The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast

• Small Farms, Stronger Together: Joel Salatin on Local Food, Collaboration & the Future of Regenerative Ag

  🎥 Unlock Exclusive Grazing Education – Anytime, Anywhere! Get instant access to 100+ hours of expert-led grazing courses with SGF TV—all for our lowest monthly price ever! New titles added, price stays the same, cancel anytime. 📲 Tap the link to start streaming now! www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/sgfv-podcast >>> In this episode, Joel Salatin joins Becky Szarzynski of Ember Cattle Company for a powerful conversation recorded at SGF’s 2024 Gathering at Polyface. They explore the state of small family farms in today’s economic and cultural climate—and why Joel believes local farms are more viable now than ever. Together, they dig into the pressures of inflation and global uncertainty, the rise of wellness-driven consumers, and how farmers can thrive by building deeper local relationships, collaborating with neighbors, and leveraging modern tech tools to access markets. 🔑 Key Points Covered: The Viability of Small Family Farms: Despite rising input costs, Joel explains why improved logistics and local demand keep small farms competitive. Shifting Societal Norms: A look at how public mistrust in big systems is opening doors for alternative health and food movements. Local vs. Global Food Systems: Why focusing on your local foodshed is not only sustainable—but strategic. Community & Collaboration: Joel and Becky highlight the value of sharing labor, tools, and knowledge among neighboring farms. Using Tech to Build Local Resilience: From communication to marketing, technology is reshaping what's possible for small-scale operations. 🌱 Actionable Insights: Build authentic relationships with your customers and local community. Welcome and integrate newcomers in your area to expand your customer base. Explore resource-sharing partnerships with nearby farms and ranches. Use digital tools to connect with markets and tell your farm’s story. 📌 For more insights and resources, check out https://www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/profile

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• Naturally Occurring Forage Chains by Abram Bowerman

  🎥 Unlock Exclusive Grazing Education – Anytime, Anywhere! Get instant access to 100+ hours of expert-led grazing courses with SGF TV—all for our lowest monthly price ever! New titles added, price stays the same, cancel anytime. 📲 Tap the link to start streaming now! www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/sgfv-podcast >>> In this episode of Insights from the Pasture, full-time grazier Abram Bowerman shares a refreshing and practical look at how to build resilient forage systems using the species already on your land. Rather than fight weeds or chase monocultures, Abram invites graziers to embrace the “organized chaos” of nature and manage with the seasons. He explains how each plant—whether it’s a common grass, overlooked forb, or wild-growing shrub—has its own nutritional window and role to play in your year-round forage chain. With a mindset of stewardship, patience, and multi-species grazing, you can unlock hidden nutrition and reduce your dependence on inputs. 🔑 Key Points Covered: The Forage Chain Concept: Think of a pasture as a linked system where each plant community supports the others across the seasons. Seasonal Plant Successions: From dock and dandelion in spring to cedar and rosehips in winter, each phase has its ideal forages. The Role of “Weeds”: Many so-called weeds offer high-value nutrition—if grazed at the right time by the right species. Mineral Access Through Diversity: Each plant has a different mineral profile, allowing livestock to self-balance through selective grazing. Livestock-Led Diversity: True species diversification happens through livestock impact, not just seeding. 🌱 Actionable Insights: Manage your pastures to encourage diverse plant life—don’t mow or spray what livestock might one day eat. Match your grazing rotation to the optimal growth phase of each forage species. Use multi-species grazing to better utilize available forages and reduce weed pressure naturally. Adjust paddock sizes and rotations dynamically to take advantage of changing seasonal nutrition. Let livestock teach you what’s palatable and nutritious—what they mob today may be gold tomorrow.

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  9:26
• Silvopasture Strategies with Greg Brann

  🎥 Unlock Exclusive Grazing Education – Anytime, Anywhere! Get instant access to 100+ hours of expert-led grazing courses with SGF TV—all for our lowest monthly price ever! New titles added, price stays the same, cancel anytime. 📲 Tap the link to start streaming now! www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/sgfv-podcast >>> 🎙️ Episode Title: Silvopasture Strategies with Greg Brann In this episode, Greg Brann shares how he integrates trees into his pasture-based livestock operation in Adolphus, Kentucky. The episode explores the practice of silvopasture—a regenerative approach that blends trees, forage, and livestock to enhance productivity and ecological balance. Greg outlines the benefits of silvopasture, including increased forage through browse, timber value, improved livestock comfort, and better manure distribution. He emphasizes the need for intentional design, proper shade management, and species selection to make silvopasture work long-term. Through practical examples, Greg breaks down the steps to get started and the tools needed to protect young trees, manage multi-species herds, and maintain healthy forage growth under partial canopy. 🔑 Key Points Covered: What is Silvopasture? Purposeful integration of trees and grazing Ideal shade: 20–35%, or 4–11 mature trees per acre Benefits of Silvopasture: Extra forage (1,000–2,000 lbs/acre) from browse Shade and comfort for animals Improved soil health and grazing uniformity Long-term timber value How to Implement: Thin existing woodlots or plant new trees (fence-line rows preferred) Maintain at least 50% light penetration for forage Protect trees until they reach 15 feet tall Animal Considerations: Multi-species options (sheep, goats, cattle) Sheep cause the least tree damage Livestock may be managed together or in rotation 🌱 Actionable Insights: Start with a Clear Plan: Define silvopasture goals and choose tree/forage species accordingly Protect Your Investment: Use tree tubes, offset fencing, or electric barriers to protect young trees Manage the System: Prune trees before limbs hit 2-inch diameter Rotate animals frequently to avoid compaction Choose Smart Forage: Opt for shade-tolerant species like orchardgrass, fescue, eastern gamagrass, and Virginia wild rye 📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to visit us here for our latest specials and exclusive offers: https://www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital 👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to The Stockman Grassfarmer Podcast and discover how silvopasture can increase your farm’s resilience, productivity, and profitability—starting with the trees around you.

