#6 Superb Adapted Genetics and Better Pasture with Matt Robbins

I wanted to invite Matt Robbins to the show because I knew his journey is going to motivate you and push you to the exact steps you need to take action.

He has superb genetics, better and leafier pastures, great body condition in his cattle and work/life balance.

You see, after doing rotational grazing (all kinds of it) since 2001, he has been doing Total Grazing for 2 years and just this recent year he has implemented what he has learned in the program. 

Without those things that he learned he wouldn't be able to be where he is today. He was missing a few critical things that really improved the productivity of the land, the health of their cows and their own wellbeing. 

Want to know what they are? Listen to this great podcast episode with Matt. He shares what were the most important steps he had to take to get the results he now has.

I asked him what he wanted to say to people who were in the fence about enrolling in the program and this is what he said, "Save yourself all the time that we did since early 2000 trying to figure this out. Dive in with both feet! You will not regret it. Your soil will improve, your forages will improve, your animals will improve and your quality of life will improve. "

Total Grazing Maximizer is NOW open for enrollment! If you want to have similar results, I would encourage you to enroll now.

Enrollment closes on Thursday, Oct. 21st and space is limited. Save your spot now here: https://www.rwranching.com/enroll

If you are interested in Matt's genetics, you can contact him at +1 479-234-1695.

Highlights of the episode:

[2:00] We have been doing Total Grazing for 2 years now and this is the first year that we did it implementing things that we learned in Jaime's class and without those things that we learned in Jaime's class, we wouldn't be at the point we are today. 

[2:19] We were missing on a few critical things that greatly improved the productivity of the land, the health of the cows and our own wellbeing as well. 

[2:56] We tried all the different rotational grazing types, "take half, leave half", the "take a 1/3, leave 2/3s", I mean you name it, we've tried it.

[3:11] What it ended up ultimately resulting in was poor, poor, poor quality soil, we had a high interplant spacing, and broom sedge that was popping up.

[3:23] The weeds, they became an issue again. And it was just the opposite result of what we were looking for.

[3:43] I really don't see how that type of grazing, could really work, especially after doing Total Grazing compared. It's just a night and day difference.

[3:59] This is the second year with Total Grazing, first year using the things that we learned in your class. And we ran out of cows, we need to double, easily double our stocking rate to be able to make effective use of our forage.

[4:28] And we are going to end up being on 40 acres for almost 60 days by the time we are done with it. It is pretty incredible.

[11:10] It is not overgrazing if you give it the appropriate amount of rest. And that's key, the amount of rest.

[11:20] What we've seen when we tried the other forms of rational grazing, the cows will go through and they'll pick out the very best plants and will graze them down to the crown.

[11:29] You do this enough times and eventually, the desirable plants are gone sop you are left with weeds and undesirable plants and sedge and your plant spacing just continues to grow so by taking everything evenly you encourage your good plants to grow, go ahead be fruitful and multiply and discourages your less desirable plants.

[11:53] So taking that grass down evenly and giving it the proper amount of rest is the biggest difference vs doing like a third graze or half graze or whatever else.

[12:14] If you clip that plant down, it's not trying to support that stem. It's able to send out new leaves and it is even better than it was before, it's a pretty magical thing. It's really a magical thing.

[14:00] Those animals have done extremely well at our local market. They’ve almost topped the market a few times. They’re really good calves and in our area. 

[14:26] You can always adjust as your market is required, but adapted genetics is really really key to what we’re trying to do here.

[17:01] So that just allows us to know that it was okay to take time off for yourself. You know we’ve always worked and worked and it just made such a huge difference on the animals, especially the ones that may have been lagging behind just a little bit. Our conventional English animals, it helped them go ahead and be able to maintain some body condition. It was really big for us too, just to have that time off to be able to spend with family and to recharge. And it made, during those four moves, so much easier during the week, because you just weren’t just dreading it like we had been the previous year when I was doing it every day of the week, 365. That time off for the animals and for itself is really important.

[17:54] (Jaime) You already told us that you have your whole herd on 40 acres for 60 days s19o that you have more time for yourself. Your cattle are doing better, in better body condition. You have more stockpiles than ever and you expect to go without hay, if there is no ice of course. What else can you tell us, is the land improving? Are you getting more leafier forage?

[18:33] That land is definitely improving on top of all those things you mentioned. And something we’re really excited about, we’re seeing some native grasses returning on their own, especially the Indian grass and big bluestem. Those are just volunteering on their own showing up and we’re really excited about that. It’s neat to see without any assistance, freeing the soil properly.

 [19:21] A 30 by 30 patch of that bluestem that just showed up all on its own. We might have seen it there before so there is something magical about that amount of rest that you give the land and then utilizing it fully and then giving it that rest again.

[20:05] We’ve done all of that conventional stuff that guys go through with the heavy equipment and everything else and you know we’re down to just one tractor. We don't have any hay equipment. We don’t even have a brush hog and we don’t put out fertilizer anymore. We’re not spraying anymore.

[20:24] And this year, the big problem in the south was armyworms. Our neighbors were hit with armyworms really badly. We weren’t, we didn’t treat armyworms.

[21:38] (Jaime) So what will you say to somebody on the fence about learning this course?

[21:45] I’d say do it! Jump in with both feet, don’t have any reservations. If you’ve been trying the other rotational grazing programs and just not seeing the results that you expected, do it. Just don’t hesitate. Do it. Save yourself all the time that we did since the early 2000s trying to figure this out and just dive in both feet. You will not regret it. Your soil will improve, your forages will improve, your animals will improve, and your quality of life will improve.

[24:40]  I will say this winter we had one of those historic events that they say and we had sub-zero temperatures for a solid week and our full-blood Mashonas was shown as they survived that, no problems.

[25:38] (Jaime) I am very proud of you, because you have unlearned and you have relearned. And that’s very hard to do. 

[28:32] We’re using the information from your course, so we’re not trying to dilute what they are, by any means. Because I think the majority of cattle in the US have been really messed up by man’s selection process.

[28:39] And that’s something really special about the Mashona, is they’ve not been ruined by man’s own selection process, where we think we know better than nature. We intend to keep them that way and not ruin them the way that almost every other breed in the US has been ruined.

 [28:58] (Jaime) I think you’re doing the best. That’s the way to do it, because you’re going to create a composite that will be easy to sell. You’re doing a composite the best way.

 [29:24] Thank you. Thank you. We’re working on it.

 [29:26] (Jaime) Yeah you’re getting there and you’re seeing the improvement in your land and in your genetics. So, you’re building up your capital and that’s the best we can do. And you’re enjoying life, I can see that, I can hear it. I’m so happy for you. Thank you very much and I hope everybody that hears this can join in and have the same success that you’re having. Thank you very much, Matt.

 [29:55] Thank you very much for bringing this program together. It has made a really big difference for us. And I hope that if anyone is on the fence, you know, they can reach out to me, I’m happy to talk about anything, concerns that I can help in some way.

[30:10] It’s worth it. The price that you pay is so little for what changes you can make and how quickly things could turn around once you really start implementing things. Just do it.

[30:27] (Jaime) Thank you very much. We need to jump in and start doing something good for us, good for community, and good for the world, and for our family of course. So, thank you very much again and have a very good night. And I hope that we visit you soon.