Grazing Grass Podcast sharing Regenerative Ag Stories

Mike Guebert of Terra Farma in northwest Oregon joins Cal to share how he and his wife built a multi-species, direct-to-consumer farm over more than 20 years, from early days as first-generation farmers to running meat CSA sales, improving grazing systems, and teaching others through the Oregon Pasture Network.  
In This Episode, We Explore:  
Starting a first-generation farm from a blank slate with invasives, no fencing, and rough infrastructure  
Moving from vegetarian to raising and processing poultry on-farm  
Building a multi-species operation including beef, pork, sheep, goats, poultry, and more  
Managing grazing in a high rainfall, dry-summer region without irrigation  
Chicken tractor evolution, daily moves, and using a winch system for efficiency and injury prevention  
Marketing changes over time including launching a meat CSA in 2020 and the plan to transition away from it  
Stopping raw milk sales after losing liability insurance and regaining time and flexibility  
Moving toward a more seasonal, grass-only beef model to reduce winter feeding  
Teaching and producer support through pasture walks, cohorts, mentorship, and events with Oregon Pasture Network  
Conservation district work including farmland protection tools like conservation easements  
Why This Episode Matters  
This conversation is a practical look at how farm enterprises, marketing, and even personal capacity change over time, and why building community learning opportunities like pasture walks and cohorts can help producers avoid common pitfalls while improving grazing, profitability, and quality of life.  
Resources Mentioned  
Acres USA annual conference  
Ranching for Profit School  
Executive Link (Ranching for Profit)  
Oregon State University Small Farms Conference  
Oregon Pasture Network pasture walks  
Oregon FarmLink (Friends of Family Farmers)  
Find Out More  
Terra Farma website | terrafarmaers.net  
Terra Farma Instagram | @terrafarmaers  
Oregon Pasture Network | oregonpasturenetwork.org  
Friends of Family Farmers | friendsoffamilyfarmers.org  
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District | emswcd.org  

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Upcoming Grazing Events
Noble Profitability Essentials - Jefferson City, Mo, March 24-25, 2026
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture

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

Tyler Flynn runs a small beef cow-calf operation in Northern California at Farmer Tyler Ranch, where he also grows hay and raises a few pigs and chickens for family use while documenting the work and lessons learned through his YouTube channel.
In This Episode, We Explore: 
Coming back to a family ranch and building a cow-calf business on small acreage  
Northern California conditions, including irrigated pasture, rice country, and seasonal rainfall patterns  
How and why Tyler uses irrigated pasture rotation, including short rest periods in his context  
The shift from small square bales to round bales and what changed his mind  
Using hay equipment as a pasture improvement tool, including baling pastures after grazing  
Tackling smut grass by cutting, baling, and managing where those bales are fed  
Breed composition over time, including Hereford roots and adding SimAngus genetics for heterosis  
How YouTube influenced management decisions and helped drive experimentation  
Practical YouTube lessons for farmers, including audio, camera stability, and consistent posting

Why This Episode Matters 
This conversation is a good reminder that management has to fit the place and the people running it. Tyler shares what works on irrigated pasture in Northern California, how he thinks through rotation length, equipment decisions, and weed pressure, and why consistency and realism matter when you are balancing time, labor, and livestock.
Resources Mentioned 
- GoPro cameras 
- Tripod (video stability) 
- Microphone (audio quality)
Find Out More  
Farmer Tyler Ranch on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@farmertylerranch4399  

Looking for grass-based breeders?
 Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.
Upcoming Grazing Events
Noble Profitability Essentials - Jefferson City, Mo, March 24-25, 2026
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture

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

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 - Jefferson City, Mo, March 24-25, 2026
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture

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 - Jefferson City, Mo, March 24-25, 2026
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture

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 - Jefferson City, Mo, March 24-25, 2026
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond Agriculture

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