Ranch Stewards Podcast
A podcast dedicated to the stewardship and conservation of grasslands, diverse ecological landscapes, and the salt-of-the-earth individuals who devote their lives to this endeavor.
Episodes
51 episodes
Paying Kids, Planning Retirement, Protecting the Ranch Now
Most ranch families know they need to have financial conversations. Far fewer actually sit down and have them.In the Season 3 finale of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, host Haylie Shipp sits down with financial advisor Ty McDonald for an hon...
Hands-On Learning for the Next Generation
Looking for practical conversations about the future of agriculture, ranch labor, and the people who keep working lands working? The Ranch Workforce Project Podcast Series brings together ranch managers, educators, consultants, and agricultural...
Ranch Insight: Sheep Industry Takeaways for Beef Producers
What can the beef industry learn from the rise and decline of the sheep industry?In this final episode of the Rural Resilience webinar series, we are bringing you a replay of a live conversation with Brent Roeder, Montana State Universit...
Ranch Water: Low-Tech, High-Impact Restoration
⚠️ Heads up: this is a dense, information-rich episode pulled directly from a live webinar. If able, you will want to watch the full video replay on YouTube: https://yo...
No Fence, No Problem? Virtual Fencing on a Montana Forest Allotment
Not long ago, virtual fencing felt like a “maybe someday” idea. Today, ranchers are using it in some of the toughest country out there.Virtual fencing isn’t exactly a new conversation anymore, but how and where it’s being used con...
What Are Ranch Workers Really Worth?
What should ranch workers really be paid, and why is nobody talking about it?Wages in agriculture can feel like a taboo subject, but avoiding the conversation is not helping anyone.In this episode of the Ranch Workforce Pro...
Ranch Health: Cattle Vaccination Best Practices
If you’ve ever helped work cattle and thought, “I hope I’m doing this right,” this episode is for you.This episode is an audio replay of a recorded webinar from the Rural Resilience series. As you listen, you may hear references to visua...
Burnout on the Ranch: The Hidden Cost of Pushing Too Hard
Burnout in agriculture is often overlooked, but it carries real consequences for people, productivity, and profitability.In this episode of the Ranch Workforce Project, host Haylie Shipp and co-host Dr. Rachel Frost (Dan Scott Ranch Mana...
Why Your Best Employees Leave and How to Make Them Stay
You hired well. You trained well. Everything seemed right.Then they left.If that sounds familiar, you are not alone.Employee turnover is one of the biggest challenges in agriculture today, and every time someone leaves, it cos...
Mutually Beneficial: Conservation Funding at Work on Ranches
What happens when ranchers, conservation partners, and local communities all pull in the same direction? In this episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, we pull back the curtain on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance’s C...
How Good Onboarding Builds Better Ranch Employees
Hiring the right person is only the beginning. The way a new employee is introduced to a ranch operation can shape their success, confidence, and long-term future in agriculture.In this episode, Haylie Shipp and Rachel Frost are joined b...
Cracking the Code to the Ideal Ranch Employee
What makes a great ranch employee, and how do you actually find and hire them?Cracking the Code to the Ideal Ranch EmployeeFinding and hiring the right people can be one of the most frustrating, and most rewarding, parts of...
Eye in the Sky: Ranch Drones
What can a drone actually do on a working ranch, and is it worth the cost?In this episode, Haylie Shipp sits down with rancher Kari Koss, The Nature Conservancy’s Jason Hanlon, and Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Mapping Specialist Maida K...
Intentional Short Term Labor: Seasonal Work, Internships, and Apprenticeships Explained
Labor continues to be one of the biggest pressure points in agriculture. But when you are not hiring a full-time, long-term employee, the real question becomes: What kind of help do you actually need?In this episode of the Ranch...
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Bringing New Hands, New Ideas, and New Energy into the Agricultural Workforce
Every working ranch tells two stories, the one behind us, and the one we are still trying to write.This episode marks the beginning of a 10 episode limited series collaboration between Ranchers Stewardship Alliance and the Dan ...
Ranch Tech: GPS Tags & Drone Seeding
This episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast features the audio-only version of a Rural Resilience webinar, created for listeners who prefer to learn on the go. The full video presentation is available for those who would like to see visuals and ...
Introducing the Ranch Workforce Project
The Ranch Workforce Project is a limited series podcast collaboration between the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance and Montana State University’s Dan Scott Ranch Management Program. While the...
Bale Grazing: Winter Feeding, Regenerative Thinking
Who wouldn’t want a deep massage? Turns out, your soil might be overdue for one. In this episode, host Haylie Shipp talks with Montana ranchers Todd Barkley (near Baker) and Casey Buffington (Chester) about bale grazing<...
Ranch Succession Stories via "Reframing Rural"
In this special, off-script episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, host Haylie Shipp flips the mic and interviews Megan Torgerson, founder and host of Reframing Rural, an award-winning documentary p...
Growing Rural Futures: The Rise of Montana Agritourism
In this episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, we dig into the growing world of agritourism and how creative ideas can bring new opportunities to working lands. From educational offerings to niche on-the-ground experiences, agritourism i...
Insuring the Rancher: Preventative Care that Pays Off
In this personal and heartfelt episode, host Haylie Shipp shares how a major health crisis in her family in 2024 changed the way she views wellness on the ranch. Ranchers plan for drought, markets, and succession, but rarely for themselves. Pre...
Gut Check: How Soil Health Shapes Human Health
In this episode, Haylie Shipp sits down with eco-nutritionist Sara Keough and rancher Craig French to explore the surprising ways soil health and human health are connected. Sara shares what it means to look at people as ecosystem...
Vermicast: Worm Power for Ranch Soil Health
Today’s episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast takes us underground, as we bring you a replay from our 2025 Rural Resilience webinar series all about vermicast. Vermicast is a soil additive produced by earthworms that can improve soil biology, b...
Mistakes, Math, and Management of Winter Grazing
Winter grazing might sound like a risky gamble, but for Montana ranchers Cooper Hibbard and Leo Barthelmess, it’s a key part of building a more resilient—and affordable—grazing system. In this episode, we dig into how they manage ...
The Work Behind the Words: What Does RSA Actually Do?
We’ve said why the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance exists. But what do we actually do?In this season-opening episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, host Haylie Shipp sits down with RSA Executive Director Angel De...