In this special, off-script episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, host Haylie Shipp flips the mic and interviews Megan Torgerson, founder and host of Reframing Rural, an award-winning documentary podcast that centers the voices and lived experiences of rural people and places. Now in its fourth season, Reframing Rural is focused on succession planning, an issue deeply important to ranching families and to the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance.

Haylie and Megan talk about how Reframing Rural got started, Megan’s background growing up on a farm in northeast Montana, and why rural stories are so often misunderstood or oversimplified in mainstream media. They also dig into the emotional realities of succession planning including family dynamics, communication, legacy, and the weight of passing the baton.

Following the conversation, listeners are invited to hear Episode 1 of Season 4 of Reframing Rural, an intimate and powerful story featuring Howie Hammond and his daughter Andrea Lien near Malta, Montana. The Hammond family are longtime supporters of the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, and their story is one we hold especially dear.

In This Episode You Will Hear:

• How Reframing Rural grew out of Megan’s academic work and lived experience
• What mainstream media often misses about agriculture and rural life
• The real statistics and realities around farm and ranch succession
• Why emotion, vulnerability, and storytelling are essential to succession conversations
• The diagnosis that accelerated the Hammond family’s succession planning
• The emotional weight of legal and financial meetings when time feels short
• A daughter's fear of being the generation that loses the ranch
• Why “equal is not always fair” and why the ranch has to come first

Guest Bios

Megan Torgerson
Megan is the founder and host of Reframing Rural, an award-winning documentary podcast sharing nuanced stories of rural people and places. She grew up on a farm and ranch near Dagmar, Montana, and began the podcast in 2019 to challenge oversimplified narratives about rural life. Reframing Rural is now in its fourth season.

Howie Hammond
Howie has farmed and ranched for more than 45 years in Montana’s Milk River Valley near Malta. Alongside his wife JoAnn, he built a family operation spanning thousands of acres of rangeland and cropland. Following a rare muscle disease diagnosis, Howie became a vocal advocate for early succession planning and mentors families across Montana.

Andrea Lien
Andrea manages Hammond Ranch with her husband Wyatt and her parents Howie and JoAnn. After earning a business degree from Rocky Mountain College and working in finance, she returned home to continue her family’s agricultural legacy.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come.

For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit https://ranchstewards.charityproud.org/Donate.

In this episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, we dig into the growing world of agritourism and how creative ideas can bring new opportunities to working lands. From educational offerings to niche on-the-ground experiences, agritourism is becoming an increasingly valuable way for farms and ranches to diversify and connect with visitors in meaningful ways.

Guests Shannon Arnold and Tamara Robertson join the conversation to talk about what agritourism looks like in Montana today, how producers get started, and why interest in these kinds of enterprises continues to grow across farm and ranch country.

Guests

Dr. Shannon Arnold

Professor of Extension and Non-Formal Education
Montana State University
A quiet powerhouse behind Montana’s agritourism movement, Shannon has spent years building programs, gathering resources, and helping producers explore what’s possible. Her work has opened the door for agritourism to grow statewide.

Tamara Robertson

Wandering Acres
Forsyth, Montana
Tamara and her family run a cow-calf operation — and they added an unexpected twist: a niche flower farm that has grown into a unique agritourism experience in eastern Montana. Her story shows the creativity and adaptability that make agritourism so promising.

What We Talk About

• What agritourism is and the wide range of activities it can include
• Agritourism as an added revenue stream for working operations
• Real producer perspectives on branching into agritourism
• Why charging for experiences can feel uncomfortable
• Insurance considerations when welcoming visitors onto the land
• How people discover agritourism businesses
• The creation of the Montana Agritourism Association

Resources & Links

• Montana Agritourism: MontanaAgritourism.com

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Thanks for listening and for being part of this community.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come.

For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit https://ranchstewards.charityproud.org/Donate.

In this personal and heartfelt episode, host Haylie Shipp shares how a major health crisis in her family in 2024 changed the way she views wellness on the ranch. Ranchers plan for drought, markets, and succession, but rarely for themselves. Preventative healthcare is another kind of ranch insurance. It protects the most important asset on any operation: the people who keep it running.

Haylie visits with Dr. Kevin Ross of Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, a critical access hospital serving northeastern Montana, and rancher and registered nurse Carmen Salveson. Together, they discuss what preventative care looks like in rural communities, how access to healthcare is evolving, and why taking care of yourself is one of the smartest investments you can make in your ranch’s future.

In This Episode:

• Why preventative care is essential ranch insurance
• How Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital supports rural health as a critical access facility
• The importance of early detection and regular screenings
• Addressing the stigma surrounding mental health in rural communities
• Building a culture of care that sustains families and operations
• If you're going to do the bare minimum, what are a doctor's suggestions?

