American Cattlemen Podcast

Lakeland Farm & Ranch Direct

Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of the American Cattlemen, and he chats with Ross Deayton, the general manager of Lakeland Farm & Ranch Direct and Mark Duplak, the Marketing manager for Lakeland Farm & Ranch Direct. Founded in 2005 and celebrating its 20th anniversary, Lakeland has evolved from a small family-run business to a thriving North American operation serving agricultural markets across the United States and Canada. Initially focused on cattle livestock handling equipment, Lakeland has diversified to serve multiple agricultural sectors, including sheep, goats, and horse industries. Their core philosophy centers on making farmers' and ranchers' lives easier through premium products and direct-to-door service. The company distinguishes itself by shipping equipment directly to customers, eliminating the need for time-consuming dealer pickups.The podcast highlighted significant trends in modern agriculture, particularly the shift towards smaller operations. The average herd size has decreased to around 47 head, with 80% of producers now managing fewer than 50 cattle. This change reflects a growing number of lifestyle ranchers and hobby farmers who have moved from urban areas to agricultural settings.Lakeland is responding to these market changes by designing equipment specifically for smaller operations, focusing on low-stress animal handling and setups that require fewer hands. They're also developing an innovative partner program that will allow local farm stores to become authorized dealers, either as stocking or non-stocking partners.The company's future plans include continued investment in modular designs, listening to farmer feedback, and creating more accessible equipment solutions. Their commitment to customer service is evident in their approach to owning mistakes, providing educational support, and offering financing options to help smaller operations invest in quality equipment.With a new website launch and the partner program on the horizon, Lakeland Farm and Ranch Direct is positioning itself as a forward-thinking, customer-centric agricultural equipment provider dedicated to supporting the evolving needs of modern farmers and ranchers.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting
Rawhide Portable Corrals
Udder Tech, Inc.
Central Life Sciences

IntelliBond and Trace Minerals

Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Dustin Hector, he's the director of business development for the American Cattlemen Media Group, and he sits down with Dr. Chance Farmer, Beef Technical Manager for Selko. Dr. Chance Farmer, the beef technical manager, provides insights into the company's groundbreaking research and the potential benefits of their hydroxy forms of copper, zinc, and manganese.A significant highlight of the discussion was the heat stress trial conducted at Iowa State University, which demonstrated the remarkable capabilities of IntelliBond zinc. The study revealed that cattle treated with IntelliBond showed improved resilience during heat stress events, with notable differences in dry matter intake, gut barrier function, and immune response compared to traditional zinc sulfate treatments.Dr. Farmer emphasized the product's ability to address critical challenges in cattle production, particularly around animal health and performance. The research suggests that IntelliBond can potentially improve fertility, embryo quality, and weaning weights by supporting better gut health and immune function. This is particularly crucial given the industry's ongoing concern about animal health and its direct impact on profitability.The conversation highlighted SELCO's commitment to scientific research, with Dr. Farmer noting that their approach is always driven by rigorous scientific validation. The company aims to continue exploring the potential of IntelliB0ond, focusing on understanding its impact on gut health and immune response in cattle.What makes IntelliBond particularly attractive to producers is its cost-effectiveness. Dr. Farmer pointed out that for a relatively small investment of $2.50 to $3.50 per cow annually, producers could potentially see significant improvements in animal performance, including increased weaning weights and better overall herd health.The podcast underscores the importance of innovative nutritional solutions in modern cattle production, demonstrating how advanced mineral supplementation can make a meaningful difference in agricultural productivity.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting
Rawhide Portable Corrals
Udder Tech, Inc.
Central Life Sciences