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  21:49
• Setting up Fence and Water Points By Greg Brann

  🎥 Unlock Exclusive Grazing Education – Anytime, Anywhere! Get instant access to 100+ hours of expert-led grazing courses with SGF TV—all for our lowest monthly price ever! New titles added, price stays the same, cancel anytime. 📲 Tap the link to start streaming now! www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/sgfv-podcast >>> 🎙️ Episode Title: Better Fencing, Better Water, Better Grazing by Greg Brann In this episode, grazing consultant and experienced farmer Greg Brann breaks down two of the most essential elements of a successful grazing system: water access and fence infrastructure. With over 700 acres of managed pasture and decades of NRCS and consulting experience, Greg shares practical strategies for improving animal performance through better planning and design. This episode highlights the power of proper water distribution and fencing as tools for both productivity and ecological stewardship—offering direct, real-world insights that graziers can put to use immediately. 🔑 Key Points Covered: Water as the Limiting Factor: Why clean, accessible water is one of the greatest performance enhancers in your system. Strategic Water Point Placement: Tips for using maps, elevation, and cross fencing to reduce trailing and increase animal distribution. Smart Fence Design: How to structure permanent and temporary fencing for ease of rotation and multi-species setups. Charger & Grounding Essentials: Avoid common mistakes and learn how to test and tune your electric fence for reliability. Stream Protection & Livestock Access: When and how to provide alternative water sources without harming sensitive water systems. 🌱 Actionable Insights: Use aerial maps to identify ideal water point locations and minimize livestock trailing. Invest in a high-quality charger with remote capability—especially if you manage 50+ acres. Install fences that match your management goals (e.g., single wire for trained cattle, multi-wire for mixed species). Rotate and clean troughs frequently—livestock perform better when water is fresh. Incorporate vegetative buffers and limit stream access to protect water quality and reduce erosion. 📌 For more insights and resources, be sure to visit us here for our latest specials and exclusive offers:👉 https://www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital and https://gregbrann.com/

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  8:27
• Better Grazing With the Three Rules of Adaptive Stewardship by Dr. Allen Williams

  🎥 Unlock Exclusive Grazing Education – Anytime, Anywhere! Get instant access to 100+ hours of expert-led grazing courses with SGF TV—all for our lowest monthly price ever! New titles added, price stays the same, cancel anytime. 📲 Tap the link to start streaming now! www.stockmangrassfarmer.digital/sgfv-podcast >>> Better Grazing With the Three Rules of Adaptive Stewardship by Dr. Allen Williams In this episode, Dr. Allen Williams shares a powerful framework for improving land health, livestock performance, and long-term profitability: the Three Rules of Adaptive Stewardship. Drawing on years of experience and observation, Allen outlines how compounding effects, ecological diversity, and planned disruptions work together to create regenerative momentum on your farm. Dr. Williams explains how each decision influences cascading biological outcomes, why diversity is critical at every level of your ecosystem, and how rigid systems sabotage your ability to respond to nature’s feedback. 🔑 Key Points Covered: The Rule of Compounding: How every management decision triggers either positive or negative cascading effects—and how observation sharpens intuition. The Rule of Diversity: Why diverse ecosystems outperform monocultures in plant health, animal wellness, and soil vitality. The Rule of Disruption: How to use planned disruptions—like changing stock density, paddock layout, or grazing rotation—to prevent biological stagnation. 11 Practical Disruption Strategies: Real-world tools for unlocking soil memory, activating microbial populations, and restoring resilience. The Role of Keen Observation: How to read animal behavior, soil structure, insect life, and plant response to guide better adaptive decisions. 🌱 Actionable Insights: Develop your observation skills—use all five senses to evaluate grazing outcomes. Rotate stock density, direction, or rest periods to avoid predictable patterns. Encourage plant and soil diversity by allowing “weeds” and forbs to thrive. Experiment with bale grazing or prescribed burns as purposeful disruptions. Remember: Adaptive grazing is a mindset—not a rigid system or recipe. 📌 For more insights from Dr. Allen Williams, check out his books and courses in the SGF store 👉 Tune in with your favorite podcast app to Regenerative Wisdom from the Stockman Grassfarmer and discover how small changes can create big results for your grazing operation.

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