Advertise on podcast: Casual Cattle Conversations

Today on the Cattle Convos Podcast, Shaye Wanner interviews Shannon Emley, from Ambrook, about managerial accounting for ranchers. Shannon contrasts technical accounting for taxes and lenders with managerial accounting focused on clarity for business decision-making, emphasizing that clean, up-to-date books and properly categorized transactions are the foundation.   He explains how producers can analyze profitability by enterprise (cow-calf, stockers, custom grazing, hay), reduce emotion in decisions, and evaluate choices like grow-versus-buy feed, raise-versus-buy calves, or own-versus-hire equipment by capturing full costs including labor, fuel, and repairs.   Something he notes that makes Ambrook unique is that it can track sub-enterprises, locations, and metrics like profit per acre or per head, even down to individual cows using projects, plus inventory and timing of feed use. Emley recommends starting small, spending about 10 minutes weekly, and using the last 12 months’ P&L to forecast cash, including loan and equipment payments.  Learn more and try Ambrook at: ambrook.com/casualcattle  More links and resources from this episode: Learn more about the Noble Research Institute here: https://www.noble.org/find-a-course/   Learn more about Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef   Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG     Learn more about AtTheYards here: https://bit.ly/400T7mF   Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/          00:00 Big Decisions Made Easier  00:59 Meet Shannon Emley  02:22 Managerial Accounting Basics  03:29 Clean Books First  04:27 Enterprise Profitability  06:12 Grow Versus Buy  09:03 Start With Key Questions  10:17 Going Deeper With Tracking  13:30 Forecasting Cash Flow  15:10 Simple Weekly Habit  17:35 How to Try Ambrook

This week on the Cattle Conversations Podcast, Shaye Wanner interviews fifth-generation North Central Montana rancher, Tyrel Obrecht, about using Vence’s virtual fence system on their replacement yearling heifers (mid-May to mid-September) for the past three years.     Tyrel explains choosing heifers over the main cow herd due to cost and better water development on deeded ground, and securing initial cost share through World Wildlife Fund’s RSVP program to install towers and trial the collars. He demonstrates the software for drawing fences, training cattle near barbed wire before moving to invisible lines, and using heat maps to evaluate grazing patterns around water and minerals.     Benefits include tighter grazing control in prairie potholes and creek pastures, freeing BLM pastures, supporting conception rates, and better rest distribution; challenges included early collar retention issues fixed by improved attachments and occasional updates/weather-related breaches.  Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG    Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/  01:11 Meet Tyrel Obrecht  01:27 Ranch Background Setup  03:05 Why Try Vence  04:09 Starting With Heifers  05:44 Cost Share Funding  07:50 Benefits In Grazing  09:06 Software Fence Drawing  11:22 Training The Cattle  14:01 Moves Updates Reality  17:25 Heat Maps Insights  19:02 Nutrition Planning Data  20:45 Challenges Collar Retention  22:27 Is Vence Worth It?

Today on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, Shaye Wanner talks with Connor and Jacob of Dakota Prairie Beef in southwestern North Dakota about building a custom feeding operation focused on serving local producers, especially through replacement heifer development and backgrounding. They describe their backgrounds, two-location setup, and how they support breeding prep while producers provide AI technicians.   Key challenges they talk about include sourcing affordable, quality feed, especially in dry years, and managing cash flow during seasonal slow periods. They explain how equipment upgrades and the Performance Beef software improve feeding efficiency, remote management, billing transparency, and employee usability.   Performance Beef also enables individual-animal traceability via EID scanning, treatment records, and weight/ADG tracking so producers can receive detailed data on their cattle. They emphasize consistent service, communication, facility improvements to reduce stress, and being a stable, long-term partner rather than maximizing short-term profit.  Learn more about Performance Livestock Analytics here: https://bit.ly/47PxY3W   Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/      00:00 Feedlot Data Made Simple  01:09 Meet Dakota Prairie Beef  02:36 Connor and Jacob Backgrounds  03:48 Heifer Development Focus  06:19 Challenges Feed and Cashflow  08:28 Tools Performance Beef Setup  10:02 Animal Health and Traceability  13:49 Billing Transparency and Staff Use  16:23 Future Goals Efficiency Upgrades  19:26 What Ranchers Should Know

