In this episode of the Grazing Grass Podcast, Cal sits down with Tom Krawiec to explore a practical, numbers-driven approach to grazing management. Tom shares how focusing on the “sweet spot” in grazing can dramatically improve forage production, reduce labor, and increase profitability.

We dive into the importance of understanding your numbers, including stock days per acre, and how small management changes can lead to massive results. Tom explains the concept of the tipping point in forage production, where your system becomes self-sustaining, and why many operations fall short of reaching it.

The conversation also covers multi-species grazing, reducing workload through better systems, and the critical role of the grazing chart as a planning tool, not just a record. Along the way, Tom challenges common assumptions about rest periods, non-selective grazing, and the realities of modern homesteading.

If you're looking to improve your grazing system, simplify your operation, and get better results from your land, this episode is packed with actionable insights.

Topics Covered

• What “grazing in the sweet spot” really means
• How to calculate and use stock days per acre
• The tipping point in forage production
• Why rest periods can be too long, not just too short
• Multi-species grazing and its impact on soil health
• Using animals to determine graze periods
• The power of grazing charts as a planning tool
• Labor reduction through smarter systems
• Challenges facing homesteaders and small producers
• Training livestock to diversify their diet

Key Takeaways

• Small management tweaks can unlock major gains
• You must respect both graze and rest periods
• Numbers remove guesswork, “show me the numbers”
• Grazing charts are essential for consistent results
• Diversity in livestock can improve soil and forage
• Profitability starts with understanding your system

Resources Mentioned

• Ranching Like a 12-Year-Old by Tom Krawiec
• Holistic Management framework
• Ranching for Profit principles
• Dr. Kris Nichols (soil biology)
• Fred Provenza (animal behavior & nutrition)

About the Guest

Tom Krawiec is a regenerative grazing practitioner and author known for his practical, systems-based approach to ranching. His work focuses on simplifying operations, reducing labor, and improving profitability through better grazing management.

Looking for grass-based breeders?
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Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon
Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Justin Frye of JMR Farm in Baker, West Virginia joins the show to talk about building a farm from scratch on a family property that's been in his family since 1847. He and his wife Maggie custom graze cow-calf pairs, run a Katahdin hair sheep flock, and buy and finish feeder lambs — all while working off-farm jobs and figuring out what enterprises fit their operation best.

Justin shares the story of how his grandfather's surprise offer to sell the family farm set everything in motion, how a connection through a mentor led to their first custom grazing arrangement, and what three consecutive years of drought have taught him about managing grass for someone else's cattle. He also walks through the sheep learning curve, going from 89 ewes down to 30 through hard culling, and explains their feeder lamb protocol from receiving through market.

Topics covered:

• Growing up on a family farm in West Virginia and the influence of mentors at Potomac State College
• Buying the family farm (in operation since 1847) and what made it financially possible
• How a mentor connection led to their first custom grazing opportunity
• What services JMR Farm provides under the custom grazing agreement, daily moves, pink eye treatment, weaning and vaccinating calves, getting them started on feed
• Managing three consecutive drought years while grazing someone else's cattle
• Moving toward 60-day rest periods and what they've learned about residual sward height
• Building 13,000 feet of exterior and cross fence with just Justin and Maggie
• Silvopasture plans: thinning wooded areas and controlling multiflora rose and autumn olive
• Why they chose Katahdin hair sheep, the profitability case, and the steep learning curve
• FAMACHA scoring, dewormer resistance, and culling hard for a parasite-resistant flock
• Grazing sheep with cattle: their plan for this season
• The feeder lamb operation: buying 40-60 lb lambs, feeding to 80-100 lbs, sell-buy marketing
• Cattle handling with a Bud Box, the DS Livestock sheep system, and tips for low-stress flow-through
• Freeze branding: liquid nitrogen vs. dry ice, container options, and offering it as a service
• Cattle breed direction: Leachman Stabilizer genetics and why it fits their marketing channel
• The sentimental story of buying back Maggie's heifer (M005) on Valentine's Day

Find Out More
JMR Farm on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550043373027

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Looking for grass-based breeders?
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Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon
Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Dakota Finch didn't grow up planning to be an organic grass-fed dairy farmer. He grew up on his grandfather's conventional dairy in upstate New York, left for the Air Force, started researching nutrition for his family, and found himself reading about the organic dairy market on a computer in Korea during downtime. That curiosity eventually led him back to farming — on his own terms.

