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In this episode of Regenerative Wisdom, Steve Kenyon challenges an idea he was taught years ago in college—that it takes 100 years to grow an inch of topsoil.
After more than 25 years of working with livestock, plants, and soil health, Steve has come to a very different conclusion: with the right management, we can grow soil much faster.
In “Growing Soil,” Steve takes us below the surface to explain how carbon sequestration, living roots, soil biology, and grazing management work together to build soil. He also shares results from his own Alberta ranch that demonstrate just how dramatically soil can change under advanced grazing management.
At the heart of Steve's approach is a simple shift in thinking: instead of focusing only on growing plants from the soil, what if we focused on growing soil from the plants?
🔑 Key Points Covered
Why Steve challenges the idea that it takes 100 years to grow an inch of topsoil.
The difference between leaving plant residue on the surface and building soil through living plants and roots.
Why carbon sequestration is central to Steve's approach to growing soil.
The three processes Steve identifies as essential: photosynthesis, exudation, and biological conversion.
How plants capture carbon from the atmosphere and convert it into glucose.
Why root exudates are important for feeding soil biology.
How the relationship between plants and soil organisms helps cycle nutrients and build stable soil carbon.
Why increasing soil carbon can improve water-holding capacity, fertility, and soil structure.
The role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and glomalin in Steve's explanation of long-term soil carbon.
How plant roots and soil biology help turn sand, silt, and clay into functioning soil.
Why capturing more sunlight with a full canopy of living plants can increase carbon sequestration.
The importance of keeping living roots in the soil for as many days of the year as possible.
Why Steve believes graziers should strive to keep pastures in a growing, vegetative stage.
How improving the water cycle becomes especially important in dry environments.
The results Steve has observed after years of advanced grazing management on his Alberta ranch.
How his Five G.R.A.S.S. Concepts provide the management framework behind those changes.
Why regenerative agriculture should be viewed as a whole system rather than a recipe.
🌱 Three Steps to Growing Soil
Steve breaks carbon sequestration into three basic processes:
1. Photosynthesis Plants capture carbon from the atmosphere and use sunlight to turn it into glucose.
2. Exudation Plants send a portion of those sugars through their roots and into the soil, providing food for soil biology.
3. Biological Conversion Soil organisms use those root exudates, with some ultimately contributing to longer-term stable soil carbon.
For the grazier, Steve says the job is to manage the tops of the plants so the roots can continue doing their work underground.
☀️ Capture More Sunlight for More Days
If the goal is to grow soil faster, Steve says producers need to sequester more carbon each day—and do it for more days of the year.
That means maximizing the amount of sunlight captured by green, growing plants rather than allowing it to hit bare soil or be reflected away.
It also means extending the growing season whenever possible.
Can you maintain living roots in early spring? Late fall? Can your pasture remain vegetative longer? Can you capture sunlight and feed soil biology for 200 days? Or even 300?
Steve's goal is to keep living roots working and feeding the underground system for as much of the year as the environment allows.
📊 The Proof Is in the Puddin'
Steve shares two examples from his Alberta ranch to demonstrate what he says can happen under advanced grazing management.
In a research project with the University of Alberta, two pastures with similar histories, topography, and soil types were compared. Steve's pasture had been under regenerative grazing management for 15 years, while the other had been continuously grazed.
Steve reports that his pasture averaged 11% soil organic carbon, compared with 5.2% in the continuously grazed pasture. His side also had a distinct dark soil horizon averaging 10.8 inches deep.
A second pasture demonstration compared soil samples taken in 2006 and 2023. Steve reports that soil organic matter increased from 2.6% to 7.1% over those 17 years, along with the development of approximately 6 to 12 inches of dark topsoil.
For Steve, these results demonstrate that management can dramatically influence the rate at which soil develops.
🌾 The Five G.R.A.S.S. Concepts
Steve credits much of the change on his ranch to managing a perennial polyculture using his Five G.R.A.S.S. Concepts:
Graze Period — Manage how long livestock remain in a grazing area.
Rest Period — Give plants adequate time to recover before being grazed again.
Animal Impact — Use livestock as a tool to influence plants and the soil surface.
