194. Grazing Smarter in North Dakota with Fourth Generation Rancher Shane Maddock

194. Grazing Smarter in North Dakota with Fourth Generation Rancher Shane Maddock

Author: Grazing Grass October 29, 2025 Duration: 1:11:53

In this episode, Cal visits with Shane Maddock, a fourth-generation rancher from north-central North Dakota, where cattle country meets farm country. Shane shares the story of building a regenerative operation through drought, grazing challenges, and generations of learning. He discusses taking over a neighbor’s ranch after returning from National Guard service, developing cross-fenced paddocks and a positive/negative electric system, managing water in the Prairie Pothole Region, and adjusting his grazing philosophy from “a third, a third, a third” to adaptive management guided by what the grass and cattle tell him.


Topics covered

  • Growing up on a holistic-management ranch and learning from his father
  • Leasing cattle and structuring multi-year cow leases
  • Designing high-tensile fencing and pos/neg wiring for sandy soils
  • Transitioning from mild rotation to intensive adaptive grazing
  • Managing drought risk with insurance pastures and flexible enterprises
  • Using Rio Max minerals and observing dramatic feed-efficiency gains
  • Calving-date adjustments and hybrid-vigor breeding decisions
  • Founding Maddock Ranch Supply and serving the community
  • His father receiving North Dakota’s Leopold Conservation Award

 If you’ve ever wondered how to keep cows productive through seven drought years out of eleven—or how to balance generational wisdom with modern regenerative ideas—Shane’s story delivers practical lessons on adaptation, family teamwork, and faith in the land’s resilience.


Resources mentioned

  • Maddock Ranch maddockranch.com
  • Maddock Ranch Supply  maddockranchsupply.com
  • Man, Cattle and Veld – Johan Zietsman
  • Grass-Fed Cattle – Julius Ruechel
  • Holistic Management – Allan Savory
  • Dirt to Soil – Gabe Brown
  • North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition Mentorship Program
  • Rio Max Minerals - riomax.net

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There’s a quiet revolution happening in the fields and pastures, one that ties the health of the soil directly to the health of a farm’s bottom line. Grazing Grass Podcast | Rotational Grazing, Soil Health & Profitable Livestock Farming is a part of that conversation, sitting down with the men and women who are putting regenerative principles into daily practice. Hosted by Grazing Grass, each episode feels like a candid chat across a fence line, moving beyond theory into the tangible details of managing livestock on grass. You’ll hear farmers recount their own journeys-what prompted their shift in thinking, the logistical hurdles of changing their operation, and the outcomes they’ve witnessed in their land and ledger books. A recurring segment called "Over Grazing" digs into the specific problems and hard-won lessons that come with this way of farming. This isn’t just a science or nature podcast; it’s a practical resource built on shared experience, aiming to strengthen a community where knowledge about profitable, grass-based systems is passed along openly. Tune in for honest stories that get to the root of what it means to work with the land.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Grazing Grass Podcast | Rotational Grazing, Soil Health & Profitable Livestock Farming
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