In this episode, Dakota shares how he went from a six-year Air Force career to launching Finch Family Farm in 2017, milking 40–50 grass-fed organic cows in central New York, and recently opening a farm retail store selling raw milk, beef, pork, chicken, and eggs.

He's honest about where things are working and where they're not — from the farrowing struggles with his son's pig operation, to the challenge of making quality hay on marginal ground nobody else wanted, to the marketing learning curve that comes with selling direct. This is a practitioner's episode: real questions, real tensions, no pretending it's all figured out.

What we cover:

• How Dakota got his start through an internship on a grass-fed organic dairy and the relationship that made his first herd purchase possible

• Fall seasonal vs. spring seasonal dairying — and why his milk market actually pays a premium for winter milk

• The 10-and-7 milking schedule he tried to protect time for coaching his kids' sports teams

• Balage, native grasses, and the ongoing question of whether to make his own hay or buy it

• Breeding decisions: Jersey AI, Ayrshire bulls, the Black Angus that timed out perfectly with the calf market, and why he's now using AAA mating

• Opening a farm retail store with Barn2Door and a small business grant — and why raw milk is the lead product that brings customers to the farm

• His son's pig operation (currently a train wreck, honestly) and the real math on whether farrowing-to-finish pencils out

• First year with 100 meat birds and 100 egg layers — lessons learned, losses included

• The Gallagher eShepherd virtual fence collars: what worked, what didn't, and why he's still excited about them heading into this season

Find Out More
Dakota: Facebook (Dakota Finch)
Finch Family Farm on Facebook
finchfamilyfarmny.com

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Community question this week: What did the younger you dream of that you're doing today? Share in the Grazing Grass community.

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Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Brett Chedzoy is a Cornell Extension Forester and co-operator of Angus Glen Farms in upstate New York, where he and his wife Maria graze over 100 cow-calf pairs across 600 acres with much of it wooded. He's also been ranching in central Argentina since the mid-1990s, where he first discovered his love for cattle after heading there as a Peace Corps volunteer fresh out of graduate school.

In this episode, Brett breaks down silvopasture and how to evaluate existing woodland and open it up for productive grazing. He explains why thinning your woods isn't just about letting in light, it's about protecting the long-term value of your timber while growing more forage.

Topics covered:

• Brett's background: Kansas wheat farming roots, a Welsh sheep-herding grandfather, Peace Corps in Argentina, and what the gauchos taught him about the difference between working hard and working smart
• What silvopasture looks like in the forested Northeast vs. the savanna-style systems common in other regions
• Why cool-season forages like orchardgrass can actually thrive in light shade and how silvopasture extends your grazing season on both ends
• The 10-question site evaluation tool Brett developed to assess whether a piece of woodland is a good silvopasture candidate
• How to find the right logging crew for silvopasture thinning (hint: it's a very different operation than high-value timber harvest)
• The forester vs. farmer timescale problem and how to find the middle ground
• Who to call first: land grant extension, state forestry agencies, and your local soil and water conservation district
• Why Brett recommends starting small and getting your first experience before tackling a 50-acre project

Resources mentioned:

• Cornell Silvopasture resources — search "Cornell silvopasture" or visit forestconnect.info
• Brett's 10-question silvopasture site evaluation tool
• National Agroforestry Center
• University of Missouri silvopasture resources

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon
Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

What if your land could pay you… without selling livestock? Molly Faught and Hunter Jones from Grassroots Carbon joins today to explain what carbon credits are, how to qualify for them, and how to get started making extra money.

If you own your land and plan to be there awhile, this is a must-listen episode. If you know someone wanting to earn more money from their land, share this episode with them.

Question of the Week: If this is available to you, would you do it? Why or why not?

