Unlike a lot of other industries, we're not trying to outcompete other people. We're we're helping each other. We're trying to keep each other around and, I guess, you know, have each other's back in that manner. Welcome back to this ranching podcast. Thanks, Zane. I'd say you're probably our youngest salesman on the force. So keep up the keep up the good work what you're doing out there. Sam, if you don't mind, why why have you stayed in rural North America? What Yeah. I think the biggest thing for me and my background is it's it's been a legacy for my family where I was raised out, you know, in the middle of Eastern New Mexico and and West Texas area. I want my kids to grow up the way that I did and that my granddad and his granddad did before him since the civil war. Basically, my family So how many generations are you guys on that? Seven. Wow. Yep. Yep. I think that Riomax plays a vital role in, you know, maximizing our ability to, capitalize on what we have and make and make more with, with the land that we do have. We talk a lot about profitability with the tubs, but it for a lot of guys, it's like you're saying, it's almost more than just profitability from that standpoint. Like, you gotta be profitable, but what it profitability enables is the way of life and and that side of it, think, is I don't know what you'd say, but I think it's pretty important for for rural North America as a as a whole because there's a lot of people that could relate to that. It's everything. It's, you know, just to have the privilege to do what you love and, you know, make a make a good living while you're doing it and help people around you. Everyone talks about the declining cow herd and the the big corporate people stepping in and, you know, having the ability to to sit there and and, you know, have a solution for people's problems and then and a way for them to navigate just to kinda have an advantage overall. And so I think it's been phenomenal in that in that aspect. Appreciate that. What what would you say, Roper? I'm from Montana. So it's, you know, once you once you get a piece of Montana, you never wanna you never wanna lose it. Everybody wants a piece of it right now. So that's a big reason why I wanna stick around here and kinda stay in the ag world too. I wasn't wasn't raised in the ag world by any means. We didn't grow up on a ranch or farm or anything. So this is kinda my way of getting my feet into it. Getting into helping out ranchers, good people, hardworking people. And that's just my way of giving back to and trying to get into it. The dealership side of things, you feel you got ties in? Oh, one hundred percent. Yep. Yep. Yep. One hundred percent. And there's so much that people are missing out on up there. And so that's kind of what my dad and I are trying to do is get people up there to kind of understand the possibilities of what they can do for themselves. That's good. Sam, what just you're talking about the corporate side of things. What do you think in twenty years, North rural North America looks like? I think that if if we're not careful that we, you know, we're gonna see these these people that are completely unconnected to the land actually, and you see it more and more as people just, you know, use land. They've got a huge booming business and they use land as a as a maybe a tax write off more than they're not running it like a business. We're not gonna be doing as much as we could with the land that we have. I don't know about you but we even see it where there's there might be someone running the ranch. They they know how to run a ranch but their hands are tied because they're not the one that makes those. You know, there's a money guy somewhere that's making that decision that isn't actually enabling them to run the ranch properly. Right. No. We see that a lot with a lot of the large ranches in New Mexico and West Texas is they just call them out of staters. But a lot of people that own them don't, you know, they're not seeing what's going on from day to day, but they're tying the people that are seeing it, their hands are tied. It's really crippled their ability to produce what they could. That's that's one hundred percent how Montana's getting. We're we're a pretty place, so people want a piece of it, but they don't wanna work it. Of the of the kids that you went to grade school with, roughly how many of them do you think stayed in rural North America? Maybe ten percent. Seriously? Maybe five or ten percent. A lot of people are moved off. They may come back eventually, but that's just from where I'm at. And is that just to go to college and what have you or is that actually going to find a job somewhere and moving on? A lot of them go into the oil field where I'm at. So Okay. Yep. It's for sure check. You don't have to wait for it to rain. In my school, I see like probably five people in my class and, like, maybe twenty kids that, like, move out of country. Oh, wow. And it's making kind of effect. Yeah. Like, the whole family moved off. Yeah. Wow. What would you say to a young person who wants to stay in rural North America but like financially that doesn't? It's not for you if you're not willing to take a risk. But if you are, then if you're willing to risk it all for that, then the reward is more than worth it. Yeah, the startup cost is insane right now for a guy to buy cattle, to buy bred heifers or to get, try to buy land anywhere. It's harder than it's ever been or even own a house these days. And so I think that, you know, if you're financially smart and you're careful with what you do, you know, it can be done but you've got to really want it and be willing to risk a lot for that life. Yeah. I think the easy way out would be leaving rural North America. You know, it's kind of their escape to get out of it and get into the city or wherever they're wherever they want to be. And I think that'd be kind of an easy way out and the people that stick it out, I I think they have a true love for it. I just like passing this rancher stuff. This rancher's, like, ability to go down to kids like me or even other kids. Like, even, like, putting your kid in a tractor and just getting him to feel that this is, like, this