This week, Shaye welcomes back Jacob Sebade, founder of AtTheYards and part of a 6,000-head family feedyard in Emerson, Nebraska, and Jim Akers, COO of the Bluegrass Livestock Marketing Network in Kentucky, about maximizing cattle exposure through better pre-sale information. They explain how the AtTheYards app helps sale barns collect standardized consignment details, videos, documents, and health/genetic info and publish upcoming lots so buyers can find cattle, filter by criteria, contact the right barn representative, and connect with order buyers.   Jim uses the app across seven barns to enter cattle in the field via smartphones, generate clean standardized sale sheets, and notify buyers earlier, including Sunday arrivals. The app offers buyer accounts, watchlists, and email alerts. They discuss value-driving questions such as weaning length (often 60+ days), open heifer guarantees, specific vaccine protocols, implants, and nutrition.  This conversation shows that AtTheYards isn’t just for marketing feeder cattle. It also serves seedstock producers and the Cattleman’s Corner feature provides easy to analyze graphs about market prices, packer leverage and the market wire.    This new business model is exciting for sectors of the beef industry. It is available today at app.AtTheYards.com or in the App Store and Google Play.  Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/      00:14 Meet Jacob And Jim  01:30 Why Exposure Matters  02:37 Standardizing Cattle Info  05:44 How AtTheYard Works  08:37 Dashboard And Rollout  10:11 Deadlines And Intake  11:36 Buyer Features And Alerts  13:13 Download And Data Quality  15:05 What Buyers Value Most

This week, Shaye Wanner interviews Shane Maddock of Mattock Ranches about holistic/regenerative management, shaped by his father’s practices since 1992. Shane describes their North Dakota commercial cow-calf operation with backgrounding, yearlings, heifer development, and some row crops and small grains near Maddock. He explains rebuilding degraded soils by reducing reliance on outside inputs through frequent moves, adequate rest and full grass recovery, and adaptive grazing based on pasture conditions.   Shane shares unconventional infrastructure like permanent fencing and water tanks placed in the middle of cropland to enable winter grazing, bale grazing, and flexible feeding. After initially seeding diverse cover crops, he shifted to perennials and now plans a sod-based crop rotation with renewed cover cropping. He is composting feedlot manure and experimenting with compost tea to boost soil biology. Key challenges include labor, infrastructure setup, and profitability, and he urges ranchers to question tradition and find mentors.    Learn more about Performance Livestock Analytics here: https://bit.ly/47PxY3W   Learn more about Ambrook here: ambrook.com/casualcattle     Learn more about Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef    Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations    00:47 Meet Shane Maddock  01:22 Why Regenerative Matters  02:28 Operation Overview  04:10 Growing Up Holistic  05:21 Grazing Principles Basics  06:25 Cover Crops to Perennials  08:02 Neighbors Think You're Crazy  09:05 Adaptive Grazing Decisions  10:30 Rest and Recovery Cues  11:07 Water Tanks in Cropland  13:58 Winter Grazing Setup  15:04 Virtual Fencing Curiosity  16:18 Compost and Tea Trials  19:00 Learning Resources and Soil  21:06 Challenges and Profitability

This week, Shaye welcomes back Chris Sherman, CEO of Tech Support Farm, to discuss fall cybersecurity and fraud threats facing farms and ranches. Sherman highlights RFID tag swapping in cattle sales, emphasizing vigilance and real-time verification to prevent animals being sold at incorrect values.   He also warns that busy seasons increase bank fraud and vendor-payment scams, advising producers to verify payment changes and urgent requests by phone, watch for spoofed emails, and use simple email folder rules to flag fake invoices. If a bad link is clicked or money is sent, he recommends contacting a cybersecurity provider, reporting significant losses via the FBI’s IC3, and carrying cyber insurance.   He notes commercial accounts often have only 24 hours to dispute fraudulent transactions and suggests tools like Positive Pay, along with MFA/2FA, strong passwords, and paid domain email for better protection.  You can learn more about what Chris offers at https://techsupport.farm/.     Learn more about Performance Livestock Analytics here: https://bit.ly/47PxY3W  Learn more about Ambrook here: ambrook.com/casualcattle   Learn more about Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef   Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations    00:00 Risk Meets Cybersecurity  01:14 Meet Chris Sherman  02:37 Fall Threats Overview  04:03 RFID Tag Swapping  06:00 Busy Season Bank Fraud  08:22 If You Clicked Or Paid  12:27 Ponzi Schemes Due Diligence  14:15 Harvest Season Digital Hygiene  15:52 Passwords And Paid Email  16:25 Year End Vigilance Wrap Up

