How does barbed wire affect wildlife? Is there a better way to manage livestock location that distributes grazing effects and cares for the other animals occupying these landscapes? Maybe this is not a new idea? Jay Kehne with Conservation Northwest believes virtual fence is one of the answers. CNW facilitated and funded implementation of a virtual fence system for numerous ranchers affected by a large wildfire in 2020-21 that burned nearly half a million acres of sage grouse habitat in the Pacific Northwest. He's learned a thing or two about virtual fence and shares much of that in this interview.
The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.
Visit the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-165-virtual-fence-benefits-wildlife-jay-kehne-conservation-northwest for links to resources mentioned in this interview and a full transcript.
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AoR 164: The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, with Rick Machen
The King Ranch is considered "The Birthplace of American Ranching". On its 150th birthday, King Ranch partnered with Texas A&M Kingsville to establish a masters program in ranch management, the only one of its kind. Rick Machen is the executive director of this program and speaks to the efficacy and reach of the Institute, still in its first quarter-century. Rick and Tip discuss why ranching well matters more than ever, why training future ranchers is critical, and how the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management functions to serve these Texas-sized goals.
The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission.
Go to the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-164-king-ranch-institute-ranch-management-rick-machen for links to resources mentioned in this episode as well as the full transcript of the conversation.
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AoR 163: Stockwater Monitoring Technologies and Natural Capital with Andrew Coppin, RanchBot
Andrew Coppin is the co-founder and CEO of RanchBot, a company aiming to reduce the cost and stress of managing stockwatering supplies in the large percentage of the world's surface where water really matters to grazing operations of all sizes. But as a former investment banker in corporate finance, Andrew has broader socioecological goals: "Ranchers are the largest custodians of natural capital on the planet outside of governments, and 98% of ranchers I know are trying to respect the land and work in sympathy with nature, and they're trying to leave the planet better than they found it for their children and their children's children. This is embedded in most ranchers' raison d'etre--RanchBot can help ranchers verify natural capital, to gather data that demonstrates stewardship."
The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.
Go to the episode page for a full transcript and links to resources mentioned in this interview: https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-163-stockwater-monitoring-technologies-and-natural-capital-andrew-coppin-ranchbot
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AoR 162: Grazing Lands Expo 2025 with Megan Terry
The Montana Grazing Lands Coalition 2025 Grazing Expo is an event designed to empower land managers with tangible resources while highlighting the West-wide impact of sound grazing lands stewardship. In this interview with Megan Terry, executive director for the Montana Grazing Lands Coalition, we discuss the importance of rancher peer-to-peer learning, integrated face-to-face grazing management education, and why people should attend the 2025 Grazing Expo in Billings September 4-7 and get involved with their state's or region's Grazing Lands Coalition. Listen to Megan's story about becoming an advocate for active management of wild rangelands.
The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.
Visit the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-162-grazing-lands-expo-2025-megan-terry for a full transcript of this interview and links to resources mentioned in this episode.
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AoR 161: The 5th "C" of Agricultural Lending, with Zach Ducheneaux
What would rural finance look like if it truly supported long-term stewardship and resilience? This is the question Zach Ducheneaux has been asking himself and working toward for a couple of decades. Zach is an agricultural producer, a farming advocate, and the former Administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency. From experiencing firsthand ag lending dysfunction in the 1980s farm crisis, to witnessing local community relationships in action that resulted in local lending based on trust, to helping USDA design lending programs that promote young farmers and ranchers, Zach understands ag lending like few others. In this interview he introduces principles that promote long-term capital reinvestment and producer-centered terms. This is good for borrower and lender. And it builds social capital, something badly needed in a modern economy.
The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center.
Go to the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-161-5th-c-agricultural-lending-zach-ducheneaux for more information or to contact Zach.
The Art of Range is a podcast about rangelands for people who manage rangelands. Our goal is education and conservation through conversation. Find us online at www.artofrange.com.
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