Stock Density — Manage the concentration of animals at a given point in time.
Soil Armor — Keep the soil protected with living plants and plant residue.
Together, these concepts help Steve manage the plants above ground while encouraging roots and soil biology to do their work below ground.
👨🌾 About Steve Kenyon
Steve Kenyon ranches in Busby, Alberta, Canada, where he has spent decades developing and teaching practical grazing strategies through Greener Pastures Ranching.
His book, The Calendar of the Year-Round Grazier, is available through the Stockman Grass Farmer Bookshelf.
📅 Learn From Steve Kenyon In Person
Want to take these principles beyond the podcast?
Steve will be teaching the Year-Round Grazing School in Omaha, Nebraska, November 6–7, 2026.
Join Steve for two full days of practical, field-tested, profit-focused grazing education designed to help you improve your grazing management and build a stronger operation.
Seats are limited, so early registration is encouraged.
Learn more and reserve your seat at stockmangrassfarmer.com.
🎧 Listen, Learn & Subscribe
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Regenerative Wisdom for more practical lessons and timeless insights from the farmers, ranchers, and grazing experts featured in Stockman Grass Farmer.
📌 Be sure to check out our monthly magazine, live events, books, online schools, and the latest specials for even more resources to help you build healthier soil and a more profitable grazing operation.
Nature has No "Weeds" By Steve Kenyon
Episode 116
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 • Duration 12:58
In this episode of Regenerative Wisdom, Steve Kenyon challenges one of agriculture's most familiar concepts: the weed.
Steve doesn't believe there is such a thing as a weed. Instead, he prefers the term “pioneer species”—tough, aggressive plants that often appear because conditions favor them. Rather than simply being a problem to eliminate, these plants can protect bare ground, reduce erosion, cycle nutrients, build organic matter, improve water infiltration, and help damaged soil begin to heal.
The real question, Steve argues, isn't “How do I kill the weeds?” It's “Why are these plants here in the first place?”
Using Canada thistle as an example, Steve explains how undesirable plants can reveal weaknesses in a grazing system and how management can shift conditions back in favor of more desirable forage species.
At the heart of his approach are his Five G.R.A.S.S. Concepts—a practical framework for managing healthy, competitive pastures without constantly fighting nature.
🔑 Key Points Covered
Why Steve prefers the term “pioneer species” instead of weeds.
How pioneer species act like a scab, protecting and helping heal disturbed soil.
Why simply spraying or tilling weeds may address the symptom rather than the underlying problem.
How deep-rooted plants can access moisture and nutrients unavailable to shallower-rooted species.
The role pioneer species can play in reducing erosion, building soil armor, and attracting beneficial insects.
What Canada thistle can tell you about conditions in your pasture.
Why selective grazing can give undesirable plants a competitive advantage.
How healthy desirable species can eventually outcompete pioneer species when conditions improve.
Why managing the roots of forage plants is just as important as managing what you see above ground.
🌱 Steve Kenyon's Five G.R.A.S.S. Concepts
🌾 Manage the Conditions, Not Just the Symptom
👨🌾 About Steve Kenyon
📅 Learn From Steve Kenyon In Person
🎧 Listen, Learn & Subscribe
Forage Chains Connect the Dots for Profit By Dan Glenn
Episode 115
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 • Duration 09:47
In this episode of Regenerative Wisdom, we travel to Fitzgerald, Georgia, where cattle breeder and soil cowboy Dan Glenn shares how matching forage resources with the nutritional needs of cattle can create a more profitable and efficient grazing system.
Dan explains why understanding your operation's forage resources throughout the year is essential for making decisions about when to calve, when to wean, and when to market cattle. Rather than forcing the cattle program to fit a calendar, he builds his grazing system around the forage resources his farm can produce.
His experience with earlier weaning provides a practical example. By moving calves off their dams at seven to eight months and onto stockpiled summer annuals, Dan was able to improve calf performance, increase cow condition, delay hay feeding, and get winter annuals established on time.
The result was a forage chain that kept cattle growing through periods that had previously been challenging.
🔑 Key Points Covered
Why successful grazing operations should rely on the cow to harvest her own high-quality forage.
