Unlock the secrets of successful cattle farming in wet climates with Jake Yancey from the Tracking Y Ranch in Western Washington. Join us for an inspiring exploration of Jake's journey as a first-generation rancher, overcoming the challenges of heavy rainfall to expand his operations across a thousand acres. Discover how Jake's innovative direct-to-consumer strategy and dedication to grass-fed, grain-finished beef have set his ranch apart in the competitive agricultural landscape.
Gain valuable insights into the world of livestock farming from personal stories of passion and perseverance. Listen as Jake recounts his experiences growing up in a small town, influenced by Future Farmers of America and a scholarship to Washington State University, leading him to a career in agriculture. Learn about the role of practical skills like horseshoeing and the impact of high tensile electric fencing in cattle management, emphasizing the importance of building trust with landowners through open communication and property improvements.
Explore the broader landscape of sustainable farming practices that shape successful livestock operations. From prescribed conservation grazing to strategic partnerships with conservation groups, Jake shares his expertise in balancing ecological needs with effective cattle management. Hear about the regulatory challenges in Washington State and the creative solutions needed to reach metropolitan markets. Whether it's sourcing from family-owned grain mills or managing costs in non-home-based operations, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge for those passionate about agriculture and sustainable practices.
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NOTE This file was generated by Descript
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Welcome to grazing grass podcast, episode 142.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: I tell folks, take photos and tell your story.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 Cal: You're listening to the grazing grass, podcast, sharing
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 information and stories of grass-based livestock production
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 utilizing regenerative practices.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 I'm your host, Cal Hardage.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 You're growing more than grass.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:29 You're growing a healthier ecosystem to help your cattle
00:00:29 --> 00:00:30 thrive in their environment.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:35 You're growing your livelihood by increasing your carrying capacity
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 and reducing your operating costs.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:43 You're growing stronger communities and a legacy to last generations.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 The grazing management decisions you make today.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:53 impact everything from the soil beneath your feet to the community all around you.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:58 That's why the Noble Research Institute created their Essentials
00:00:58 --> 00:01:04 of Regenerative Grazing course to teach ranchers like you easy to follow
00:01:04 --> 00:01:10 techniques to quickly assess your forage production and infrastructure capacity.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:14 In order to begin grazing more efficiently.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:19 Together, they can help you grow not only a healthier operation,
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 but a legacy that lasts.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 Learn more on their website at noble.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 org slash grazing.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:35 It's n o b l e dot org forward slash grazing.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 On today's show we have Jake Yancey.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:43 Jake and his family operate tracking Y ranch in Western Washington.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 There are first generation ranching family.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:51 They operate cow and calf to finish operation and sell direct to consumers.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:57 Tracking Y ranch operates on lease properties, across the four county
00:01:57 --> 00:02:02 area with two thirds of the properties owned by conservation groups, or,
00:02:02 --> 00:02:07 and, or under conservation easement, which makes for a very interesting
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 discussion about leasing land.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 And coming up with your plan to how to use it.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:19 Jake likes to call it prescribed conservation grazing.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:20 Really good episode.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 I think you will enjoy it.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 Uh, 10 seconds about the farm.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:28 We have received almost nine inches of rain.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 Over the last week, since last week when I told you we were
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 dry, but rain was expected.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:39 Um, so things are a little bit wetter today, and we have rain coming in later.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:40 By time you hear this?
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 I think the rain is going to be out of this area, but those people to the
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 east in Missouri may be getting a ton.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 10 seconds about the podcast.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 But last week I suggested you joined the grazing grass community.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 And we had one individual join it, but he called me out on it.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:02 Stacy joined it and he put on his question to join the community.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 It asks what motivated you to join.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:09 And that's really just so we can keep scammers out of there.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:14 And know people have real intentions while Stacy put, cause Cal keeps telling
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 me too every week on the podcast.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 So yes, they see you're right.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:19 I will work on.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 Asking you all to do something differently.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:26 But Stacy, I appreciate you joining the grazing grass community,
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 and I hope it's a value to you.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 Let's go ahead and talk to Jake.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Jake, we want to welcome you to the Grazing Grass Podcast.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 We're excited you're here today.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Hey Cal same to you.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 Thanks for having us on and we truly appreciate the
00:03:40 --> 00:03:41 opportunity to speak with you
00:03:43 --> 00:03:43 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Wonderful.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 Jake, to get started, can you tell us a little bit about
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 yourself and your operation?
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, so myself wouldn't be included
00:03:52 --> 00:03:53 if I didn't talk about my family.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:57 I have a wonderful wife and twin daughters that are a huge part of our operation.
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 I went grew up in Eastern Washington.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 We get about 10 inches of rain over there.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:05 Grew up in Wheatland and a lot of rangeland grazing operations over there.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 Subsequently ended up moving over to Western Washington later on
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 in life and got out of any sort of ranching or anything else.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 I went to school for some ag business for a short period of time.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:15 I
00:04:15 --> 00:04:19 kind of worked in managed ranches for about five years in.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:25 In 2015, after working regular jobs we were given the opportunity
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 to pick up a cow calf herd.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 One of our friend's family farm had been sold for development.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:34 And so, with 30 days notice, he gave us a call and said,
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 Hey, are you interested in getting our cow calf herd?
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 And so, like every Western Washington farmer wants to do, the best time
00:04:41 --> 00:04:45 to jump into cattle is in November in Western Washington when we get
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 between 70 and 110 inches of rain.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:51 And I always say my wife has made probably two goofy decisions in life.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:55 The first was probably marrying me and the second was trust in us.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:00 And so in 2015 she said, Hey, I trust that we'll be able to make this work.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:05 And so in 2015 we picked up that cow, a small cow calf herd, brought it to our
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 little five acres and my wife said, Hey, how the heck are we gonna make this work?
00:05:09 --> 00:05:13 And so we knocked on a bunch of doors and fast forward to today.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:17 We managed just over a thousand acres of grazing ground in a four county area.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 And our cow herd has grown exponentially.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 We sell a hundred percent of our cattle are marketed direct to consumer.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:29 We do a cow calf to finish program and we offer both grass fed grass
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 finished and grass fed grain finished.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 And by meaning that all of our cattle always stay on pasture.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 They never go to a feedlot confinement or anything else.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:37 So.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 That's where our grass fed part of it kind of comes in.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: that's, that's very interesting.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 Just from my notes, I got all kinds of questions already, Jake.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:52 First, first off, just for clarification, you're in western
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 Washington now, and what kind of rainfall do you get out there yearly?
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Well we, it's a goofy rain pattern Our,
00:05:59 --> 00:06:03 Our, dry season, well we're coming in right now We're coming up on November
00:06:03 --> 00:06:07 so about October rain season starts.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 And rain season will end up going all the way from about October,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 and seasons have been drying out.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 And so now it's ending about May, maybe June,
00:06:15 --> 00:06:19 and during that period of time, depending on what county we're in of our four county
00:06:19 --> 00:06:25 area, we can range anywhere between about 60, 70 to about 110 inches of rain a year.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 The problem is that we suffer in Western Washington.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:33 Is once that spigot shuts off in May June at the best we really get no
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 rain the whole rest of the season.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 So you'll go four or five months with not a drop of rain.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 We call it our grass rains, anything that counts.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 So we kind of drought out during the summer.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:44 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: oh, yes.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 That's, that's very interesting.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:50 I've talked to, to farmers, ranchers, and Eastern Washington.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:55 And I talked to, um, Ben, let's try and think of his name, Ben.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:00 That's on Prince Albert Island, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island, I believe.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 So he's north
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 of U of Ways, but he's right there on that West coast as well.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:12 That's, In that environment, that gives you a lot of potential with that rain, but
00:07:12 --> 00:07:17 at the same time, it shuts off like you said, and you've got a few months there
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 that it's dry and you've got to plan for.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 So, very interesting.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:25 I'm excited to learn more about your operation and see how it goes.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:31 So, growing up, did you know you always wanted to ranch or have cattle, livestock?
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Farming was in my blood and
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 stuff, but that was truly our love.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 We grew up in a little town that we grew up in.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:42 There's a sheep operation behind it, and the older rancher that was
00:07:42 --> 00:07:46 there, we used to spend Respectfully, we used to spend the mornings and
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 stuff going out and lifting sheep up.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 And he got to the point in his age where he just didn't, wasn't able
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 to maintain the sheep herd and cheer them and everything else.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 And our family took over kind of the lead on that process.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 And we set up yearling cheerings.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:03 And so I remember as a kid climbing in wool bags stuffing wool or working in
00:08:03 --> 00:08:07 the wheat fields, roguing and pulling rye grass and stuff out of them.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 So it's always been my love.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 It's been my passion.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: That, that, that's interesting.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:15 I have to say that is quite the contrast to my sheep experience as a kid.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:22 We had, obviously we had beef cattle and we had some goats that we pinned
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 up in the chicken yard each night and we'd just turn them out and
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 they'd, they'd go out on the pasture.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:31 And then dad bought three sheep or three ewes and one buck.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 So four, I, I should be able to do three plus one math.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 And we had a neighbor dog get in there.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:42 and he, he didn't kill them, but he caused their death.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 They just gave up.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:50 It was, it was really traumatizing to a young kid for that to happen.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:55 Then a few years later, my dad and one of his friends decided to get some sheep and
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 they actually kept them at my friends.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 or my dad's friend's place and I remember going over there and seeing
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 that and that was pretty short lived.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:06 So our sheep experience when I was a kid was not all that favorable.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Nope, they're definitely a different animal.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: oh, oh they are, they are.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 Now I've got too many of them so I don't know.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 I keep trying to get more.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:22 So, so you had experience with sheep and went to college, you decided to go in ag?