Find out more at https://grassrootscarbon.com

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon
Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

How grazing works for very small acreage, all because of wanting more learning opportunities. Erich and Allison Henschel of Henschel Hof graze pigs, goats, and cattle in Virginia.

In this episode:

• Why small livestock is better for small arceage
• Why starting with smaller breeds lets you learn faster
• Why everything doesn't have to be perfect

This week's question: What did you start with for your grazing journey? Why? Join the conversation in the Grazing Grass Community | https://www.facebook.com/groups/grazinggrass

Henschel Hof on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/henschelhof/
Grazing Grass Insiders | https://grazinggrass.com/insiders

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon
Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Huw Foulkes runs Pentrefelin Dairy in North Wales in the UK, where he has built a grass-based cow and calf micro dairy around native Red Poll cattle while also stacking direct-to-consumer beef and other enterprises to serve his local community.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• Starting a cow and calf micro dairy with a low-input, grass-based mindset
• Why Huw chose Red Polls for a dual-purpose dairy and beef system
• Managing long rest periods and mob-style rotations to build soil and drought resilience
• Farming on dry, light sandy soils and what that changes in grazing decisions
• Outwintering strategies including bale grazing and standing hay
• Building a direct local market through farm gate sales, coffee shops, and education
• UK requirements for legally selling milk, inspections, and testing
• Keeping infrastructure simple, including milking with a portable machine in an older parlor
• How beef boxes help move the whole carcass and teach customers new cuts
• Adding poultry, pigs, and trees to stack enterprises on the same acres
• Using farm tours and courses to educate the public and support local food systems

Why This Episode Matters
This conversation is a practical look at building a resilient, small-scale livestock business by matching the animal to the land, keeping inputs low, and connecting directly with local customers. If you are thinking about micro dairy, direct marketing, or stacking enterprises, Huw shares what worked, what he had to learn the hard way, and how education and transparency can turn customers into long-term supporters.

Resources Mentioned

• Food Standards Agency (UK)
• Denbighshire local council food business registration (mentioned as the local authority process)
• Pasture for Life (study tours and farm visits)

Find Out More

• Instagram | @pentrefelin_
• Website | www.pentrefelin.com
• YouTube | Pentrefelin Dairy

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon
Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Mike Guebert of Terra Farma in northwest Oregon joins Cal to share how he and his wife built a multi-species, direct-to-consumer farm over more than 20 years, from early days as first-generation farmers to running meat CSA sales, improving grazing systems, and teaching others through the Oregon Pasture Network.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• Starting a first-generation farm from a blank slate with invasives, no fencing, and rough infrastructure
• Moving from vegetarian to raising and processing poultry on-farm
• Building a multi-species operation including beef, pork, sheep, goats, poultry, and more
• Managing grazing in a high rainfall, dry-summer region without irrigation
• Chicken tractor evolution, daily moves, and using a winch system for efficiency and injury prevention
• Marketing changes over time including launching a meat CSA in 2020 and the plan to transition away from it
• Stopping raw milk sales after losing liability insurance and regaining time and flexibility
• Moving toward a more seasonal, grass-only beef model to reduce winter feeding
• Teaching and producer support through pasture walks, cohorts, mentorship, and events with Oregon Pasture Network
• Conservation district work including farmland protection tools like conservation easements

Why This Episode Matters
This conversation is a practical look at how farm enterprises, marketing, and even personal capacity change over time, and why building community learning opportunities like pasture walks and cohorts can help producers avoid common pitfalls while improving grazing, profitability, and quality of life.

Resources Mentioned

• Acres USA annual conference
• Ranching for Profit School
• Executive Link (Ranching for Profit)
• Oregon State University Small Farms Conference
• Oregon Pasture Network pasture walks
• Oregon FarmLink (Friends of Family Farmers)

Find Out More

• Terra Farma website | terrafarmaers.net
• Terra Farma Instagram | @terrafarmaers
• Oregon Pasture Network | oregonpasturenetwork.org
• Friends of Family Farmers | friendsoffamilyfarmers.org
• East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District | emswcd.org

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon
Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey