Casual Cattle Conversations

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 

 

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

 

Global Agriculture Challenges and Perceptions

Today, Shaye welcomes back Nebraska rancher, Jaclyn Wilson to discuss how extensive international travel has shaped her ranch management and views of global agriculture. Wilson describes how travel began through the Nebraska LEAD program and expanded into regular international speaking and industry visits, leading to operational changes at home such as organized team planning with whiteboards and calendars and greater delegation. She contrasts U.S. open-pasture wintering with UK/Ireland winter confinement driven by mud and heavy clay soils, and shares a Netherlands example where turning cows out to grass becomes an agritourism event.  

Wilson outlines Dutch regulations and subsidies tied to nitrates, water runoff, stocking limits, and methane, and questions measurement accuracy for emissions and carbon credits. From Kenya, she highlights corruption concerns, diverse agricultural tours, and a “My Tank” water project. She emphasizes U.S. beef efficiency and safety but notes persistent overseas perceptions about sanitation, traceability, confinement, and antibiotics, and encourages producers to stay aware of global concerns and opportunities, including genetics and investment abroad. 

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/   

01:24 Jaclyn’s Travel Bug Origins 

03:29 Ranch Changes From Travel 

05:35 Whiteboards And Planning 

07:16 Winter Housing Culture Shock 

10:16 Netherlands Dairy And Agritourism 

12:00 EU Rules Subsidies And Nitrates 

15:21 Methane Carbon And Measurement 

17:52 Africa And Nuffield Journey 

20:33 Kenya Corruption And Water 

24:43 Water Links Every Country 

25:48 Why Home Matters Most 

28:08 US Beef Strengths And Perception 

31:13 Genetics Trade And Open Minds 

Maximize Grazing Resources with Virtual Fence

On today's show, Shaye Wanner interviews Saskatchewan ranchers John and Deanne about using Vence virtual fencing on their 400 cow-calf commercial operation near the Bronson Forest. They explain how virtual fencing improves utilization on rough, boggy forest lease country where conventional fencing is difficult and expensive, while saving labor, supporting planned/rotational grazing, and helping soil health by controlling stock density and drift with back fences. 

They describe added benefits like better monitoring for predation claims, reducing temporary electric fencing on rented land, and sorting groups (heifers, main herd, and open cows) using different virtual fences, achieving about a 95% success rate in a week. They discuss software tools like maps and heat maps, training protocols, cow-to-cow variation in responses, challenges with bull collar retention, collar loss rates improving with tighter fitting, and battery life lasting closer to six months than nine.

Learn more about what Vence could look like on your operation here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 

• 01:01 Biggest Grazing Wins
• 02:42 Why Vence
• 03:30 Ranch and Region Overview
• 06:04 Secondary Benefits and Predators
• 08:24 Sorting Cows with Maps
• 13:31 Software Insights and Training
• 16:42 Heat Maps and Logging Changes
• 19:47 Bulls Learning Curve and Next Steps
• 24:10 Challenges Battery and Retention

Reducing Stress for Cattle

On this episode of the Casual Cattle Conversations Podcast, Shaye interviews first-generation Texas rancher Kim Jungkind about staying curious to reduce cattle stress and improve performance. Kim shares how observing cattle led her to test music and color preferences: her herd moved away from rock music but gathered closely to Bach, especially Yo-Yo Ma’s cello, which she now plays during feeding and stressful events like trailering or difficult births to calm the herd; she connects stress reduction to better weight gain by preventing metabolic energy loss.  

She also found cattle are drawn to yellow after placing art in a corral, and notes cattle see yellow best and blue well, inspiring practical changes like using yellow flags on sorting sticks. Kim recounts transitioning from nursing and academia to ranching after inheriting her father-in-law’s operation, receiving community support through a local church, and facing a major fire early on. She recommends helping new ranchers network and directs listeners to order her book, “Back to the Barn and Bach,” at www.insightskj.com. 