00:09:23 --> 00:09:23 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 So worked a bunch of cattle operations starting about my sophomore year,
00:09:27 --> 00:09:31 me and a fellow rancher that really kind of took me under his wing and
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 we kind of started a stocker program.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:33 And
00:09:33 --> 00:09:38 so, we had a property in Western Washington that we were able to secure
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 and we ended up buying spring cattle.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:41 Yeah.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 And then we keep them on grass and then market them in the fall.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 And so we did that kind of all throughout college.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 And then I would end up working different operations, building fence and they
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 were all cattle based operations.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 That's kind of the standard over here.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 And so did that.
00:09:55 --> 00:10:00 I've worked now in Montana Northern Oregon Washington state, both sides of the state.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:04 And then even worked the last operation was a guest ranch operation that I ranch
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 prior to getting a full time job.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:06 So.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 And then ultimately getting into the back into cattle.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:14 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: So, one question there that, that I get from a lot of
00:10:14 --> 00:10:20 people, in, just in transparency, I went to school for ag, and then I,
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 I changed paths a little bit later, but I have an animal science degree.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:27 Why did you choose to go to school, in an ag degree rather than just
00:10:27 --> 00:10:31 go ahead and start working on ranches or, or managing cattle.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Well, Cal, I was blessed.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 I was super active with Future Farmers of America at the time.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:41 We just transitioned over to the FFA, National FFA organization.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 I was active.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 I was a state FFA president my senior year in high school.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:48 And so that opportunity gave me the great opportunity.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 I had a one year scholarship to Washington State University uh,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 where I ended up studying, go Cougs.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 And then I made the decision at that point.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 Everybody's got a different path.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 I kind of refused to take out college loans and everything else.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:05 I ended up working that that summer at a operation here on Western Washington.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 And then came back the next year and I knew if I got out of college at that
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 point, it was going to be hard to restart.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:15 And my dad always taught me that, Hey, get a degree or get education that you
00:11:15 --> 00:11:19 can use, even if the great depression comes around and I'd already been
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 shoeing horses since about the age of 12.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 And I said, you know what?
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 I'm going to get myself a piece of paper and I'm going to go to farrier school.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 And so I came back to Walla Walla Community College.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 I enrolled in the farrier program, being a horseshoer.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 And ended up doing that.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 And I'd do that in the morning.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:34 I'd come to school.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 We'd start at 7 o'clock.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:41 And I do that till one o'clock and then I take night classes after my first quarter
00:11:41 --> 00:11:45 and I do that till 10 o'clock each night trying to work on that two year degree.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:49 After that second year, once again, went back to work in ranches and operations.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 And I decided to make the choice it was just the route that I chose.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 There's no, no good, no bad way.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 It's just how the route that I chose.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 I didn't want to take out any more money.
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 loans or anything else.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:03 And so I ended up getting a full time job and going that route instead
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 of continuing my college education.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 I don't have a four year degree.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 As a matter of fact, I don't even have a two year degree.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 But I have two years of great education and I have a bunch of time
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 spent behind the shovel and building and working cattle and livestock.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 So
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 we all learn different, different routes in life.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:19 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, we do.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:20 We do.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 And you know, I, I come at it.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 I was raised, my dad was very adamant I get a degree.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:30 And I can remember going to college and one set of grandparents
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 was very pro education, very much, you gotta get your degree.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 And my dad and mom was like, you gotta go get your degree.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 My other set of grandparents was like, you're going into animal science.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 Just come home and work on the farm.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:42 Don't, don't.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 Don't worry about spending that money.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:49 So it's, it's a tough call for whatever you're choosing.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 And I love your path there.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 You decided to get something that can make you some money
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 while you went through school.
00:12:57 --> 00:13:05 You had a diverse range of experiences farriering horses doing cow calf ranching
00:13:05 --> 00:13:10 and sheep earlier and then in 2015 you had that opportunity to buy some cows.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:17 I assume at that point You and your wife had already broadened the subject.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 It wasn't a brand new subject
00:13:20 --> 00:13:20 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 She always knew where my love and my passion was.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:27 The downfall is We all get kind of different investments
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 that folks make for us.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 And unfortunately and that's kind of how I describe it.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 I didn't have a family that passed on stuff or
00:13:35 --> 00:13:40 anything else as, as far as our ranching operation rather the wife and I both
00:13:40 --> 00:13:44 work full time and we still do today with that, that's been our investment strategy.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:48 Sometimes with families, they invest in their children and everything else.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 And they've made those choices throughout generations.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 And they're able to pass down those ranches and those operations.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:58 And sometimes just the simple things that just simply those tools that we end up
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 building up with time and everything else.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 And our investment has solely been one that we've made.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 And once again, just like.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 educational opportunities.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 There is no right and wrong way.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:10 There's just different ways of doing that process.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:14 And so the wife knew that that was always kind of my dream, and that if
00:14:14 --> 00:14:18 the opportunity ever presented itself my hope was to go that direction.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 Yeah,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: opportunity presents itself.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 And I think you said you purchased them and brought them back to five acres.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 What, what, what was your, your thought pattern then?
00:14:30 --> 00:14:35 And the reason I asked Jake, you know, for a lot of times early
00:14:35 --> 00:14:39 in my career, I get that chicken and egg issue, which comes first.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 Do I buy the livestock first?
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 Do I find land to lease or buy land to lease?
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 And if I, if I find some land to lease.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 And I don't have livestock, what good is the land?
00:14:50 --> 00:14:53 But I can't buy livestock if I don't have land available.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 So, so walk us through that decision.
00:14:56 --> 00:15:00 Because that's a little interesting to bring some on to just five acres.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: yeah, it's completely crazy.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 It's frankly how it is, Cal.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 And I think it kind of speaks to how grazing operations
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 in western Washington work.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 We're not able to stockpile forage.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 And that's one of the differences over here.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 We just
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 get too much rain.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 And.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 Yeah, and, and our winters aren't cold enough.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:25 So we, we hover often our winters and stuff hover in that 40 degree range,
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 that 50 degree throughout most of winter.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 We'll, we'll get some cold days that will drop into the teens and, and
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 everything, but for the most part, we're just hovering above freezing.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 And so that leaves any stockpiled forage that you end
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 up having molding on the stem.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:45 With that in mind You have to have some sort of pasture based or confinement
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 style feeding come wintertime.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 Otherwise, you just tear up the soils too much.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 Like I said, that 60
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 70 inches of rain falls during those six months of winter.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 And so you will just destroy a field pretty quickly.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 And so you
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 have to make some decisions.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 I understood those production curves and kind of where
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 timing was and everything else.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:07 And I understood I had a one season that I'd be able to bring that cow calf herd
00:16:07 --> 00:16:11 back to our small acres, move some horses around, and we were going to make it work.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 You're completely right.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 It's, it's hard.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:18 Do you, do you go take, do you go get everything?
00:16:18 --> 00:16:23 In line before and then do you go that way or do you take a leap of faith?
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 And
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 we've been, we had a lot of the infrastructure, some of it in place.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:31 We, we run a we have horses and everything else.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:37 And so we had trailers, we had trucks, we had panels, we had the basics of that.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 And from my years in ranching, I had a lot of the tools and
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 supplies to do a lot of it.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 As far as the land, probably the most important one, we didn't have that.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 But my wife had faith in me and everything else, and living in
00:16:48 --> 00:16:52 western Washington we're losing lots and lots of our ag ground now to
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh yeah.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: And so we see lots of maintenance issues and stuff
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 as property owners make that decision that they want the rural lifestyle,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:03 but unfortunately sometimes they're balancing the maintenance needs that
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 those type of purchases and such require.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:11 And so we kind of joke I'm kind of the Jehovah witness of cattlemen.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:15 And so what I did is that basically first day once we brought the cattle
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 home, I started knocking on doors.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 And I was like, hey, do you believe in grass fed beef?
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 For lack of better, that wasn't the line by any means.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 But I went and talked to these property owners and I said, hey,
00:17:26 --> 00:17:30 Every year you're spending a couple thousand dollars to have a guy come
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 out and brush hog this property.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 Every year I'm watching your fences become more and more deteriorated.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:39 Every year I'm seeing more and more invasives growing on your property.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 What if you allow us to come in, run our cattle.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 We'll maintain all of those things.
00:17:45 --> 00:17:49 You'll be able to enjoy all the perks of the agricultural lifestyle and everything.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 We'll maintain those fences.
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 We'll do all that upkeep.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:54 Then unfortunately it costs and everything else.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:58 And in exchange you allow us to have our cattle on your properties.
00:17:58 --> 00:18:01 That first year we, we picked up just over a couple of hundred acres,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:05 and like I said, it continues to bloom and, and grow.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:09 Two thirds of our property are really weird only a third
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 of ours are privately owned.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 Two thirds of ours are in conservation easements, or
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 owned by conservation groups.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:19 And so, all of those two thirds have endangered species on them, and so
00:18:19 --> 00:18:23 we work very, very closely with our scientific and our property owner
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 groups and stuff, studying those effects of grazing on those species.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 So
00:18:27 --> 00:18:30 it's been an interesting relationship how closely we work
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 with that scientific community.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, very good.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:37 And we're going to get a little deeper into that a little bit later.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:43 When you went and started knocking on doors, did you, you find people
00:18:43 --> 00:18:48 receptive or did you get a lot of people like, no, it's not for us?
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 How did that go for you?
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, I think the number one question
00:18:52 --> 00:18:56 is everybody heard nightmares of cattle getting out and everything.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 I mean, that's the number number
00:18:57 --> 00:19:01 one concern is, hey, we used to have cows here.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 They got out all the time.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 How's that going to work?
