Real Wealth Ranching

(Versión en Español a continuación)

Hello there, my friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Fat Wallets Podcast. I’m Jim Elizondo from Real Wealth Ranching. Today, I want to sit with you — rancher to rancher — and have a real, heart-to-heart conversation about something that can transform not just your land, but your peace of mind and your profit margin, too.

Let’s talk about what happens when you stop overgrazing and let your soil breathe. I mean it, not just rest it occasionally, but truly change the way you graze so that nature can finally catch its breath.

Now, first, let’s define it clearly: Overgrazing is not about how long the animals stay on the pasture, it’s about how soon they come back. When animals bite off plants that haven’t recovered their energy reserves stored in roots and crowns, we’re robbing those plants of their power to regrow. The consequences are real: weaker grasses, fewer roots, poor soil life, and brush or weed encroachment that steals more ...

Hello there, my friends. We’re just a couple of days away from closing the doors to this round of Total Grazing Academy enrollment. And today, I want to talk about something that doesn’t get mentioned enough:
why coaching matters so much.

You already know the value of having a plan — a system based on nature and plant physiology, not wishful thinking or grazing calendars.
But even with a good plan… what most ranchers need is a place to ask questions, share what’s happening on their land, and hear back from someone who’s done it before.

That’s what I want to offer you inside this program — and it’s why our students see success far beyond just what the videos teach.

Let me tell you about Matt Robbins from Arkansas.

He had been practicing Total Grazing for two years, but it wasn't until he implemented the lessons from our course that he saw significant improvements. He shared:

“We ran out of cows; we need to double, easily double our stocking rate to be able to make effective use of our...

Hello there, my friends,

I hope this message finds you well and making steady progress toward your goals — whether that’s more time, better cattle, or a thriving landscape.

Today, I’m excited to share that enrollment for the Total Grazing Academy is officially open.
And for the next three days only, we’re offering special early bird pricing along with four valuable bonuses to help you get started the right way.

If you’ve been following along, nodding your head at the stories, and thinking, “This is what I’ve been looking for,” then now’s your chance.

Last year I taught a course in Missouri, where producers from all kinds of environments — fescue, Bermuda, Bahia — gathered to learn.

One of them, Wes, shared his story. After just one year of implementing the Total Grazing Program by enrolling in the Total Grazing Academy, his forage production increased more than 300%. His cattle were in strong body condition, his input costs dropped, and he told the group:

“I’m never going back...

(Versión en Español a continuación) 

Hello there, my friends.
Welcome back to the Fat Wallet Podcast. I’m your host, Jim Elizondo, and I’m coming to you today not from a studio, but from the same place many of you are at this very moment: out here in the pastures, surrounded by the cattle, the grass, and the never-ending to-do list of running a ranch.

But today, I want to set all that aside for just a few minutes and have an honest conversation with you, rancher to rancher.
Because something big is about to happen.

Something that I’ve been working on for over a decade with ranchers across the world—from the dry ranches of Texas, to the rolling plains of South America, to the humid pastures of Africa, and the Mediterranean in Europe.
Something that has taken all the trial-and-error, sweat, and frustration and turned it into a system that actually works.
Not in theory, not in a textbook, but right where it matters most: out in real pastures, with real cows, under real conditions, a...

 (Versión en Español a continuación) 

Hello there, my friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Fat Wallet Podcast. I’m Jim Elizondo from Real Wealth Ranching. Today, we will have a real, heart-to-heart chat about something that’s been on my mind for a long time, and I bet has crossed yours too: What are the top 5% of ranchers doing differently?

Have you ever stood out in your pasture, boots muddy, sun beating down, and wondered why some ranchers always seem to be thriving while others—good folks, hard workers—keep struggling just to stay afloat? Why do some ranchers profit year after year, even in dry years or when markets dip, while others cross their fingers waiting for that “good year” to cover last year’s losses?

I’ve been there myself. I used to scratch my head and think: “Is it luck? Is it land? Is it just having better cows?” From decades of working with ranchers across many environments and countries, I can tell you it’s not any of those things alone.

I’ll tel...