How understanding yearly forage surpluses and deficits can guide profitable management decisions.
Matching the calving season to the period of highest forage quality.
Why Dan calves in February and March in South Georgia.
The challenges of managing cattle alongside a row-crop operation during peanut harvest.
Why Dan moved from late weaning to weaning calves at seven to eight months.
Using stockpiled sorghum-Sudan, sunn hemp, cowpea, pearl millet, and crabgrass for post-weaning nutrition.
How early weaning improved both calf performance and cow body condition.
Using dry cows to take advantage of stockpiled Bermudagrass.
Delaying hay feeding by making better use of stockpiled forage.
Transitioning calves from summer annuals into winter annuals.
The role of spring oats, hybrid turnip, cereal rye, spring pea, crimson clover, hairy vetch, ryegrass, oats, and triticale in Dan's forage chain.
Matching cattle genetics to the challenging South Georgia climate.
🌱 The Forage Chain
📈 Turning Forage Into Profit
👨🌾 About Dan Glenn
🎧 Listen, Learn & Subscribe
Al’s Obs: Cultural Biases
Episode 114
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 • Duration 23:24
Chapter 1: How Do Grazing Cultural Biases Hold You Back from Success?
By Allan Nation
For decades, Allan Nation's "Al's Obs" challenged graziers to question conventional wisdom and think differently about agriculture. In this opening chapter from Al's Obs: 20 Questions & Their Answers, Allan argues that many of the decisions producers make aren't truly economic—they're cultural. The most successful graziers learn to recognize these biases, question them, and build businesses around economic reality instead of tradition.
From the value of quality pasture and grass silage to grass-finished beef, agroforestry, regional specialization, and niche marketing, Allan explores ten opportunities that reward independent thinking. While originally written years ago, these ideas remain remarkably relevant for today's regenerative farmers and ranchers seeking greater profitability and resilience.
🔑 Key Points Covered
Why cultural biases often influence farm decisions more than economics.
How independent thinking creates an "unfair advantage."
The overlooked value of investing in high-quality pasture.
Why energy—not simply forage quantity—is the key to livestock performance.
Building productive pastures through legumes, fertility, and grazing management.
The economic advantages of grass silage over traditional hay systems.
Using regional specialization to improve livestock profitability.
Matching genetics to grass-finished production systems.
Opportunities in organic and niche grass-fed markets.
How pasture-crop rotations build soil health and increase long-term productivity.
Reintegrating grazing with timber production through agroforestry.
Why sheep and goats can become valuable management tools.
Looking beyond conventional thinking to discover new grazing opportunities.
📚 Featured Resource
This episode is taken from Al's Obs: 20 Questions & Their Answers, a collection of Allan Nation's most influential columns from Stockman Grass Farmer.
Spanning articles originally published between 1997 and 2012, this timeless collection explores grazing management, regenerative agriculture, business strategy, economics, and the philosophy behind successful grass farming. Allan's unique ability to connect ideas from agriculture, business, and history continues to inspire producers to think beyond conventional practices.
🌱 About
🎧 Listen, Learn & Subscribe
What Is the Greatest Challenge to Being a Grass Farmer Today? | Jim Gerrish
Episode 113
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 • Duration 39:16
In this episode of Insights from the Pasture, Carolyn Nation sits down with longtime Stockman Grass Farmer columnist Jim Gerrish to discuss what it truly means to be a grass farmer in today's agricultural landscape.
Drawing on more than 40 years of research, ranching, consulting, and practical experience, Jim shares timeless lessons on restoring worn-out land, building profitable grazing systems, managing weeds without herbicides, and working with nature instead of against it. Whether you're just getting started or have decades of experience, Jim explains why understanding the relationship between soil, plants, animals, and time remains the foundation of profitable grazing.
Jim also shares insights from his upcoming educational workshops and discusses why today's producers have more tools than ever—from grazing management principles to digital mapping technologies—to make better decisions on the land.
🔑 Key Topics Covered
Jim Gerrish's journey from a small Illinois crop farm to becoming one of the world's leading grazing educators.
Practical steps for restoring degraded cropland into productive pasture.
