The Regenaissance Podcast

A walk-through tour of Wrick Ranches in western Colorado with rancher Jason Wrick, covering calf weaning, water systems, drought realities, regenerative grazing decisions, and how a working ranch stays financially viable through direct-to-consumer beef, on-farm retail, and diversified income streams.Key TopicsCalf weaning and animal welfare in real ranching conditionsWater rights, irrigation, and farming during long-term droughtHay reserves, soil fertility, and nutrient cycling through cattleRegenerative grazing within economic and regional constraintsDirect-to-consumer beef and building resilient rural businessesWhat You’ll LearnWhy calves must be weaned and how it’s managed responsiblyHow irri...

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

In this episode, we tour through Rucker Farm with Garrett Heydt to see how a large, leased regenerative operation actually works; covering hay, turkeys, water systems, minerals, and grazing decisions that shape animal health and land outcomes over time.Key Topics Rotational grazing on large, leased propertiesPasture-based turkey production and managementWater infrastructure, exclusion fencing, and environmental impactHay economics vs standing winter forageRegeneration as a long-term land ethicWhy You Should ListenClear explanation of rotational grazing at scale (30+ paddocks, leased land)Practical breakdown of hay vs standing forage economicsRare detail on pasture-raised turkey management a...

Otter Creek Farm is located in upstate New York. First-generation farmer Elizabeth Collins walks through how herself and 5th generation farmer  Brad Wiley rebuilt a former conventional dairy into a small, regenerative, animal-welfare-driven operation. The conversation moves from soil-health principles and rotational grazing to the practical realities of feed decisions, omega-3/6 tradeoffs, infrastructure design, and why consumer responsibility is central to fixing the food system. Key topics Soil-health principles and adaptive stewardship in practicePig rotation systems, wallows, and regeneration timelinesPastured poultry design, predator pressure, and welfare tradeoffsFeed sourcing, omega-3/6 ratios, and testing meat qualityConsumer po...

This live farm tour back in August 2025 was at J&L Green Farm in Virginia, where Jordan Green walks us through the operational heart of the farm. From on-farm poultry processing and cold storage to multi-species shelter design and silvopasture development, the conversation is delves into why certain farming infrastructures and layouts exist, how animals are rotated, on-farm problems with certain infrastructure, and how design iterations have helped him reduce labor, improved animal welfare, and increased land productivity.Key TopicsOn-farm poultry processing layout and cold-chain controlMulti-species shelter systems and labor efficiencyPasture poultry genetics, heat stress...

Ben Justman takes me inside Peony Lane Wine in Paonia, Colorado for a live farm tour of one of America’s highest-elevation vineyard regions. He educates me on how grapes are grown, how vines survive harsh winters, how low-intervention wine is made, and why true place-based winemaking creates a totally different drinking experience. It’s interesting to see how he constantly adapts to the seasons, soil, weather, and other farming variables to keep the operation productive and high quality.Key TopicsHigh-elevation Colorado vineyard conditionsHow Pinot Noir grows in the West Elks AVATra...

This on-the-ground episode explores Michael Grecos first-generation regenerative sheep operation, run entirely on leased land in New York’s Hudson Valley. We walk the pastures with Michael as he explains stocking strategy, grazing philosophy, shade management, lambing, predator protection, mineral systems, on-farm slaughter, and why sheep can make regenerative agriculture viable on smaller landscapes. Key TopicsWhy Michael chose sheep and how leased land shapes his operationDaily rotational grazing, density, rest periods, and pasture responseLambing, weaning, animal stress, shade, and heat managementGuardian dogs, predators, minerals, biochar, and health managementEthics, transparency, local food, and on-farm ha...

In this live farm tour episode from July this year, I visited Julie Friend and her farm, Wildom Farm, a regenerative livestock farm where cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs are raised together on pasture and in forest systems. The discussion covers daily pasture rotation, animal behavior, predator dynamics, soil health, and how regenerative management affects animal welfare, meat quality, and ecosystem resilience. The farmer walks through real trade-offs, processing challenges, and why transparency and letting people visit farms matters.Key Topics Daily rotational grazing and mobile infrastructureRaising cows, sheep, and chickens together in one systemForest-raised pork, f...

This episode was recorded during the Colorado farm tour and features a long-form conversation with Jason Wrich from Wrich Ranches, a regenerative cattle operation built on leased land, rebuilt soil, and decades of hands-on learning. We walk through the origins of the ranch, the economics behind conventional vs regenerative systems, the realities of grazing management, and the cultural disconnect shaping how Americans think about food. The discussion moves from land stewardship and plant physiology to market forces, subsidies, meat processing, the American diet, and why local food systems matter. It’s a grounded lo...

This episode comes from our recent farm tour at White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, where Will Harris walked us through the land and the systems that support it. White Oak is a multigenerational operation that has shifted from conventional row-crop agriculture to a diverse, closed-loop ecosystem of grass-fed cattle, wildlife, and restored soils. Will explains how these relationships work in practice, the long-term effects of pesticides and monoculture, and why ecological cycles - not industrial extraction - determine the health and future of the land.Key topics:How birds, insects, and cattle interact i...