Today on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, Shaye interviews Corteva pasture specialist, Rachel Walker, about prioritizing fall weed control to maximize usable forage and extend grazing days. Walker explains that winter-emerging weeds like plantain, thistles, and poison hemlock should be treated in fall when young, using options such as DuraCor and UltiGraze.   She describes DuraCor’s two-actives approach and notes grazing is allowed, with hay sales restrictions depending on state. They discuss why weed control matters in drought and for preventing livestock losses to toxic plants, and how improved control can reduce hay feeding and enable adding diverse grasses and clover. Walker recommends frequent soil testing and taking advantage of free forage testing, and adds fall brush control timing guidance.  Learn more about Corteva solutions here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations    Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/     00:00 Fall Weed Control Urgency  01:10 Meet Rachel Walker  02:43 Drought and Hay Outlook  04:07 Grazing Longer Into Winter  06:19 Targeting Winter Weeds  10:21 Why Weed Control Matters  14:09 UltiGraze and Soil Testing  16:39 Forage Testing and Nutrition  18:23 Clover Integration With NovaGraze  20:16 Brush Control Timing

This week, Shaye interviews Dr. Robin Faulkner, a veterinarian with decades of beef industry experience, about fall calving systems and herd health. Faulkner outlines why fall calving can add value by spreading calf supply to better match year-round packing capacity and by producing more mature fall-born bulls, while noting location-specific challenges.   He emphasizes aligning calving with weather “thermal neutral” windows to reduce stress, disease risk, and negative fetal programming, and highlights nutrition as the key constraint for rebreeding when forage quality declines into winter. He advocates proactive, season-ahead management: forage testing, equipment readiness, calving kits, and facility preparation. On vaccines, he stresses tailoring protocols to handling and marketing constraints, using vaccination and weaning to improve marketability, and timing products to their effective protection windows, including pre-calving scour vaccines for colostrum immunity.   He discusses fall fly pressure and timing fly control to vulnerability periods, and urges responsible treatment and stewardship of insecticides, dewormers, and antibiotics to preserve efficacy.   Learn more at https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef    Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0   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 Fall Calving Kickoff 01:18 Meet Dr. Faulkner 03:15 Why Calve in Fall 06:06 Weather Stress Window 09:50 Nutrition and Rebreeding 12:44 Pre Calving Prep 17:35 Vaccines for Value 23:20 Vaccine Timing Matters 29:42 Fly Control Strategy 32:46 Treatment Stewardship 42:45 Observe and Adapt

Today on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, Shaye talks with veterinarian Dr. Paige Schmidt-Rios about bovine respiratory disease (BRD), its impact across the cattle supply chain, and key prevention strategies for ranchers. Dr. Paige explains BRD (also called pneumonia or shipping fever) as a complex syndrome involving multiple viruses and bacteria, often triggered when stress and environment compromise immunity; she lists common pathogens and notes BRD is a major cause of post-weaning illness.   They discuss treatment limits, including supportive care for viral cases and five antibiotic classes for bacterial pneumonia, highlighting mycoplasma’s lack of a cell wall and fluoroquinolone restrictions, plus the role and timing of diagnostics and the need for a VCPR. Prevention focuses on colostrum within 12 hours, clean/dry calving environments, proper vaccine handling, and timely boosters, including considerations around preconditioning versus vaccinating at weaning.  Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0  Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG  Learn more abou Elanco here: https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef   Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/    01:16 4-H Memories  03:09 What BRD Really Is  06:45 Mycoplasma Spotlight  08:01 Treatment Options  11:09 Diagnostics And Timing  12:59 Vet Partnership And Management  16:29 Prevention Starts At Birth  20:00 Vaccines And Boosters  22:11 Weaning And Preconditioning  24:32 Prevention Recap And Supply Chain

This week, Shaye Wanner interviews Haley Potter from the Ambrook team about how artificial intelligence can support ranch profitability and long-term continuity when used responsibly. Potter, who has North Dakota ranching roots and splits time between ranches in Dell and Alder, Montana, says AI fits best for producers who need help with information gathering and admin tasks while keeping humans in control of decisions and fact-checking outputs.   She shares examples such as using Claude to summarize bull sale catalogs based on EPD parameters, building grazing plans, and analyzing financials for expansion scenarios, plus customer examples like an AI-assisted ordering/lead tool for direct-to-consumer beef and a “ranch command center” dashboard. Potter explains Ambrook’s AI-assisted bookkeeping features (tagging, invoice matching, receipt scanning) and emphasizes data quality, transparency, and privacy, including choosing trusted services and requiring approval for data use.  See what Ambrook can do for your operation here: ambrook.com/casualcattle    Learn more about Noble here: https://bit.ly/3DD7uG0  Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG  00:00 AI and Ranching Today  00:11 Meet Haley Potter  01:30 AI Not Insemination  01:56 Can AI Help Ranchers  02:51 Haley Ranching Roots  04:10 Responsible AI Basics  05:45 Real Ranch AI Examples  09:56 What Ambrook Does  10:39 AI Features in Ambrook  12:54 Time Savings and Better Data  15:25 Data Privacy and Trust

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

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

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

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

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