Why soil health begins with proper fertility, legumes, and biological recovery.
How livestock can become your most effective weed management tool.
The differences—and surprising similarities—between grazing in Missouri and irrigated ranching in Idaho.
Why patience is one of the most valuable grazing management skills.
The plant-soil-animal relationship that drives every successful grazing system.
The importance of observing livestock behavior directly in the pasture.
Modern digital tools every grazier should know, including:
Google Earth
Web Soil Survey
AgriWebb
MaiaGrazing
ONX Maps
Smartphone mapping apps
Using forage inventories and grazing data to avoid costly stocking mistakes.
Why economic decision-making is just as important as grazing management.
📚 Featured Resource
Jim's newest book,
🌱 About
🎧 Listen, Learn & Subscribe
Think Feed Is Your Biggest Cost? Jim Gerrish Says You're Looking at the Wrong Number
Episode 112
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 • Duration 16:08
In this episode, Jim Gerrish challenges one of the most common assumptions in the cattle business—that feed is always your largest expense. While winter feed has traditionally topped the budget for most cow-calf operations, Jim explains why that may soon change. As the cattle cycle shifts, depreciation—not feed—could become the biggest financial threat facing producers over the next several years.
Drawing from decades of research, industry data, and real-world ranch consulting, Jim reveals the financial metrics that actually separate profitable operations from struggling ones. He explains why producers often focus on improving weaning weights while overlooking the costs that have a far greater impact on the bottom line.
If you're serious about protecting profitability through changing markets, this episode will challenge the way you evaluate your operation.
🔑 Key Points Covered
Why cow depreciation could become the largest cost in your operation over the next 1–3 years.
How the cattle cycle impacts profitability beyond cattle prices.
The surprising research showing feed costs account for over half of the variation in ranch profitability.
Why equipment and facility depreciation often hurts profits more than producers realize.
What the Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) data reveals about successful cow-calf operations.
The hidden costs of producing and feeding hay that many ranchers never calculate.
Why herd size alone has very little influence on profitability.
How changing your business model often matters more than increasing production.
Why understanding costs—not just production—is the key to long-term success.
Whether you manage 50 cows or 5,000, this episode offers practical financial insights that can help you make better management decisions and prepare for the next phase of the cattle cycle.
🌱 About
🎧 Listen, Learn & Subscribe
From Seven Cows to 14,000 Customers: Relationships, Regeneration & Resilience with Glenn Elzinga
Episode 111
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 • Duration 54:50
In this episode, Glenn Elzinga of Alderspring Ranch shares the remarkable journey from starting with just seven cows and 60 acres in rural Idaho to building one of the nation's most recognized direct-marketed grass-fed beef businesses. Along the way, Glenn discusses how a defining moment involving a Kansas feedlot changed the direction of his operation and led him toward regenerative grazing, direct marketing, and a relationship-centered business model.
The conversation explores adaptive grazing in some of the most rugged and predator-rich country in the American West, including how wolves unexpectedly became teachers that transformed both grazing management and ecosystem health. Glenn also shares lessons on family succession, customer loyalty, stockmanship, and building resilience beyond commodity markets.
🔑 Key Points Covered:
A Defining Feedlot Moment: A conversation with his young daughter after seeing cattle standing in feedlot conditions sparked a complete reevaluation of how livestock should be raised and marketed.
Building a Direct-to-Consumer Business: Glenn explains how a conversation with Joel Salatin encouraged him to pursue direct marketing, eventually growing a customer base of more than 14,000 loyal buyers despite living in one of the most remote regions of Idaho.
The Power of Relationship Marketing: Eliminating middlemen and focusing on direct customer relationships created resilience and profitability that commodity markets often cannot provide.
From Caretakers to Caregivers: Glenn discusses a shift in mindset from simply managing livestock to truly caring for animals and designing systems that respect their natural behaviors.
Wolves as Unlikely Teachers: Predator pressure forced the ranch to rethink grazing management, leading to tighter herd movement, improved stockmanship, healthier ecosystems, and dramatically reduced losses.
Adaptive Grazing in Brittle Environments: Glenn shares how cattle may graze a paddock for only a few minutes before receiving multi-year rest periods, allowing plant communities and soil health to recover and thrive.
