Grazing Grass Podcast sharing Regenerative Ag Stories

Kasie Harriet is the milkmaid at Shepherd Farms, where she and her husband Jacob are building a direct-to-consumer farm business that includes raw milk, sourdough, tallow skincare, and more, while managing cows in a rotational grazing setup and learning what it really takes to run a small dairy at the family scale.
 
In This Episode, We Explore:  
Kasie’s path from FFA and wildlife work into farm life and dairy cows  
Why they pursued raw milk and how that led to buying their first family milk cow  
Lessons learned from a first cow that tested positive for bacteria and how they handled it  
Setting up a movable, low-cost milking stanchion and why “you don’t need a lot to do a lot”  
Hand milking vs machine milking and the real-world importance of equipment that is easy to clean  
Calf sharing, grafting a calf, and how that can add flexibility to dairy cow ownership  
Selling excess milk, managing weekly customers, and handling jars and deposits  
What to look for when buying a milk cow: testing, temperament, training, feeding history, and more  
Using Facebook to educate customers, build trust, and grow a local direct-to-consumer community  

Why This Episode Matters 
If you are considering a family milk cow or selling raw milk direct-to-consumer, this episode walks through the practical realities that often get skipped, including cow selection, sanitation concerns, equipment choices, customer management, and the setbacks that can happen even when you do things carefully. Kasie’s story is a grounded reminder to learn, adjust, and keep moving forward. 
Resources Mentioned  
Keeping a Family Cow by Joann S. Grohman  
Keeping a Family Milk Cow, holistic and organic (Facebook group)  

Find Out More  
Shepherd Farms | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087351095567

Looking for grass-based breeders?
 Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.
Upcoming Grazing Events
Noble Profitability Essentials - Ardmore, OK - February 4-5, 2026
Feb 8, 2026 Arrow L Ranch Annual Production Sale
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture
Arrow L Ranch Facebook page | https://www.facebook.com/arrowlranch
DV Auction video catalog for the Arrow L Ranch bull sale (opens Feb 6, closes Feb 8 with a soft close)

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)
Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Jacob Harriet of Shepherd Farms shares how his background in wildlife management in central Oklahoma shaped the way he uses livestock, prescribed fire, and land restoration to build better habitat and a workable farm business. From starting on a small homestead to managing over 1,240 acres through creative lease agreements, Jacob walks through what has worked, what he learned the hard way, and how grazing fits into a broader land stewardship plan.

In This Episode, We Explore:
Jacob’s path from wildlife law enforcement to using livestock as a habitat tool
Turning an over-timbered 80 acres into productive grazing and wildlife habitat
Using rotational grazing to improve land function, manure distribution, and plant recovery
Tree and timber management decisions focused on getting sunlight to the ground
Prescribed fire vs mechanical clearing for controlling woody encroachment, especially cedar
How burn associations, burn plans, and local support make prescribed fire safer and more practical
Managing land for wildlife needs alongside grazing goals, including turkey and quail habitat
Finding and using grants for infrastructure, water, timber work, and prescribed fire
Building a mixed-species orchard and using chickens to manage pests and understory
A lease model that trades professional habitat management for grazing access across multiple properties
Tracking grazing and land work with mapping tools and documentation

Why This Episode Matters
This conversation is a practical look at connecting grazing, habitat, and land access in a way that works in the real world. If you are trying to improve a neglected property, reduce cedar pressure, learn why prescribed fire matters, or find a creative path to more grazing acres without buying land, Jacob’s approach offers clear ideas you can adapt to your own place.

