That Ranching Podcast

Today we’re joined again by Travis Maddock in North Dakota for an overtime episode on ranch profitability, regenerative agriculture, and why bigger weaning weights don’t necessarily mean a better business. Travis explains his focus on input costs, soil health, and long-term efficiency, shares what being broke taught him, and offers practical advice for young people getting into the cattle business.

Hay production during drought puts every acre, cutting, and inch of rain under a little more scrutiny. Today we’re talking about what growers across the U.S. and Canada are reporting with Rhyzogreen, from pasture regrowth and alfalfa yields to soil health and water infiltration. This episode brings together 2026 grower feedback, field comparisons, and third-party trial results. We look at a Wyoming producer working with limited irrigation, a Nebraska grower whose second cutting produced more bales than his first, and forage comparisons that measured both tonnage and feed quality. We also discuss how Rhyzogreen works with native soil microbes, why results can take time, and why growing more hay still has to pencil out. Extra bales are useful. Knowing what they're worth belongs in the conversation, too.

Today we're joined by fifth-generation Nebraska rancher Shane Keller to talk cattle ranching, ranch profitability, and building something worth passing on. His family has run cattle near Valentine since 1884, and the conversation moves from cattle nutrition and soil health to raising responsible kids, buying cheap versus buying value, and why a short memory might help you stay in the business. There’s also a disagreement over popcorn that explains more about ranch economics than you’d expect.

Today we're joined by Shane and Lindsay Maddock, North Dakota ranchers, to discuss regenerative agriculture, soil health, and why a ranch has to pay if it's going to be handed down. Shane says he wouldn't call himself a manure nerd, then explains in some detail how fast a pat breaks down. He's a good kind of nerd.

Today we're joined by Travis Maddock of Maddock Ranch in Maddock, North Dakota, to discuss feeding rumen microbes, what manure and hay use tell him about his cows, and how Riomax pencils out on his place.

Today we're joined by Caleb Widener, cattle manager at Adelante Farms in Roswell, New Mexico, to discuss starting calves, respiratory disease in receiving cattle, and an early look at a Turboboost side-by-side trial on program calves. Caleb also talks treat rates, death loss, and why feedyard efficiency matters when you're buying cattle with no margin in them.

Today we're joined by Brad Harris, a fifth and sixth generation rancher from Tatum, New Mexico, running a registered Angus seed stock operation, for a truly special episode at the kitchen table. We talk about bringing the next generation back into ranching, giving family operations a real vision, faithfulness in marriages, and connecting people back to their creator, God. Along the way, we get into beef grading, nutrient density, and where Brad sees the beef industry heading.

Today we're joined by Dr. Ryan Rathmann, beef cattle professor and reproductive physiologist at Texas Tech, to discuss how a cow's body decides where her energy goes, and what that means for cow condition, calf health, and the risk of running calves through the feedlot in today's cattle market.

On this episode of That Ranching Podcast, Twain and Trevor officially launch the TurboBoost Program — an all-natural immune activation program built for high-risk, incoming calves. The program is simple: a dose of TurboBoost Paste on arrival (like an on-ramp getting them up to speed fast) + the TurboBoost Tub for the next 60 days (like setting the cruise control for the next 100 miles).

Early data has shown gains as high as a .32 to .5 lb increase in average daily gain across the 60-day program. With calves worth over $2,500 and the program costing around $40/head — can you afford to risk it?

Is this program a fit for you?

Bringing in commingled or un-weaned calves with an unknown mineral/immune status? Not sure where those calves came from or how they were shipped? Want fewer treats, fewer retreats, less death loss, more gain?

If any of that sounds like your situation, this program was built for you. Already running Riomax year-round on calves that have been on program since before they hit the ground? You likely don't need it — this is a receiving tool, on top of what you're already doing, not a replacement.

We're talking:

What's actually in the tub: Riomune yeast, bumper mineral levels, and Turbomune immune activation Real trial numbers: treat rates, death loss, and weight gain out of Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, and East Texas The one trial that didn't move the needle — and what that tells you about fit The science of "energy redirection" — why a healthier calf gains and marbles better How to set up a fair, staggered test on your own place this fall Tub placement tips to get skittish calves on program fast

Learn more: https://riomax.net/products/turboboost-tub/ RSVP for our TurboBoost product launch webinar: https://riomax.net/events/

This week on That Ranching Podcast, we're on location in Cody, Wyoming with Matt Thompson — a 5th generation Idaho cattleman, and video rep— talking about the real risk buyers are taking on when calves are bringing $2,500-$3,000 a head.