Legumes in the Grazing System: Building Profit from the Soil Up by Russ Wilson
Episode 110
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 • Duration 10:42
In this episode, Russ Wilson shares why legumes have become one of the most valuable tools in his adaptive grazing system. Drawing from more than 40 years of grazing experience, Russ explains how species like clover, alfalfa, and birdsfoot trefoil improve profitability, reduce input costs, strengthen livestock performance, and build healthier soils.
The discussion explores how legumes function as nature’s fertilizer factory through nitrogen fixation, how they enhance forage quality and animal performance, and why they are critical for building resilient grazing systems in an era of rising input costs and unpredictable weather.
Russ also addresses common misconceptions about bloat, explains how proper grazing management minimizes risk, and shares practical strategies for establishing and maintaining productive legume stands. Throughout the episode, he emphasizes a simple principle: let biology do the heavy lifting.
🔑 Key Points Covered:
Nature’s Nitrogen Factory: Legumes work with rhizobia bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen, supplying the equivalent of 100–250+ pounds of nitrogen per acre annually while reducing fertilizer dependence.
Improved Livestock Performance: Legumes provide higher protein, energy, calcium, and magnesium levels than grasses alone, supporting greater weight gains, improved fertility, better milk production, and reduced supplementation costs.
Managing Bloat Through Grazing Management: Bloat risks can be minimized through proper grazing practices, mineral availability, controlled intake, and the use of lower-risk species such as birdsfoot trefoil and sainfoin.
Drought Resilience and Extended Grazing: Deep-rooted legumes like alfalfa and sainfoin maintain productivity during dry periods, helping extend grazing seasons and reduce reliance on expensive stored feeds.
Building Soil Health Through Biology: Legumes contribute organic matter, improve soil aggregation, increase water infiltration, support microbial activity, and strengthen overall ecosystem resilience.
The Custom Grazing Client's Point of View by Allan Nation
Episode 109
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 • Duration 01:08:32
In this episode, Allan Nation breaks down custom grazing from the client’s perspective and explains why the future of profitable ranching may depend more on management and service than land ownership or cattle ownership.
Drawing from decades of economic analysis and real-world ranch examples, Allan challenges many long-held assumptions in the cattle business. He explores why separating land and livestock into two distinct businesses can dramatically improve returns, why leasing often outperforms owning, and how graziers can position themselves as high-value service providers rather than commodity producers.
The episode also dives deep into pricing cattle gain, building investor-ready operations, improving forage systems, and creating the kind of professionalism and trust that keeps custom grazing clients coming back year after year.
🔑 Key Points Covered:
Why Service-Based Ranching Can Be More Profitable: Allan explains how selling grazing and management services can outperform traditional cattle ownership models and create higher ROI with lower capital risk.
The Economics of Leasing vs. Owning Land: Learn why leased land often creates stronger financial flexibility, lower tax burdens, and better long-term returns than heavily financed deeded land.
Value of Gain Pricing Explained: Allan breaks down how successful custom graziers price based on pounds of gain rather than cattle value alone, including performance bonuses tied to ADG and death loss.
What Custom Grazing Clients Actually Want: From strong perimeter fencing and clean facilities to professional communication and regular weigh reports, Allan shares what builds long-term client confidence.
Grass Finishing and Seasonal Gain Challenges: The episode explores seasonal forage quality, finishing targets, forage chains, and why certain annuals can dramatically improve summer and fall gains.
Reducing Capital and Machinery Costs: Allan highlights why many of the most profitable operations focus on lowering hay dependence, reducing machinery investment, and improving stocking flexibility.
Multi-Species Grazing Foundations with Greg Judy (Remastered) Part 2 of 3
Episode 108
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 • Duration 25:44
In this episode, Greg Judy shares practical, field-tested lessons on building profitable and resilient multi-species grazing systems.
This remastered session dives into the infrastructure, grazing strategies, drought planning, and diversified income streams that help producers improve pasture performance while reducing dependence on costly inputs.
From fencing and portable paddocks to hunting leases and soil health, Greg explains how intentional management can dramatically improve both profitability and land resilience.
