In this episode of the Grazing Grass Podcast, we're joined by Jeff Siewicki of Vital Mission Farm in South Carolina. Jeff shares his journey from raising 25 chickens for personal use to building a thriving regenerative poultry business focused on pasture-raised ducks and turkeys. With a background in science and no prior farming experience, Jeff candidly discusses how he learned everything from scratch—facing the steep learning curves of pasture poultry, selling wholesale to top chefs, and ultimately pivoting to a hyperlocal subscription-based model for direct-to-consumer sales.

Topics Covered:

• Starting with chickens, transitioning to ducks and turkeys
• Challenges and benefits of pasture-raised poultry
• Lessons from selling wholesale to restaurants pre-COVID
• Pivoting during the pandemic to direct-to-consumer sales
• Creating value-added products like duck prosciutto and pet treats
• Launching and refining a customized local subscription box
• Online marketing and building an effective digital storefront
• Advice for farmers on capturing leads and converting sales

Why You Should Listen:
If you're a grass-based producer exploring poultry, value-added products, or direct-to-consumer models, this episode is packed with practical advice and real-world experience. Jeff doesn’t sugarcoat the hard lessons learned, but he also shares the wins—from building customer relationships at farmers markets to crafting a high-margin subscription service. Whether you’re looking to improve your margins, expand product offerings, or shift from wholesale to DTC, Jeff’s story is full of inspiration and actionable insights.

Resources Mentioned:

• Vital Mission Farm
• Regenerative Success
• Premier1 Supplies (chick-safe netting)

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Riki Kremers joins us from Kremers Ranch in Lance Creek, Wyoming, where she and her family manage 8,000 acres of rough, arid country with Angus-cross cattle, horses, and meat goats. Together with her husband and daughter, Riki has transitioned their operation from traditional set-stock grazing to a powerful combination of Instinctive Migratory Grazing (IMG) and Planned Migratory Grazing (PMG), doubling their stocking rate and reducing feed inputs. With over 20 miles of water pipeline and an impressive track record of adapting to extreme environments, Riki shares hard-earned lessons on stockmanship, infrastructure, and letting nature lead the way.

Topics Covered

• History and evolution of Kremers Ranch
• Transition from February to June calving
• Building water infrastructure and pasture layout
• Challenges with temporary fencing in brittle environments
• Transitioning to IMG and how it rebooted herd behavior
• Role of stockmanship and learning from Bob Kin and Ian Mitchell-Innes
• Managing yearlings separately for summer and winter forage balance
• Creating and using "insurance pastures"
• Shifts in forage species and pasture recovery times
• Integrating horses and four-wheelers into cattle management

Why You Should Listen

If you're grazing in a brittle or arid environment—or frustrated with conventional rotational systems—Riki’s experience will resonate. She candidly walks us through her family’s grazing journey, showing how thoughtful stockmanship and intentional planning can unlock natural herd behavior and healthier land. Whether you’re looking to reduce feed, improve forage diversity, or double your stocking rate without burning out your pastures, this episode offers actionable wisdom grounded in real-world success.

Resources Mentioned

• Instinctive Migratory Grazing School
• Riki Kremers on Facebook
• Bob Kinford on the Grazing Grass Podcast
• Bob Kinford – Instinctive Migratory Grazing

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond
GBT Angus

Grazing Grass Links
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Website
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Chapters

• (00:00) - Introduction and Fast Five with Riki Kramer
• (01:26) - History and Evolution of Kramer's Ranch
• (02:07) - Grazing Techniques and Challenges
• (04:57) - Record Keeping and Ranch Management
• (09:20) - Transition to Instinctive Migratory Grazing (IMG)
• (18:08) - Implementing and Refining IMG
• (33:07) - Stockmanship and Herd Behavior
• (40:26) - Understanding Animal Communication
• (40:38) - Four-Wheeler vs. Horseback Communication
• (42:00) - Benefits of IMG Grazing in Arid Environments
• (43:12) - Forage Quality and Species Changes
• (45:14) - Managing Cow Herds and Yearlings
• (50:50) - Insurance Pastures: A Safety Net for Grazing
• (56:10) - Upcoming Grazing School Details
• (01:03:42) - Famous Four Questions
• (01:14:56) - Conclusion and Takeaways

In this episode, we chat with Cherrie Nolden of Wonder Acres Farm, located in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Cherrie shares her extensive experience with multi-species grazing, highlighting her innovative approaches to adaptive grazing management and pasture improvement. She discusses how she manages her Norwegian Fjord horses, sheep, goats, and livestock guardian dogs, emphasizing genetic selection for natural parasite resistance and efficient grazing practices. Cherrie also covers fencing strategies, transitioning horses from dry lots to rotational grazing, and maintaining healthy pastures through careful management.

Topics discussed:

• Adaptive and rotational grazing strategies
• Grazing management for horses, sheep, and goats
• Genetic selection for parasite resistance
• Multi-species grazing benefits
• Using electro-net fencing effectively
• Designing and utilizing grazing lanes
• Sustainable pasture improvement techniques

Whether you're managing horses, sheep, goats, or all of the above, Cherrie's insights will inspire you to optimize your grazing practices and improve your farm's overall productivity and sustainability.

Resources mentioned:

• Wonder Acres Farm on Facebook
• Wonder Acres Farm website
• Won Der Fjords on Facebook

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond
GBT Angus

Grazing Grass Links
New Listener Resource Guide

Provide feedback for the podcast
Website
Insiders
Resources (Coming Soon)
Community (on Facebook)
Check out the Apiary Chronicles Podcast

Chapters