Lameness and Hoof problems in Cattle

This episode jumps into the topic of Lameness and Hoof Problems in Cattle. Our guest was Dr. Meredyth Jones Cook, Professor of Practice in Livestock Production at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Texas Tech University. 
Lameness and Hoof Problems in Cattle was a great discussion with Dr. Meredyth Jones-Cook. Dr. Cook was born in Texas and raised in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kentucky. After spending many years in her dad’s mixed animal veterinary practice, she decided to attend veterinary school at Oklahoma State and focus on food animal medicine. After some time in private practice, she completed a residency to specialize in large animal internal medicine. She taught at Kansas State, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State before joining the team at Texas Tech. She provides continuing education and consulting to large animal veterinarians, and she and her husband ranch together in Oklahoma along with their two daughters.Dr. Cook was such an enjoyable interview and provide easy to understand information that you can use in your operation.Dr. Peterman and Dr. Cook took on the following questions and provided great advice and feedback.Can you differentiate foot rot from other, more serious conditions that cause lameness in cattle?How can you determine when antibiotics are going to be beneficial in a lameness case and when more aggressive treatment is necessary?How can producers play an active role in preventing cattle from becoming lame?What are some various treatment options available for conditions such as septic joints, sole ulcers, and torn ligaments?Is there a correlation between hoof and joint health and pulmonary arterial pressure?Is increased lameness correlated to the increased size and weight of cattle?How much do genetics play a role in lameness and hoof health?Make sure and listen to this episode in its entirety and I would download it to keep as a resource. Great stuff!Lameness and Hoof Problems in Cattle
Cattlemen & Veterinarians: A Partnership in Bovine Health
For Future or Previous episodes visit our websites: 
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American Dairymen
Cattlemen and Veterinarians: A Partnership in Bovine Health Sponsored by: 
Elanco Animal Health
Central Life Science

All-Purpose Corral From Moly Manufacturing

Second in a Series with Jon Mollhagen and Gene Dubas of Moly Manufacturing discussing the Moly Manufacturing All-Purpose Corral.Always a pleasure to talk to Jon Mollhagen and Gene Dubas of Moly Manufacturing. I caught up with them both at Beef & Greet in Bentonville, Arkansas. Jon was heading out for a round of golf, and Gene was recovering from knee surgery—kinda both ends of the spectrum. But any time you get with these two, you're going to talk cattle handling equipment! Moly’s All-Purpose Corral™ is a fresh, innovative take on the traditional corral. With added brace stabilizers, galvanized steel wheels hinged directly to the fence surface, adjustable headgates for different-sized animals, and a lightweight design, you can operate this corral hassle-free. The All-Purpose Corral™ is perfect for any farming operation – portable or permanent. Featuring easy assembly and disassembly processes, this product is designed to meet any challenge head-on. Flat tires, wheel slippage, weak connectors, and tough towing payloads are a thing of the past. With the All-Purpose Corral, Moly Manufacturing has established the industry standard in portable corrals, ensuring it meets all your needs.Moly’s founder, Jon Mollhagen, is a rancher through and through. He grew up on his family’s fifth-generation row crop and cow-calf operation in the Smoky Hills outside Lorraine, Kansas. Long days of working beside his father and fixing equipment instilled a set of deep roots, firmly planted in the prairie soil.At 19 years old, Jon had the opportunity to start a custom farming business, operating on worn-out farm equipment and doing whatever it took to get by, which eventually expanded to 10,000 acres in the area.Early on, Jon found it was much more viable and cost-effective to build his farming equipment. His innovative spirit and determination drove him to create the first product sold by Moly Manufacturing, LLC – the Trans-Corral. This revolutionary corral was designed to be collapsible and portable, and could be pulled by a single pickup truck.​After the initial success of the Trans-Corral, Jon found himself swamped with requests from his customers to develop a hydraulic squeeze chute to pair with the corral. Taking these points into consideration, he set out to build the SILENCER® chute, the product that put Moly Manufacturing on the map. The quiet, equalized pressure system was one of a kind, focusing on animal and operator safety. It was a brand-new take on the squeeze chute, and it soon gained immense popularity among cattle producers nationwide, as well as internationally. The SILENCER® became the flagship product of Moly Manufacturing, known by all as the industry standard in livestock handling equipment.​Since the release of the SILENCER®, Moly has continued to expand its following and product line. Products such as the TurretGate and the All-Purpose Corral have further improved cattle operations worldwide. These releases have served to solidify Moly’s reputation, as well as propel the world of cattle production into a new era of innovation.When Jon sold his first Trans-Corral in 1987, he had no idea that his little corporation would grow to what it has become. It is his hope, as well as that of the entire company, that with the same level of hard work and dedication, we can build a better future for cattle production.
Moly Manufacturing All-Purpose Corral
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting
Udder Tech, Inc.

