Roots + Ruminants
Welcome to Roots + Ruminants, your podcast for creative and innovative use of farm pasture and rangeland. We're going back to the basics of raising and grazing livestock to growing your own forage. Join us as our hosts Jared Knock and Justin Fruechte visit with special guests to explore practical land use.
Episodes
69 episodes
Lessons learned from fighter pilot turned farmer Karl Palmberg
Justin is going solo this week with special guest Karl Palmberg, a retired Air-Force Veteran who runs a farm near Larchwood, Iowa. Karl is working towards fully organic practices and specializes in grass-fed beef and the science behind sustaina...
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56:46
Swath Grazing 101 with Jolene Noble
We are headed north! Well, not actually, but this week our guest joins us from all the way up in Alberta, Canada. Jolene Noble from Jackknife Creek Land & Cattle joins Jared and Justin to dive into swath grazing and what it looks like on he...
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49:34
A deep dive into beef genetics with Ohlde Cattle Company
Ohlde Cattle Company has been breeding “cattle with a purpose” near Palmer, Kansas for years. This week Tim Ohlde and his wife Trudy join Jared and Justin to discuss the history and details of beef genetics. Tune in this week to hear the four d...
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59:33
Back to Bison Production with Kadyn Nolz
Bison are back! This week Jared and Justin are talking about bison marketing and production with third generation producer Kadyn Nolz. Kadyn helps run his family’s bison farm near Hartford, South Dakota, where they have been raising and breedin...
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40:29
Grass-based Dairying with Alexandre Farms
Alexandre Family Farm is an entirely grass-based dairy farm in Crescent City, California. Their mission is to farm in harmony with nature, and in doing so they produce A2/A2 organic milk that is rich in nutrients and easier for human digestion ...
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1:13:59
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Ag Policy and Fall Debrief with Jared and Justin
Jared and Justin are going back to their roots today and just chit chatting about all things agriculture. Listen to them dive into ag policy and what’s happening in our world, and about how things are going on their own operations. You won’t wa...
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44:22
Grass, Cows & Money with Will Harris
Will Harris from White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia joins Jared and Justin this week to talk all things grass, cows, and money. Harris runs an operation focused on radically traditional farming where he uses regenerative and humane farming...
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1:23:43
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Covering crop rotations and the cattle industry with Craig Bieber
This week hosts Jared and Justin discuss crop rotations, cattle, and other hot topics along with guest Craig Bieber. As Jared said, Craig "paints the picture" of what his operation looks like and describes the history of how his practices have ...
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56:56
Fun Facts about Millet (and lots of other forage crops)
Luke Hiebert is from the same area as our host, Jared. Jared, Justin and Luke spend this episode chatting about the spring they've had so far (spoiler: it's thrown them some curveballs) and problem solving for real-life scenarios Luke's experie...
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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1:15:59
Mississippi hogs, hooves, and honeybees with Rob Dowdle
Grazing hogs and honeybees... well, kind of. Listen to hosts Jared and Justin chat with Rob Dowdle of Dowdle Family Farms in Steens, Mississippi about how he raises pigs, cattle, and honeybees. Throughout the episode, the guys discuss the detai...
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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1:09:54
Bison production and (temporarily) quitting farming with Dodge Slead
Dodge Slead of Lebo, Kansas is no stranger to unique farming strategies – even if that strategy means NOT farming. Yes, you read that right.Dodge and his wife run a bison and beef operation, as well as traditional row crop farming. On th...
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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1:01:27
Answering all your forage and cover crop questions at the Renovo Rally plot day
All your questions will be answered on July 2nd at the Renovo Rally plot day in Brookings, South Dakota. The event will feature sessions on incentive programs, product info, breakthrough crop strategies, and more. And of course, there will be p...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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37:42
Spring Catch-Up
No guest this week, there are too many spring things to catch up on! Jared and Justin are filling us all in on where their own operations sit this spring, what they're hearing from other farmers and ranchers, and how they prioritize when everyt...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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44:34
Christof Just: Believing in the system that built our topsoil
“We're believing in a system that's been here for millennia. We’re just trying to learn some lessons from natural systems that have always been here, and that built the topsoil we're farming now.” Mic drop. Christof Just shifted his...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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1:08:37
Graeme Finn: Sustainable Agriculture or Survival Agriculture?
Graeme Finn is an Australian native who brought his extensive agriculture knowledge and livestock background to Canadian agriculture. He is a huge proponent for year-round grazing, but he questions whether practices like this are considered sus...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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1:06:03
Herbivory | Ducks Unlimited at Commodity Classic
"At what point do the ducks become limited?" - a real question asked by our hosts on this episode. Spoiler alert: never. Ducks Unlimited joined Roots + Ruminants at Commodity Classic to talk through their mission, incentive programs available i...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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35:43
LIVE From Commodity Classic 2024
We're live at Commodity Classic 2024! Jared and Justin chat with four guests from the show - a Tennessee farmer, a Kansas farmer, a national sorghum board member, and a soil and water conservation employee. This lively episode gives a qui...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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47:24
Jared Luhman of the Herd Quitter podcast on diversification, carbon movements, and quitting the herd
We're coming at you with a double episode today. Jared Luhman of the Herd Quitter podcast is making waves by interviewing "farmers and ranchers who aren't afraid to think for themselves and do things a little bit differently." Sounds familiar, ...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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1:38:49
AJ Munger of Eagle Pass Ranch on staying relevant through six generations, calving in May, and thinking differently
As is true to form on Roots + Ruminants, we feature those who question the quo. And AJ Munger of Eagle Pass Ranch is no different. He hails from a six generation (soon to be seventh generation) cattle ranch in Highmore, SD. The ranch has gone t...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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58:13
Van Mansheim on using crop diversity to increase water infiltration, decrease equipment needs, and improve livestock quality
Van Mansheim, a farmer since 2011 and board member on the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, shares how he prioritizes crop diversity on his farm. As someone who is relatively new to the industry, Van has the benefit of a fresh perspective – n...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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47:20
2024 Predictions
Run it back! The 2023 predictions episode was one of our most popular of the year, so Justin and Jared are back at it to check the scorecard on their predictions and make some new forecasts for 2024. From land and commodity prices, to Taylor Sw...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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49:31
The Stock Cropper | Zack Smith on rural communities, autonomous grazing, and adapting agriculture
Zack Smith, AKA the Stock Cropper, is the co-creator of autonomous grazing machines, developed from the desire to harness the natural cycles of a plant-animal ecosystem. The autonomous grazing concept grows healthier animals and healthier soils...
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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58:22
Lynn Fahrmeier on Cover Crops, Solar Farms, and Katahdin Sheep
Lynn Fahrmeier is a Missouri farmer involved in everything from traditional row crop production, to drone application of seed and chemicals, to cover crops, to raising Katahdin sheep. He's not afraid to try new things, and he shares with ...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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59:15
All things forage with Sara Bauder of SDSU Extension
Sara Bauder is an SDSU Extension Forage Field Specialist, and she sits down with Justin and Jared to talk all things forage, and to share about the Northern Plains Forage Association. Join the association at their annual meeting on December 1! ...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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45:50
Added Income for Farms and Ranches
Yes, you read that right. Hosts Justin and Jared sit down with Vivian Georgalas of AgSpire to discuss five grants that are providing new and added income sources for farms and ranches across the country. Many of these grants operate differently...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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52:22