We're talking:

-Why buyers are writing bigger checks than ever for calves — and what's actually at stake once that calf hits the truck -The one stress event every calf goes through, no matter how good the program -TurboBoost paste + tub, broken down: what's in it and why it works with the immune system instead of against it -Real trial data out of Oklahoma, East Texas, and the Texas Panhandle — treat rates, retreats, and death loss -Why "verified natural" status is worth protecting, and what it costs when a calf gets kicked out of the program -Matt's honest take on whether cow-calf guys already on Riomax even need Turboboost at weaning

We're a family business, and everything we do comes back to one thing: driving profitability back to rural North America. Drop your questions below — we might just answer them on the next episode.

Terrill Ostrom runs Lazy TM Livestock in Red Lodge, Montana and brokers cattle nationwide through Crossroads Cattle Company, moving upwards of 240,000 head a year.

This week, Terrill sits down with Trevor to talk about what's really driving sickness, retreats, and lost genetic potential in newly received calves — and why gut health and immune response are the two levers that matter most in that first 60 days.

We're talking:

Why the first treat can cost a calf 20% of its shot at Choice or Prime — and a second treat pushes that risk past 80% Early Turbo Boost trial results out of Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, and East Texas: treat rates cut by half or more, death loss down to zero in one trial, and weight gain up as much as half a pound per day Why "healthy, hungry, up at the bunk" is the whole game in a starter program A backgrounder's real-world result: calves back in the home pen within 2 days of first treat, down from up to a week

If you're starting calves — whether high-risk sale barn cattle or your own home-raised weaned calves — this conversation is a straight-shooting look at where the real money is made (and lost) in that first 60 days.

Anita called us out on price. Someone else said we ghosted them after a problem. Today we're not dodging either one.

This week on That Ranching Podcast, we're back answering the naysayers straight from Facebook. Anita, likely up in Canada, pointed out Riomax runs $225 more than other tubs. Fair question. We're also tackling a tougher one: folks saying they reached out with a problem and never heard back.

We're talking:

Why sticker price doesn't tell you what a tub actually costs you The Ford dealership story behind cost-per-head-per-day What we do when you fall through the cracks Growing pains, dealer service, and hiring the right people Straight talk from Trevor on 25 years in business

We're a family business. If we've let you down, we want to know. Give it a watch and see where we stand.

One customer asked us to pay him $5,000 to stop badmouthing us on social media. Our answer? Not a chance.

This week on That Ranching Podcast, we're back tackling the naysayers... straight from the comments on Facebook. Darren wanted to know if Riomax means you can quit feeding hay altogether (spoiler: no), and we're breaking down why "I didn't see a difference" usually comes down to one thing: nobody measured it.

We're talking: - Why eyeballing results almost never tells the real story - The real numbers behind our customer satisfaction survey (8 out of 10 ranchers said it paid for itself — here's what happened with the rest) - What we actually promise (and what we don't) when it comes to hay and forage savings - The story behind the $5,000 ask and why we said no - What we do when Riomax genuinely doesn't work out the way it should

We're a family business. Give it a watch and see where we stand.

Got a question or comment you want us to tackle next? Drop it below.

Ever wonder why Riomax doesn't slap the ingredient tag on the website? Or why a $495 tub costs triple what you'd pay for a "normal" one? You're not the only one asking — and today we're answering the naysayers head-on.

On this episode of That Ranching Podcast, we tackle the real questions and fair challenges coming in from social media:

🐄 Why doesn't Riomax publish its ingredient tag? 🐄 What's actually in Nutrizorb — and why we protect the recipe (hint: even Colonel Sanders kept his chicken secrets in the family) 🐄 Is Riomax made in the same plant as other brands? 🐄 Is this whole thing just marketing... or something else?

We're a family business, not a corporate machine — and we believe ranchers deserve straight answers, not spin. So grab a coffee, pull up a chair at the kitchen table, and let's get into it.