Resources Mentioned
Natural Resource University (podcast network)
OnX Hunt Maps (phone app)
NRCS (local office support for conservation programs and grants)
National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)
Quail Forever
Ty Ty Nursery (trees for the orchard)
Find Out More
Shepherd Farms | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087351095567

Looking for grass-based breeders?
 Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.
Upcoming Grazing Events
Noble Profitability Essentials - Ardmore, OK - February 4-5, 2026
Feb 8, 2026 Arrow L Ranch Annual Production Sale
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture
Arrow L Ranch Facebook page | https://www.facebook.com/arrowlranch
DV Auction video catalog for the Arrow L Ranch bull sale (opens Feb 6, closes Feb 8 with a soft close)

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)
Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Glenn McCaig of Perry's Corners Farm returns to the Grazing Grass Podcast to talk through livestock systems that stay practical when you stop trying to perfect everything. Farming with his wife Megan and their three young children just outside Kitchener, Ontario, Glenn shares what is working on their sandy, rocky ground with Lynch Lineback cattle, English Large Black pigs, Clun Forest type sheep, and pastured poultry.
In This Episode, We Explore:
What Lynch Lineback cattle are and why Glenn values a closed herd approach
Calf-sharing milk cows and feeding milk to pigs as part of a whole-farm system
A gilt-only farrowing system that simplifies pig management and tightens farrowing windows
Selecting boars early using practical traits like teat count and mothering ability
Farrowing in pens vs pasture, and what changed with labor, predator pressure, and piglet losses
Using simple ear notching to make culling decisions faster and more consistent in sheep
Closed-flock sheep management, prolific genetics, and handling triplets and quads
The realities of wool marketing and why some wool is not worth saving
Why Glenn went soy-free (and briefly corn-free) with pigs, and what he learned trying soy-free layers
What migratory grazing changed for Glenn, and the cattle behavior he notices now
A calendar-based way Glenn thinks about the summer slump, rest periods, and how hay decisions affect grazing

Why This Episode Matters
If you have ever felt like your livestock enterprise got harder the more you tried to fine-tune it, this episode gives a grounded look at simplifying without backing away from good management. Glenn lays out practical systems for pigs, sheep, and cattle that reduce moving parts, tighten decision making, and keep the farm working in real conditions like predator pressure, winter feeding, and limited labor.
Resources Mentioned
Acres U.S.A. Podcast
Barefoot Biodynamics by Jeff Poppen
Steve Campbell (mentioned in context of clean minerals)
Burke Teichert (quote referenced)

Find Out More
Perry's Corners Farm | https://perryscornersfarm.ca
Grazing Grass Community

Looking for grass-based breeders?
 Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.
Upcoming Grazing Events
Noble Profitability Essentials - Ardmore, OK - February 4-5, 2026
Feb 8, 2026 Arrow L Ranch Annual Production Sale
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture
Arrow L Ranch Facebook page | https://www.facebook.com/arrowlranch
DV Auction video catalog for the Arrow L Ranch bull sale (opens Feb 6, closes Feb 8 with a soft close)

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)
Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Mason Lautenschlager and his wife Hannah run Arrow L Ranch near Berthold in northwest North Dakota, where they focus on grass-based enterprises including a cow-calf herd, some direct grass-finished beef, and selling multi-bred composite coming 2-year-old bulls developed on forage. 
 
In This Episode, We Explore:  
Building a ranch back after his family sold out of farming and ranching  
Buying cows at the top of the market and navigating the crash afterward  
Shifting the whole operation toward lower labor and lower equipment intensity  
Winter grazing decision-making around snow cover, forage quality, and flexibility  
Bale grazing setup, timing, and what it changed on poorer soil areas  
Water limitations, fencing lanes, and building a system for easier moves  
Stockpiling forage and planning grazing around winter and spring needs  
Increasing plant diversity through grazing management rather than seeding  
Using forage clippings to estimate available dry matter per acre  
Developing bulls on forage and selecting for longevity and fertility over max production  
Why This Episode Matters  
If winter feed, labor, and equipment costs are squeezing your operation, Mason’s story is a practical look at how constraints can force better systems. This conversation gets into the real tradeoffs of stockpile grazing versus bale grazing, how water and fencing design affect what is possible, and why selection for fertility and longevity can matter more than pushing production.  
Resources Mentioned  
Agriculture Alberta video series: Managing Risk in Winter Grazing  
Principled Land Managers grazing school (Bart Carmichael and Pat Guptill)  
North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition  
DV Auction  
Movie: Moneyball  
Book: Lasater Philosophy of Cattle Raising (Tom Lasater)  