00:19:06 --> 00:19:10 I was blessed spent about 66 months, almost a year building high tensile
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 electric fence, New Zealand style.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 And
00:19:12 --> 00:19:16 so I'd done that, done that commercially and, and truly believed in it.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 And so most of the fences that we built on our property and
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 such were along those styles.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:27 When we were huge believers in the power of electric fence not only from the pain
00:19:27 --> 00:19:32 compliance issue and stuff, but just the psychological, the cattle just respect it.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:36 And so, When we told property owners, Hey, the number one thing that we're
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 going to do is we're going to go in and immediately we're going to install
00:19:39 --> 00:19:42 at least a single strand of electric fence around your property to keep
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 those cows in and they will stay.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:48 The other part of that is we provide all of our property owners with a
00:19:48 --> 00:19:51 packet that has all of our phone numbers that you can get hold of us anytime.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:55 And the main thing is that we carry an insurance policy as well.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 Granted that we never want to use it.
00:19:57 --> 00:20:00 And that kind of put property owners at a lot of a lot of ease
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 and kind of soften that blow.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh yeah.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:08 I, I think a few things there you said really will help
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 them and calm those fears.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:14 Did they, beyond those fears, did they have anything else or?
00:20:14 --> 00:20:18 Any other concerns right off or was that really the main ones?
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: No, I think the other thing that
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 everybody's always interested in is the, what is what's in it for me
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 type thing.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:29 And so unlike some parts of agriculture, we share our economics.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 We're an open book.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:34 And so we make it very, very clear that, Hey, yeah, we're grazing
00:20:34 --> 00:20:37 your property, but here's all the costs of production that we have.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:41 And on the flip side, we tell our property owners, all them improvements and the
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 benefits that they're going to get.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 So much so that.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:47 Just like I mentioned earlier with just the brush hogging, hey, you're going
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 to be able to save that every year.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 We're going to
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 assume those costs.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:53 We're going to do that with my landscapers being my cows out
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 there providing those services.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 Furthermore, once a year, we provide our property owners with a breakdown that
00:20:59 --> 00:21:02 kind of breaks down all the improvements that we've done on their property
00:21:02 --> 00:21:07 and being really open and transparent with the economic benefits of property
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 owners allowing us onto their ground.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:12 Really, really helps to kind of bridge that gap.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:19 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Are you leasing land all per acre or per animal unit days,
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21 or is there some kind of profit sharing?
00:21:22 --> 00:21:25 What are you using for, for their monetary model?
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: So, so we do it solely based
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 on improvements the property.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:36 We tell folks you, you just look at what the cost is to brush hog a property or
00:21:36 --> 00:21:40 spray or rebuild fence or anything else.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 We also talk to the property owners.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:46 Each of them kind of has, and we're very transparent and open with them as far as,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 Hey, what's your goals with the property?
00:21:48 --> 00:21:52 And unfortunately, sometimes that may be, Hey, In five years, we're
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 going to be developing this property
00:21:53 --> 00:21:58 and we don't have, we don't have to like it or anything, but those are, that's part
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 of that open story that we end up having,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh yeah.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: just the same.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:07 Some of the property owners have some some may call them lofty but we also call them,
00:22:07 --> 00:22:11 it's a relationship as far as investments that they're wanting in their property.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:14 One of them we just did on one of our properties was we redecked about a 40
00:22:14 --> 00:22:18 foot bridge on their property, which gave them access not only to the other side of
00:22:18 --> 00:22:23 their property and allows them to travel it with their quad and UTV, but those
00:22:23 --> 00:22:27 are costs that we assume, and we share those costs with that yearly breakdown,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:32 telling them, Hey, this is the financial costs that we're out to do this, and then
00:22:32 --> 00:22:37 just sharing the openness of what those improvements on land is it's astronomical.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:42 We tell folks we can run cattle and pay people per month, per day, per
00:22:42 --> 00:22:46 whatever that you want to break it down but the costs of maintaining and
00:22:46 --> 00:22:52 keeping up a property are significant and, in a million different ways.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:55 I think there's days when the wife and I wake up and we'd love the
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 opportunity just to have someone else do that and just pay a
00:22:57 --> 00:23:01 monthly bill instead of doing all the maintenance and improvement projects.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:06 But those are real costs and our property owners see it so much so that every
00:23:06 --> 00:23:09 day that we go out to a property, we'll send them a text message just so they
00:23:09 --> 00:23:13 understand the amount of commitment that we're doing on their properties.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 So
00:23:13 --> 00:23:16 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, so, so that's a lot of communication, letting
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 them know whenever you're out there.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:22 There's just the few things you listed that I wrote down here.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:26 A lot of communication, yearly breakdown.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 I think that's great.
00:23:27 --> 00:23:31 You're building that relationship, which is so important and I'll be
00:23:31 --> 00:23:35 honest, I build that relationship and I've got land lease, but I've got to
00:23:35 --> 00:23:40 do a better job of the, of the back end or the, the follow up after it's
00:23:40 --> 00:23:42 leased and making sure they're involved.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 So I really like that.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:48 You also mentioned you gave them a property owner's packet.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50 What is a property owner's packet?
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: for lack of better, it's a three ring binder.
00:23:55 --> 00:24:00 The cover of that is a map of their property that lays out and we just
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 pull it off Google earth and draw out.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:08 And we agree with the property owners that we have 365 day access to the properties.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:11 So if we want to come during the wet, rainy season and work on a fence project
00:24:11 --> 00:24:14 when we don't have livestock out there because that's what works for our
00:24:14 --> 00:24:17 schedule or whatever, then that works.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:20 Obviously, if something comes up, we're completely willing to work with
00:24:20 --> 00:24:24 property owners such as they've had weddings and such on properties that,
00:24:24 --> 00:24:28 hey, we'd like you off the property for a couple days while we set stuff up.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:31 The second page of that, right when you end up opening it, includes
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 all of our emergency contacts.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:35 Those are phone numbers, emails, everything.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 And we always carry our cell phone.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:41 It's one of my main things I tell people is return a dang phone call.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:43 Return a text.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:45 Take two seconds, even if it's, Hey.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 I'll get back to you.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 It means the world to folks when they can get
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 hold of you.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 Yeah.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: And then, as we go through that, the, going into
00:24:54 --> 00:24:59 the next pages normally involves if the property owner wants a specific contract.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:03 We only have wordy contracts, I describe them as, on a
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 couple of our properties.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:08 And then it includes a copy of that insurance policy so that they have a
00:25:08 --> 00:25:11 peace of mind that if something happens, that they have that there with them.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yes.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:17 Oh very good I I think that's a a tremendous idea
00:25:17 --> 00:25:19 Jake that I'm disappointed.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:23 I haven't been doing that I just think that that's that's wonderful
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 you got started down this journey.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:31 When you started down this journey, were you thinking, okay, we're going to do
00:25:31 --> 00:25:37 grass fed, grain finish, grass fed, grass finish, direct to consumer, and we're
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 going to use regenerative practices?
00:25:41 --> 00:25:44 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, Cal, I, I knew that on a small scale that
00:25:44 --> 00:25:51 just selling cabs in the, in the spring was not going to provide the revenue
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 stream that we were going to need as a
00:25:52 --> 00:25:58 small operation and at the same time needing the revenue stream that's got
00:25:58 --> 00:26:03 to be higher on a price per unit basis based on the fact that we're not operating
00:26:03 --> 00:26:07 off a home base operation that we drive out the back door every single day and
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: And so we break those type of,
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12 just those parts of the story.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:15 We break down to our property owners that every time I drive to
00:26:15 --> 00:26:19 your place at 62 cents or whatever my wife tells me the government's
00:26:19 --> 00:26:21 decided that the cost is each year.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:24 But those are real costs of production.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:27 And so just a simple trip to a property owner's house and
00:26:27 --> 00:26:30 stuff may cost 10 in mileage.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:33 That's where tear on the trucks and trailers and everything else.
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 And that's not even before we start looking at the costs
00:26:35 --> 00:26:38 of of our time and figuring
00:26:38 --> 00:26:40 in what that calculation looks like.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:43 So we knew that the only route that was going to end up doing was a
00:26:43 --> 00:26:46 direct to consumer based operation.
00:26:46 --> 00:26:50 And then we offered both the grass finished as well as the
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 grain finished as an option.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:57 And for our market, where we're currently at and what our customers
00:26:57 --> 00:27:03 end up wanting is the grain finish part of it has been huge.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 And at the
00:27:03 --> 00:27:08 same time, Because of how our structure is and everything else we have to stay
00:27:08 --> 00:27:14 on those pastures and move which is good not only for the soils requirements
00:27:14 --> 00:27:18 and such that every sometimes three to five days at the very most those
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 cattle are moving on to fresh grass.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:25 And even in our grain operation we use drag sled feeders that are just
00:27:25 --> 00:27:28 wooden boat feeders, for lack of better, that we drag along the ground.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:32 And so, those cattle stay on that same pasture that they'd be on the grass
00:27:32 --> 00:27:36 finish program as well, all the way up till harvest.
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 And so we knew
00:27:37 --> 00:27:42 that we had to figure out some way to get that revenue stream a little bit higher.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:45 And we knew that that market strategy was going to be the way, the only way
00:27:45 --> 00:27:48 that I could figure out sitting and dreaming of what this was going to look
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 like if I ever got the opportunity.
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 That's the only way I could see it working.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Right.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:59 It sounds like you all have really done a great job with getting your
00:27:59 --> 00:28:04 numbers down and knowing your financial status and what you need to do.
