Grazing Grass Podcast sharing Regenerative Ag Stories

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Well, Todd,
we will get started with the fast five.

So to get started, what is your name

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So, Todd Barkley,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: and, and
Todd, what's your farm's name?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: You
know, we just go by Barkley Ranch.

And then we have A-A-L-L-C
that's Barkley's Homegrown, LLC.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, very good.

And where are you located?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Southeast Montana Baker, about

15 miles southwest of Baker.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: And what
livestock species do you graze?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So we sort of a diverse
mix of cow calf pear.

We have a spring and a fall herd.

our small herd or our fall
herds a little bit smaller.

It's, it's, it's growing in scope.

Angus predominantly, we threw some
galloway in on our fall herd just to have

some hair growing through the winter.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Yeah, we run stocker cattle too.

So we'll keep all of our
heifers breed most all of them.

And then the light into the steers.

But going with this fall program, we're
retaining all them as stockers and trying

to shorten up our spring calving season.

So we're not running many of
those calves over as stockers, so,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Or any of the steers.

Yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: And what
year did you start grazing animals?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So I'm I'm actually the fourth
generation on the ranch.

So I went to college, have an elementary
education degree, came home in 95, 19

95, and worked off the farm a little
bit, but, and worked with my neighbor.

And so started leasing the
neighbor's place in 97.

So I would say then, you
know, in earnest on our own.

And then we leased, we
leased the home place too.

And then in 2007 we
bought neighbor's place.

My wife and I did.

So, yeah.

So it's been a journey for sure.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

Cal: Welcome to the grazing grass podcast.

The podcast dedicated to sharing
the stories of grass-based

livestock producers, exploring
regenerative practices that improve

the land animals and our lives.

I'm your host, Cal Hardage and each
week we'll dive into the journeys,

challenges, and successes of
producers like you, learning from

their experiences, and inspiring
each other to grow, and graze better.

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For 10 seconds about the farm.

Wait before I go further, let me warn you,
it will be longer than 10 seconds today

for the farm and for the podcast, but it's
great stuff if you don't wanna hear it.

Just fast forward 10
seconds about the farm.

I started the year.

Wanting to do some ultra high
density grazing, and I can't get

to ultra high density with my
forage and the livestock I have.

So I'm just pushing that
weight limit to get up there.

So I did that for a little while till
I ran into some electric fence woes

I've talked about in the in the past.

Then at that point, I went
to some slower rotations with

one herd and the other herd.

Actually same thing, slower rotations,
but more like grazing in the sweet

spot like Tom Kravis, um, suggest
and wrenching like a 12-year-old.

So I've been doing that.

Then we belted hay and as we've
talked about, we builded a little

bit more hay than I planned.

And since we belted hay, I've been
doing rotational over grazing.

I'd like to say I'm always
doing the right thing.

I'm not, you know, you have to
look at your context, what's

going on in your world, and
decide what's best for that time.

And I've been doing
rotational over grazing.

I'm moving back into that
grazing in the sweet spot.

When I say rotational overgrazing,
what do I mean by that?

I'm still moving my cows by
moving them much slower a week,

10 days, even two weeks into a
pasture before I'm moving them on.

And when I think about moving them, I
wanna move them before that regrowth

starts, which is gonna be 2, 3, 4
days, depending on your weather.

Uh, in our area, about three days.

It's been nice and wet except it's
been, it's gotten drier, so I can

push that out a little bit longer.

But I've gone further than that.

So they are overgrazing some.

That's just the nature of the beast.

But that's okay.

Whenever you're managing your pastor
for, you want to do as much moving

as you can, but sometimes you have
to slow down for whatever reasons,

because moving your animals is
not the only thing you're doing.

So think about your
context, what's going on.

And I know I'm doing some overgrazing.

I know it's happening, I'm still
moving my cows a little bit slower, but

that's what I needed to do at the time.

So the big takeaway is you
should be moving your cows.

Move them as often as you can, and if
you, if you have to go longer than you,

like for a little while it happens,
but just move them at some point.

So that was longer than 10 seconds.

Karson.

For 10 seconds about the podcast.

Speaking of Karson, I had the
opportunity to go to Utah.

And visit Redmond Agriculture, see their
operation go down into their salt Mine

that a few other people there as well.

A couple of note that you may know.

TDF Honest Farmer on Facebook.

He runs a conventional dairy.

If you're not following
him, you should follow him.

And then Jared Luhmen from Ranching
Returns, he was out there, really

got, enjoyed the time out there.

I wanna thank Redmond for
that opportunity, just getting

to see what they're doing.

Getting to Jared and I talked a lot
about podcasting among other things.

So it was a really good time.

I really enjoyed it.

And I wanna thank Redmond for
giving me that opportunity.

If you're in Utah, they do mine
tours, but it's not very often.

You wanna get on their website and
check it out because it was really cool.

We went down 600 feet and in my
experience, going in a mine, I'm a

little big, but they have excavated.

I don't know if that ceiling
is 50 feet, 60 feet high.

It's crazy amount of room, but I
do have some photos that I'll be

pushing out on social media as well.

So you want to catch those and again,
over 10 seconds, but That's okay.

We're gonna go back and talk to Todd.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Now it sounds
like growing up you did not necessarily

think you were coming back to the
ranch, or did you think I need to get

a off the farm job so I can ranch?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

You know, no, actually through high
school, 'cause our place was at that

time, average size, but we farmed and
ranched and my grandpa went into CRP.

So you know how that sort of
dislocated a generation, right?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
that's a conversation all itself.

But I worked for a neighbor and he
was also a school teacher, and I

always wanted to be in production,
agriculture not necessarily the

other aspects of agriculture.

And so I thought, well, wow.

He could teach and be in
production agriculture.

So, I don't know.

You remember the, the eighties
and nineties in agriculture

was pretty tough, right?

And so, you know, we went to college
and I, I did get an elementary

ed teaching degree, came home
and, that's a funny story too.

Got one job, little local community.

They had kindergarten, roundup,
no, kindergarten showed up.

So my sixth grade position got
bumped 'cause the kindergarten

teacher went all the way up, you
know, they just bumped 'em up

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

So I was hired and fired all
at the same time, you know.

So, then, but the ironic thing was,
is we had a terrible blizzard in 96

a spring blizzard and my neighbor was
getting old, he lost a pile of cattle.

He came to me that spring and said,
Hey Todd, do you wanna lease my place?

I didn't have the heart to tell him
that I'd already taken a teaching job.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
but I'll lease it.

'cause I thought I'm gonna do both, you
know, 'cause it's a neighboring place.

I mean it

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
all on the west side.

And so I said, yes, they had
the kindergarten roundup.

Everything just worked out as planned.

And and then in 2007, we bought.

Bought the farm, this ranch.

So, yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
Did you end up teaching eni?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: You
know, so a lot of pre-service, or not

pre-service, but substitute teaching.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And
then a couple, the teachers chil or

their kids babies, and so I'd take
their class for six weeks, eight

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

Yeah.

Doing the maternity leave.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
But I really, I really enjoyed it.

And so on with what we do on the ranch,
you know, a lot of what we do, we,

we try to tie it back into education.

'cause they are both of my, you know, both
of my passions, education and agriculture.

And so, try to, we try to open
our ranch up as a, as a learning

opportunity for the younger generation.

And some of what we do are
enterprise units trying to bring

the younger generation back.

I think Eco or, or e Shepherd is, is
one of those enterprise units to try and

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, maximize.

So, yeah.

And with the greenhouse, you know,
we have a, a geothermal greenhouse

with Barclay's, homegrown, just
all those little things we do.

even in our process through our
grazing all enterprise units.

'cause it was a way to get me
to fit back our ranch because

it was smaller and I was trying

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
trying to make ways of, of increasing

our numbers while still keeping,
still keeping our, our, our grass

healthy and increasing, right.

Regenerative, making
something poorer better.

And so through that journey, you know,

it's, it's been a journey,
let's put it that way, so, yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: O One thing
about that, Todd, that jumps out, it

doesn't mirror my journey, but there's
a lot of commonalities with my journey.

I went, I left the farm.

To get a animal science degree
because I wanted to dairy, but I

actually thought I needed to get a
job off the farm so I could do it.

But because of life circumstances, I came
home and dared with my folks and then

we sold out in 99 and then I'm looking
around thinking, what am I going to do?

I have this passion for agriculture,
but I was also in love with education.

So I went back to school and got
my early childhood degree and,

and I taught, I was in schools
for a little over two decades, but

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Okay.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: all the
time trying to figure out how I

can do the farm and do it and,
you know, it makes for long days.