Resources Mentioned:

• Depression Self-Assessment (Mayo Clinic): https://anxietycoach.mayoclinic.org/depression-coach/depression-self-assessment/
• Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, Glasgow, Montana
• Aaniih Nakoda College “Grow Our Own” nursing program

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come.

For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit https://ranchstewards.charityproud.org/Donate.

In this episode, Haylie Shipp sits down with eco-nutritionist Sara Keough and rancher Craig French to explore the surprising ways soil health and human health are connected. Sara shares what it means to look at people as ecosystems. Craig tells the story of meeting Sara at the Soil Health Symposium and the big changes he has seen since working with her, including weight loss, better sleep, and more energy. Together they talk about practical shifts in food choices and the parallels between soil microbes and the gut microbiome. The conversation also touches on the importance of mental health in agriculture and how preventative care can help keep people and operations strong.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Event: Gut Check: How Soil Health Shapes Human Health – Oct 11 in Malta, MT
• Sara Keough’s website: eco-nutrition.com
• Sara’s article: Meat is Medicine

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come.

For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit https://ranchstewards.charityproud.org/Donate.

Today’s episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast takes us underground, as we bring you a replay from our 2025 Rural Resilience webinar series all about vermicast. Vermicast is a soil additive produced by earthworms that can improve soil biology, boost plant health, and strengthen ranching systems.

You will hear from:

• Kendall Morgan, Land Health Specialist with Winnett ACES
• Adele Stenson, rancher and Western Sustainability Exchange staff member
• Conni French, RSA President and Phillips County rancher

Together, they share practical ways to raise worms, harvest castings, and put vermicast to work in a ranch setting.

Want the full webinar with visuals? Watch it on our YouTube channel here: Vermicast Webinar Replay. While you are there, explore more replays and subscribe to our channel: RSA on YouTube.

Looking ahead, our Rural Resilience 2026 webinar series will kick off in January. Dates and topics will be announced soon at RanchStewards.org/events.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance is committed to peer-to-peer learning and equipping ranchers with tools to stay successful and inspired.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come.

For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit https://ranchstewards.charityproud.org/Donate.

Winter grazing might sound like a risky gamble, but for Montana ranchers Cooper Hibbard and Leo Barthelmess, it’s a key part of building a more resilient—and affordable—grazing system. In this episode, we dig into how they manage livestock in the cold months, monitor forage quality and cow condition, and adjust plans in real time. From financial realities to grazing mistakes, they share what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what they’re still learning.

Plus: If you’re listening before August 21, 2025, don’t miss our Cold Season Grazing Clinic with Cooper in Malta, MT. Details at ranchstewards.org/events.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come.

For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit https://ranchstewards.charityproud.org/Donate.

We’ve said why the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance exists. But what do we actually do?

In this season-opening episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, host Haylie Shipp sits down with RSA Executive Director Angel DeVries, Conservation Director Martin Townsend, and Board President Conni French to break down the mission of this rancher-led nonprofit—and the real-world impact it’s having across the Northern Great Plains.

We’re talking about:

• The millions (yes, millions) in conservation investments RSA has brought to ranch country
• The nuts and bolts of our education and conservation cost-share programs
• Tangible support for ranchers and the landscapes they steward
• Building community, creating space for connection, and why that radical center matters

If you’ve ever asked, “What does RSA actually do?”—this is the episode for you.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come.

For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit https://ranchstewards.charityproud.org/Donate.

In this episode of the Ranch Stewards Podcast, we explore how one program is shaping the next generation of ranch managers and land stewards. The Dan Scott Ranch Management Program at Montana State University blends academic instruction with hands-on, on-the-ground internships—providing students with a well-rounded, real-world education in ranching systems.

You’ll hear from Dr. Rachel Frost, who leads the program; Montana rancher and mentor Billy Whitehurst; and student intern Major Harms. Together, they share how the program equips both seasoned ag kids and newcomers to the industry with the tools, experiences, and connections they need to succeed.

At Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, we believe education is essential to keeping working lands working. Tune in to hear how this innovative program is building a stronger, more resilient future for ranching.

🔗 Learn more about the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program at www.animalrange.montana.edu/danscott
🔗 Find more RSA stories, events, and resources at www.RanchStewards.org

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is a rancher-led, grassroots organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities throughout the Northern Great Plains. Through collaborative conservation projects, rancher education events, and local community outreach, RSA works to strengthen our rural community, economy, and culture for generations to come.

For more on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, head to www.RanchStewards.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Your feedback is always welcome. Email info@ranchstewards.org. Want to support our mission? Visit https://ranchstewards.charityproud.org/Donate.