🔑 Key Points Covered:
Fence is the Highest ROI Investment: Permanent perimeter fencing built with high-tensile steel creates control, improves grazing management, and prevents costly overgrazing.
Portable Paddocks Increase Flexibility: Starting with portable polywire instead of permanent interior divisions allows producers to adapt quickly and improve rotations efficiently.
Water Systems Matter—but Don’t Overbuild: Strategic water placement is important, but cattle can walk farther than many producers assume.
Sunlight Harvesting Drives Profitability: Maintaining adequate leaf area and plant residuals maximizes solar energy capture and pasture productivity.
High-Density Grazing Done Correctly Works: Frequent moves and controlled grazing can improve pasture recovery and animal performance when properly managed.
Multi-Species Grazing Creates Synergy: Sheep, poultry, pigs, and cattle all bring unique advantages—from weed control and fertility cycling to diversified income streams.
Hunting and Fishing as Revenue Streams: Recreational access such as hunting leases and fishing days can create additional income from existing land resources.
Drought Requires Early Action:Greg emphasizes monitoring regrowth closely and reducing stocking rates early before overgrazing creates long-term damage.
How grazing management can encourage a new generation of healthy forage plants.
Why patience is essential when trying to change pasture composition.
Graze Period: Keep the grazing period short enough to prevent animals from taking a second bite from recovering plants. Steve emphasizes that overgrazing is about time, not simply animal numbers or acreage.
Rest Period: Give plants enough recovery time to rebuild leaves and replenish energy reserves in their roots. Strong roots help desirable plants compete.
Animal Impact: Hoof action can stimulate the soil surface and encourage new seedlings, helping rejuvenate aging forage stands.
Stock Density: Higher stock densities can reduce selective grazing by increasing utilization across the paddock. Instead of repeatedly grazing only the most desirable plants, livestock graze, trample, or impact more of the available vegetation.
Soil Armor: Maintaining a protective layer of plant material over the soil helps reduce evaporation and runoff, regulate soil temperature, and create better conditions for soil life and desirable forage plants.
Steve's central message is that weeds—or pioneer species—are often symptoms of the conditions within the grazing system.
If desirable plants are repeatedly grazed before they have recovered, while undesirable plants are left untouched, management is effectively giving those undesirable plants an advantage.
Instead of continually attacking them, Steve recommends changing the conditions.
Strengthen desirable plants. Protect the soil. Manage grazing periods and recovery. Increase stock density where appropriate. And give the system time to respond.
As Steve points out, this isn't necessarily a quick fix. Changing pasture composition can take several years, and different growing seasons may favor different species. The goal isn't necessarily to eliminate every undesirable plant, but to maintain a diverse, healthy forage stand where those plants don't dominate.
Steve Kenyon ranches in Busby, Alberta, Canada, and operates Greener Pastures Ranching. He has been writing for Stockman Grass Farmer since 2008, when he sent his first article—also about weeds—to longtime SGF editor Allan Nation.
Steve's book, The Calendar of the Year-Round Grazier, is available through the Stockman Grass Farmer Bookshelf.
Steve will also be teaching a two-day Year-Round Grazing School on November 6–7, 2026, in Omaha, Nebraska.
The school will feature two full days of practical, field-tested, profit-focused grazing education designed to help producers improve their grazing management for years to come.
Seats are limited, so early registration is encouraged.
Learn more about Steve's upcoming school, his book, and other grazing resources at stockmangrassfarmer.com.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Regenerative Wisdom for more practical lessons and timeless insights from the farmers, ranchers, and grazing experts featured in Stockman Grass Farmer.
Be sure to check out our monthly magazine, live events, books, and the latest specials for even more resources to help you build a healthier, more profitable grazing operation.
The advantages of heat-adapted composites such as Senepol × Angus and Beefmaster × Angus.
How changing the calving season helped Dan reduce losses from black vulture predation.
How earlier pregnancy checking and culling fit into the overall system.
The economic value of adding an estimated 30–60 pounds of weaning weight through better forage utilization.
Why every grazing operation needs to identify its own weak links and build a forage program around its unique resources.