But, you know, education does have some
of those advantages that you mentioned.

Some of the hours, I hate to say
they're shorter, but it is eight to

three physically there, but there's
still lots of after hour stuff.

It's not a, it looks better on
paper than it is in practice.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Well, yeah.

And, and, and similar to the ranch,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
is always on the kiddos

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: is.

Yeah.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: It's,
it's funny because when I pre-service

taught so many years ago, I actually
have a custom combiner right now, and

he was in my fourth grade pre-service.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So
when I student taught, he was a fourth

grader, him and his twin brother.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, cool.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, life does a full circle.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: it does?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and
when I talk, you know, like at, at

a, if I'm a keynote speaker at an FFA
chapter or something, I just tell 'em,

I says, you know, there's only 2%, or
maybe less than 2% of us that are lucky

enough to be in production agriculture as

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and operators.

But man, we rely on so many
people that are involved in the

agricultural side that, that have
to have a knowledge of agriculture.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
important that, that, that, you know,

when people think of, of, of agriculture,
they just think a lot of times of

us, but man, we're only 2% of it.

There's 98% of the other
population that we rely on.

And,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
yeah, sales auctioneer, I mean,

it just, the list goes on.

So I really encourage for FFA and four H
to just get involved in sales and service.

There's just so many aspects of
agriculture and, and, and for me, I

was not interested in that so much.

I, I did want to be in
production agriculture.

I knew that.

And, and so, and it worked out,
and I was sort of aggressive when

I came back from college because.

the, when the place went back into CRP
and we'd cut our cow numbers back and

my dad become sheriff and my grandpa was
working off, you know, it could have been

so easy for them to just sell it, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and
I, I just started, I started doing some

electric fencing to, you know, water
pipelines and just, you know, trying to

utilize stuff that wasn't utilized before
just so I could just, and they let me,

I mean, that's another huge part too.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh it is.

Yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And, and yeah.

So that's, that's sort
of how our journey began.

And then by doing some of that and,
and realizing that to get maximum or

potential outta some of this, you gotta
start figuring out how to conserve water

and this, that, and the other thing.

So, yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
You, you mentioned electric

fence and moving animals.

What brought that idea to you?

Where, where'd you get exposed to that?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah,
so when I came home from college in

95 or 96, we had a, Ann Fisher NRCS
had just come to Baker as the DC and

at the conservation district, or na,
natural resource and conservation.

And was really a soil health

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Hmm.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: know,
that that's where her passion was, right?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
so, so it just, it just worked out

that we sort of, you know, she had
worked in North Dakota for four or

five years before she came to Montana,
and she's from Dickinson originally.

So she was pals with Gabe Brown.

Jerry do, I mean the
who's who in regenerative

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Neil Dennis from Canada.

I mean, so, so she introduced us
to them, clear back in like 98, 99,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
20, 25, 26 years ago.

And, and then we have some pretty
neat people around Baker too.

Like, Banister from Webo the
boom and bus system and, and and

twice over gravy grazing with Lee
Mansky outta North Dakota State.

And so in order to do a lot of
that stuff, you have to, you

have to make pasture sizes down
and our place is sort of unique.

We're in the northern Great Plains, right?

And so a pretty intact native system.

But we're also, and when I
talk about our grazing systems,

every ranch is unique, but

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Mm-hmm.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
we're still within the 60

mile buffer of the railroad.

When they, when they gave out land, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: so a
lot of this country was farmed because

the homesteaders tried to prove it up

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and it

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
poor farm ground because they

could only use horses to pull
through sand, not gumbo, right?

So, so.

You know, a lot of stuff going
on, A lot of opportunity to

fence, but, but no water either.

That's another

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Mm-hmm.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
is a lot of times our water's

a thousand foot deep, didn't

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
back in the day.

So, you know, learning the importance
of water spread, you know, getting the

water spread out throughout your ranch
and then be able to go in with electric

fence and, and just make smaller pastures
and increase your cow numbers by that.

Yeah.

So, back in the, the late nineties,
early two thousands, went in, you

know, introduced me to some of that.

I just thought going,
wow, okay, you know, I can

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

Yeah.

In talking about water, just let's
talk just a little bit about your

environment you're working in.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: right.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: What kind,
how much your precipitation, what

kind of growing season do you have?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
yeah, so you know, we're nine to

10, 12 inch rainfall, and when I say
that I have a friend in Iowa that.

In 45 years of his farm and
he's only had two failures.

Well, in my 30 years we probably had 15.

Right?

So

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
a, it's a boomer bust.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Mm-hmm.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
mean precipitation is just crazy.

growing season, basically from
the 15th of May the 15th of July.

But we're in a pretty unique spot
where we have about 50%, warm season

grass and 50% cool season grass.

I mean, there's a nice mix here.

It's not,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: a
short, we're a short grass prairie, but

but we do have a nice mix of, of, of
warm and cool season grasses in Forbes,

in our native, in our native population.

So, I'd say if, if we're putting
cover crops and stuff in, we want to

be, we want to have that stuff seeded
by Father's Day, you know, the 20th

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Not much later.

'cause, 'cause that's.

the end of our, what I'm gonna call
our monsoonal season, which is two or

three inches of moisture in the spring.

Then usually July, August is pretty dry.

In

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
a little bit more moisture.

But yeah, so, so we when they say take
half, leave half, a lot of times, you

know, that's our, one of our drought
buffers, like we'll leave half 'cause

maybe the next year we won't get any rain.

You

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
lot of stuff with six inches of

moisture, but it's gotta come
at the right amount of time.

Right.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And
if we don't catch something in March

and April, as in a snow February,
March, April, or even November,

October, November, the year before,
our drought triggers are already

starting to, to kick in a little bit.

So yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: when
you talk about forages, you're,

you've got some warm season
natives, some cool season natives.

What?

What do you predominantly have?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: You
know, so our western wheat grass, green

needle some of the, grandma grasses
oh, we have some pretty sand reads.

We, we have some of the, blue stems,
but not so much the big blue stem.

We

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah,
you're too far north for that.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
a little bit too far

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Now
we're, we're starting to, in some of

our pasture seedings, we are, we are
trying to get blue, big blue stem in,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yep.

But we'll have, we'll have
sand blue stim and yeah.

And then some grandma,
like side oaks, grandma.

But yeah, so that's, and
then a bunch of Forbes.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: dau, my
daughter is actually a range scientist,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
she is much more in tune with

the names of all of them.

But yeah.

But

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Uh

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: but,
but really a short, really short grass.

I mean, it's, it's three acres
a cow a month on a traditional,

on a traditional grazing, right?

So a nine month grazing season, you want
27 acres just to run a cow calf pair.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: oh.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Now that's, that's traditional.

So if you get into non-traditional
like we're doing, then, you know,

of course that's how a person can
increase their numbers and, and

still do good by the grass, so,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

That gives you, that, that increases
your productivity, gives you a

little bit more wiggle room, but
you're, you're in there about that.

27 acres per cow, which is just,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yep.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: it's hard
for me to fathom, to be honest.

I'm in northeast Oklahoma.

However we do have family
from Amarillo, Texas.

We go out there for family reunions
and I go out there and I'm like, I'm

not sure how you all feed a cow at all.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Right, Yeah.

Or look at these a hundred, 800,000
acre ranches in Nevada or, and it's like

they're running a hundred cows, you know?

So, and you know, and saying that where
we are, it's our topography, or our

is like a Ridge Valley, Ridge Valley.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And
these, these storm systems follow,

you know, that and we lease from some
people from Georgia, they're awesome.

But they, they have a hard time
fathoming just within the county, how

different like production can be on

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and stuff, you know?

And land is not land, you know, equal
acre for acre, dollar for dollar.

Rent for rent.

And that's been an interesting journey
too, explaining that, I guess it

polishes me up on why we do what we do

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, how we could do what we do.

So, yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: You,
you mentioned there earlier,

you mentioned cover crops and
seeding of some species in there.

For instance, the blue stem, are
you doing a lot of cover crops?

Are you doing a lot of
over seeding or anything?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, so when we do a cover crop,

it'll be a full season cover crop.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
yeah, we, because like I said, a lot of

times through our growing season, we're
limited to about five inches of rain.

So it's really hard to
do it as a second crop,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

' todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
cause we're not, know, if

we take like a, especially.

Well, the warm season grass is,
if we get lucky like this year and

catch some August, July, August
rains, they can really do wonders.

It's just that like 30% of the time we'll
catch a July, August rain, the other

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And you know, it costs just as much

to acre to put them in as you know.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
But yeah, so like we farm a couple

thousand acres and so I'll put
200 acres of cover crop in there.