Got a question or challenge of your own? Drop it in the comments or reach out directly through our website — we'll answer it, fair and square.

Every rancher has heard the pitch before. Something new hits the market promising better weaning weights, better conception rates, less sickness in the calves... and half the time it turns out to be snake oil with a fancy label. So in this episode we sat down and actually ran the numbers on one of the more talked about tub programs out there, Riomax. Not just the marketing version, the real cost per head per day version. Tub vs cake. Tub vs loose mineral. Tub vs a protein block plus mineral. We get into what's actually in the tub, why the ingredients make more of a difference than most people realize, and whether the math holds up in the field. If you've ever been on the phone doing mental math on whether the expensive option is secretly the cheaper one, this episode is for you.

Three young ranchers sit down to talk about the future of agriculture, family legacy, and why staying in rural North America is getting harder every year.

They discuss rising land prices, corporate ownership, startup costs, community, and the responsibility their generation feels to keep family ranches alive. It's an honest conversation about risk, opportunity, and why helping your neighbors—not competing with them—is still one of agriculture's greatest strengths.

If you've ever wondered what the next generation thinks about the future of ranching, this episode is worth listening to.

There's an old truth in this business: a calf never gets over a good start. You hear it from old-timers, you hear it from vets, and you hear it again in this conversation with two Riomax dealers who are living it every day; one running cattle through a stocker operation in Northwest Oklahoma, the other backgrounding high-risk calves out of the sale barn in Edna, Texas.

These aren't easy calves. Four or five days off the truck before you ever see them, no ear markings, no mineral program, digestion mixed up from the stress of the ring. And by the time you notice something's wrong, you're already behind.

We talk about what's actually changed in calf health over the last few years — why the industry's answer keeps being a bigger, more expensive antibiotic instead of getting ahead of the problem. We talk about gut health, and why the real fight isn't at intake, it's two to five weeks in, when the stress catches up with them. And we talk about a sixty-head sick pen that everybody had written off and what happened when they didn't give up on it.

There's also a six-year-old who explains the whole thing better than most do. You'll know it when you hear it.

If you're buying calves out of a sale barn, running cattle through a backgrounding program, or just trying to keep your retreat numbers down and your margin up, sit down and listen to this one.

In this episode:

What's changed with incoming calf health, and why "just use a bigger gun" isn't working anymore

The preventative approach that's cutting individual treatment numbers

Why gut health is the real battleground in week two through five

A sick pen nobody thought would come back — and the numbers on what did

Why calves are gaining better than two pounds a day faster right out of the gate

Riomax dealers: Jared Pachner (Northwest Oklahoma) and Robert Martin (Edna, Texas)

Learn more at riomax.net

New episodes of That Ranching Podcast every week.

What's the most cost-effective way to buy Riomax? Dave, Malcolm, and Loren break it all down in this one.

They cover the quantity discount tiers, the promo windows, container options, fly control add-ons, and why buying a full truckload isn't always the right call, even if it's the best price.

If you're new to Riomax or trying to figure out how to save a buck on your next order, this is a good place to start.

A few things they get into: The 3 discount tiers and what you actually save at each one How to catch a promo on top of a bulk discount What the Costguard Consumption Guarantee is and why it matters for budgeting your mineral program Container options and when the smaller sizes make more sense logistically

Questions about what makes sense for your operation? Reach out at riomax.net New episodes every Thursday.

Can you really add 100 pounds to your calf weights at weaning? Daryl, Trevor, and Twain sit down to dig into the real numbers behind weaning weight gains — and lay out exactly what it takes to get there.

They break down the two biggest drivers: rumen health and reproduction timing. When a cow digests better, she produces more milk — and higher quality milk, with up to 15% more butterfat going straight to the calf. When that same efficiency carries into the calf as it starts grazing, it compounds fast. Pair that with a tighter breeding window and calves conceived just one cycle earlier can hit the scale 60 pounds heavier by weaning day.

They also take aim at creep feeding — why packing fat onto calves before weaning can actually work against you at the feedlot, and what frame growth looks like instead.

Most ranches already have the genetics. This episode is about removing the roadblocks so those calves can finally show it.