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 So very impressive there, Jake.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:11 With your grass fed finish versus grain, grain finish.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 Yeah, I think I said that right.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 Let me try it again.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:18 With your grass finish and your grain finish, you're finding consumers
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 are preferring your grain finish.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, it's just, we have a couple
00:28:23 --> 00:28:27 other producers that are nearby that offer only grass finished.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:32 And so it's kind of been a a way that our customers can make the decision
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 kind of where they end up going.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 And it's worked out.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:39 We, we offer both and it's really easy for us in our operation because
00:28:39 --> 00:28:43 all of our cattle never get any grain until that last 60 to 90 days.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 And then at that point, we can diverge those cattle depending on
00:28:46 --> 00:28:50 what their finishing needs are for that last stage up till harvest.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:54 And so, we don't have a, All the cattle stay on a grass based
00:28:55 --> 00:28:58 diet solely all the way up till those that last finishing stage.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 So it's really
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 easy for us to make those production decisions.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:05 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: And on that grain that they're getting that last
00:29:05 --> 00:29:11 60 or 90 days, are you doing any specialty there like non GMO or soy free
00:29:11 --> 00:29:13 or are you just using regular grain?
00:29:14 --> 00:29:16 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Regular grain, we have a local grain
00:29:16 --> 00:29:20 mill that's actually in Tacoma, which is now a very commercialized
00:29:20 --> 00:29:24 city, and there's a Old 1900s mill that's still operating right in the
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 downtown part of town that we buy from.
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 And so it's a
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 family owned operation.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 And so we're blessed to purchase from them.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:34 They, they do mix and source some of their stuff locally.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:36 But other than that we run.
00:29:37 --> 00:29:41 A pasture based operation solely, but none of our operation do we describe as
00:29:42 --> 00:29:44 anything special as far as organic or
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 Oh, very good.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:51 Now when you, you talk about, you can finish them on grass, you can
00:29:51 --> 00:29:54 finish them on grain, 60 to 90 days.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:58 Are you finishing throughout the year or are you targeting one time
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 for finishing a group of animals?
00:30:02 --> 00:30:04 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, so, so we run three, it kind of
00:30:04 --> 00:30:07 talks to our grazing strategy, so we run three different groups of cattle.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:09 We don't run a mono herd.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:13 And so we have our cow calf program that runs on one set of pastures.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 We have our stocker cattle.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:18 They're just our, they're our teenagers as I described them to the layman.
00:30:18 --> 00:30:20 And they are just getting older.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 And they're normally our yearlings that are post weaning.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 And then we have our finishing cattle.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:27 And our finishing cattle always get on the best grass.
00:30:27 --> 00:30:29 Out of that whole group.
00:30:29 --> 00:30:33 And so it kind of goes the highest end of our nutritional pasture qualities.
00:30:33 --> 00:30:37 Go with that finishing group all the, all the way dependent on regardless,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:39 sorry, of which group that is.
00:30:39 --> 00:30:42 If it's the grain, going to be the grain finish selection
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 or the grass finish selection.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:47 And then the mother cows get the second best grasses.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 And then our stocker cattle.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 They're just teenagers.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 They're just growing.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:55 And so, we can use them as kind of our pasture maintenance and work on
00:30:55 --> 00:30:58 a bunch of our invasive management tools, using them as a grazing tool.
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:31:00 --> 00:31:02 At about what age are you finishing your cattle?
00:31:03 --> 00:31:06 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Just over two years is kind of our marketing
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08 strategy and kind of our production goal.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:11 Our high end of our finishing is just about 30 months.
00:31:12 --> 00:31:16 But everything we're, we shoot for 24 and then some ended up slipping a little
00:31:16 --> 00:31:18 bit longer to that 30 month period.
00:31:20 --> 00:31:23 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Are you taking them in as groups to a processor?
00:31:23 --> 00:31:29 Do you have a, the, you know, to me, I always think the on the farm processor
00:31:29 --> 00:31:34 that comes out and will dispatch your animal and then take it to process is the
00:31:34 --> 00:31:36 holy grail that we don't have right here.
00:31:37 --> 00:31:39 How's that working for you?
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, those are great discussions, Cal.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:47 In the butcher industry, one of the last operations I did was a butchering
00:31:47 --> 00:31:51 operation right here in western Washington that did a cow calf operation
00:31:51 --> 00:31:54 and as well as had a butcher shop.
00:31:54 --> 00:32:00 Red cutters are something that is a meat cutting and livestock term
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 that's associated with meat cutting.
00:32:02 --> 00:32:05 Normally it's because the cattle are too stressed immediately
00:32:05 --> 00:32:07 prior to being slaughtered.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:10 Often that's a product of moving them around.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:13 It's sometimes stress from handling, sometimes even breed selection,
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 all play into those factors.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:18 There's a bunch of other things that can be argued as well.
00:32:18 --> 00:32:21 But with that, a couple of things ended up changing in our operation.
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 Our cattle are moving all the time.
00:32:23 --> 00:32:26 So our herds are loading into trailers every month and a half, two months.
00:32:27 --> 00:32:29 And they've done that their whole entire life, depending on as they
00:32:29 --> 00:32:31 move through some of those pastures.
00:32:31 --> 00:32:34 And so they understand that when a trailer shows up.
00:32:34 --> 00:32:38 As a general rule they cooperate and they understand that,
00:32:38 --> 00:32:41 hey, we're going to, we're going to fresh pasture.
00:32:41 --> 00:32:47 And so that is not an unexpected process with, which is, is different than in some
00:32:47 --> 00:32:51 operations where the cattle may have never once in their life even been on a trailer.
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:32:52 --> 00:32:54 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: it's stress, true stresses of production that
00:32:54 --> 00:32:56 they have to load up and go to harvest.
00:32:56 --> 00:33:00 We only do one harvest a year by that I mean we only have one season that
00:33:00 --> 00:33:04 we end up harvest, and so that's the first weeks of November, and we do that
00:33:04 --> 00:33:08 very timely with that, and we believe that that's what makes our product
00:33:08 --> 00:33:13 consistent for our consumers year after year, because our cattle don't eat any
00:33:13 --> 00:33:17 hay all the way up till the time of harvest, they have gone a full grazing
00:33:17 --> 00:33:19 season of being on fresh pasture all
00:33:19 --> 00:33:23 the way up The day that they are harvested so they're not harvested in the middle
00:33:23 --> 00:33:27 of winter when we've been feeding two, three months of hay and haylage rather
00:33:27 --> 00:33:31 they come off of staying straight on pasture, they load into the trailers and
00:33:31 --> 00:33:35 then our harvest facility and, and the kill process ends up happening direct at
00:33:35 --> 00:33:37 the two butchers that we end up doing.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, very good.
00:33:39 --> 00:33:41 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: We do only end up in our
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 state, Washington State.
00:33:42 --> 00:33:47 We have a Washington State WSDA, a Washington State Department of Ag process.
00:33:47 --> 00:33:51 And so we're only able to sell currently in halves, quarters, and wholes.
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 We do
00:33:52 --> 00:33:56 not use the USDA marketing model right now and or harvesting so that
00:33:56 --> 00:33:59 we cannot legally sell by the cuts.
00:33:59 --> 00:34:02 And so if someone wants to buy hamburger 10 pounds of
00:34:02 --> 00:34:04 hamburger or such at this time.
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 We're just not there right now.
00:34:05 --> 00:34:09 Our customer demand has been great for the halves, quarters
00:34:09 --> 00:34:11 and wholes and buying as shares.
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 They're sometimes referred to dependent on the
00:34:13 --> 00:34:13 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:34:15 --> 00:34:17 So, you allude to it right there.
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 It's not been a problem with your customers.
00:34:19 --> 00:34:23 Do you have people coming to you wanting to buy, buy the cut, and
00:34:23 --> 00:34:28 then it becomes your job to educate them on how you can sell it to them,
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 and then do they become a customer?
00:34:32 --> 00:34:34 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, Cal, that's a great, great thing.
00:34:34 --> 00:34:38 And there could be a whole separate series on just the complexities of that
00:34:38 --> 00:34:44 and kind of nationwide what I believe there's a great demand for right now
00:34:44 --> 00:34:48 getting products into healthy, locally raised products into the hands of
00:34:48 --> 00:34:53 consumers is a huge barrier, not only from a production standpoint, but also
00:34:53 --> 00:34:55 just from a consumer health standpoint.
00:34:58 --> 00:35:03 We have huge metropolitan areas that are within 60 miles of us from
00:35:03 --> 00:35:05 Seattle, the largest city in our state.
00:35:05 --> 00:35:09 We got Tacoma, we got Olympia, we have Portland, all of
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 those markets that are huge.
00:35:10 --> 00:35:12 And unfortunately, those folks, most of them don't have a
00:35:12 --> 00:35:14 large freezer at their place,
00:35:14 --> 00:35:16 but sometimes a quarter of beef takes up everything.
00:35:16 --> 00:35:20 And as we describe to folks, you can fit a quarter of beef.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:25 We raise smaller animals, so we're finishing around 1, 000 pounds.
00:35:25 --> 00:35:30 So our halves and our halves run about 300 pounds is what we kind of is our
00:35:30 --> 00:35:32 target goal that we end up shooting for.
00:35:32 --> 00:35:36 That's smaller than some producers that will go up to 450 or so.
00:35:36 --> 00:35:39 But with that, a quarter of our beef normally will fit
00:35:39 --> 00:35:41 in a standard lower freezer.
00:35:41 --> 00:35:43 But we tell folks, if you do that, you won't be able to
00:35:43 --> 00:35:45 have that ice cream in there.