And I think that's really this
journey through regenerative

agriculture when we started, and I,
you know, it's a grazing podcast,

but you can make quite a correlation
between the farming and the grazing.

'Cause we've always measured organic
matter and stuff in our crop ground, just

so we knew what the fertilizer was, right

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So
we have a pretty good baseline on how

that works and when we start looking at.

Organic matter out in our native
range in, in some of our tame grass

pastures, we haven't done that as much.

But in my journey through regenerative
agriculture, I found right away

that we had to retain that moisture
that that was a game changer.

Two inches when you're only
getting nine to 12 is 20%.

And if you can,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: you
can get that to hold in that ground.

So when we started doing the
no-till, we gained from like 0.8%

organic matter in our fields.

'cause they were 50 50 crop fallow.

We went from 0.8

to 1.8.

We gained that 1%

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And then
it took us a long time to get to the 2.8%.

And you know, if you, if you
go by university studies, they

say, oh, you can't build a.

A percent organic matter takes 10 years.

Well, the old fashioned way it does.

But then when you, when you bring Gabe
Brown and some of these guys in and using

the livestock and cover crops, you can
create that dynamic and really speed the

process of building that organic matter.

'cause you're building it from the
ground up instead of from the top down.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, right, right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
that's why we've integrated cover

crops because we gained that 2% organic
matter then we were sort at a stalemate.

We had to do something different.

We had to, we had to just create
a, a, I don't know if you've ever

listened to Randall Cunning or Randall.

I watch him on, I watch some
of his podcasts all the time.

But like these major events that,
that, that, that piece of ground

would never have in a thousand years.

But you do that and it's just amazing how
that, how that ground responds to that.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
like Neil Dennis and he passed away.

He was outta Canada, a grazier.

Oh.

It's just a fantastic resource.

And anyways, he called it his
deep massage when he took a

bale and didn't roll it out.

He just, he just sat it there and
let the cows come in and graze it

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: on
areas that, that just, he thought needed

attention and gave it that deep massage.

And yeah.

So these cover crops aren't
really the deep massage, but

they add that extra, that extra.

And there's 16 species cover crops too.

So they got all kinds of

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: 'em.

And it just, it, it does,
it gives that stimulation.

It'll be interesting to see in the
next two or three years if we can get

that half a percent organic matter

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
a lot faster than,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
the 20 years it took us to

get the 2%, you know, so,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: So, so when
you have, so when you're not raising

a crop on a piece of property and
you put a cover crop in, you're also

integrating livestock into that?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yes,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And a lot of times, we'll

do some swath grazing that.

So we'll go in like about now because
a fair amount of that is warm season.

there's some millets and sedan grasses
and some sorghums in there, then we got

peas and lentils and, there's some brass,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Radish turnips.

So, we'll actually, we'll actually
go in there and swat that down and

let that regrow by, by swathing
that down and windrowing, it'll

lock the nutrient levels into that.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And and then, you know, the warm

season grasses and stuff, if we
do catch some rain, it'll regrow.

So we get a double factor in that.

And the regrowth isn't so much for
the up above, but it below, you know,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
to, you know, and yeah.

And then we'll winter graze,
we'll, we'll, we'll winter graze

that through the winter yeah.

It's just, it's just sort of one of our
stockpile forges, I guess you would say.

You know,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

Moving away from forages just a
little bit, let's talk a little

bit about your cattle and the
journey they've gone through.

So I, I believe you said mainly
Black Angus, and I'm assuming that

was your base 20, 25 years ago.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
You know, it really wasn't.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

When I come home our, our cow herded
you know, we had some Taree, we

had just a whole bunch of stuff.

There just wasn't a direction.

So when

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: The
majority of the cattle were black.

But I wanted to build the cow herd.

And so I started AIing and
I started putting sex semen,

heifer semen in my cows.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
because I wanted to, I'm a

firm believer in epigenetics.

Okay.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
believer in these, these cattle

that are raised on your place.

They're used to the grazing.

They're born on your place.

So just wanted heifer calves,
so I'd put heifer black heifers.

Seing in, then we'd clean
up with Hereford bulls.

I knew exactly what was AI bread
'cause they come out straight black.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
were baldies.

so I did that for about seven years and,
and got a nice good foundation, cow herd.

And then then we went, we still kept
the Hereford bulls around, but we

went to bull breeding, you know, and
so that was sort of the, and we were

March calvers, middle of March calvers.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and,
and then when we started doing the more,

well, we started building our numbers.

We started building our herds.

We took on this extra ranch.

We took on a couple other ranches.

You know, we, we got up to 3 50,
400 head of mother cows and went

through a couple really rough marches
and thought, you know, we're not

doing our justification to the cows.

So then we went to the
middle of April cab.

And when you have your epigenetics
and your cow herd built for middle

of March calving, and you go to
middle of April calving, that sort

of throws 'em off a little bit.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

I can't imagine so.

Mm-hmm.

Right,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: right?

So hence my fall calving program, right?

Because I was taking a terrible
amount of fallout and I just

couldn't rip the bandaid off of
all those years of AIing and stuff.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And
I thought to my, and I couldn't have

June calves, if we have June calves
in Eastern Montana and we're a hundred

degrees, like for 10 days in a row.

It just cooks in little calves.

I mean, they just, stu it just
stunts 'em like a blizzard would

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
So I thought, you know, I'll cal, I

still cal the middle of April I want
to be done by the 1st of June, and

then I'll take those cows that don't
breed and I'll throw them into my fall.

Into my fall herd.

Right.

And then I'll

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
in November to calve in, in August.

Matter of fact, we're, we're
just getting, our fall calves

are just calving right now.

And yeah.

So, and then of course you hit droughts
like in 2021 and, and you get to sell, you

know, 30 or cows just to stay in business

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, right.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
we're, so we're we're not quite at

our full capacity with cow calfs
yet, but we are retaining more

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and stuff.

But

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: and through
that, sorry, Todd just through that,

so when you were AI and you were
AI into Angus Bulls and then you

were using a Hereford cleanup bull.

Now I think you mentioned once you
even stopped with the ai, you kept

those Hereford bulls on, did you bring
in Angus bulls at that point too?

Or were you going for a black Baldy.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Nope,
we, we brought in the Angus 'cause I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: females,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: So
your black bodies were your,

your terminal cross basically?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
were my terminal cross.

And then we would sell them.

We'd keep them and breed the heifers.

'cause I mean, the Baldy cow is the
queen of the pasture around here.

I mean, they just got a
lot of stuff going for 'em.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: But it's
pretty hard to sell a may cabining heifer.

then we would keep the May
having baldies in our own herd.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
we always run like a 55,

60 head Baldy herd too.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
our best cows,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
our best cows.

Right.

And then in, and then in 2021 when
the, when the drought came, that, that

was our first swing herd, you know, I
mean, we got rid of our stalker steers

and then we ended up having to get
rid of our, our ball lee cows too.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and
then my son actually leased a place over

in North Dakota when he was, he still
had a year left of college 300 cow place.

He couldn't say no, he
wanted to finish college.

And so we bought a bunch of Ma, Jude,
Calvin cows, and then I sent the Hereford

bulls over to them on them batten cows.

And then I just start,
stayed straight black.

Yep.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

And then in our fall, our fall
herd because we, you know, we

get 50 below in the winter time.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: straight

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: see the maps
and when you guys are getting that code,

I'm like, stop, don't come further south.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Right.

So, so we're A three B.

You know, if you're looking
at like growing zones, we're a

three B, which is cold, you know,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: cold,
you know, and so some of my concern

going into winter with baby calves,
so we actually brought some Galloway

bulls in and and I'm, I, I put 'em
in on my spring herd too, 'cause I

want to get some half blood bulls

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
for my own uni.

But you know, they have the second
most dense hair coat next to the

bison, which is pretty interesting.

And you know, we fight flies.

Insects up here too, and that double
hair coat sort of protects them

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
for some of that stuff.

So if, you know, trying to get away from
the fly tags and everything like that.

We're only into it.

We haven't, we haven't we bred our
first heifers this year, so we're

only into it about three years.

And so it's interesting to see.

It'll be

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: how are
you liking it up to this point?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So
I feel sorry for 'em in the summertime

because they have that here in the
summertime too, and it gets pretty

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: I, you
know, to be honest, Todd, I feel

sorry for everyone with hair.

You know, just some of
us are blessed, but,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: go ahead.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
yeah, yeah.

