Sustainable Stock: Reviving Legacy Genetics

Episode 34: Soil, Grass, and Cattle: The Wedge Tent Way with Bart Carmichael
-Full video episode available on YouTube-
What happens when you stop chasing what the industry considers progress and start paying attention to what actually works?
In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with Bart Carmichael of Wedge Tent Ranch in South Dakota to talk about his journey from leasing his grandparents' ranch as a teenager to building a cattle operation shaped by decades of experience, observation, and a willingness to do things differently.
Bart shares some of the lessons that changed his direction, including the realization that heavier calves do not necessarily mean more money in the bank. What began as an effort to improve cattle performance eventually became a much broader understanding of the relationship between genetics, grazing management, soil health, and profitability.
The conversation challenges some familiar ideas about what makes a good cow, how much we should expect from our cattle, and why the true cost of keeping or replacing a female deserves more attention than it often receives.
Bart also shares the influence of the people who helped shape his thinking, the importance of continuing to learn, and why good management rarely comes from following someone else's formula.
At its core, this episode is about building a cattle operation around what works in your own environment, learning from experience, and recognizing that sometimes the best way forward means questioning the direction everyone else is headed.
Watch the full video episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/RGKtG8xgLNU
Connect with Bart Carmichael and Wedge Tent Ranch:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054351318230
Check out Bos Sires:
https://www.bossires.com/
If this episode made you think differently about cattle, grazing, or the decisions that shape a ranch over time, share it with someone who might appreciate the conversation.
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Episode 33: The Cost of Progress with Ben Guimaraes of Brazil
-Full video episode available on YouTube-
What can we learn from a country that has spent decades making large-scale decisions about cattle genetics, breed direction, and improvement?
In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with Ben Guimaraes of Brazil to take a much broader look at one of the largest cattle industries in the world. Ben walks through the history that shaped Brazilian beef production, the role of government-backed expansion, the rapid growth of artificial insemination, the influence of genetics and performance selection, and the pressures producers are facing today.
Nelore is an important part of that story, and Ben explains how the breed became so deeply tied to Brazilian cattle culture and production. But the conversation goes well beyond one breed. They talk about fertility, maturity, feed dependence, pasture improvement, rising input costs, export markets, producer margins, and what happens when an entire industry spends decades pushing in the same direction.
Ben also shares why he believes Brazil’s native and locally adapted cattle still have an important role to play, and what breeds like Caracu, Pantaneiro, Curraleiro Pé-Duro, and Crioulo Lageano may teach us about adaptation, heterosis, resilience, and working with the environment instead of against it.
At its core, this episode is a look at how Brazil got where it is today, what may have been gained along the way, what has certainly and perhaps irretrievably been lost, and what the rest of the cattle world can learn from it.
Watch the full video episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/N_zuCAnF7nE
Connect with Ben Guimaraes:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579537221998
Check out Bos Sires:
https://www.bossires.com/
If this episode made you think differently about genetics, adaptation, or what progress really means in cattle production, share it with someone who is willing to question where the industry is headed.
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Episode 32: Ohlde Cattle Company with Tim and Trudy Ohlde
-Full video episode available on YouTube-
What happens when you spend decades building the kind of cattle you believe in and refuse to change direction every time the industry does?
In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with Tim and Trudy Ohlde of Ohlde Cattle Company to talk about the history, philosophy, and breeding decisions behind their program.
Tim shares some of the early experiences that shaped his view of cattle, including time spent in Europe where breeders were selecting for thick, deep, forage-based cattle while much of the U.S. industry was moving toward bigger and taller.
From there, the conversation centers on what has kept OCC consistent for decades.
Moderation. Easy fleshing ability. Fertility. Longevity. Sound udders and feet. Proven cow families. And cattle that can work in the real world.
Tim and Trudy also discuss EPDs, DNA testing, crossbreeding, heterosis, semen company marketing, and why chasing extremes can create problems that take generations to undo.