Hickory Nut Gap is a century-old family farm in Western North Carolina, now run by Jamie and Amy, who shifted the operation toward grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, and regenerative grazing. Their model connects soil health, animal welfare, and community resilience - from rotational grazing that builds biodiversity to supplying local restaurants and retailers. This tour looks directly at how they raise animals, manage land, and keep farming viable in the Appalachian mountains.Key Topics How Hickory Nut Gap transitioned from an old dairy to a regenerative livestock operationRotational grazing, biodiversity, and carbon-building in mountain pasturesThe economics o...

Ben Justman of Peony Lane Wine grew up on this Colorado orchard, returned in his mid-20s, taught himself winemaking, and now runs a small high-elevation Pinot Noir winery on his family’s land, built alongside his father. Key Topics Childhood on a self-sustaining orchard and returning to family landStarting Peony Lane Wine and producing high-elevation Pinot NoirWinemaking as farming: soil, climate, and placeDirect-to-consumer realities for small producersWhy Ben accepts Bitcoin and why he places importance on itWhy Listen Clear insight into how small wineries actually operateA grounded look at family land, legac...

JR Burdick of Nourishing Family Farm explains how losing his family’s farm in the 1980s and later being forced out of his dairy co-op shaped his path toward raw milk, soil-based farming, and local food independence. His story exposes how modern agriculture breaks families and communities - and how rebuilding begins one farm at a time.Key TopicsThe 1980s farm crisis and its generational impactIndustrial agriculture’s false promisesLosing and rebuilding the family farmFounding Nourishing Family Farm and producing raw milkRedefining farming as care for soil, cows, and communityWhy ListenReveals how...

August Hortsmann is a first-generation Missouri cattleman and founder of Hortsmann Cattle Company, a regenerative ranch built on his family’s land near St. Louis. What began as a childhood passion grew into a full-time operation which, over the past eight years, has integrated adaptive grazing, direct-to-consumer beef sales, and long-term soil-focused practices. His education was established through years of study, observation, and trial. August spent countless seasons working ranch jobs integrating regenerative practices, allowing him studying grazing systems and testing various methods. Augusts story shares undertones of the uncertain, long road taken for each farm...

Will Harris is a sixth-generation cattleman and owner of White Oak Pastures, a 158-year-old family farm in Bluffton, Georgia. Since 1866, the Harris family has practiced land-based farming rooted in regeneration, humane animal husbandry, and zero-waste production. In this episode, Will reflects on the farm’s evolution from industrial cattle operations to a living ecosystem. He discusses soil, community, balance, symbiosis in an ecosstem, rural farming communities, stewardship, organic matter, his family history, and more. Key Topics6 generations of farming - from industrial cattle to regenerative systemsRebuilding Bluffton’s rural economy through local foodSoil carbon, organi...

Ryan sits down with Joel Hollingsworth of Smoke River Ranch in Oklahoma, who lays out a clear, unflinching diagnosis of America’s decline. He then takes you through the solution, step by step, exactly whats required. In short, the miracle ahead has only one path, and that is a restored and vitalized rural America. Key Topics:Collapse and renewal of rural AmericaBuilding culture through community and soilRegenerative ranching and total grazingEconomic sovereignty and local productionReclaiming health and vitalityWhy You Should Listen: - Learn how rural collapse happened. - See how fi...

When chronic illness left Cindy bedridden in her twenties, she began questioning everything she’d been taught about health - and later, about farming. What started as a search for healing led her and her husband to rebuild their land in Burneyville, Oklahoma, where TLC Ranch now stands: a regenerative bison ranch and certified organic pecan orchard rooted in living systems rather than chemicals. Through decades of trial, floods, and faith, Cindy discovered that the same principles that restore the body also restore the soil. This episode traces how her recovery became the land’s recovery - and what it r...

Caden and Patrick are first-generation farmers in North Carolina who started Cable Family Farm while still in high school. Together, they’ve built a small-scale regenerative farm focused on pasture-raised poultry and no-till market gardening, proving that young people can make a living from the land through hard work, curiosity, and faith.Cable Family Farm practices regenerative farming focused on soil health, animal welfare, and local connection through small-scale, community-based food production.Key TopicsStarting a regenerative farm as teenagersLearning and adapting through trial and errorMaking small-scale farming sustainableSacrifice, purpose, and fa...

This episode is a little different: instead of a sit-down podcast, I join Justin Rhodes for a live tour around his North Carolina farm. When you think of homesteaders, Justin Rhodes is the first person you think of. With over a million followers on YouTube and multiple successful books, Justin and his family have paved the way for new homesteaders through documenting their journey. A fourth-generation steward of his family’s land in North Carolina, Justin and his wife Rebecca raise their five children on it. What we cover:How rotational grazing restores pastures wi...

Josh and Jessica Guptill run Rehoboth Farm in Suffolk, Virginia, where they raise pastured chicken, pork, lamb, beef, eggs, and turkeys. Neither came from a farming family - Josh left the Coast Guard and Jessica is a doula - but together they built their farm from backyard beginnings, guided by faith and a belief in producing “healing food.” Their path is unique: from DIY chicken pluckers and bartering for land to scaling up during COVID, they’ve made transparency and education central to their work. Today they not only provide nutrient-dense food but also host workshops and farm visits, giving...