Calf Value Improvement

Calf Value Improvement is a key component of profitability improvement in any cattle herd. While I was at Beef & Greet in Bentonville, Arkansas, I had the opportunity to catch up with Dr. Deana Hardee for a few minutes. Dr. Hardee spoke at the event and took a few minutes to speak with us. Dr. Hardee has a very approachable personality and provides our listeners with great usable information to improve the profitability of their cattle operations.Dr. Deana Hardee, a technical services veterinarian at Merck, discussed strategies to optimize calf value on the American Cattlemen podcast. She emphasized the importance of tightening the calving window through AI, embryo transfer, or prostaglandin use, which can increase weaning weights by 20 pounds. Hardy highlighted the benefits of a solid vaccine program, noting a $15 per head advantage for calves in the Vac 45 and Vac 60 programs. She also emphasized the economic benefits of implanting unweaned calves, which can add 23 pounds per head, as well as the strategic use of deworming to enhance pasture health and improve calf value and performance. Yes, sir. As I mentioned, I really appreciate it when both animal health and the economics of it align, and it's the right thing to do for the calf. But I think one of the easy things we can do in the cow-calf space is to tighten the calving window and have a more uniform calf crop. As we consider this, several technologies can be utilized to achieve that goal. I think one of the obvious ones to even potentially bring in different genetics to the herd is something like AI or artificial insemination, and those protocols that allow us to set those females up with a different form of technology. One that we have at Merck Animal Health is the sub calf. When we think about those AI protocols, or even embryo transfer, donor, and reset females, we are able to better optimize the weaning window for breeding, and literally put this on an app on your phone. So again, there are technologies like that that certainly exist. However, if you're going to utilize your own bull battery and want to try to tighten that calving window, that's something you can do. Is something as simple as administering a prostaglandin, such as estrumate, five days after bull turnout? So what that does is essentially allow more females to try to get bred during that first heat cycle, which is the first 21 days. In return, you can shorten or tighten that calving window, and you have more pounds to market at weaning time. So, again, we can be as advanced as an app on your phone, all the way down to something as simple as utilizing something like estimating five days after a bull turnout to achieve a more uniform calf crop. So what's interesting in all of our data is that we see not only benefits at weaning time, but those animals that were born in that first cycle, they're gonna actually be are more fertile, or the heifers that also get bred first, and if you're retaining ownership through the feeding phase, we're gonna hang a heavier carcass in animals. And so intuitively, makes sense, but it's something as simple as, like I said, giving that extermate five days after bull turnout to get those females to drop a calf earlier in that first heat cycle.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting
Rawhide Portable Corrals
Udder Tech, Inc.

Ascherman Akaushi

Aschermann Akaushi Cathage Missouri.  Ask Larry and he will tell you straight up what he believes.  Make sure and listen to the life experiences of this cattlemen!
 “IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE GIRL. MATERNAL TRAITS ARE IMPORTANT TO US"
Larry Aschermann grew up on a corn and bean farm in Illinois. Wanting to go to an agricultural school, he chose Kansas State University. He graduated with a degree in Animal Science. His wife Peggy says, “ No one has used their Animal Science degree more than Larry. They taught him a lot about cattle, but nothing about cats.”   After graduation, he became a field man for the American Shorthorn Association. Handling all states East of the Mississippi River. This led to his appointment as the executive for a group importing cattle from France. He then returned home to Illinois to farm. He loved cattle farming; however, Larry says he was voted Illinois Unstar Grain Farmer. When farming didn’t work out, he accepted a job with a subsidiary of Monsanto as Manager of Production in the beef division. While establishing his production area, he fell in love with Southwest Missouri. He knew that was where he wanted to live. He purchased Diamond/Four State Stockyards and held his first sale on April Fool's Day in 1980. While opening the stockyard, he became interested in Charolais Genetics. He is presently pursuing his lifelong dream of selling lots of "Good Bulls".  Larry thinks he is a lucky man. When he was little, he wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up. His dream came true. Only difference is, as Peggy says, “He’s a bullboy.”   Larry has served on the Missouri Beef Industry Council, the Missouri Livestock Marking Association, and the Board for Governor’s Advisory Council for Agriculture along with Aschermann Akaushi. 
Peggy grew up on a Hereford and wheat farm in Kansas. Her childhood dream of becoming the first woman President didn’t quite pan out for her. She graduated from Washburn University with a degree in Criminal Justice.   Peggy has two children and three grandsons, who, of course, are the loves of her life.   Always being an animal lover, she says she can’t believe she found a man who loves the little furry creatures as much as she does. I thought my Dad had the softest hands in the world when treating a sick one, but Larry is right there with him.   Peggy plays lots of softball. Traveling all over the United States on a traveling tournament team. She was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 2009.  She is a breast cancer survivor. And wants to remind everyone to get that mammogram every year.  
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit: 
www.americancattlemen.com.
 