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 And
00:35:45 --> 00:35:49 those are sometimes the trade offs that some of these metropolitan produce.
00:35:51 --> 00:35:54 Customers have to make as far as if they're interested in buying
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 a
00:35:54 --> 00:35:59 share or they want to pay the more inflated price by buying by the
00:35:59 --> 00:36:02 cut at their local butcher and going through those processes.
00:36:03 --> 00:36:07 So we're kind of really, we really push our state and everything else.
00:36:07 --> 00:36:09 And I really hope there becomes more models.
00:36:09 --> 00:36:14 Montana has a Montana grown program where producers, all their butcher shops
00:36:15 --> 00:36:18 that are certified, I believe, can.
00:36:18 --> 00:36:21 Butcher and process rate in the state for intrastate sales,
00:36:22 --> 00:36:26 uh, not interstate, so they can sell directly to so we're hoping that our
00:36:26 --> 00:36:29 state can jump on board and become one of those as well in the future,
00:36:29 --> 00:36:33 just so that we can provide more beef direct to those customers that
00:36:33 --> 00:36:37 really, really would be great, not only from a marketing standpoint, but
00:36:37 --> 00:36:39 just for community health standpoint.
00:36:40 --> 00:36:40 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 Yeah.
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 Two things on there.
00:36:43 --> 00:36:46 I want to talk about breeds of cattle.
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 I always have to talk about that.
00:36:47 --> 00:36:48 I want to talk to about that.
00:36:48 --> 00:36:55 But before we go there on your website, you have a brochure for your consumers.
00:36:56 --> 00:37:00 Actually, after talking to you, this does not shock me at all, but when I
00:37:00 --> 00:37:02 saw it, I was like, this is wonderful.
00:37:02 --> 00:37:04 I was very impressed with it.
00:37:04 --> 00:37:08 The way you have it broke down, so you have something to give to your
00:37:08 --> 00:37:11 consumers for more information, and then.
00:37:12 --> 00:37:14 If they want to get beef to process and stuff.
00:37:14 --> 00:37:17 I, I just thought that was really good.
00:37:17 --> 00:37:21 If someone wants to look at a great example, you have one on your website.
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Thanks, Cal.
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 Appreciate it.
00:37:24 --> 00:37:26 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: And then my other question or my
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 other comment was towards breeds.
00:37:28 --> 00:37:31 Let's talk breeds just a moment before we get to the overgrazing section.
00:37:31 --> 00:37:33 What breeds are you working with?
00:37:33 --> 00:37:37 Have they been consistently the same breeds your whole time?
00:37:38 --> 00:37:41 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, so we run a black baldy program.
00:37:41 --> 00:37:44 So we have a lot of Hereford influence in our herd.
00:37:44 --> 00:37:50 But we've been breeding for years now with mainly Angus dominated cattle.
00:37:50 --> 00:37:52 And those are all black Angus.
00:37:52 --> 00:37:55 We do that for, for a couple of different reasons.
00:37:55 --> 00:37:59 Like I said, one of our biggest downfalls of our operation
00:37:59 --> 00:38:01 is we don't own any property.
00:38:01 --> 00:38:06 And so if in a worst case scenario, if the world fell to pieces and we lost
00:38:06 --> 00:38:10 every one of our leases we would have to liquidate our whole entire herd.
00:38:10 --> 00:38:14 And At least in our area, and I think it's a nationwide thing
00:38:14 --> 00:38:17 and stuff, black hearted cattle are still drawing a premium.
00:38:18 --> 00:38:22 And so, with that and planning for the future and making those smart decisions,
00:38:22 --> 00:38:26 even from my wife's standpoint, that if something was to ever happen to me or
00:38:26 --> 00:38:30 something and she had to liquidate the herd where do we make those decisions?
00:38:30 --> 00:38:35 And so, We breed black cattle just for that exit strategy if we have to.
00:38:35 --> 00:38:39 The other thing is, we have a great experience with Angus cattle
00:38:39 --> 00:38:41 as far as their average daily gains that we end up getting.
00:38:41 --> 00:38:46 And then docility is one of our biggest culling traits.
00:38:47 --> 00:38:49 We do not put up with attitudes.
00:38:49 --> 00:38:51 It's the first one that goes on the butcher block.
00:38:51 --> 00:38:54 We get rid of cows that cause issues or anything else.
00:38:54 --> 00:38:58 And we found more as I've traveled across and worked with different.
00:38:59 --> 00:39:02 Breeds of cattle and everything else.
00:39:03 --> 00:39:07 The number one thing that I've seen is culling decisions are
00:39:07 --> 00:39:09 paramount to almost anything.
00:39:10 --> 00:39:14 Everything from daily gains, to temperament, to carcass
00:39:14 --> 00:39:16 size, all of those things.
00:39:16 --> 00:39:20 Those are really in the hand of the producer, that you really
00:39:20 --> 00:39:23 get a shape and start to make those production based decisions.
00:39:23 --> 00:39:24 And so it's been one of those things.
00:39:24 --> 00:39:28 That we've really stressed ourselves on and the Angus frame has kind
00:39:28 --> 00:39:29 of helped us as well, kind of
00:39:29 --> 00:39:33 maintain around a thousand pound finishing weight as well.
00:39:33 --> 00:39:37 And so kind of balancing all those things that's why we've kind of steered that way.
00:39:39 --> 00:39:41 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Something you said there, I love so much of what you
00:39:41 --> 00:39:46 said, but something you said there, I immediately thought of real estate.
00:39:46 --> 00:39:48 I'm, I'm a wannabe real estate investor.
00:39:49 --> 00:39:53 I don't have money, but I want to my brother and I talk about it all the time.
00:39:54 --> 00:39:57 I'm trying to convince him to spend money anyway.
00:39:57 --> 00:40:01 But one, one thing they always talk about in real estate is your exit strategy.
00:40:02 --> 00:40:07 And you've got to have more than one because you never know exactly
00:40:07 --> 00:40:08 where the market's going to go.
00:40:08 --> 00:40:11 If we could predict the market for sure, we wouldn't need multiple
00:40:11 --> 00:40:13 exit strategies, but we can't.
00:40:13 --> 00:40:15 So we've got to have multiple ways to get out.
00:40:15 --> 00:40:17 And what if this happens?
00:40:18 --> 00:40:19 X, Y, Z, whatever.
00:40:20 --> 00:40:26 I think such forethought there that, you know, if something happens and you
00:40:26 --> 00:40:30 lose some of those leases or very many of them, you've got animals that will go
00:40:30 --> 00:40:33 through a sell ring and bring good value.
00:40:33 --> 00:40:37 I know with some breeds we find in the, the grass based.
00:40:37 --> 00:40:38 arena.
00:40:38 --> 00:40:42 Those animals are not going to bring near what they're actually worth
00:40:42 --> 00:40:44 through a traditional cell barn.
00:40:44 --> 00:40:50 So I love the thought pattern there about here's a potential issue we have.
00:40:50 --> 00:40:52 Here's our exit strategy.
00:40:52 --> 00:40:54 So in case something happens.
00:40:55 --> 00:40:56 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Just like we provide the insurance to our
00:40:56 --> 00:41:01 customers part of it being responsible is providing that insurance to not only
00:41:01 --> 00:41:05 my wife but even just our family as far as making those type of decisions.
00:41:06 --> 00:41:09 We had to kind of come up with that plan and that, that's part of it.
00:41:11 --> 00:41:13 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Yeah, I think excellent job there.
00:41:13 --> 00:41:17 Jake let's transition to the overgrazing section sponsored by Redmond.
00:41:18 --> 00:41:21 Cal: At Redmond, we know that you thrive when your animals do.
00:41:22 --> 00:41:26 That's why it's essential to fill the gaps in your herd's nutrition
00:41:26 --> 00:41:28 with the minerals that they need.
00:41:29 --> 00:41:33 Made by nature, our ancient mineral salt and conditioner clay are the
00:41:33 --> 00:41:38 catalyst in optimizing the nutrients your animals get from their forage.
00:41:39 --> 00:41:44 Unaltered and unrefined, our minerals have the natural balance and proportion
00:41:44 --> 00:41:46 to help that your animals prefer.
00:41:47 --> 00:41:51 This gives your herd the ability to naturally regulate their
00:41:51 --> 00:41:53 mineral consumption as they graze.
00:41:54 --> 00:41:58 Our minerals won't just help you improve the health of your animals,
00:41:58 --> 00:42:03 but will also help you naturally build soil fertility so you can grow more
00:42:03 --> 00:42:06 nutrient dense pasture year after year.
00:42:07 --> 00:42:11 Nourish your animals, your soil, and your life with Redmond.
00:42:11 --> 00:42:13 Learn more at redmondagriculture.
00:42:15 --> 00:42:15 com
00:42:16 --> 00:42:18 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: We're going to take a deeper dive into your
00:42:19 --> 00:42:21 prescribed conservation grazing.
00:42:21 --> 00:42:26 Earlier, you mentioned that Over half the land you lease are owned
00:42:26 --> 00:42:31 by conservation groups or something.
00:42:31 --> 00:42:35 So, so tell us about that first and then we'll talk a little bit about that.
00:42:35 --> 00:42:39 Prescribed conservation grazing.
00:42:39 --> 00:42:40 Sorry, I had to read my notes.
00:42:41 --> 00:42:42 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: No, you're great.
00:42:42 --> 00:42:46 Two, yeah, two thirds of our properties just over two thirds of our properties
00:42:46 --> 00:42:50 are owned by conservation groups and or are a combination of conservation
00:42:50 --> 00:42:52 easements that are on the properties.
00:42:53 --> 00:42:57 With that Washington State is super sensitive towards
00:42:57 --> 00:42:58 water quality based issues.