(Versión en Español a continuación) 

Hello, I am Jim Elizondo of Real Wealth Ranching. Welcome to my podcast.

I will start by saying this: the number of productive animals you can maintain at a low cost determines your profits. This is a fact. Nothing is more critical to a farm's profitability than stocking rate.

Is your grazing style or program giving you the promised results? Are you happy with your profits and the speed at which your land regenerates?

Most graziers I meet and talk to in my travels teaching total grazing, I see the same problems: a lack of strong and deep roots in forages, a hard pan 3 to 5 inches deep, clump grasses dying in the center, best species dying in drought or freeze, low stocking rate and struggling to maintain good body condition in their livestock in the dry season.

Now, you may think that is not a problem I have, so let me ask you:

How do you really know if your grazing is working?

How can you compare to the potential your land has?

Do you kn...

(Versión en Español a continuación) 

Welcome back to Fat Cows Fat Wallet, the podcast for ranchers who are ready to grow more grass, raise better cattle, and make more money doing it. I’m your host, Jaime Elizondo.

Today, I want to talk to you about the grazing method that didn’t just tweak my ranching results — it completely turned my operation around. This is something I wish I’d learned earlier, and if you’re listening right now and feeling stuck, frustrated, or tired of not seeing results despite working hard, this might be precisely what you need to hear.
Let me take you back a few years.

Back then, things looked great on the outside. I was running 700 to 800 head of stockers on just 300 acres. I had people traveling to see how I was doing it. I was known for having a very high stocking rate compared to my neighbors. And I’ll be honest — it felt good to have that attention. It felt like I was doing something special. I thought I had it figured out.

But here’s the part most f...

(Versión en Español a continuación) 

Hey there, friends, this is Jim Elizondo from Total Grazing Academy and Real Wealth Ranching.

Today I want to ask you something important: Are you ready to grow more grass, double your herd, and finally break free from the trap that's been holding you back?

Because in June, I’m opening the doors to something that could change your ranch and your life forever.

It's called the Total Grazing Academy.

You know, back in 1991, I was stuck. I was doing what everyone said was the right thing: rotational grazing, feeding hay, trying to juggle everything. And I knew that the stocking rate determined profits.

However, no matter how hard I worked, I wasn’t making progress.
My grass would run out, I'd be hauling hay, and the costs just kept piling up.

Maybe you know exactly what I’m talking about. But what I finally realized — and what changed everything — Was it that nature already had the answer?

It was hidden in how grasslands evolved thousands of ...

Why do 95% of regenerative graziers struggle?

Why do they reach a ceiling where soil and grass production stops improving after the first few years of improving their productivity?

Has this happened to you? Do you know why this happens? Or do you blindly believe that, somehow, sometime, your soil and grass productivity will improve?

I will tell you a well-kept secret in the grazing guru’s circle: Most grazing theories are flawed. Most grazing systems and programs are based on flawed experiments and observations!

Take the Cridder experiment, for example. It was done in 1953, and he cut potted young plants of cool-season grass with scissors often. Then, by cutting this young grass at different heights, he concluded that frequent cutting stops roots on young plants from growing, demonstrating overgrazing effects under continuous grazing, which was the norm in the fifties.

He also concluded that moving the cattle out of a certain range under continuous grazing was best when they consu...

(Versión en Español a continuación) 

Hello, greetings from Real Wealth Ranching by your  host Jim Elizondo

For a long time, grazing management has focused on maintaining grasses in the vegetative state. We have been taught that our livestock will perform better if we keep our grasses vegetative and prevent them from going to seed. Do you relate to this? 

We were told to move our livestock quickly when the grass was growing rapidly and slowly when the grass was growing slowly, and that somehow, this would increase our profits by improving livestock performance. Sadly, that is not what we observe out on the land.

So, what are the consequences of trying to maintain a whole farm vegetative by moving your livestock quickly in the Spring? 

For starters, if you have primarily cool-season forages, your livestock will be scouring in early spring due to a lack of fiber in the forage. Ruminants need FIBER to chew their cud, something many people forget.  And, very importantly, the new reg...