Links and Resources  

Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS   

Learn more about Vence here: https://bit.ly/4kfWrCG 

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 

• 00:48 Why Curiosity Matters 
• 01:15 Yellow Flags Reduce Stress 
• 02:14 Testing Music Preferences 
• 04:00 Stress Economics Weight Gain 
• 04:46 From Nurse To Rancher 
• 07:14 Finding Help Through Church 
• 09:32 Wildfire Wake Up Call 
• 10:57 Learning Cow Personalities 
• 12:45 Grandin And Behavior Research 
• 14:08 Playing Cello For Cows 
• 17:33 Art In The Corral Colors 
• 19:25 Key Takeaways Curiosity Community 
• 21:13 Where To Get The Book 

 

 

Tips for AI'ing Cattle

On this episode of Casual Cattle Conversations podcast, Shaye interviews Jaclyn Ketchum, who grew up on a registered Red Angus ranch using AI and embryo technologies, earned advanced degrees in reproductive physiology, and now runs her family’s custom AI business while expanding embryo work. Ketchum explains benefits of AI and fixed-time AI with synchronization, including access to superior genetics at lower cost than buying bulls, use of sexed semen, improved early conception linked to heavier calves, more uniform calf crops, and reduced bull-to-cow ratios with cleanup bulls.  

She discusses why some producers still heat-detect, heifer protocol considerations, and how weather can reduce estrus expression and conception. Key success factors include communication, strict protocol timing, facility readiness, proper product handling and dosing, semen storage and shipping, skilled technicians, and managing expectations before and after AI. 

Mentioned Episodes 

Lacey Quail on Improving Preg Rates: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/casual-cattle-conversations-podcast-shownotes/lacey-quail 

Jennifer Koziol on Bull Fertility: https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/casual-cattle-conversations-podcast-shownotes/p4fffrydex27m1zkm1cj7bmrgpp56d  

Links and Resources 

Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS 

Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations 

Learn more about CattleMax Here: https://bit.ly/4aG7K5q 

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/  

  

00:00 Why AI Matters 

00:18 Meet Jaclyn Ketchum 

01:50 AI and Fixed Time Benefits 

07:53 Why Skip Synchronization 

11:17 Heifer Protocol Basics 

13:20 Planning a Successful AI Day 

22:07 Heat Detecting 21 Day AI 

24:35 Weather and Conception 

27:45 Resync and Backup Plans 

30:18 Sync for Natural Service 

32:37 Repro Efficiency Big Picture 

34:45 Final Takeaways and Wrap 

 

Cybersecurity: The Biggest Overlooked Threat to American Agriculture

On this episode of Casual Cattle Conversation, Shaye interviews Chris Sherman of Tech Support Farm about why farmers and ranchers are at risk for cybercrime and how to improve security. Sherman explains that cybercriminals target finance, information, and service disruption, and notes agriculture’s scale, liquidity, critical-infrastructure status, rapid tech adoption without “security by design,” a culture of trust, generational transition risks, and reliance on residential-grade hardware.

 

He cites examples, including a Minnesota cooperative ransomware attack during harvest and spoofed bank emails that led to lost money and a land deal, plus invoice fraud against ag businesses. Action steps include using a custom domain with commercial email and security tools, stronger 12+ character passwords and multifactor authentication, reviewing social media/device access, locking phones/computers, spotting phishing via headers, links, timestamps, and PDFs, segmenting farm Wi‑Fi, and using tools like antivirus, endpoint monitoring, and mobile device management. Wrapping up, Chris also recommends Tech Support Farm’s “Fence Check” assessment. Learn more about what Chris does at https://techsupport.farm/services/. 

 

Links and Resources

Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS

Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations

Learn more about CattleScales Here: https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 

 

00:00 Cyber Risk Warning

01:34 Why Ag Is Targeted

04:08 Five Ag Cyber Gaps

08:41 Spyware Routers Cameras

09:55 Chris Background Mission

13:07 Email Domains Encryption

16:37 Real World Attack Stories

20:31 Action Steps Passwords MFA

27:52 Phishing Emails Links

30:05 Security Tools MDM WiFi

35:48 Fence Check Takeaway

 

Stop Haying to Improve Your Bottom Line

Have you ever considered that haying might not fit your operation anymore? This week on the podcast, Carson Roberts, a University of Missouri state forage specialist with a background in alfalfa production and cattle, discusses why producers must treat haying as a separate business enterprise and know the true cost of production to evaluate profitability.

