this sermon percolating for a long time and finally got a chance to share it at the Cowboys for Christ kickoff to the Newell, SD Labor Day Celebration. Sponsor: Seven Weeks Coffee Relevant Links: Ep. 411 Luke Jones – Changing Our Mindset to Facilitate Regenerative Agriculture

September 14, 202657 min

Staying on top of the Numbers the Matter Most (WCP 532)

When Derek Jackson was described by his Ranch Rolodex Co-Host Zach Hopson Zach said Derek's strengths were in his ability to run the numbers and get useful information out of spreadsheets and other analytical tools. We discuss what numbers have mattered most in helping Derek and his family succeed early in their ranching journey. Sponsor: Remedi Animal Solutions Relevant Links: Ranch Rolodex Podcast

September 12, 202652 min

A Homeopathic Approach to New World Screwworm (WCP 531)

We are continuing to try and think outside the box regarding New World Screwworm. This time we are joined by Ellen Bench to discuss a homeopathic perspective on what makes animals vulnerable to infestation as well as how to prevent infestation and ways to approach care of those who are most vulnerable. Sponsors: Remedi Animal Solutions

September 7, 202656 min

Preparing for the Next Market Fluctuation (WCP 530)

The crew at Ranching.FYI has introduced a true innovation in the Marketing Education sector. Their Ranching SIM helps simulate the pressure we face everyday in our marketing decisions. Nelson Koehn, Cinnamon Lenhart, and Brian Munger joined me to discuss the mindset we must have to prepare for the next market fluctuation. We also discuss the ways that an understanding of the philosophy of learning has shaped their school. Sponsors: Kip Fladland Horsemanship 100th Meridian Ranching Ranch Right Austin Hart at Redd Summit Advisors Relevant Links: Ranching.FYI

September 1, 20261 hr 2 min

The Skills and Mindset Necessary to Scale a Ranch Business (WCP 529)

Zach Hopson struggled to get traction in the ranch business until he learned the skills and mindset necessary to scale his business. Since that time he has been able to successfully place cattle in a few different states. We discuss the advantages and challenges of this strategy as well as the benefits. Sponsors: Ranching.FYI Austin Hart at Redd Summit Advisors Dominium Wealth ( Episode 490 ) Seven Weeks Coffee Relevant Links: The Ranch Rolodex