The Regenaissance Podcast

This one was fun. Jacob and Jenna tour us through Baird Farm, a fourth-generation Vermont maple farm operating since 1918. They walk me through the sugarbush, tubing systems, and sugarhouse, and how its all made/stored/sold and its history. Fascinating stuff - hope you get something out of it. 
Key Topics
Modern maple syrup production vs traditional bucket methods
The maple sugaring season and weather dependence
Real maple syrup vs imitation and blended products
Forest management, biodiversity, and tree health
Generational farming and maintaining a family-run operation
What You’ll Learn
Why maple syrup is produced in a short late-winter window, not year-round
How modern maple syrup is collected using tubing and vacuum systems
What tapping a maple tree involves and how trees are protected long-term
How much sap is required to make real maple syrup
Why Vermont consistently produces some of the highest maple yields

Connect with Jason & Baird Farm:
Website
Instagram

Follow the tour on YouTube
Connect with Regenaissance:

Website & Merch
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Substack (Ag News & History)
Timestamps:
 00:00:00 – Introduction and farm history
 00:04:40 – Buckets vs modern maple tubing systems
 00:07:10 – What maple syrup actually is (and isn’t)
 00:12:00 – How maple tubing and vacuum systems work
 00:16:40 – Tapping trees and protecting long-term tree health
 00:22:00 – The maple syrup production window and season length
 00:25:10 – Why Vermont dominates U.S. maple production
 00:31:00 – Forest management, biodiversity, and resilience
 00:38:20 – Labor, infrastructure, and modern maple realities
 00:45:30 – Generational farming and transitioning the farm forward

A walk-through tour of Wrick Ranches in western Colorado with rancher Jason Wrick, covering calf weaning, water systems, drought realities, regenerative grazing decisions, and how a working ranch stays financially viable through direct-to-consumer beef, on-farm retail, and diversified income streams.

Key Topics
Calf weaning and animal welfare in real ranching conditions
Water rights, irrigation, and farming during long-term drought
Hay reserves, soil fertility, and nutrient cycling through cattle
Regenerative grazing within economic and regional constraints
Direct-to-consumer beef and building resilient rural businesses
What You’ll Learn
Why calves must be weaned and how it’s managed responsibly
How irrigation systems actually work on a western cattle ranch
What drought means in practice for hay, water, and stocking rates
How regenerative grazing must adapt to local climate and economics
Why direct consumer support is critical for small ranch survival

Connect with Jason:

Website
Instagram
Check out the farm tour episode on our YouTube 

Timestamps
 00:00:00 Introduction to Rick Ranches and the ranch tour
 00:01:45 Calf weaning and animal welfare misconceptions
 00:07:45 Irrigation systems and on-farm water infrastructure
 00:12:30 Colorado water rights and drought realities
 00:14:45 Hay management and nutrient cycling strategy
 00:18:15 Regenerative agriculture and regional context
 00:21:30 Consumer support and direct-to-consumer beef
 00:31:00 Farm store, trust-based sales, and community
 00:38:30 Weddings, rentals, and diversified ranch income
 00:41:00 Grazing management and closing reflections

Charles and Heather Maude are fifth-generation ranchers in South Dakota who farm home raised beef and pork direct-to-consumer. In this episode they describe their family history on the land, their early lives in agriculture, and the events that led to a criminal indictment by the United States Forest Service over a disputed boundary fence.
The episode documents their personal background, the mechanics of Western land use, and a detailed account of how a civil land issue escalated into a federal criminal case.
Key Topics
Federal criminal indictment over a land dispute
How the case escalated from civil to criminal
Legal strategy and case dismissal
Impact on family, finances, and rights
Precedent for ranchers and landowners

What You'll Learn
How a ranching family faced and beat a federal criminal indictment
How a routine land boundary issue escalated into criminal charges
How federal land enforcement works in practice for ranchers
The personal, financial, and legal costs of a criminal case
Why this case matters for landowners and producers

Connect with Charles & Heather
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Timestamps
00:00:00 Why this story matters
00:03:00 Heather’s ranch upbringing
00:09:00 Charles’s family land history
00:15:00 Growing up ranching
00:24:00 Marriage and the Atlas Blizzard
00:33:00 Ranch community and shared labor
00:35:00 Forest Service fence dispute begins
00:41:00 Meetings with federal officials
00:52:00 Civil dispute turns criminal
01:05:00 Impact of the indictment
01:22:00 Washington D.C. and case dismissal
01:27:00 Media and political pressure
01:34:00 Precedent for landowners
01:50:00 Land stewardship and politics
02:08:00 Final reflections

In this episode, we tour through Rucker Farm with Garrett Heydt to see how a large, leased regenerative operation actually works; covering hay, turkeys, water systems, minerals, and grazing decisions that shape animal health and land outcomes over time.
Key Topics 
Rotational grazing on large, leased properties
Pasture-based turkey production and management
Water infrastructure, exclusion fencing, and environmental impact
Hay economics vs standing winter forage
Regeneration as a long-term land ethic
Why You Should Listen
Clear explanation of rotational grazing at scale (30+ paddocks, leased land)
Practical breakdown of hay vs standing forage economics
Rare detail on pasture-raised turkey management and behavior
Insight into water systems, mineral strategy, and soil-and-water funding
A grounded philosophy of regeneration over sustainability

Connect with Rucker Farm
Website
Instagram
Follow the tour on YouTube
Timestamps

 00:00 Hay production and second cutting
 02:00 Pasture-raised turkeys and grazing behavior
 05:00 Predators, electric netting, and night radio strategy
 06:30 Raising turkeys: brooders, socialization, survivability
 07:45 Turkey processing timelines and sizing
 12:00 Mobile brooders and farming on leased land
 16:30 Cattle water systems and exclusion fencing
 23:00 Minerals, salt, and late-pregnancy cow health
 29:30 Hay costs vs grazing saved forage
 37:30 Regeneration vs sustainability and rebuilding soil
 48:00 Leaving the city and choosing farm life

Otter Creek Farm is located in upstate New York. First-generation farmer Elizabeth Collins walks through how herself and 5th generation farmer  Brad Wiley rebuilt a former conventional dairy into a small, regenerative, animal-welfare-driven operation.
The conversation moves from soil-health principles and rotational grazing to the practical realities of feed decisions, omega-3/6 tradeoffs, infrastructure design, and why consumer responsibility is central to fixing the food system.
Key topics 
Soil-health principles and adaptive stewardship in practice
Pig rotation systems, wallows, and regeneration timelines
Pastured poultry design, predator pressure, and welfare tradeoffs
Feed sourcing, omega-3/6 ratios, and testing meat quality
Consumer power, decentralization, and reconnecting with farmers
Why listen
See how soil-health principles translate into daily, on-farm decisions
Learn how pigs, chickens, and cows are rotated to regenerate land without scale
Understand the real cost and nutritional tradeoffs of grain, minerals, and feed sourcing
Hear why labels fail—and what questions consumers should actually ask
Get an honest look at mistakes, losses, and learning in regenerative farming
Website
Come Stay At Otter Creek...
Instagram

Follow the tour on YouTube
Timestamps
00:00:00 – Otter Creek Farm overview
00:04:30 – Animal welfare over scale
00:08:30 – Rotational pigs and regeneration
00:14:00 – Feed choices and omega-6s
00:18:10 – Meat testing results
00:22:40 – Limits of food labels
00:27:30 – Farm stays and education
00:33:40 – Mobile chickens and predators
00:40:10 – Breeding and epigenetics
00:46:30 – Farming mistakes and learning