Throughout the conversation, one idea keeps coming back.
Know what kind of cattle you are trying to build. Stay disciplined long enough to get there. And once they are good, do not ruin them trying to make them something more.
The episode closes with the introduction of OCC Kaden, a bull Tim and Trudy believe represents the type and consistency they have spent decades developing and one that will now be available internationally through Bos Sires.
At its core, this episode is about moderation, consistency, and having the conviction to stay true to a breeding philosophy.
Watch the full video episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/wFW-Eq5ZKKw
Connect with Tim and Trudy Ohlde
http://ohldecattle.com/
Check out Bos Sires:
https://www.bossires.com/
If this episode made you think differently about moderation, consistency, or what it takes to build cattle that last, share it with someone who is willing to question where the industry is headed.
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Episode 31: Imported Dependency with Oscar Jimenez of Costa Rica 
-Full video episode available on YouTube-
What happens when cattle, management, and genetics are imported into an environment they were never built for?
In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with Oscar Jimenez of Costa Rica to talk through what he is seeing in both dairy and beef production across the country.
For years, Costa Rica has followed many of the same high-input models used in the United States and Canada.
Imported genetics. Imported grain. Barns. Cut-and-carry forage. More labor. More equipment. More pressure on the producer.
But as Oscar explains, many of the problems showing up today are not just management problems. They are adaptation problems.
The conversation walks through the real cost of cattle that require too much help to function. Open cows. Long calving intervals. Assisted fertility. Hormones. Parasite pressure. Declining body condition. And systems that slowly become too expensive and too stressful to maintain.
Oscar also shares his own family’s experience in dairy, where moving away from a labor-heavy, barn-based system and back toward pasture changed more than the operation. It changed the people in it.
From there, the conversation turns to cattle culture. Shows, popular genetics, and market expectations continue to influence what producers select for, even when those cattle may not hold up under heat, humidity, parasites, and grass-based production.
We also discuss the opportunity ahead. Locally adapted tropical genetics. Grass-fed markets. Regenerative agriculture. Better financial tracking. And the need to bring the soil, the grass, and the animal back into the same conversation.
At its core, this episode is about Costa Rica, but the lesson reaches much farther. The land still matters. Fertility still matters. Profitability still matters. And cattle have to fit the environment they are expected to work in.
Watch the full video episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/wQpQypkeVoE
Connect with Oscar Jimenez and Agro Regenera:
https://www.facebook.com/AgroRegCR
Check out Bos Sires:
https://www.bossires.com/
If this episode made you think differently about adaptation, fertility, or the real cost of imported production systems, share it with someone who is open to questioning the status quo.
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Episode 30: PCOS Round Table
-Full video episode available on YouTube-
What started as scattered observations across different herds slowly turned into a much bigger conversation.

In this episode, Patrick Powers sits down with John Atkinson of Cashmere Cattle, Grant Vassberg of Kallion Farms, and Dr. David Rainosek to discuss fertility, hormonal balance, embryo production, and a growing theory surrounding possible PCOS like patterns in cattle, recently updated in human medicine terminology to PMOS.

The discussion explores why some naturally fertile cows consistently show lower egg counts but higher embryo development and pregnancy rates, while some high follicle count donors struggle with long term reproductive consistency.

Along the way, the group discusses selection pressure, weaning weights, embryo transfer economics, observational cattle knowledge, and the growing disconnect between what producers are quietly seeing in the field and what modern systems currently prioritize.

This is not presented as settled science or final conclusion.

It is an open discussion built around real world observations, existing research, and a belief that difficult questions deserve honest conversation.
Watch the full video episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Ihl4qjCmZ1g
Referenced studies discussed during the episode:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9159068/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4199720/
Check out Bos Sires:
https://www.bossires.com/
If this episode sparked a thought, challenged an assumption, or reminded you of something you’ve quietly observed in your own cattle, share it with someone willing to be part of the discussion.
Follow or subscribe so you do not miss the next episode.