Jen Livsey plans and manages grazing on her family’s commercial cow/calf ranch, the Flying Diamond in eastern Colorado. Jen has an MS in Ranch Management from the King Ranch Institute and is the owner of EastCo, a pasture and livestock insurance group. As Jen puts it, the family’s philosophy has been to leave things in better condition than they were found and to take steps to ensure the ranch passes on to the next generation. It seems to be working, as The Flying Diamond Ranch has been in the family for more than 100 years. Our conversation was filled with laughter, covering a wide range of t ..read more

Trey Patterson is a thoughtful steward at the Padlock Ranch in northern Sheridan County, Wyoming and southern Big Horn County, Montana. Trey and his team are committed to achieving balance among five elements of purpose in order to put the Padlock Ranch in position to be here for generations to come. Human excellence – having good people Preservation of our natural resources Being a positive contributor and influence in the community – both local and within the ag industry in general Financial excellence – being profitable to be sustainable Being an emblem for the ownership family We had a f ..read more

Stacy Davies is a thoughtful steward committed to using natural systems or what he calls “biologically driven management” at the Roaring Springs Ranch in Oregon. Stacy credits his time under Doc and Connie Hatfield as well as a Holistic Management workshop in the late 80s as the beginning of his journey in holistic thinking and using natural systems to manage a ranch. Stacy knows you must be flexible enough to adapt to nature’s complexity in order to take advantage of the symbiotic relationship between the cattle and the grasslands ecosystem that supports them. Conditions are constantly changi ..read more

Hans Herkert, a first-generation rice farmer in California’s Central Valley, and I talk quite a bit about the ways rice fields serve vital ecological functions – including raising salmon and providing temporary shorebird habitat during migration. There is an emerging awareness or recognition that ecosystem services are crucial to maintain a hospitable planet for human life, and we find ourselves in a position where we must use preservation, restoration, and biomimicry on working lands. Coming from a small town heavily dependent on agriculture, and with extended family in the farming industry ..read more

After a successful career in computers and technology, Richard Taylor and his partner Suzie Paris spent many years searching for the perfect place to begin their next adventure. In 2001 they purchased 832 acres in Texas Hill Country and named it the Blue Mountain Peak Ranch due to its position as the highest point in Mason, Texas. They began improving the ranch by cutting Ashe Juniper, first themselves and then with teams of people with chainsaws and with prescribed burns. The removal of bison, traditional livestock management, and a changing climate have contributed to Ashe Juniper exploding ..read more

Nancy Peterson and her husband, Rex, bought Plum Thicket Farms in the Nebraska Sandhills in 1998 after moving from the Colorado Mountains where Nancy had a cow/calf veterinary practice. Over the years they have built the herd to 300 cows, and have taken many steps to develop water efficiencies and make its pastures drought-resilient. Their son, Patrick, heads the farming operation and is passionate about improving soil health and conserving resources using cover crops and no-till farming practices. During our conversation, Nancy and I talk about drought planning, minimizing erosion and increas ..read more

If you're a desk jockey that daydreams about starting a farm, you'll want to pay particular attention to this week's episode with James A. Morin, MBA, a first-generation farmer in Canada. James is an interesting guy who is fully committed to the local food movement, having served on the board of a food coop and being a founding member of an online farmer’s market. With 20+ years in retail and commercial banking, James has thought very deeply about the capital investment needed to scale regenerative agriculture. During our conversation we also talk about the recent rise in popularity of soil he ..read more

Luke Perman is a thoughtful steward of his land, the cattle, and the wildlife at Rock Hills Ranch in South Dakota. A fifth-generation rancher, Luke is focused on long-term sustainability and you can tell his values are reflected in the business. Beyond his holistic philosophy on range management, Luke actively engages with the public to help spread the word that raising high quality beef is not only compatible, it can actually enhance the quality of grasslands in the Great Plains. During our conversation, Luke and I talk about how he maintains flexibility to match the grass available with the ..read more

Bob Howard is a 3rd generation rancher in Idaho. His family’s operation is based out of Hammett in the winter while summers are spent in the mountains from Midvale to McCall. Bob leads Desert Mountain Grass-Fed Beef, a cooperative created by ranchers to provide a high quality 100% grass-fed beef option to consumers. More than two dozen families are working in cooperation to raise healthy cattle while improving their soils. In our conversation, Bob and I talk about the history of the coop, 100% consensus decision-making, minimal disturbance seeding of cover crops, planned intensive grazing, rev ..read more

Dan Brick is a fifth-generation farmer in Greenleaf, Wisconsin who earnestly takes his role as steward and caretaker of Wisconsin’s natural resources and water ways. After a series of significant runoff events influenced Dan to increase the pace and scale of his transition to cover crops and minimal tillage, today Dan’s operation, Brickstead Dairy, is 100% no-till and keeping the soil and its nutrients on his land is a top priority. Healthier soils mean greater water infiltration and by absorbing every droplet of rain that falls, Dan’s farm can better withstand heavy rains without losing top s ..read more