00:42:59 --> 00:43:03 And so what we ended up doing early in that, that first year was kind of
00:43:03 --> 00:43:05 seeing a need for those property owners.
00:43:05 --> 00:43:09 It may have been that they needed stuff brush cut and so much so
00:43:09 --> 00:43:12 that we ended up seeing also the scientific community what they needed
00:43:12 --> 00:43:14 as far as vegetation management.
00:43:15 --> 00:43:18 And so that's where that kind of meeting with those NGOs, those non
00:43:18 --> 00:43:21 government organizations and partners.
00:43:21 --> 00:43:24 Started that conversation as we said, Hey, we can be part of that
00:43:24 --> 00:43:26 solution and kind of work with you.
00:43:27 --> 00:43:31 And so that's kind of where that relationship kind of started, and at the
00:43:31 --> 00:43:36 same time, recognizing that they were doing it for a need for invasive species
00:43:36 --> 00:43:41 management and or a combination of habitat improvement for endangered species.
00:43:43 --> 00:43:45 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: So when you, you meet with them and.
00:43:46 --> 00:43:49 You described this as prescribed conservation grazing.
00:43:49 --> 00:43:53 Is this a plan that you all come up with together to meet their
00:43:53 --> 00:43:55 needs as well as your needs?
00:43:56 --> 00:43:57 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, . TheresRS.
00:43:57 --> 00:44:01 I think if you Google different descriptions for grazing programs,
00:44:01 --> 00:44:05 I think you'll, you're the Google search may fill up too much
00:44:05 --> 00:44:06 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, it might, yes.
00:44:07 --> 00:44:09 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: intensive management to managed
00:44:09 --> 00:44:13 intensive to holistic to rotational
00:44:13 --> 00:44:16 to clockwork to amp.
00:44:16 --> 00:44:18 Yeah, you could go on and on.
00:44:19 --> 00:44:24 And I think every program and stuff comes back to the basis is we're interested
00:44:24 --> 00:44:29 in the soil, we're interested in water, and we're interested in plants,
00:44:29 --> 00:44:33 and we're interested in ultimately the production, making sure that our
00:44:33 --> 00:44:37 operations are financially supported for generations to come with production.
00:44:38 --> 00:44:42 We chose prescribed conservation grazing as kind of our description of
00:44:42 --> 00:44:44 what we end up doing in our operation.
00:44:44 --> 00:44:46 Very much so, because like I said, I have.
00:44:47 --> 00:44:51 Two young daughters, and they were very young when this process was, and many of
00:44:51 --> 00:44:54 the terms they just did not understand.
00:44:54 --> 00:44:54 And so
00:44:54 --> 00:44:57 when we broke down each one of those words, we described each one of our
00:44:57 --> 00:45:00 properties as having its own prescription.
00:45:00 --> 00:45:03 And when we meet with those property owners, we ask them
00:45:03 --> 00:45:04 what their prescription is.
00:45:04 --> 00:45:10 And just the same, In the interest of transparency we always describe it to
00:45:10 --> 00:45:15 folks of if you're having heart issues and you have to take a blood thinner so
00:45:15 --> 00:45:19 that you don't have a heart attack, that's going to save your life most likely.
00:45:19 --> 00:45:25 But, just like a prescription, there may be downfalls and side effects.
00:45:26 --> 00:45:30 And we do not shy away from saying those things and stuff in terms of grazing.
00:45:31 --> 00:45:35 That yes, there may be downfalls, there may be side effects of grazing
00:45:35 --> 00:45:37 that maybe are not always perfect.
00:45:38 --> 00:45:41 And so we're very open with those prescriptions.
00:45:41 --> 00:45:45 Those prescriptions may run from controlling cool season annuals
00:45:45 --> 00:45:48 like rat tail fescue, which is an invasive grass that we end up
00:45:48 --> 00:45:50 dealing with that we're targeting.
00:45:50 --> 00:45:54 It may end up involving managing grazing windows to support endangered
00:45:54 --> 00:45:58 species like the Mazama pocket gopher on our prairie habitats.
00:45:58 --> 00:46:03 It may involve for some of our property owners as wildfires became bigger just.
00:46:03 --> 00:46:10 Fire load reduction as we try to hit those targets by the 4th of July, reducing those
00:46:10 --> 00:46:13 fire loads or late in the season here.
00:46:13 --> 00:46:18 We have the Oregon spotted frog, which is endangered and creating a habitat that
00:46:18 --> 00:46:23 supportive of the Oregon spotted frog is the seasonal floodwaters kind of increase.
00:46:24 --> 00:46:26 So each property has its own prescription.
00:46:26 --> 00:46:28 We describe it as conservation.
00:46:28 --> 00:46:33 Because every one of our properties we do a lot of things and stuff in the
00:46:33 --> 00:46:38 interest of habitat and wildlife that may include different deferral windows
00:46:38 --> 00:46:43 to support breeding seasons and such, and it even goes so far as the fence
00:46:43 --> 00:46:47 designs and construction that we end up doing to include using such things
00:46:47 --> 00:46:52 as tilt up fences, which provide no barrier opportunities for wildlife.
00:46:52 --> 00:46:57 To simply walk underneath 12 foot areas as we lift the fences into the air and
00:46:57 --> 00:47:01 deer and elk are able and bear are able to walk right underneath our fences.
00:47:01 --> 00:47:05 And so we do such things as that solely based on not simply from a
00:47:05 --> 00:47:08 production based standpoint, but that.
00:47:08 --> 00:47:10 And then the last part being grazing.
00:47:10 --> 00:47:15 Our cattle, like I said, they spend their whole entire grazing season on pasture.
00:47:15 --> 00:47:19 And even during wintertime, we continue to keep them on large paddock
00:47:19 --> 00:47:24 rotations as we pasture feed, and they never eat out of bunks or anything
00:47:24 --> 00:47:26 else in a confinement based system.
00:47:26 --> 00:47:29 We're not saying that as a negative, it's just how our operation ends
00:47:29 --> 00:47:30 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: your operation, yeah.
00:47:32 --> 00:47:33 Very good.
00:47:33 --> 00:47:34 I think that's very interesting.
00:47:34 --> 00:47:38 You're taking in You know, like you said, there's all kinds of ways to take
00:47:38 --> 00:47:43 it but a very holistic view of it, and really looking at those other factors
00:47:43 --> 00:47:49 involved in what, in determining how you're grazing that property, whether
00:47:49 --> 00:47:54 it's a grazing window, or you're reducing fire load at a certain time,
00:47:54 --> 00:47:57 or, or battling invasive species.
00:47:57 --> 00:47:59 So, very interesting.
00:48:00 --> 00:48:05 Is there anything In that, that's cause that maybe you didn't foresee
00:48:05 --> 00:48:07 as you started through that journey.
00:48:10 --> 00:48:13 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, I, I knew from a production
00:48:13 --> 00:48:18 standpoint that everything was not going to be Sugar and gumdrops, and
00:48:18 --> 00:48:21 that there were going to be, there were going to be times when stuff
00:48:21 --> 00:48:27 didn't work out that may involve such things as a wet sequence coming in
00:48:27 --> 00:48:30 and we have a corral system that's stuck in lower ground that we have to
00:48:30 --> 00:48:34 get out and causing rutting in pastures and those type of things it
00:48:34 --> 00:48:39 may involve cattle overgrazing and pugging up soils because we're unable
00:48:39 --> 00:48:42 to rotate them in a timely fashion.
00:48:42 --> 00:48:47 It may involve such questions as, hey, with our grazing program, grazing
00:48:47 --> 00:48:51 right at the water's edge, what is that going to do to such things as
00:48:51 --> 00:48:53 fecal coliform and water quality?
00:48:54 --> 00:48:57 And one of the cool things that we've been able to do is have those
00:48:57 --> 00:49:00 honest, open conversations, not trying to hide any of those things,
00:49:01 --> 00:49:05 and rather approaching it from, hey, If this and when this
00:49:05 --> 00:49:07 happens, what are we going to do?
00:49:07 --> 00:49:10 And I think you touched base on this earlier, Cal, is
00:49:11 --> 00:49:13 communication's a big thing with us.
00:49:13 --> 00:49:17 And we communicate and we work with our conservation partners.
00:49:17 --> 00:49:21 I think every two, three days I'm sending a text message or an email or
00:49:21 --> 00:49:22 something, communicating with them.
00:49:22 --> 00:49:25 Even such as sharing when we end up rotating cattle,
00:49:25 --> 00:49:27 when those come off and such.
00:49:28 --> 00:49:31 We, we've been blessed with that relationship.
00:49:31 --> 00:49:34 Some of the things that have been interesting was, hey,
00:49:34 --> 00:49:37 how has water quality ended up working in your operations?
00:49:37 --> 00:49:39 And we are very diligent in that.
00:49:39 --> 00:49:43 We just finished up Oregon Spotted Frog Program figuring out how that
00:49:43 --> 00:49:46 ends up working by grazing cattle right up to the water's edge.
00:49:47 --> 00:49:49 And fecal coliform numbers did increase.
00:49:50 --> 00:49:54 But I'm happy to report that we went from zero parts per million
00:49:54 --> 00:49:55 to three parts per million.
00:49:56 --> 00:49:56 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh,
00:49:57 --> 00:49:59 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: standard for drinking water is
00:49:59 --> 00:50:01 around 200 parts per million.
00:50:02 --> 00:50:05 So the amount that it increased was absolutely nothing for
00:50:05 --> 00:50:06 intensive purposes.