But my daughter actually, we just
had our fair and she had a corridor

Galloway four H steer, and they did the
ultrasound and I mean, it, it won or was

in the top three in the carcass data.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, very good.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I have a
really good friend from Iowa, the same guy

that's only had two disasters in 45 years.

He comes up bird hunting.

He buys my calves oh three or
four or five times through the

2015 years that I've known him.

And, and he says, you know, you gotta
get that Galloway thing out of your head.

He says, they're just 150 pounds
lighter than everything else.

Bart likes big cattle.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Well, and
actually that's one question I had.

What's it do to your size?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
yeah, so I'm a firm believer in

moderate cattle, but I'm also a firm
believer in, you know, the further

north you go, things get bigger.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

Yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
nature, right?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

Your whitetailed deer.

Will you compare a size of a buck here
to what's getting harvested in Montana?

It's different.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and then even from here to Canada,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
150 miles is huge.

And then you look at our grizzly
bears compared to Alaska's.

Brown

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: so
when we start talking smaller cattle,

and I, and I do have a, a smaller
than average cow herd, but that's

another reason I brought the Galloway
in, is to get some bone structure.

I still think you can have a smaller
frame cow, but you better have some

substance to their bone and stuff

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
our environments.

And I think that's why the black Baldy cow
is such a queen of the pasture up here.

You know, Hereford has
that nice bone structure,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and
you put that with the Angus cattle and

it's just, you know, and so, so the
Galloway and I tried to buy on the bigger

side of the Galloway, they're black
Galloway, they're not the belted Galloway.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: when
I was searching, was searching for

bulls that had a little bit more frame
because my cattle are, are small enough

framed, you know, like every four or
five years when we're preg checking my.

guy that I have preg check has a
scale and will weigh every cow.

And in the fall consistently,
they, they average 1225, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
1,225 pounds.

So, you know, we have some bigger
ones and some smaller ones, but

you know, that's a, I think that's
a pretty nice size for round here.

And, and I like hair.

I mean, I like to watch Greg, Judy,
I mean, I've, I've learned a lot with

Greg, you know, just watching him.

But, and I like our cattle to
slick off in the summertime

too, but they gotta have hair,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah, yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
have hair going through the winter.

But,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
but yeah, so, you know what's funny

is these, these, these cows weigh
1225, but Bart will get those.

Those steers up to 15, 15 50.

I mean, he'll get 'em big,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, and, and like I said, he

has about 40 30 Galloway steers in
that bunch, and he just says they are

a hundred, 150 pounds lighter, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: But

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: They
go out the end of this month and, and

he's gonna get carcass data on them.

So we'll just see, if they look
smaller, how they do, you know, 'cause

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: along,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
That'll be interesting.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: they
have a, they have a thinner Rhine of

fat, so they should actually yield.

All right.

But,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah,
that, that, that'll be interesting

to find out and see how that falls.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: side,
on the great galloways are, are browsers.

I mean, they, they will
mimic wildlife more than.

You know, I think that that's
why they work out pretty good

on homesteading situations.

' cause

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
they'll, they'll browse on the brush,

they'll bbr, you know, and with all,
we have a lot of Forbes and you know,

if I can get them to eat 20% more
of, of the sage brush of, of just the

brush in general, you know, that's just
increasing the value of some of those,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So, yep.

It'll

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: When,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: It's
just, it's a work in progress, you know.

I'm not a hundred percent sold
on 'em yet, but I sort of like

what I'm seeing with them.

Yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

And, and if you, you never try anything,
you're never gonna find this out.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Well,
and if you have a DHD like me, you

have to try something all the time.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
it because, you know, I, I love, I

love trying new things, you know?

It's just, yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: With the,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
me going, I.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: oh yeah.

With the thought pattern to add, Galloway,
did you, were you knowledgeable enough

about Galloway and you thought, Hey,
Galloway's the one I wanna go with, or did

you look into some other breeds as well?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Yeah, I, so I looked into some other

breeds and you know, Johan Zeman,

in reading his book you know,
and of course he's in a,

in a tall grass situation.

So, I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
all, you gotta put this all in context

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Do,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: on
just where, on where you live, right?

I mean, I'm not gonna tell Angus
Cattle to go to Texas where it's

hot and, I mean, or, you know,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
but yeah.

So I did study what I thought would
fit in our environment better.

You know, Galloway was actually a herd
that was pretty predominant up here in

the sixties, you know, and then Angus
came in and sort of, you know, and

more the, the higher production, the
yada, yada, yada, whatever Angus, you

know, did sort of took Galloway out.

But if you, if you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: the
te testimonials back in the sixties

and seventies, you know, the Galloway
did some pretty fun things or pretty

neat things for some of them herds and

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

And so that's why

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Did.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
on the Galloway.

I guess I, I didn't want to get, I
didn't just want to get too exotic, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Do you?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And,
and, and they had the bone structure.

They had the hair.

They, they, they had,
they had some carcass.

If, if you were careful which
ones you, you sort of selected.

And one thing that.

They, there's just not any
substantial herds of Galloway.

So when you're starting to pick, you're
starting to pick outta some smaller herds.

Everybody knows everybody,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, y yes.

Yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

But yeah.

So I, I just didn't want to go
Simmental know, I love the Hereford,

but I wanted to stay black.

I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: polled.

And you know, I have some half blood
bulls that we actually use this year.

So the quarter bloods, I'll be
really interested to see, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And,
and I still, like, I I, I only have

four of the Galloway bulls and I have
16 of the Angus or 18 of the Angus.

So it's not like it's a huge, you
know, and I, I'm breeding I I'll

breed 80 head of fall cows this fall.

And so, and that herd won't get Angus.

They might get some of my, my
crossbred bulls that I've bred,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: but, but

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
going to get straight Angus.

They will, them little calves
will have some hair going into the

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: one
thing interesting, last winter was

the first winter that we wintered 'em.

Okay.

And we had some June cals and those
little calves on their cows, on

the cows come through the winter
better than our weaned June calves.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
So my theory or my philosophy last

winter anyways was proved right that
we just don't need June calves that.

That, and maybe if I would've kept
them calves on the cows, you know, all

winter, that would've been different

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: But,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: just
having that cow be the, be the hired hand

for that calf all winter, that is huge.

You know?

And yeah.

Yeah, so,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: well, Todd,
I think that's really interesting.

I'm, I'm excited to, to observe
and see what you find out

going through that process.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Right.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
like the, the galloways.

I got a couple of belted, Galloways,
but boy, they were so small and,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Hmm.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: and
I don't know how they were.

I hate to call him a traitor,
but a, a guy that goes to sell

quite often ended up with him.

I bought 'em off him then they just
didn't grow good for me and I ended up

selling them and not Kevin them out.

And I kind of wish I would've just
closed my eyes and kept them a little

bit longer because I, I do have a
half belt of Galloway half South

Pole that I'm really proud of her.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Okay, so, I had one of these first

bulls I bought start to get a long toe.

Now, I don't know, but I
wasn't gonna breed with him.

And he was young and he's a,
he's a Zan cross, which is

phenomenal carcass, supposedly.

And I put him on corn for 250 days and
he was a two and a half year old bull.

And I butchered him and it's
like the best beef I've ever ate.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And he, and, and his, his

hanging carcass was 1200 pounds.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
yeah, he got big.

And you know, it'll be interesting,
like I said, to see, but, and those

two bulls I bought out of Minnesota
and they were a little, smaller framed.

Then I wanted, and so the other three
bulls, I bought out a roundup and

I went up and looked at his cows.

I didn't look at the Minnesota cow
herd, but the blades out Roundup I did.

And you know, I'll bet you his
cows average 1,250 pounds too.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah, yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and, and like I said, the bone

structure is pretty impressive

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Mm-hmm.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: No

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I
was told, yeah, they got sort of a

short, short, stubby neck, you know,
sort of a big head and you know, some

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: they do.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
like going, oh, have fun calving them.

And you know, we've had some
calving issues, but for the most

part, no different than our Angus

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
decides to keep 'em in her belly a little

longer, they're gonna be a little bigger,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
it's just sort of how it is.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
Well, very interesting.

Todd.

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cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Todd, I'd
like to shift gears just a little

bit and talk about virtual fencing.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: oh yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Now, you decided
to make the leap into virtual fencing.

Why did you even think
about virtual fencing?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Well,
so we started doing some, well, 20

years ago we, we, we started fencing
our native pastures in half and in half,

you know, with, with barbed wire fence.

And then we went to high tensile electric,
we started cross fencing even more.