 

He outlines using regional hay budget sheets and accounting for income, seed, fertilizer, herbicides, custom hire, labor (including the producer’s time), fuel, repairs, overhead, land charge, and especially machinery ownership and opportunity interest. Carson argues hay often becomes unprofitable due to rising and excess equipment costs, over-equipped farms, and mismatched cattle-to-equipment inflation, suggesting some operations may profit more by selling hay equipment, converting hay acres to pasture, and buying tested hay while building reliable supplier relationships. He highlights cheaper feed alternatives such as grazing/stockpiled fescue, corn stalks, and grazing milo, and notes that aligning calving date with spring forage can reduce winter hay needs and costs.

 

Links and Resources

Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS

Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations

Learn more about CattleScales Here: https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr

 

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/

 

 

02:56 From Agronomy to Forages

05:00 Why Know Hay Costs

06:52 Building a Hay Budget

11:31 Equipment Overload Trap

15:50 When Hay Doesn’t Pencil

19:45 Scale and Reality Check

22:10 Buying Hay Strategically

26:43 Grazing Beats Haying

29:32 Hay Testing and Sourcing

33:11 Winter Grazing Options

36:35 Calving Date and Profit

39:40 Weaning Weights Myth

 

The Value of Weighing Cattle

Why is weighing your cattle important? In this episode of the Casual Cattle Conversations, Shaye interviews Dawn Anderson from the CattleScales team about why weighing cattle is valuable and how different scale options fit different ranch setups. Dawn shares her family’s ranch background and explains how their weighing systems evolved from beam and hanging scales to load bars and chute-side scale heads.

 

They discuss how accurate weights improve confidence in breeding and culling decisions, reveal herd consistency, guide feed testing and ration changes, track average daily gain, help market seedstock and finished cattle, and ensure proper medication dosing. Dawn emphasizes that scales are an investment, there are portable and stationary options, and ranchers can call to match a system to their goals. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr. 

 

Links and Resources

Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS

 

Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 

 

00:00 Why Weigh Cattle

02:01 Meet Dawn Anderson

05:16 Scale Evolution on the Ranch

08:56 Better Data Better Decisions

12:56 Backgrounding and ADG Tracking

14:22 Cow Performance and Culling

17:18 Accurate Treatment Dosage

20:39 Feeding and Pen Decisions

22:24 Marketing With Confidence

26:33 Choosing the Right Scale

 

Fly Control Strategies That Protect Your Bottom Line

Today, Shaye welcomes Jonathan Wells of the Cargill Animal Nutrition Team to discuss fly control strategies for pasture cattle, focusing on horn flies’ economic impact and how to choose tools for an operation. Wells says horn flies drive about $2 billion in annual losses and can spread diseases like mastitis and anaplasmosis while reducing performance through increased heart rate, higher water intake and urinary nutrient loss, reduced nitrogen retention, and about a 15% drop in average daily gain.  

They compare adult-killing topicals and ear tags (and resistance concerns) with feed-through IGRs like Altosid (methoprene) that break the fly life cycle in manure. Wells explains the Altosid XRB extended-release bolus, given once at season start and releasing IGR for about 195 days, dosing guidance for cows and calves, application tips, compatibility with other controls, and visual signs of adequate control. 

Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS 

01:33 Why Fly Control Matters 

03:12 Hidden Performance Losses 

05:04 Fly Control Options 

07:24 Breaking The Fly Cycle 

08:24 Altosid XRB Bolus 

10:57 Bolus Release Science 

12:27 Dosing Cows And Calves 

14:08 Safety And Application Tips 

18:17 How To Judge Control 

20:36 Producer Field Experience