00:50:06 --> 00:50:10 And One of the things that we were not not aware that we were going to
00:50:10 --> 00:50:16 end up find, finding and did is that dissolved oxygens actually increased
00:50:16 --> 00:50:20 when we ended up grazing cattle, which increased the water quality and
00:50:20 --> 00:50:22 the habitat survivability for fish.
00:50:23 --> 00:50:23 And
00:50:23 --> 00:50:27 we believe that this may be a contributing factor of removing some of that
00:50:27 --> 00:50:32 vegetation that otherwise would just simply die and degrade in the water
00:50:32 --> 00:50:36 if it had not been grazed and or had simply been mowed and laid to rest.
00:50:37 --> 00:50:41 And so, all of this was a very interesting finding that we ended
00:50:41 --> 00:50:45 up finding in the grazing with these grazing programs, but at the same time,
00:50:45 --> 00:50:49 we don't shy away from that sometimes things are not going to work out
00:50:49 --> 00:50:50 perfect with our production customers.
00:50:51 --> 00:50:52 with our property owners.
00:50:52 --> 00:50:57 And I can tell you that having those open, honest conversations has
00:50:57 --> 00:50:58 really helped to bridge those gaps.
00:50:58 --> 00:51:03 And when those heartaches have came up, they've been for all intents and
00:51:03 --> 00:51:05 purposes, very manageable to work through.
00:51:05 --> 00:51:06 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, very good.
00:51:07 --> 00:51:12 With, you know, I, I sit here and think I just want one thing to work perfectly.
00:51:12 --> 00:51:13 That would be nice.
00:51:13 --> 00:51:18 Oh, you talk about grazing up to the water edge.
00:51:18 --> 00:51:22 Are you watering those cows out of those natural water sources there?
00:51:23 --> 00:51:23 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: No.
00:51:23 --> 00:51:28 So one of our biggest we have a couple of different management requirements
00:51:28 --> 00:51:29 when we end up taking on a property.
00:51:30 --> 00:51:36 One is that we have well and or spring fed Dedicated watering spots separate
00:51:36 --> 00:51:39 than allowing our cattle to drink out of open water sources.
00:51:40 --> 00:51:42 So we require that at every one of our properties.
00:51:42 --> 00:51:44 And as a matter of fact, that's been one of the limiting factors
00:51:44 --> 00:51:45 with some of our properties.
00:51:46 --> 00:51:49 And it's been one of our educational opportunities with our conservation
00:51:49 --> 00:51:54 partners as Land Trust and such have taken over historical operations.
00:51:54 --> 00:51:59 The old management practice was that in our area, at least, Is they would come
00:51:59 --> 00:52:02 in and bulldoze down those buildings, those houses, those wellheads, and
00:52:02 --> 00:52:06 everything else to return it to a more natural state, where at the
00:52:06 --> 00:52:10 same time, now we've we've lost the opportunity for electric fences, we've
00:52:10 --> 00:52:14 lost the opportunity for well based water, and so for all intensive
00:52:14 --> 00:52:19 purposes from a production basis, we've lost that opportunity to use
00:52:19 --> 00:52:24 grazing as a responsible management tool on those properties that really,
00:52:24 --> 00:52:28 when we talk to these property owners, We believe that grazing is one of
00:52:28 --> 00:52:31 the most fiscally responsible tools.
00:52:31 --> 00:52:35 Running a diesel powered tractor every year across your field makes absolutely
00:52:35 --> 00:52:39 no sense when you can have cattle do that for you, if managed properly.
00:52:39 --> 00:52:43 And at this, and at the whole same time producing a product that can be
00:52:43 --> 00:52:44 consumed right in your communities.
00:52:44 --> 00:52:46 I mean, what a win win on so many different levels.
00:52:48 --> 00:52:48 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:52:48 --> 00:52:50 I, I completely agree.
00:52:50 --> 00:52:56 You know, livestock are essential to a well functioning ecosystem.
00:52:56 --> 00:53:03 And, and so often we see in these return to nature or rewilding programs,
00:53:04 --> 00:53:06 livestock are not always included.
00:53:06 --> 00:53:09 In fact, down the road from me, we have, there's a section of
00:53:09 --> 00:53:10 land set aside by the owner.
00:53:10 --> 00:53:12 All right.
00:53:12 --> 00:53:16 For Boy Scouts and they don't allow any grazing animals in there.
00:53:16 --> 00:53:21 So it's an interesting thing to see and drive by there and look at it, but
00:53:21 --> 00:53:22 they just want to save it for wildlife.
00:53:23 --> 00:53:26 Well, livestock is part of that can really make it much better
00:53:26 --> 00:53:28 than what you can get without it,
00:53:30 --> 00:53:31 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Very much so.
00:53:31 --> 00:53:32 Very, very much so.
00:53:32 --> 00:53:37 We've, we've got so far away from the true interest of the rewilding processes.
00:53:38 --> 00:53:42 Those just don't happen, unfortunately, nor do, at least have I not seen them.
00:53:43 --> 00:53:47 Because So much so we don't allow rivers to flood.
00:53:47 --> 00:53:50 We don't allow flood sequences like they naturally occur.
00:53:50 --> 00:53:53 We don't allow wildfire like it naturally occurred.
00:53:53 --> 00:53:57 All of those processes that nature itself has in there.
00:53:57 --> 00:54:00 We as a civilization have had to make some tough decisions.
00:54:01 --> 00:54:04 And I would describe it as the prescription that we all have agreed
00:54:04 --> 00:54:07 to that there's going to be some trade offs and stuff, but we believe that
00:54:07 --> 00:54:09 we're doing it for the greater good.
00:54:09 --> 00:54:12 And just the same like the, going back to the prescription side of
00:54:12 --> 00:54:16 things, the great thing about a prescription is it's fully adjustable.
00:54:16 --> 00:54:20 You meet with your doctor regularly, you talk about what's working, what's
00:54:20 --> 00:54:23 not working, and kind of tweak it.
00:54:23 --> 00:54:26 And so, very much so, How that ends up working.
00:54:26 --> 00:54:28 Mother Nature did many of those tweaks for us,
00:54:28 --> 00:54:29 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, Yeah.
00:54:29 --> 00:54:30 Yeah.
00:54:31 --> 00:54:32 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: and we've, we've, for all intents
00:54:32 --> 00:54:35 and purposes, we've stopped many of those things, sometimes for the
00:54:35 --> 00:54:40 betterment of all but some of that rewilding process is just not there.
00:54:40 --> 00:54:41 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yeah.
00:54:41 --> 00:54:42 Yeah.
00:54:43 --> 00:54:48 Excellent discussion Jake, but it is time we move to our famous four questions
00:54:48 --> 00:54:50 sponsored by Kencove Farm Fence.
00:54:50 --> 00:54:54 Cal: Kencove Farm Fence is a proud supporter of the Grazing Grass
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00:55:59 --> 00:56:01 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Same four questions we ask of all of our guests.
00:56:02 --> 00:56:05 And our first question, Jake, what is your favorite grazing
00:56:05 --> 00:56:08 grass related book or resource?
00:56:09 --> 00:56:11 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: I think as you've kind of followed along my
00:56:11 --> 00:56:16 journey here one of the best ones I ended up finding was Greg Judy no risk ranching
00:56:16 --> 00:56:18 Custom grazing on lease ground.
00:56:18 --> 00:56:19 It was very interesting.
00:56:19 --> 00:56:24 I found Greg's books and stuff about two years after getting into our operation
00:56:24 --> 00:56:29 and it made me laugh that in many ways, it seems like the two of us have a
00:56:29 --> 00:56:32 very similar journey and one day I'd be blessed to meet with them and be able to
00:56:33 --> 00:56:36 sit around and have a cup of coffee and discuss kind of how this ends up going.
00:56:36 --> 00:56:42 But great book on looking at using these pastures, especially for
00:56:42 --> 00:56:45 first generation producers and kind of what that ends up looking like.
00:56:47 --> 00:56:50 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: and a lot of times I know growing up around
00:56:50 --> 00:56:53 ag and cattle and we've got cattle.
00:56:53 --> 00:56:57 My grandparents have cattle, but I never, I never considered using
00:56:57 --> 00:57:01 leased land as the first option.
00:57:01 --> 00:57:03 It was like, I've got to buy some land.
00:57:03 --> 00:57:07 Then I'll get some livestock and then I'll get leased land just to grow it
00:57:07 --> 00:57:09 to make my operation more efficient.
00:57:11 --> 00:57:14 And Greg Judy does a great job of explaining how you can get started
00:57:15 --> 00:57:20 without all that capital outlay using leased land and doing custom grazing.
00:57:21 --> 00:57:24 So that, that book for me as well was very influential.
00:57:24 --> 00:57:27 It just took me longer to internalize it, get it working for me.
00:57:29 --> 00:57:30 Our second question, Jake.
00:57:30 --> 00:57:32 What is your favorite tool for the farm?
00:57:34 --> 00:57:36 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Oh, God, this is an easy one for us.
00:57:37 --> 00:57:39 Every single one of our vehicles has one.
00:57:39 --> 00:57:40 It's always found in the driver's side door.
00:57:41 --> 00:57:43 It is a Gallagher Fault Finder.
00:57:44 --> 00:57:44 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Oh, yes.
00:57:45 --> 00:57:47 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: And we have one in every single
00:57:47 --> 00:57:50 vehicle and so much so that it's labeled with what vehicle it's in.
00:57:50 --> 00:57:55 So if it's ever missing, we know exactly where it should be.
00:57:55 --> 00:57:56 But these things are great.
00:57:57 --> 00:58:01 It's a voltage meter for your electric fences and at the same time
00:58:01 --> 00:58:05 it, provides an amp flow indicator that tells you what direction if
00:58:05 --> 00:58:07 you have a fault on your fence.