Dan's system demonstrates an important grazing principle: the goal isn't simply to grow more forage, but to connect the forage you grow with the nutritional needs of your livestock at the right time.
On his South Georgia operation, winter annuals provide a major portion of the grazing program from January through May. As forage quality declines later in the year, Dan uses stockpiled summer annuals to keep calves gaining while allowing dry cows to utilize lower-quality stockpiled Bermudagrass.
That timing allows the farm to make better use of its resources while reducing reliance on purchased feed and hay.
Dan estimates that using stockpiled summer annuals and transitioning calves sooner to winter annuals likely added 30–60 pounds of weaning weight.
While producing stockpiled annuals comes with an expense, the additional forage keeps calves growing during one of the year's poorest grazing periods and fits with Dan's value-added grass-fed beef program.
The larger lesson is that profitability comes from understanding where the weak links are in your forage chain and finding ways to keep both cows and calves grazing and growing.
Dan Glenn is a cattle breeder and soil cowboy from southern Georgia. He raises environmentally adapted cattle in a low-input system.
Learn more about Dan and his farm at deepgrassgraziers.com.
If you enjoyed this episode of Regenerative Wisdom, subscribe so you don't miss future conversations and timeless lessons from the farmers, ranchers, and grazing experts featured by Stockman Grass Farmer.
📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to check out our monthly magazine, books, live events, and online courses here:
Regenerative Wisdom brings the timeless writings and teachings of agriculture's leading voices to a new generation of graziers. Through classic articles, books, and presentations from the Stockman Grass Farmer library, each episode delivers practical ideas that remain as valuable today as when they were first shared.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast for more timeless lessons from Allan Nation and other pioneers of regenerative grazing.
Grassroots of Grazing: Grazing Management, Land Improvement and Profitability
brings together 85 of his most valuable Stockman Grass Farmer columns, carefully selected from nearly three decades of writing for today's grass farmers.
Inside you'll learn about:
Growing the next generation of graziers
Improving soil health and land productivity
Assessing profitability using Animal Unit Days
Enterprise and pasture diversity
Birthing livestock in sync with nature
Drought planning
Estimating pasture inventory
Practical grazing strategies that improve both profitability and quality of life
Whether you raise cattle, sheep, goats, or poultry, this collection provides practical, field-tested advice that can be applied to nearly every grazing operation.
For nearly three decades, Jim Gerrish has authored the Grassroots of Grazing column in Stockman Grass Farmer, sharing practical, research-backed insights that continue to help producers improve their land, livestock, and profitability.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Insights from the Pasture for conversations with leading voices in regenerative grazing, livestock production, and profitable grass farming.
For more educational resources, courses, books, and podcast episodes, visit:
Grassroots of Grazing: Grazing Management, Land Improvement and Profitability
brings together 85 of his most valuable Stockman Grass Farmer columns, carefully selected from nearly three decades of writing for today's grass farmers.
Inside you'll learn about:
Growing the next generation of graziers
Improving soil health and land productivity
Assessing profitability using Animal Unit Days
Enterprise and pasture diversity
Birthing livestock in sync with nature
Drought planning
Estimating pasture inventory
Practical grazing strategies that improve both profitability and quality of life
Whether you raise cattle, sheep, goats, or poultry, this collection provides practical, field-tested advice that can be applied to nearly every grazing operation.
For nearly three decades, Jim Gerrish has authored the Grassroots of Grazing column in Stockman Grass Farmer, sharing practical, research-backed insights that continue to help producers improve their land, livestock, and profitability.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Insights from the Pasture for conversations with leading voices in regenerative grazing, livestock production, and profitable grass farming.
Rest Periods Matter More Than Density: In extremely brittle environments, long recovery periods become the key to restoring grasslands, improving biodiversity, and building resilient ecosystems.
Restoring Riparian Areas Through Herd Management: By changing grazing behavior and reducing cattle pressure on sensitive areas, streams, water quality, fish habitat, and riparian ecosystems have improved dramatically.
Family Succession and Creating Opportunity: Glenn explains how involving his seven daughters in meaningful ranch work helped create a future where multiple generations remain actively connected to the ranch.