is a good life. Yeah. Absolutely. No it's a good life, and we don't wanna lose it. Yep. You like that life? Yeah. That's good. What's one thing about living in rural North America that you don't think you can do without? You know, the people probably. You just you can't get these people anywhere else. You know, if you broke down the side of the road where I'm from, it's one every five car stops instead of one every couple hundred. In Montana and in small communities where I'm from, it's, you know, everybody and that's just one thing. And and the connections you make and the relationships you make can take you a long way. So I think the the relationships is what I'd miss the most. I would have to say that too. Like like, community ranchers in Utah that I grew up and went to school with, like, I would hate to miss them. Like, I can talk to them. I couldn't deal deal with them, and it would just change a lot. Yeah. I think the relationships are kind of the beating heart of the of the, you know, rural North America, and everyone's looking out for each other. And unlike a lot of other industries, you know, we're not trying to outcompete other people. We're helping each other. We're reaching out and talking. Everyone talks, you know, and talking about what's worked and trying to keep each other around and I guess, you know, have each other's back in that manner. That's where I think a lot of people lose themselves is whenever they get out of it. There's not a community like that, you know? Yeah. People don't. Yeah. They they lose the care for everybody and it's just they're walking through their lives, you know. And a face is just a face. It's nothing to you that where we're from. It's a whole lot more. Do you feel a certain sense of responsibility like it's on your generation to to keep it alive? I would feel like keeping it alive would be the best thing, like, generations. Generations after generations would make life a lot better. Even making stuff like Riomax to keep, like, ranching and farming growing, like, equipment, it would keep a lot of stuff going. I'd do a job interview with this guy. Is a sense of urgency and some weight on our generation's shoulders to not only prove that we can make this profitable and do it and enjoy doing what we love, but also not keep our secrets to ourselves, our programs and things that we're doing. But when we have something that works, getting the word out is important because there's a lot of people that are you know, going out of business and it's too hard. Not everyone wants to, you know, calve heifers in negative twenty degrees. People that are willing to try, I think that sharing our tools and sharing our programs is important. So Yeah. I think that's that's good. Is it because it isn't like you said earlier, it's not like we're competing with the next guy. If you can learn something from him and he can learn something from you, well then you can both get better as an as an operation. Give you a better chance of staying in business and making it profitable. You know, it's on our shoulders to not only keep it running in in the family, but also try to keep it away from, you know, the corporations. They're getting a big interest in it while while this generation's losing it. So not only are they losing it, but they're picking up a lot of land and putting a lot of people out of work. And I've seen a lot of generational farms just sell out for the first time in a couple hundred years, couple hundred years. And it's pretty sad to see it. But, yeah, I think we have a big big role to play. Sam, so how do you feel like as a as a Riomax dealer? Obviously, you guys are ranchers as well. You use the product. How do you feel like you can help someone, you know, as we said, with the different tools? We're not selling something that we're not, you know we've tasted the medicine in in a sense. And this works, and it's worked for us, and it has made tremendous differences in our profits. And I think that obviously the biggest thing is, unfortunately, money makes the world go round as much as we'd like to get away from that. That's the truth. And this works. We're selling it because it's helped our neighbors around us and it's helped us put money back in our pockets. I think it goes hand in hand with helping our community and everything else. Yeah. No. That's that's good. What would you say, Zane? And Riomax has been helping through a lot of stuff, like even plants for the cows, for baby calves, for lambs, for horses, and it's influencing a lot on everybody. Like I said, personally, don't have my own herd or my own, you know, forage to put it on, but I've seen it help so many people and help ranchers hit contracts that they've never hit before and and help people hit tonnages that they've never hit before. And, you know, just making the most out of every every inch of your operation goes a long ways and makes them feel good, but it makes me feel good too. Yeah. Because it's one thing as a company for us to to be able to work with guys like you guys. We're just sitting here talking. We've had the dealers here this week. And to be able to have guys that are in rural North America, working with rural North America and and helping rural North America. It's not just about selling a product at that point. It's about trying to help the guys around us. And at the end of the day, if there's someone that it's not a fit for, hopefully, we'd be the kind of people that would tell them it's not a fit for them. Alright. Zane, do you wanna do our send off? What do I say? Let's see. Thanks again for joining us. We'll see you next time.
AUDIO VERSION
Three young ranchers sit down to talk about the future of agriculture, family legacy, and why staying in rural North America is getting harder every year.
They discuss rising land prices, corporate ownership, startup costs, community, and the responsibility their generation feels to keep family ranches alive. It's an honest conversation about risk, opportunity, and why helping your neighbors—not competing with them—is still one of agriculture's greatest strengths.
If you've ever wondered what the next generation thinks about the future of ranching, this episode is worth listening to.