And then we started doing polywire

just like everything, because when
you want to make an impact, you just

gotta, you gotta change that up.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: this,
this short, short duration, high intensity

grazing, well, for one thing, I tried
to run my herd in one herd for about two

years, two or three years when we, when
we first started with the, with the, the

heavy fencing and I, my water system.

I just was not gonna handle it.

We

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
sickness, you know, I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
blaming some of my breed out on that.

split the herds up.

Well, when you split the herds up
you still wanna stay under seven

or 10 days of grazing per year, per
pasture, well then you gotta start

sorting your pasture or, you know,
separating your pastures up to smaller

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: that.

and so then that become
pretty labor intensive.

Hired to, hired hand to do it.

you know, had been researching
defense for the last five years,

so we've been researching that.

My son thought, man, wouldn't
that be a great idea?

So in order to manage our.

Four herds instead of the one big
herd or five herds with our yearlings.

We started, like I said, we
started doing the poly fence.

Well, that gets pretty labor intensive

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
factor can, can kick in

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
Right, because when you,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: you're
doing a fence, I'm doing a

fence, maybe a eighth of a mile.

I'm assuming your fences
are a little longer,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

Like a mile,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right?

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and, and
that's why we went and we put in a bunch

of high tensile, you know, electric just
to cut that distance to a half a mile, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and,
and So when you start doing that on

five herds and you can rotate that, so
you can do one herd every, each day.

You're not doing it every day.

We're not on daily moves, but that
still gets to be pretty intense.

And and then we have a lot of ash draws.

Which is unusual in our part of the world.

Trees are a premium.

And so we have some canida
thistle and some burdock.

We have some noxious weeds and we've,
you know, we talk about epigenetics.

Our cows will actually graze.

We've taught 'em to graze.

They've taught their young
ones to graze that stuff.

But we have a lot of draws and we
used to just pretty much focus on the,

on the draws that we had to come in,
in the fall before we ship calves.

'cause you load them up with burrs
and stuff and that's just, ugh.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
That's in the winter.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
we had a lot of draws in amongst

our crop land that, that needed,
that needed to be treated.

But man, to do that with vir or
with polywire, just, and we have

white-tailed deer and elk and
you know, and a moose, right?

When you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
agriculture, I steal the.

The, the, like, if you build it, they
will come moniker from Field of Dreams.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Right?

Like when you start building some
of this stuff with regenerative

agriculture, you're, you're, you know,
the fresh grass, the more grass, the

cover crops, the all this stuff, know,
the elk might've been floating through

anyways and the moose might've been
floating through anyways, but all of a

sudden when you start making this thing
better, they just stop and they stay,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
so, so, so anytime like on a

regenerative site, they'll, they'll
put something unique like that up.

I know.

Alejandro had a bird that he
hadn't seen forever and I put

on there, if you build it,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: know?

Because I do just think that that is
really what regenerative is about.

So anyways, we have that stuff.

Well, when you have temporary fence
next to a corn field and you have the

white tail and the elk and the moose
running through it, and now all of a

sudden you have your cows in there.

So it was like, okay, what do you do?

Well, finally E Shepherd is is
the one that we, we settled on.

We were looking at halter
and Vince and No Fence.

and, and I'd narrowed it down between
Halter and, and E Gallagher or E

Shepherd through Gallagher and I, I
met with both of their sales reps.

You know, and we used some Gallagher
product in our temporary fencing

and you know, they've been a
fencing company for a long time.

And I just, I guess that's who I went
with, you know, and I'm happy I I did.

But it has allowed me to go
up and down those woody draws

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

And, and if people are, you
know, wondering, I think I posted

some of 'em on my Facebook page.

You can see some of the pastures I
built that follow, those woody draws up.

And I have pictures like
next to a alfalfa field.

Next to a oats field.

And you can draw a line

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
cattle were grazing opposed to not.

I mean, that fence works.

And in their program you can,
you know, you can see how many

times they get the beep and how
many times they get the shock.

And, you know, after three weeks of
having them on, they respect that.

That beep 96, 90 plus percent of the time.

And you wonder if that other
small percentage of the time

they're just getting bumped
or something by another cow,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: they're,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
grazing up against that line.

So, yeah, so, so, you know, we did that.

And guess one of the downfalls
is, is we got rid of our hired,

we did get rid of our hired hand,

just to sort of offset that cost.

You know, there's some, there's
some grants and stuff available

for them, but we didn't do that.

We wanted to do this first 150 head.

We just went ahead and
bought 'em on our own.

And so we have three herds on them yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Did you,
have you changed your grazing practice

any as a result of putting those on?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: well,
so we've shortened some days up, right?

On some of our pastures.

And of course we're, we're
grazing stuff in the summertime.

That would always be,
winter be our stockpile

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: you
know, because our crop ground, we don't

have square, eighties and squares, you
know, they follow the contour of the

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
So there's a heel top out here, you

farm around the heel top and you
know, that's just our geography,

geology of, of the ground.

So, so yeah, some of our stockpiled
forwards that only got grazed in the

winter time and a lot of times late in
the fall because we didn't want to expose

our calves to the burdock, the burrs,
you know, so we'd, we'd do that later on.

We're grazing them now.

So there's a, there's a huge
benefit to a season of use change on

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: ground.

I mean ground that's hasn't been grazed in
the summertime for maybe five generations.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh wow.

Yeah.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: now
starting to get grazed this time of year.

So that's huge.

in, in soil health, you
know, changing that up.

And so that's where like a
lot of our snow is caught.

'cause we have wind too.

We just don't get the 50 below.

we get the 50 below with the
30 mile an hour wind too.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah, yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
so a lot of our snow ends

up in those overflow areas.

Right.

Or in those drainages.

And so if we're trying to graze
them in the wintertime and you have

five foot of snow piled up in there,
well you don't get a lot of grazing,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
when we started go to April

calving, that sort of was nice.

'cause by March or April, a lot of
that stuff is starting to melt out.

Right.

We'll get some use out of 'em.

But, and there's,
there's a lot of winners.

We won't even be able to use our
stockpile forage because all of

a sudden we're in there cropping
and the cow's gotta come out,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
unless we gotta a cover crop

or something like that in

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So
these, these fences are amazing for that.

I mean, 'cause the the section 27 that
we have, we lease it from a, from a

lady from Georgia there is, it's a
640 acre pasture and it has 1, 2, 3, 4

draws that run the full length of it.

And they funnel into Coon Creek
that runs, runs by our ranch.

And so, you know, if I was to
put temporary fence on that, it'd

be like seven miles of fence,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: And
yeah, so, so we've actually, this is

the first year on there and it's just,
it's worked out really, really well.

And of course we gave the callers
the test right off the bat.

'cause there's trees and there's,
went with the callers that are

direct to the phone satellite.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: put,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: cellular collars.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yep.

We didn't put the base stations on our
place, which saved us about 10,000 bucks,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Which was, you know, we, it costs

a little bit more a month for the
monthly fees to use them, I mean,

you have to have cell service, right?

And in this particular section,
there's parts of that that

doesn't have cell service.

But we're fortunate enough where the
water is actually has the cell service,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Has that
been a problem in those areas

where there's not cell service?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, so what I learned when

I'm switching pastures like I'll
go out and maybe set a alfalfa bale

out where there's service, right?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, you

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
entice 'em up there.

So

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: so you, so
you want 'em to go back in the service

area so it gets the new data, new
data sent down, and then they're Okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

And then, yeah, and then, you
know, I don't have the computer

program figured out as well as I
should, and there's some glitch.

You know, there's some things that
I think the Gallagher's gonna figure

out that makes it easier for us too.

You know, it no.

were talking about our education,
you know, in the nineties, that's

when the first computers came out.

Right.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

Huh?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
how they've changed.

And I,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: We're,
we're very early on virtual fencing.

It, it will, there's a lot of growth,
a lot of adaption, a lot of changes.

That'll be coming

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: a

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
in the next 10 years.

Next five years,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
in the next five years,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
sometimes you'll go to these

conferences and these people will
go, oh, just give it five years.

Well, when you're in your fifties, you
don't have a lot of five years left.

Right?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So
it's like, well, I'm not gonna wait

five more years, I'm gonna do it.

And you know, and, and one
of the things that, that was

holding me back on Gallagher.

Was the size, the footprint of 'em.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: a,
it's a pretty good size collar, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: it is.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And and I just thought, wow, you

know, what, how is that gonna work?

And, and we are having a little
bit of an issue with them right

now, it might be a fitment problem.

'Cause not all the cattle have it,
but they're starting to develop a

lump right in front of the collar.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: know if
it's because that collar gets to swinging,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and
then bump some, and you get a bruise,

and then that bruise starts into a,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
into a bump.