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting  
Rawhide Portable Corrals  
Udder Tech, Inc.  

Moly Manufacturing TurretGate™

Always a pleasure to talk to Jon Mollhagen and Gene Dubas of Moly Manufacturing. I caught up with them both at Beef & Greet in Bentonville, Arkansas. Jon was heading out for a round of golf, and Gene was recovering from knee surgery—kinda both ends of the spectrum. But any time you get with these two, you're going to talk cattle handling equipment! 
With its master engineering, Moly Manufacturing’s TurretGate™ eliminates the need to swing a gate back open into waiting animals and virtually eliminates the need for humans to be in with the cattle. The advanced gate design shuttles through the turret, re-positioning itself behind waiting animals. The gate is controlled remotely and significantly reduces the stress on animals compared to the old-style manual crowd gates, which pressure the animals into smaller areas, thereby increasing their stress. The innovative technology enables zero physical interaction between humans and animals, ensuring the operator's safety at all times. TurretGate™ helps keep your animals calm and your people safe. Moly’s hydraulic sort gates can also be easily added and customized to an existing facility.
Moly’s founder, Jon Mollhagen, is a rancher through and through. He grew up on his family’s fifth-generation row crop and cow-calf operation in the Smoky Hills outside Lorraine, Kansas. Long days of working beside his father and fixing equipment instilled a set of deep roots, firmly planted in the prairie soil.At 19 years old, Jon had the opportunity to start a custom farming business, operating on worn-out farm equipment and doing whatever it took to get by, which eventually expanded to 10,000 acres in the area.Early on, Jon found it was much more viable and cost-effective to build his farming equipment. His innovative spirit and determination drove him to create the first product sold by Moly Manufacturing, LLC – the Trans-Corral. This revolutionary corral was designed to be collapsible and portable, and could be pulled by a single pickup truck.​After the initial success of the Trans-Corral, Jon found himself swamped with requests from his customers to develop a hydraulic squeeze chute to pair with the corral. Taking these points into consideration, he set out to build the SILENCER® chute, the product that put Moly Manufacturing on the map. The quiet, equalized pressure system was one of a kind, focusing on animal and operator safety. It was a brand-new take on the squeeze chute, and it soon gained immense popularity among cattle producers nationwide, as well as internationally. The SILENCER® became the flagship product of Moly Manufacturing, known by all as the industry standard in livestock handling equipment.​Since the release of the SILENCER®, Moly has continued to expand its following and product line. Products such as the TurretGate™ and the All-Purpose Corral™ have further improved cattle operations around the world. These releases have served to solidify Moly’s reputation, as well as propel the world of cattle production into a new era of innovation.When Jon sold his first Trans-Corral in 1987, he had no idea that his little corporation would grow to what it has become. It is his hope, as well as that of the entire company, that with the same level of hard work and dedication, we can build a better future for cattle production.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting
Rawhide Portable Corrals
Udder Tech, Inc.

4 Rivers Akaushi

4 Rivers Akaushi is an excellent story of two families with tremendous skills and opportunities coming together to do even greater things.  Check out our interview with Jeremiah Harris and John Telge of 4 Rivers Akaushi!
John and Elaine started raising ostriches in 1993. They moved our family to the country in 1994, where we built ostrich pens and had our first sets of birds delivered while still working @ a distribution company selling power transmission products. We started selling ostrich meat in the Kansas City area in 1996 to local chefs & and restaurants.
In 2002, Elaine & and I formed “Arrowhead Game Meats LLC.” AKA Arrowhead Specialty Meats. Our goal was to create a meat company that sold natural-type meats, starting with all types of game meats such as ostrich, venison, bison, duck, quail, lamb, and other game. This also led to more mainstream meats such as beef, pork, and chicken, but not just any beef, pork, or chicken. Since we wanted to stay natural, we sourced meats such as Wagyu beef, Piedmontese Beef, Berkshire pork/Duroc Pork, Amish-raised chicken, and many others.
In 2008/2009, we introduced a new line of beef in the Kansas City area called “Akaushi Beef”
from Heartbrand Beef. This new line of meat took off quickly due to its tenderness, taste, and the compelling story behind it. In 2011, Elaine and I took on a new business partner, and together we ran Arrowhead Specialty.
Meats successfully. In 2021, while still selling our natural meats, we purchased our first four fullblood Akaushi heifers. In 2023, Elaine and I decided to sell our share of the business to our business partner and retire from Arrowhead, starting to raise our line of fullblood Akaushi Beef. In the same year, 2023, we began speaking with Rolling H Farms about raising Akaushi Cattle, and together we formed “4 Rivers Akaushi LLC.” We now offer fullblood seedstock, F-1; F2 feeders/fat cattle, and F-1 & F2 heifers/cows.
Jeremiah and Amy Harris in Edgar Springs, Missouri. Since 2017, we have been focused on Akaushi genetics. The Harris farm primarily consists of a cow-calf operation with a strong emphasis on raising replacement heifers. We background our calves and finish approximately 120 fats a year.  We follow best practices for effective and sustainable farming, including rotational grazing, intensive grazing, and freshwater access points
throughout the farm.
We are proud to raise all-natural, prime Akaushi beef with no added
hormones, steroids, or antibiotics. Our goal is to have F1 females produce
F2 feeders and fats for a prime market. 
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
 