00:58:07 --> 00:58:10 So if a tree falls on, an insulator falls off if your fence is set
00:58:10 --> 00:58:14 up correctly it really helps and speeds up that process as far as
00:58:14 --> 00:58:17 troubleshooting for those electric fence management issues.
00:58:19 --> 00:58:23 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Yeah, I, I love a fault finder, voltage reader.
00:58:23 --> 00:58:25 I actually use a remote control one
00:58:25 --> 00:58:30 for my Stayfix, but I'm actually not running my Stayfix Energizer anymore.
00:58:30 --> 00:58:33 I'm using a Cyclops, so I don't have the remote capability,
00:58:33 --> 00:58:35 but I still carry that with me.
00:58:35 --> 00:58:39 And I love the idea of label, labeling them, kind of like you
00:58:39 --> 00:58:40 label the remotes in your house.
00:58:41 --> 00:58:43 How'd the living room remote get in the bedroom?
00:58:43 --> 00:58:46 You know, so you know where that goes, so you're not at a
00:58:46 --> 00:58:49 loss when you go, Where is that?
00:58:51 --> 00:58:52 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Very much so.
00:58:54 --> 00:58:56 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Our third question, Jake, what would you
00:58:56 --> 00:58:57 tell someone just getting started?
00:58:59 --> 00:59:01 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: I tell folks I hate social media
00:59:01 --> 00:59:02 and I love it all at the same time.
00:59:03 --> 00:59:06 I tell folks, take photos and tell your story.
00:59:06 --> 00:59:07 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: yes.
00:59:08 --> 00:59:10 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: We do this for a multitude of reasons.
00:59:10 --> 00:59:12 Agriculture is just like many other industries.
00:59:12 --> 00:59:17 We often keep those things secret as far as what are steps for success.
00:59:17 --> 00:59:20 And sometimes we even keep secret those things that went bad.
00:59:20 --> 00:59:26 And I think when we can, Teach and share and and help each other.
00:59:26 --> 00:59:28 God, it speeds that process up so much.
00:59:29 --> 00:59:31 The other part of it is, and this is a huge one for folks
00:59:31 --> 00:59:32 that are on lease ground.
00:59:33 --> 00:59:38 The power of before and after photographs is a game changer.
00:59:38 --> 00:59:43 And so by taking those photographs in the world that we live in, Unlike
00:59:43 --> 00:59:47 our old photo albums that mom used to write the dates and where they
00:59:47 --> 00:59:51 were taken on and everything back Google now tracks all those things.
00:59:51 --> 00:59:54 And so we literally can go back to those properties and when we're writing those
00:59:54 --> 00:59:59 year end reports, I can look at, hey, what did that bridge look like a couple
00:59:59 --> 01:00:01 years ago or where was that photograph?
01:00:01 --> 01:00:05 And I can search by properties, I can search by years and calendars.
01:00:05 --> 01:00:09 And I can do a lot of before and after photographs and show that and
01:00:09 --> 01:00:14 often as producers, we sometimes I think in all industries put emotions
01:00:14 --> 01:00:16 in front of reality and photos.
01:00:16 --> 01:00:19 I think those sometimes they don't tell all the story.
01:00:19 --> 01:00:20 They tell a lot of it.
01:00:20 --> 01:00:23 And so we're able to take our emotions and go, God, last year was a really
01:00:23 --> 01:00:25 good, it was the best grass year ever.
01:00:25 --> 01:00:28 And then we can go back and look at photographs and go, huh, man,
01:00:29 --> 01:00:31 grass was actually six inches shorter and wasn't as green
01:00:31 --> 01:00:34 and I didn't have as much clover and everything else.
01:00:34 --> 01:00:34 And so.
01:00:35 --> 01:00:39 Share photographs and take photos and tell stories and help each
01:00:39 --> 01:00:42 other is a true true game changer.
01:00:43 --> 01:00:47 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: And i'm gonna say that is wonderful advice that I
01:00:47 --> 01:00:52 need to take I I often look in my photos I'm, like I need some kind of photo for
01:00:52 --> 01:00:57 whatever reason and I don't take enough photos when i'm out there and then I'm
01:00:58 --> 01:01:03 trying to think who I just talked to about their place Oh, Blaine, that's on
01:01:03 --> 01:01:08 a few episodes of before yours, he is really good about taking photos and, you
01:01:08 --> 01:01:10 know, getting a landmark in that photo.
01:01:10 --> 01:01:14 So you're able to identify where it is or some way, you
01:01:14 --> 01:01:15 know, where you're taking it.
01:01:15 --> 01:01:16 So you can see progression over time.
01:01:16 --> 01:01:17 I think so important.
01:01:18 --> 01:01:21 And the other part I have to do better too, is tell my story.
01:01:22 --> 01:01:25 I was talking to someone just the other day and I said, marketing,
01:01:25 --> 01:01:26 I'm not good at marketing.
01:01:26 --> 01:01:30 They're like, I see you marketing the podcast and getting that out there.
01:01:30 --> 01:01:31 I said, I do okay with the podcast.
01:01:32 --> 01:01:34 The farm, I do a terrible job.
01:01:34 --> 01:01:35 I've got to, I've got to work on that.
01:01:35 --> 01:01:39 So Jake, both of those things, I don't know if you were aiming them
01:01:39 --> 01:01:44 at me, but I'm thinking, yeah, I need them, but excellent advice there.
01:01:44 --> 01:01:47 And lastly, Jake, where can others find out more about you
01:01:48 --> 01:01:50 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: We have our website, www.
01:01:50 --> 01:01:56 tracking, t r a c k i n g, the letter y is in yancyranch.
01:01:56 --> 01:01:56 com.
01:01:57 --> 01:02:02 We're also on Instagram and Facebook under Tracking Y Ranch as well.
01:02:02 --> 01:02:03 So all three of those.
01:02:03 --> 01:02:08 And then last but not least, we do post some videos and everything just based
01:02:08 --> 01:02:10 on format onto our YouTube channel.
01:02:10 --> 01:02:13 So once again, under Tracking Y Ranch.
01:02:13 --> 01:02:14 All of those things are great.
01:02:14 --> 01:02:18 And then at our website, you can sign up for our monthly newsletter.
01:02:18 --> 01:02:21 We don't sell that information or anything else and just send out
01:02:21 --> 01:02:22 that monthly newsletter as a tool.
01:02:24 --> 01:02:25 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: on your monthly newsletter?
01:02:25 --> 01:02:27 What's kind of the content of it?
01:02:27 --> 01:02:30 Is it something that it'd be beneficial for me to subscribe
01:02:30 --> 01:02:31 to, or is it mainly more.
01:02:32 --> 01:02:33 Consumer oriented.
01:02:34 --> 01:02:37 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Yeah, we kind of do a basis of the kind of mix.
01:02:37 --> 01:02:39 My daughters take a huge opportunity in that.
01:02:40 --> 01:02:40 It's kind of
01:02:40 --> 01:02:43 one of their chores is putting together that monthly newsletter.
01:02:43 --> 01:02:47 Often it's telling about what's going over on in the operation as far as
01:02:47 --> 01:02:50 seasonally, so that folks understand kind of what the processes are, what
01:02:50 --> 01:02:51 projects we're working on.
01:02:52 --> 01:02:56 And we always try to toss in some sort of educational opportunity in there.
01:02:56 --> 01:03:00 Maybe such things as, at this time of year, we're getting ready for harvest.
01:03:00 --> 01:03:03 And so we're giving our, our purchasers some things.
01:03:03 --> 01:03:06 tips and tricks for calling in those cutting orders and things that they
01:03:06 --> 01:03:11 may not think of such as if you're not interested in so much hamburger, you may
01:03:11 --> 01:03:13 ask for a lot more packs of stew meat.
01:03:13 --> 01:03:14 And so we do lots of
01:03:14 --> 01:03:18 steak bites that we bread and we do lots of kebabs and all those types of things.
01:03:18 --> 01:03:22 So little things like that that we ended up tossing in there to include up
01:03:22 --> 01:03:24 to even fencing ideas.
01:03:25 --> 01:03:28 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Very good Well, jake really appreciate you
01:03:28 --> 01:03:29 coming on and sharing with us today.
01:03:30 --> 01:03:31 I've enjoyed the conversation.
01:03:32 --> 01:03:33 jake-yancey_1_10-23-2024_080359: Thank you, Cal.
01:03:33 --> 01:03:33 Sure.
01:03:33 --> 01:03:34 Appreciate it.
01:03:34 --> 01:03:34 And sure.
01:03:34 --> 01:03:35 Appreciate your time.
01:03:35 --> 01:03:35 Thank you for
01:03:36 --> 01:03:37 cal_1_10-23-2024_100359: Well, thank you
01:03:38 --> 01:03:40 Cal: I really hope you enjoyed today's conversation.
01:03:41 --> 01:03:42 I know I did.
01:03:42 --> 01:03:47 Thank you for listening, and if you found something useful, please share it.
01:03:48 --> 01:03:49 Share it on your social media.
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01:03:55 --> 01:03:59 If you happen to be a grass farmer and you'd like to share about
01:03:59 --> 01:04:01 your journey, go to grazinggrass.
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01:04:06 --> 01:04:09 Fill out the form and I'll be in touch.
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01:04:32 --> 01:04:35 You can visit the website grazing grass.com.
01:04:35 --> 01:04:38 Click on support and they'll have the links there.
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01:04:42 --> 01:04:45 It really helps us as people are searching for podcasts.
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01:04:56 --> 01:04:59 And until next time, keep on grazing grass.
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