Last updated on March 4th, 2022 at 09:12 am
ranch advisory hub
jerry doan
Regenerative Ag Expert
Black Leg Ranch, ND
Jerry Doan is owner of Black Leg Ranch, a ranching operation homesteaded in 1882 by his Great Grandfather. Jerry and his family operate a cow/calf, custom grazing, farming and agritourism enterprise.
Jerry utilizes holistic management as he strives to improve the land resource and become sustainable, while improving the bottom line and quality of life for his family. He has utilized intensive grazing and cover crops to improve soil health, propagate wildlife, and reduce winter feed costs and other input costs. Jerry has presented across the country on these principles and utilizes Black Leg Ranch as a living classroom to spread a positive message on agriculture and to help other producers and the public learn about soil health and ideas to help economic health.
Jerry has a degree from Bismarck State College in agribusiness and from North Dakota State University in animal science. He has also attended Allen Savory’s Holistic Resource Management School.
dan larson
Ph.D. Cow/Calf Reproductive Physiology
Great Plains Livestock Consulting, MN
Dr. Larson was raised on a diverse hay and beef cattle operation in northwestern Minnesota. The family farm focused on purebred cattle, in addition to back-grounding calves. This upbringing instilled a passion for the beef industry, which led to a Master's degree from North Dakota State University in ruminant nutrition focusing on feedlot nutrition while managing the university feedlot for four years.
At the University of Nebraska, Dr. Larson received a Ph.D. in applied reproductive physiology with an emphasis on nutritional programs to improve reproduction in cow/calf production. With experience in cow/calf and feedlot operations, both large and small, Dr. Larson has a unique perspective of the beef industry that can easily be applied to animal production.
ross macdonald
Ag Sustainability Consultant
98 Ranch, SK
Ross works to make a positive difference in grassland & livestock management, improve & grow his ranching operation, and use his abilities to assist others in understanding grassland ecology & optimizing livestock management & production. Ross is a student of improved stockmanship, horsemanship, optimizing grazing management, selection for low maintenance cattle, and breeding for long-term resilience, rooted in grassland ecology.
98 Ranch Inc. is a first-generation ranch, owned & operated by Ross & his wife, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 Territory, Canada. The ranch is a cow/calf/yearling & grass-fed operation built on a foundation of rangeland resilience and low-input cattle selection. Cattle are selected to thrive under a variety of grazing situations with very little supplemental feed. The focus is designed to allow these cattle to generate profit through grazing and converting forages into nutrient-dense beef while facilitating grassland ecological function that includes soil health, increasing effective precipitation, grassland resilience, wildlife habitat & biodiversity.
grant breitkreutz
Soil Health / No-Till Expert
Stoney Creek Farm, MN
Grant Breitkreutz, a third-generation farmer, along with his wife Dawn, run Stoney Creek Farm along the bluff of the Minnesota River near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.
Over the past 20 years they have converted their conventional crop and cow/calf operation into a multi-enterprise regenerative family business. They run a minimum of a three-crop rotation, with cover crops incorporated whenever possible in their 100-percent no-till cropping system. They utilize adaptive grazing across their pasture systems and their farm fields. Grant continually experiments with cover crops to speed the healing across their acres. They have received numerous awards for their conservation efforts. Grant is active with the Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association and the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition.
ken stewart
Ranch Management Consultant
XL Ranch, WY
Ken and his family have devoted their lives to making their own herds and the cattle they’ve managed for others the best they can be. Ken believes it’s their calling, as cattlemen and cattlewomen, to do everything they can to improve the cattle industry through a blend of proper management, genetics, and the utilization of science. Through their years of experience in cattle ranching and ranch management, they've learned to identify what breed composition, phenotype, and EPD profile are optimum for any specific environment to produce the highest value product at a sustainable cost. They’ve used the parameters of DNA, strategic nutrition programs, and actual carcass evaluation, while never losing sight of practicality and functionality.
Ken's diverse experience includes management of large commercial herds in excess of 12,000 cows to smaller, yet very cutting-edge seed-stock operations of 500 head stretching across the Continental United States. Through his experience, he has learned that through being a steward of land and livestock, and responsibly managing these resources, the ranching lifestyle is better-preserved for future generations.
Today, Ken and his wife call Northern Wyoming home. Their passion for the cattle industry continues to grow and thrive as they grow their own SimAngus cowherd with their eldest son and his wife; together they sell their bulls in the Big Country Genetics Bull Sale (www.bigcountrygenetics.com).