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.
Episodes
Monday May 18, 2026
Monday May 18, 2026
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
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