Now for me it's not a, it's
not a game changer yet.

I'm thinking that maybe I made the, the
ones that have it a little bit too loose

so they get to swing in a little too

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And I think what's happening is

they're fighting flies some too.

And so they're, when they're,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
And that's contributing.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

And I think that's contributing to it.

And, you know, we're, we're trying
to be as regenerative as we can.

So, so we've eliminated some of the fly
tags and fly control just, just because

we're sort of dung beetle fans, right?

We

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right, right.

Yeah.

Do we like better?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: beetles.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
the fly or the dung

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: You

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: are

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I'm
gonna have to take the dung beetle, right?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So,
but I think, you know, like I said,

we're in the front end of this and,
and if we don't experiment with it,

and if we don't find some of these
problems, how are they gonna fix 'em?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
problems are gonna be there, so maybe

in the systems in New Zealand where
there were dairies and they went

out and maybe they have some, you
know, pretty heavy fly control there.

So maybe they can make
that footprint smaller.

I mean, that's one thing Halter
has is a smaller footprint.

I mean, you know, I was, I was sort of
looking into halter, but you know, I

needed of stations that were expensive.

Hope, and you know, I hope that
there's some companies that are

just as good or maybe even better
than Gallagher, so the price down.

Right.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
a good thing, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

You do need some for innovation, for
pricing, because as you talk about the

size of that, as we look at technology,
you know, in the eighties, early

nineties, we would've never dreamed
we'd carry a computer in our pocket.

You know, it, it, it's gonna
be interesting where this goes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
everybody asks me, you know, well,

when I sat on a panel or, or you
know, what's the, what's like, what is

the biggest influence or, know, what
makes your operation so doable now?

And I say, well, it's GPSI don't
care whether it's these e callers

knowing where these cattle are.

I mean, I can go on my cell phone right
now and, know, bring up my cow herd

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and I can tap on that cow herd.

And we're Calvin right now.

We're Calvin.

So I, I see a cow that's off by herself.

I can tap on her little button and it,
and it gives me your name, you know,

I don't know if you guys can see that,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: know,
and so that's my woody draws and you

know, you can see my virtual lines and.

You know, this cow's off by
herself, large green tag 30 58.

Well, what's the chance
she's out there having a

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
You know,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: have to
send Molly out there, my wife, to see it.

So,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
but that's all GPS, you know, and

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
sprayers, my, my tractors, my everything.

You know, it just saves on fuel,
saves on, you know, just, well,

instead of having to drive out and
check these all the time, I can

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: on my

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: if
I'm in Billings or if I'm somewhere

else at a convention, you know?

So, Did, did.

So, so, yeah, I I think a lot of the
stuff I have to do on my computer

that's not on the phone app, you know,
and maybe eventually they'll make it

to where I can do it on the phone app.

But, you know, my, my son in North
Dakota, 60 miles away, he has it on

his app so he can check the cows for

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and my wife.

I mean, it's unlimited amount of people
that can have it on their phone, and

I suppose that's why they have it, you
know, so, so somebody's not messing

with changing your pastures and stuff.

I can shut my, I can shut the callers off
on individual animals with my phone, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Okay, so
like if you need to, to get an animal

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: sh

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: or something.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yep.

If I'm out there and I need to get a

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Mm-hmm.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
or something like that,

I can shut him off, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and, but
you know, another thing that's cool about

this is I had, so when we weaned off the
fall calves, cows this spring in March.

We separated them for a couple months.

Well then we put these
collars on in June, right?

And in order to get way I wanted to
graze, I threw them herds back together.

I threw the calves back in
with their cows, but the

cows had been drop, dried up,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
two months.

And, but I needed the numbers.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
So I put 'em back together, 'em

out in the, this draw that I just
showed you, where there's just a few.

And about two weeks ago, I'm thinking,
man, I need to sort them, I need to

sort them calves off of them cows.

So there's only one water
spot in that pasture, right?

So I make a pasture, I make a
a pasture around the water tank

for the yearlings and around the
water tank for the cows, okay?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, okay.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And when they came to water, the

yearlings stayed in their pasture
and the cows stayed in their pasture.

So I sorted my yearlings off without even
having to go out and physically do it.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So, and then when we first, you
know, they want you to train 'em,

so they're in the training and then
I moved them to this pasture and I

had to go down a mile of County Road
and we, we were branding that day.

So I opened that road up, sort of got
'em to that corner and I had a wheat

field right alongside that road and they
moved themself to that pa, that pasture.

'cause I had had it fenced off
of the wheat field and my little

nephew came out and he goes what
are them things on their neck?

And I said, well, they're my efe.

He goes, well they must work
'cause them cows are sitting there

looking at that wheat field and
they're not going into the wheat

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So I, so I made the comment, I moved.

It's my cows without a $45,000
side by side, but with $45,000

worth of collars, you know?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: you
know, by the time we got them, Brandon,

the other bunch of putting the collars on
the other bunch, they had moved themselves

to the pasture that they needed to

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I mean,
so the potential of these callers is just,

you know, use your imagination, right?

I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I
have a hundred head of my, my heifers

that I breed, and then another 250
head of cows that aren't on 'em yet.

So, but I envision that
they will all be on 'em.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
Well, that's my next question.

Do you plan on expanding
those to all your herd,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: your animals?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Yeah, I I really do.

I because like I said, in the regenerative
aspect of it, I need to, most of our

pastures were not in more than 10 days.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
For the, for the whole, for 365,

and then we'll rotate them pastures.

So sometimes it might be 400 days
they're ever in that pasture again.

Okay.

We are a believer in,
know, taking it down.

We can't get to all them in my growing
season yet, but I, but I'm envisioning

with, with these collars that maybe
I can, I can skim graze through, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: But I,
like, I go to a lot of the, a lot of the

seminars and tours and, and you know,
that's one thing nice about regenerative.

It's not a recipe book, you know,
you can, so I like to take a

lot of these ideas from a lot of
different graziers and Banister.

Out of Weebo, he's getting up there
in age, but you know, he has a boom

bus system and he'll graze stuff like
a fire, like, you know, he wants,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
graze it all and then he, he

monitors the road ditches.

And when that pasture gets up
to the road ditch height again,

then he'll graze it again.

And sometimes that's two years, like
you'll be 750 days, 700, 800 days

without going back into a pasture.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, and so imagine

the epigenetics on them.

Cattle, you just can't
take cattle in and do that.

I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: herd up

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: years.

And but when I was trying to get my cows
to eat candida thistle and burdock, you

know, I thought, you know, Ray, Ray does
this, you know, and it's almost like you

having a kid eat broccoli, you know, once
they take a liking to that, you know what?

They search it out.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and
it's funny, I'll turn my cows into

new pasture with candida, this or
Burdock, and that'll be the first things

they go to a lot of times, you know?

And so, so yeah.

So I think I thank Ray for that.

And also, you know, we have 50, 75
different species out in our pastures.

I mean, mother Nature, and they're
native, a lot of diversity.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
in order to get that pallet

adjusted to some of that's just,
sometimes you'd have to do that.

So

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Mm-hmm.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
on what, you know, right now,

even the way we are, we're split
up into like 42 pastures, right?

With the permanence.

And right now I will take one
of those pastures and I'll just,

I call it the ray treatment.

I'll just go in there and I'll do that.

I'll just graze it down

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
cows eat everything.

They, they, they have to eat everything.

And that pasture might not get
used for two years, just like Ray,

but you know, we got 'em down to.

or a quarter section.

I mean, we have two full sections
that are half section pastures, right.

Them are our

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: but
everything else is quarters or less.

So even if we don't have to touch
one of them for two years, it's

not like we're taking a huge
part of our, our operation, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And, but I try to take one of the most

diverse pastures I have that have all
the grasses in 'em because, you know,

little blue stem, some people around
here like, ah, little blue stem.

But you know, if we catch a heavy
dew this time of year or rains or

snows in the spring and softens,
softens that plant up and the cows

just, they'll take that over alfalfa.

I got

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: know,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and so, so yeah.

So I guess that's part
of that Epigenetics.

Epigenetics and Latin seed
bank are, I guess, two of the.

that I really, really like.

'cause we have a lot of native
bare ground too, and we have a

seed bank for eons in some of that.

And just try, try to stimulate or
stimulate that to get that to grow.

And so, yeah,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: It, it'll
be exciting to see, just jump back

to those ecos, seeing where, where
those ecos end up in five years

and what you can do on management.