Find Out More  
Arrow L Ranch Facebook page | https://www.facebook.com/arrowlranch
DV Auction video catalog for the Arrow L Ranch bull sale (opens Feb 6, closes Feb 8 with a soft close)  | https://www.dvauction.com/video_catalogs/13210

Looking for grass-based breeders?
 Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.
Upcoming Grazing Events
Noble Profitability Essentials - Ardmore, OK - February 4-5, 2026
Feb 8, 2026 Arrow L Ranch Annual Production Sale
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture
Arrow L Ranch Facebook page | https://www.facebook.com/arrowlranch
DV Auction video catalog for the Arrow L Ranch bull sale (opens Feb 6, closes Feb 8 with a soft close)

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)
Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Hayden and Taylor Sievers of Sievers Blumen Farm in the Brussels, Illinois area share how their farm has evolved from a cut-flower business into a growing grazing-focused cattle operation, alongside grain and hogs, while keeping an eye on family, profitability, and building a system that works on limited acres.
In This Episode, We Explore:
How Sievers Blumen Farm got its name and the cut-flower beginnings behind the brand
Farming in Calhoun County between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, and what that landscape means for grazing
Converting a heavily tilled, flood-prone 80 acres into pasture over time while still cash cropping part of it
Challenges of establishing pasture on heavy “black stick” clay and lessons learned with broadcast seeding and needing timely rain
Using wheat followed by cover crops and pasture as a transition plan away from cash cropping
Infrastructure choices including high-tensile perimeter fence, step-ins, reels, and thoughts on central alley layouts
Moving from Dexters to South Pole-influenced cattle and what they noticed with fly pressure, forage efficiency, and easy-keeping traits
Using cow-calf as a base herd while considering stockers and sell-buy marketing to capture excess forage
Takeaways from stockmanship training, including receiving calves and getting them grazing quickly by focusing on mental and emotional state
Raising meat chickens (including Red Rangers) and layers, plus building and using a chickshaw-style coop
Taylor’s path into indie publishing, what she writes, and the discipline of finishing books while raising a family

Why This Episode Matters
If you are trying to make grazing work on limited acres or on land that is less-than-ideal, this conversation is a practical look at how a young family is building infrastructure, improving soil over time, selecting cattle that fit their system, and staying focused on profitability and quality of life instead of chasing too many enterprises at once.
Resources Mentioned
Joel Salatin (Joe Rogan Podcast)
Greg Judy (grazing and fencing approach)
Jim Elizondo and total grazing concepts
Hand ’n Hand sell-buy marketing class (Tina and Richard)
Stockman Grass Farmer
Working Cows podcast
Ranching Returns podcast (formerly Herd Quitter podcast)
Bud Williams stockmanship (referenced through stockmanship training)
Dirt to Soil
Braiding Sweetgrass
For the Love of Soil
The Creative Penn podcast (Joanna Penn)
Wish I’d Known Then podcast
The Two Authors podcast
Justin Rhodes Chickshaw (mobile coop design)
O’Brien step-in posts
Taragate reels
Meyer Hatchery
McMurray Hatchery
August Horstmann's Ranch (Missouri)

Find Out More
Website | https://sieversblumenfarm.com
Instagram | https://instagram.com/sieversblumenfarm
Facebook | https://facebook.com/sieversblumenfarm
YouTube | https://youtube.com/@sieversblumenfarm
Here is a discount code for our farm shop (https://sieversblumenfarm.com/shop) that listeners can use for 10% off. The code expires in July. GRAZINGGRASS26

Looking for grass-based breeders?
 Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.
Upcoming Grazing Events
Noble Profitability Essentials - Ardmore, OK - February 4-5, 2026
Feb 8, 2026 Arrow L Ranch Annual Production Sale
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture
Arrow L Ranch Facebook page | https://www.facebook.com/arrowlranch
DV Auction video catalog for the Arrow L Ranch bull sale (opens Feb 6, closes Feb 8 with a soft close)

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)
Original Music by Louis Palfrey