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting  
Rawhide Portable Corrals  
Udder Tech, Inc.  

Elanco Animal Health with Dr. M. Wayne Ayers

Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of the American Cattlemen, and he sits down with Dr. M. Wayne Ayers, Senior Beef Cattle Technical Consultant for Elanco Animal Health. With extensive veterinary experience, Dr. Ayers emphasized the importance of strategic pest control across different regions of the United States. Parasites and pests pose significant economic challenges for cattle producers. Dr. Ayers highlighted that internal parasites, particularly the brown stomach worm, can cause substantial economic losses. The peak parasite season varies by region, with northern states experiencing high parasite loads in June and July, while southern regions face different seasonal challenges.Fly control emerged as a crucial topic, with Dr. Ayers recommending a comprehensive approach. He suggested using two ear tags per cow and one per calf, explaining that proper application helps distribute pest control chemicals effectively. Horn flies can significantly impact cattle productivity, potentially reducing calf weaning weight by up to 15 pounds, which translates to considerable economic loss.Ticks were another major concern, especially with the introduction of invasive species like the Asian Longhorned tick. Dr. Ayers recommended multiple control strategies, including prescribed burns in pastures and strategic chemical applications.The key to effective pest management lies in developing a tailored, region-specific plan. Producers should work closely with local veterinarians to understand their specific risk factors and create a comprehensive control strategy. Timing is critical, with treatments ideally coordinated with actively growing grass and specific seasonal conditions.Dr. Ayers stressed the importance of responsible product use, advocating for an approach that minimizes chemical application while maximizing effectiveness. He described this as using products "as often as necessary, but as infrequently as possible," which supports both economic efficiency and environmental stewardship.Ultimately, the goal is to improve animal health, increase productivity, and enhance the overall profitability of cattle operations through intelligent, strategic pest management. We hope you enjoy this interview with Dr. Ayers with Elanco Animal Health.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting
Rawhide Portable Corrals
Udder Tech, Inc.
Central Life Sciences

Clare Dunn, Singer-Songwriter

It was a lot of fun to interview Clare Dunn, Singer-Songwriter!Clare comes from humble beginnings, having grown up on a working farm and ranch in the Dust Bowl country of Southeast Colorado and the Oklahoma Panhandle. It's the Ag way of life that has shaped everything about Clare Dunn's music. From long hours of driving tractors, combines, and 18-wheeler trucks for harvest, and hauling water to cattle alone, from an early age, Clare's childhood music heroes included Waylon Jennings, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, The Rolling Stones, Merle Haggard, George Strait, The Eagles, Tina Turner, and many more. An artist who puts everything into their music, she writes, produces, and plays multiple instruments in her music. She defines her mission as always to do what's best for the song, all the time, no matter what. The outlaw spirit of rugged Artistic freedom is alive and well in her music, blending the sounds of her heroes with her own. Rural America is full of the most wonderful and generous people I’ve ever met, and that’s not just cause I was raised here. That was something you said at the DuVall Benefit Concert. I know you said that about a specific couple who had just suffered a tremendous tragedy, a tornado.
Clare was invited to Beef & Greet to perform before the dinner at the 808 ranch on Saturday night. She didn’t disappoint. The attendees were treated to the strong voice of one of our industry's strongest advocates.
Please take some time to appreciate this outstanding talent. You will learn that the heart of this country artist is filled with love for agriculture and the people who work within our industry. If you get the chance to see Clare Dunn live…do it.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
DMTC Consulting
Rawhide Portable Corrals
Udder Tech, Inc.