Because as we think about management
and managing grass, we're, there's

things I want to do, but I don't
have the time to go out and do 'em.

The ecos for E Shepherd or the other
brands give you the capability of doing

some of those management things that
you have some limitations for whatever.

For right now, it's time.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah, I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and, and
like I said, you know, you gotta enjoy it

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, you do?

Yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And that's just all there is to it.

You're not gonna be good at something
if you don't enjoy doing it.

I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yep.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you will be, but for one or two years

and then you'll be done with it.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and you know, that's another thing

too with Gallagher, you don't
have to have a lot of numbers.

Alright?

A lot of these other organizations
companies, they want you to have volume,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Gallagher down to Forehead, know, they

want to ship you a box of four collars
'cause that's what they come in.

And, you know, through our, everything
that we're trying to do for our community,

is important to get these smaller sized
places involved in some of this stuff.

I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
good friend in Colorado.

She's a, they homestead, it's Marygold
Ranch or Marygold Farms, and she goes,

man, I just love to be out with my cattle.

But it is getting to be,
you know, pretty burnout.

And it's like, you know, try the collars,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: this
regenerative egg or this regenerate

is huge needs to be done if we can't
do it time or, you know, it's hard to

get out there when there's a blizzard

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: to get
out there when it's raining or it's hard.

You know, some of that stuff is limiting,
but if you're sitting in the house on

your computer and you can change it in
the rain, you can change it in a blizzard,

you can change it however, you know.

Yeah.

then those of us that like change
or like to do things different, you

know, we could even find different
things and different ways of doing it.

Within the system,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: just use

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and it's there.

And, and the support network support
network with Gallagher is there.

You know, Cheyenne Lamby
is my sales person.

She checks on me once a week, just
sends me a text, Hey, how's it going?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, they can tell when you're

struggling with your pastures too.

You know, especially right off the bat,
they monitor you pretty, pretty good.

I mean, they can see your ranch.

So I got a couple techs out.

Was it Kansas City?

Is that where one, anyways,
like, so how's it going, Todd?

how'd you know I was struggling here?

You

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

You know, and they're always
asking, Hey, you know what,

what, what can we do different?

I mean,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, I'm, I, I, you know, I

put in, you know, it'd really be
nice to be able to edit a lot.

pasture that's going, you know,
because the camera, like, I've put

in some water facilities, in the last
year that don't show up on my map.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And so I'm actually in A CSP where

I'm doing seven day moves, right?

And, and I can't, I can't find, I can
still drive with my, you know, with

my app and it shows me where I'm at.

But to get precise with that,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
it, it's, it's hard.

So it'd be nice to be able to edit an
ongoing pasture because in order to

edit, you gotta shut that pasture off.

Well, when

That pasture off, then
they can go anywhere,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: oh.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: But,
but you can copy you, you can copy

that pasture and just move your lines a
little bit and then start that pasture.

And once they're all.

It all checked into the satellite,
then your existing pasture shuts off

and then the other pasture goes on.

It's just that then you have
a bunch of little dotted lines

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
it's, it's

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
I mean, very doable.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: And

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: but

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: early in that,
in that technology, it'll get there.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
I, I think, it's just gonna be, if

this is where we're starting out,
it is just gonna be crazy good

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

Exactly.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
already crazy good.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
just gonna be that much better.

I, I, you know, nothing ever goes
down they can, if they can monitor the

cost little bit, but, you know, if you
really want to think about it, the cost.

If you, if, if they will last seven
years, I mean, they're only warrantied

for three, but they figure a five
to seven year life cycle on them.

gall, I mean, and that's another thing.

Gallagher has a good, solid product.

I mean, they're, they're, their, their
regular fencers are a good, solid product,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So if
you divide that 240, $50 over the seven

years, you know, it's 35, 40 bucks.

And then the $2 a month that I have to pay
because I have the direct to satellite,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, it, the cost factor if you

start putting all that stuff together
is, is really comparable to halter,

if not actually a little bit cheaper.

And yeah I, you know, there's a couple
cons I told you about the, the bumps.

I want

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: honest.

Everything that I had fears
of before I bought 'em have

actually come into fruition.

I mean, I've experienced

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
I like that.

One thing that's nice about having
that big system is when they

get pulled off, like we've had
'em get pulled off in the draws.

Right.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
You can find them 'cause they're big,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and they're

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
so they show up on your phone if,

if they're within the service range.

So like, that's a challenge on mine.

bounce off, they get
service every 10 minutes.

So say they're in service and
then all of a sudden they get

outta service and lose it.

So then you gotta sort of figure
out where that 10 minute, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
when you're searching for it.

But you can narrow that down too.

And we

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, we, yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: one.

And a matter of fact, they, and now
maybe this is just my experience, but

they said, as long as you can send
a text, you don't even have to be

able to make a phone call with your
phone as long as you can send a text.

they're getting service with their
caller where I can't even send a text.

So I,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
antenna in their caller

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
in my phone, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

That's, that's good to know.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I mean.

That and the redundancy like we have two
different companies, Verizon and at and

t that have towers in whichever tower is,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: is
closest or better is what they do it on.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, very good.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
so yeah, I'm a, I'm really sold.

The other, the other 350, 400 head
will have 'em on it eventually.

It's

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
I financed this bunch on my own

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
like, I do, I do have a, you

know, I do the NRCS thing.

I, I do have some grants out there.

WWF World Wildlife Fund, they
have a, a, a a, a grant process

for the Northern Great Plains.

'cause it is one of the
most intact in the world.

I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: it's,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
what is it, 135 million acres

of 90% native, you know, so.

So, so there's some
grants available there.

I just, I said, this first 150 head,
I just, I just wanted them, you know,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and so I did and, and

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: I,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
it's funny, my son he's 28 he's,

you know, he's pretty, you know,
progressive into some of this too.

But his old dad check him out
before he was gonna buy 'em.

And I'm

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: oh,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: now,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
I thought you were supposed

to try the new stuff.

And the dads were supposed to

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

Well, I'm trying to convince my dad
we need them, but I haven't got,

I haven't got him convinced yet.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: T Todd,
it is time we move to our famous

four questions, same four questions
we ask of all of our guests.

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cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Our first
question, what's your favorite grazing

grass related book or resource?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So, you know, I got this book
at a, at a seminar and it's

Man Cattle Inve by Johan Zeman.

And though he's in a different
environment than we are, know,

the philosophies are the same,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you know, match your

cattle to your environment.

And, and so I, so I, so I do enjoy
reading on that, but I think I get more

of my information on podcasts such as

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: or on,
I, you know, I belong to a couple groups,

EERA, Eastern Montana, regenerative
Ag Group, and I bel, I am on the

Montana Grazing Lands Coalition Board.

I'm one of the

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: on that.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: so
we sponsor a lot of tours and, and

symposiums and, and I think in just
our modern age, you know, so many

resources out there that are available.

And then.

I've been pretty active with NRCS and
some of these regenerative groups.

So even on our ranch, you know, we've
had Allen Williams on our ranch,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: You
know, I mean, so, and that's what's nice

about regenerative too, is like, you
have a question, just call somebody.

Right?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and
so I think other than the books, I,

I really do think podcasts like this
or, or symposium, seminars, keynote

speakers, you know, Ann Fisher in at
NRCS introduced me to this 20 years ago.

And you know, she's in Alaska now
doing her NRCS thing, and I'm sure

she's, she's motivating some young
kids for soil health up there too.

But, but that journey, know,
introductions to, to, you know, Gabe

Brown, I said, Gabe came to Baker in.

nineties, early two thousands,
you know, Jerry do with the Black

Lake Ranch out of North Dakota.

At that same seminar we had
Neil Dennis Outta Canada know,

looking at different breeds.

I, Dr.

Christoph Weeder outta Canada, hope
Alberta is now, or Hope British Columbia.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
just, it's just really nice to,

to visit with these people, you
know, one-on-one Eka Carter County,

which is just to the north of me.

We had Alejandro Carillo down here,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and what a fantastic resource,

what he's doing in Mexico

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: on,
on the desert, you know, so, so I guess,

yeah, in short, just not any one thing.

I just, I just really like
the, the resources that are

available that are out there, so.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

And you mentioned some excellent
ones, but also beyond that, there's

lots of resources out there once you
just start looking and finding them.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I
mean, if you're interested in it, just

Google it and you're gonna find them,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right, right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
or you're gonna know somebody that

knows somebody, or you know you're
gonna talk to somebody that'll

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
you into it.

So, yeah.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Our second
question, what's your favorite

tool for the farm or ranch?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
Well, right now it's probably

gonna have to be the e fence from

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh, yes, yes.

