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The Ranch Rolodex: Connecting ranchers with resources

The Ranch Rolodex: Connecting ranchers with resources

By: Derek Jackson Zach Hopson & Daniel Unruh
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Summary
 The Ranch Rolodex is where ranching, business, and relationships come together. Hosted by Derek Jackson, Zach Hopson, and Daniel Unruh, the show is built around conversations with the people who know what it means to start from nothing and build something real. From cattle and land deals to entrepreneurship, leadership, and hard-earned life lessons, the guys sit down with ranchers, businessmen, mentors, and friends who helped shape their journey along the way. Every episode pulls a new contact from “The Ranch Rolodex” — the kind of people you call when there’s a problem to solve, a deal to make, or wisdom to pass down. These are stories about grit, faith, risk, stewardship, and the relationships that build ranches, businesses, and communities from the ground up. Whether you’re in agriculture, business, or just appreciate authentic conversations with people who have earned their stripes, this podcast brings you inside the world behind the brand. Welcome to The Ranch Rolodex.Copyright 2026 Derek Jackson, Zach Hopson, & Daniel Unruh Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • 15. Access to Capital Part Two with ESB Financial

    15. Access to Capital Part Two with ESB Financial
    Nov 11 2026

    What does it take to get access to capital when you’re trying to build or grow a ranch business?

    In this episode, Derek sits down with ESB Financial to dig into what it really takes to finance a ranching operation. Drawing on more than a 125-year-old community bank’s perspective, the conversation covers how lenders evaluate access to capital for beginning and growing ranchers.

    Topics include balance sheets vs. cash flow, debt coverage ratios, financing cows, and land loan terms. They also cover creative loan structures and how risk tools like LRP, pasture protection, and hedging help borrowers and lenders weather volatile cattle markets.

    The discussion also looks at how capital-intensive agriculture has become, with costs up three to four times in just a few years and why a “no for now” can be the start of a plan.

    Whether you’re a young producer chasing your first opportunity or an established operator planning for the next one, this episode shows how to approach access to capital with transparency, preparation, and the right team.

    Be sure to listen to also listen to Episode 12: Cash or Credit: An Access to Capital Conversation

    Hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    Connect with us:

    • Subscribe on YouTube
    • Follow on Instagram @theranchrolodex
    • Follow on Facebook
    • Check out the website

    Resources & Links:

    • Check out ESB Financial’s website and RSVP to their AgForum Event
    • Scholarship Pledge
    • Scholarship Application
    • Podcast Music by Cade Foehner
    • Check out the Territory Ballroom
    • Sign up for our email list so you never miss an episode

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Click the link below to join the waitlist for the Ranch Rolodex Community:

    Community Waitlist
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • 14. Weaning Value, Sale Barn Strategy, and Planning for 2027

    14. Weaning Value, Sale Barn Strategy, and Planning for 2027
    Nov 4 2026

    Ranch planning for 2027 starts with the decisions you make as cattle come off grass.

    In this episode of the Ranch Rolodex Podcast, Zach, Derek, and Daniel talk through their fall transition: what they’re weaning, what they’re selling, what they’re keeping, and how they’re running a pencil on every decision.

    They break down the value of weaning calves and preconditioning them before they hit the sale barn, why commission structures and your relationship with the barn owner can make or cost you real money, and how private treaty sales can leave meat on the bone for the next guy without shortchanging the seller.

    The conversation then turns to reinvesting: where the value sits right now across bred cows, pairs, and replacement heifers, and how to match those buying decisions to what your operation is set up to do.

    Interested in a Ranch Rolodex Community? Join the waitlist here. By signing up, you’re letting us know you’re interested, but it doesn’t obligate you in any way.

    Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    Connect with us:

    • Subscribe on YouTube
    • Follow on Instagram @theranchrolodex
    • Follow on Facebook
    • Check out the website

    Resources & Links:

    • The Ranch Rolodex Community Waitlist
    • Scholarship Pledge
    • Scholarship Application
    • Podcast Music by Cade Foehner
    • Check out the Territory Ballroom
    • Sign up for our email list so you never miss an episode
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • 13. Some Things Are Worth Gathering For: Courage, Craft, and Carrying The West Forward with Nicky Tiffany

    13. Some Things Are Worth Gathering For: Courage, Craft, and Carrying The West Forward with Nicky Tiffany
    Oct 28 2026
    Some things are worth gathering for, and in Council Grove, Kansas, that has been true since the days of the Santa Fe Trail.In this episode, Derek’s wife, Kerri, takes over the host seat as she sits down with Nicky Tiffany, owner of the Territory Ballroom in Council Grove. They talk about how a historic trailhead town became a modern hub for rural community, and how Nicky reimagined the Gathering in the Grove as a showcase for Western women artists.Nicky has turned a fading fine art show into an event that celebrates handmade Western art, from silversmithing and leatherwork to pottery and upholstery, made by women who are raising families and working in agriculture across the Flint Hills.They preview this year’s Gathering in the Grove, which is happening on November 13 & 14, 2026. The event features keynote speaker Danna Larson of Rural Revival and a live and online auction of a one-of-a-kind chair made collaboratively by the artists. Proceeds go to a new fund that offers grants to help rural women grow their craft.Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!Connect with Nicky:Check out Nicky’s websiteFollow on Instagram @theterritoryballroomFollow on Instagram @ntiffany1Connect on LinkedIn Follow on FacebookConnect with Kerri:Follow on Instagram @theranchcreatives and @jacksonforgeksConnect with us:Subscribe on YouTubeFollow on Instagram @theranchrolodexFollow on FacebookCheck out the websiteResources & Links:Learn more about Gathering in the GroveScholarship PledgeScholarship ApplicationPodcast Music by Cade FoehnerCheck out the Territory BallroomSign up for our email list so you never miss an episode
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
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