Stacking Enterprises Through Diversity: The ranch combines livestock enterprises, ecosystem services, wildlife, and direct marketing to create multiple complementary income streams while improving ecological function.
🌱 Actionable Insights:
Focus on building relationships—not only with customers, but also with livestock, soil biology, forage, and local communities.
In brittle environments, prioritize longer recovery periods rather than simply increasing grazing density.
View challenges and disruptions as opportunities to rethink outdated paradigms and discover better management systems.
Create opportunities for the next generation by building diverse enterprises that allow multiple family members to participate in the business.
Develop direct marketing channels that make you a price maker rather than a price taker.
📌 Memorable Quote:
"The whole thing, in one word, is relationship."
📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to visit us here for our latest specials and exclusive offers: https://www.stockmangrassfarmer.com
👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and discover how relationships—with customers, livestock, ecosystems, and family—can transform both profitability and resilience on the ranch.
Matching Legume Species to the Job: White clover, red clover, alfalfa, and birdsfoot trefoil each offer unique strengths, allowing producers to build diverse and resilient pasture systems.
Low-Cost Establishment Strategies: Legumes can often be established through strategic grazing management and improved seed-to-soil contact without major pasture renovations.
🔑 Russ Wilson’s Top 5 Management Tips for Legumes:
Manage Recovery, Not Height
Focus on adequate rest periods that allow legumes to rebuild root reserves and maintain nitrogen-fixing nodules.
Don’t Let Grasses Bully Them
Use grazing or clipping to open the canopy and allow sunlight to reach emerging legumes.
Keep the Rumen Happy
Prevent bloat by avoiding turnout of hungry animals onto lush legume stands and ensuring consistent mineral access.
Prioritize Inoculation and Seed-to-Soil Contact
Proper inoculation and good seed placement are critical for successful nodulation and nitrogen fixation.
Use Diversity to Spread Risk
Different legume species excel under different conditions, creating a more resilient pasture system year-round.
🌱 Actionable Insights:
Evaluate current pasture legume percentages and target 30–40% legume content where appropriate.
Implement grazing strategies that allow adequate recovery periods for legumes to persist.
Consider adding diverse legume species to improve forage quality, drought resilience, and nitrogen cycling.
Review mineral programs and grazing practices to minimize bloat risk.
Focus on building soil biology and reducing purchased inputs through strategic forage diversity.
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How to Build an Investor-Ready Grazing Business: Learn how disciplined economics, clear contracts, and operational consistency can attract outside capital and create scalable opportunities.
🌱 Actionable Insights:
Evaluate whether leasing land could improve your flexibility and return on investment compared to owning additional acreage.
Build custom grazing agreements around value of gain, performance metrics, and transparent reporting systems.
Focus on lowering machinery, hay, and labor costs rather than chasing maximum production numbers.
Improve professionalism with better fencing, organized infrastructure, clean branding, and documented performance history.
Develop forage chains and grazing systems that maintain strong gains throughout more of the year.
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Soil Cover is Critical: Maintaining a “litter bank” protects soil moisture, reduces temperatures, improves infiltration, and keeps rainfall where it belongs.
Infrastructure Should Simplify Labor: Lightweight reels, effective fencing systems, and thoughtful layouts dramatically reduce daily workload and stress.
🌱 Actionable Insights:
Prioritize permanent perimeter fence before investing heavily in other infrastructure.
Start with portable polywire systems to improve grazing flexibility and reduce upfront costs.
Protect ponds and water sources from direct livestock access.
Monitor forage regrowth regularly—especially during drought conditions.
Maintain adequate plant residuals and soil cover to improve water retention and pasture recovery.
Diversify enterprises to create multiple income streams from the same acreage.
Consider recreational opportunities like hunting or fishing access where appropriate.
Use species strategically—sheep for smaller acreages, poultry for fertility, pigs for diversification.
Simplify systems to reduce labor and improve operational sustainability.
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The full course goes even deeper into: • Multi-species grazing systems • Fencing and infrastructure • Drought resilience • Soil health • Profitability strategies • Livestock management
Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and discover how intentional grazing management can transform your land, livestock, and bottom line.
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