Well, very good.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

You know, just think that the potential
in that is, is there, you know, the

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
just the GPS potential of everything.

I think that's exciting right now, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
probably, know, my favorite tool is my

cows, without the cows, you can't do it.

Right.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: exactly.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and,
i, know, our Barclay's Homegrown, we have

a, we have a little sign or a a t-shirt
that says it's not the cow, it's the how.

Right?

I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
even if you have cows, you're

still not maybe doing it right.

You know?

I

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: have
that how, you know, and and I think I,

I, that's sort of nice about regenerative
too, because you benefit from that is

actually in production on your place.

It's not a sales, it's, you
know, like organic or grass

fed or something like that.

You know, all your reward is
coming from selling that product

as organic or as grass fed.

But, you know, through
regenerative, you know, you're

increasing your carrying capacity.

You're increasing your
You're in, you know, it's

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
game, you

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and, if you do a great Judy style,

it's all in savings because you
don't have a lot of capital expense.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah, yeah,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: I
mean, you, you have a four wheeler

to unroll your hay with or, or you
don't even hardly feed much hay.

But when you're stuck in a zone three
in northern month or the northern United

States where you need a tractor sometimes
just to get your kids to school, know, so,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
little different there.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

You know, and then I gotta give
a shout out to Chad Peterson too.

He's out of Billings.

He's originally from Nebraska, and
maybe you've heard of him and maybe not.

But you know, he really changed
my mind or changed my attitude.

A couple years ago our Eastern
Montana Regenerative Bay Group had

a tour on his farm of it's east of,
east of Billings, about 20 miles.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And, and he grazes, yearlings.

And, you know, he said, what's your
major, most expensive, or, you know.

What costs you the most on
your ranch and it's the land.

And, and, and he has a philosophy on to
increase production per acre on that land,

but it's using inputs, it's using some,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
feeds and stuff.

And, but his, his saying is, you
know, I might be only 70% as pro

profitable per, per animal, but I'm
running three or four times as many.

So that's like a 210 or 280% return.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And he does the buy, sell.

It was just a really wide opener.

'cause sometimes we can get into this, oh,
you can't, you can't processed food or you

can't use tractors, you can't use this.

But it doesn't matter if
you have a hundred head of

the best cows in the world.

If you're trying to make a
living on a hundred cows, you're

probably not gonna make a living.

need to find that way to make that living.

And

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
bringing some stuff in, you

gotta bring some stuff in.

But you gotta be.

know, you, it's gotta
make sense too, don't get

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: But

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: yeah.

So

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
No, totally agree.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
been a huge, you know, a

huge way of thinking for me.

Yeah.

So,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Our third
question, Todd, what would you

tell someone just getting started

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
do it, just do

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: do it.

I, I like that.

Do it.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
do do the Nike.

Don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid to do something different.

I'm not saying that Molly and I would've
been able to buy this ranch that we're

on doing some of the practices that we're
doing now, because they're different.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
it, it took me, took me quite a bit

of convincing to get my dad sort
of bought into some of this stuff

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: and I
have some ranchers that pretty much think

we're nuts or some neighbors, you know,
I always like this saying too, I sort

of thought this one myself, you know.

We live in a neighborhood,
but we belong to a community.

our community is the
regenerative ag community.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and we gotta be friends and

we gotta be good neighbors.

But you know, when we start
bouncing some ideas off of stuff,

we gotta go to that community.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: I
think that's an excellent point.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

When you're a young person coming
in, find that community for

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
Find the community.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

Find the community and, and, and sometimes
that community is absentee owners.

know, there's a

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
pe, a lot of these ranches and we,

we own or we lease from some absentee
owners that are really fascinated

with regenerative agriculture and
with what we're doing with the

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
grazing with some of these tech, some

of the stuff that, that the, the stuck
in the rut five generation rancher

that's still 75, 80 years old that
you have a potential to lease from,

but you might not be able to because.

Because he just thinks
what we're doing is so

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
different, you know, and

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and they've been successful through

the years, but, but the younger
generation, just get out there and do it.

There's people out here
like us that'll support you.

There's people like us out here
that are doing some things that will

make your, make it easier for you to
find an enterprise unit to come back

onto your, your relative, your dad,
your whoever's ranch and, and, and

try to find that 40, $50,000 niche
income that, that makes it work.

And yeah.

So I say just do it,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

Excellent advice,

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: 'em.

Oh, we need

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: right?

We do, yes.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
let that one point half

percent get to a half a percent

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Right?

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and it feels like it's going that

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: And
and it does feel that way.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
we were sort of guilty doing

that when we first started out.

Molly and I are doing, what six we're we,
we we're doing six neighbors stuff, right?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
And it's like, wow.

If, if we keep doing that,
where's our schools gonna be?

Where's our town gonna be?

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: know,
so, you know, so we brought in the

greenhouse, we brought in the fencing, we
brought, you know, just the diversity of

crops just as enterprise units to try and
set an example on maybe what you can do to

add value to your existing place instead
of now starting to pick up other ranches

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
and other ranches.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: And lastly, Todd,
where can others find out more about you?

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

So, Facebook, I guess, and Instagram
Todd Barkley and my wife Molly

Barkley, she's my right hand man.

You know, she's really active, so we post
a lot of stuff about the ranch on that.

And then Barclay's Homegrown on Facebook.

That's sort of where
we market some of our.

Product.

And then we have a geothermal
greenhouse, but we'll put a

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
on that too.

And, greenhouse is an observation
and regenerative, we're trying

to do it regenerative, organic.

We're not organic on our other place,
but the greenhouse is small enough.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
livestock in there, by the

way, are toads and earthworms,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Yes.

There you go.

Yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
livestock in there, but they're a

little different type of livestock.

But, but yeah, that's sort of fun.

And and just, you know, I'm not,
I, I don't have the scientific

names, like when you listen to
some people, but I do observe.

I, I just, I love to observe how
mother nature reacts to things.

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
has really given me an insight

on, you know, even how our crops
and how our pastures react,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Oh yeah.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: So,

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921: Well, very good.

Todd, really appreciate you coming
on and sharing with us today.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921: Yeah.

Well, I appreciate it, and, and
if you're ever up in Eastern

Montana, stop in and say, hey,
and, and I'll show you the ranch.

How's

cal_1_08-22-2025_075921:
W it sounds perfect to me.

I'll have to do that.

todd-barkley_1_08-22-2025_065921:
All right.

I really enjoyed the
conversation with Todd today.

Obviously, using Galloway Bulls on
Angus cows to get a little bit more

hair coat for winter protection is
very interesting to me because when we

think about these breeds, they've all
got traits that are, they're better in.

And there's traits that
they're not so good in.

So go out and find that breed that works
for you or works for what you want.

Todd wanted more hair on those calves as
his thought pattern is that it'll help him

make it through winter in better shape.

He went and picked out a
breed that's going to do that.

That's one thing I miss about
that I don't like about the

consolidation of livestock breeds.

All these breeds were developed
in a specific area with

specific traits for that area.

And we don't wanna lose that.

So I really appreciate what the, you
know, livestock Conservatory does and

other organizations across the world that
do to save these endangered breeds, as

well as we've got all these other breeds
that we shouldn't make 'em look alike.

You've heard me get on this
soapbox about black cinema.

Anyway, the, the other thing
is e Shepherd, I am fully

interested in virtual fencing.

I think it's a game changer.

I think it's going to allow us to manage
animals in ways we couldn't manage 'em.

I think especially for those of you
that work off the farm, gives you the

ability to to move cows much quicker.

And also you can pull up that map at
any time and see where your animals are.

I really like that.

Uh, I am very interested in it.

I think I've mentioned it on the show.

I have not convinced my dad of it yet.

So, and then you get into the debate,
halter leases, the collars, um,

e Shepherd, you buy the callers.

Then you've got fence and no fence.

So all very interesting.

It's important for us to research
those and see how they're working.

So I was really excited to get someone
on that's using these shepherd collars.

Uh, we had Joel on a few episodes ago,
but he, he is not gotten to the point.

Todd is with the collar, so it'll be
interest to see how that progresses.

I hope you enjoyed it.

If you have questions about virtual
fencing, hop over to the Grazing

Grass community and post them.

Obviously, I don't have too many
answers for 'em because I've not used

them, but we've got members in the
Grazing Grass community that have used

virtual fencing, so post your questions
in the Grazing Grass Community and

we'll have a discussion about it.

Cal: Thank you for listening to this
episode of the grazing grass podcast,

where we bring you stories and insights
into grass-based livestock production.

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