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We're having a heart to heart with the countryside, let's talk.
Hosted by Kerry Hoffschneider
Hosted by Kerry Hoffschneider
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10 DEC 2025 · Back to Nature Farms, located in Fremont, Neb.
Operated by Chad and Dawn Christianson, “At Back to Nature Farms, we believe that healthy soil creates healthy plants, which leads to thriving animals supplying nutrient-dense food for you, our thriving customer.”
You may have heard the term “regenerative agriculture” and may not understand what it is. We didn't fully understand the principles behind it either. In learning more, we were taught about the interaction between the soil, plants, animals, and ultimately human health – YOUR health.
Centuries ago, animal migration was what fertilized and kept the ecosystem in check. The pressure of the animals moving along the soil, foraging the plants, and their ruminants (excrement) all had a major impact on the soil and plants, while giving the animals the proper nutrition they needed to move across the lands. We learned that by not having animals in our row cropping operation, we were giving you, the consumer, a mediocre product. Knowing our responsibility as stewards of the land and providing the best quality food for you, this was eye-opening to learn. We soon started custom-grazing cows on our cover crops during the fall/winter season, and this new adventure began. Soon, we had the opportunity to expand Back to Nature Farms.
Little did we know that caring for and raising livestock would be such a joyful and rewarding addition to the farm and family. After rotational grazing of cattle in the fall and winter months, you will find chickens and pigs grazing in the spring and summer months in the pasture. Doing this helps make the soil even more fertile while they are free to eat bugs, scratch at the earth, root, dig and do everything a pig and chicken is naturally inclined to do. We value using honest business practices to produce healthy, nutrient-dense proteins with transparency, so you know where and how your food is raised. These practices allow the animals to flourish without the use of added hormones or antibiotics and pass that goodness on to you the way nature intended.
We have all attended many seminars and conferences to help us learn and understand this cycle.
We can never learn enough to keep expanding our knowledge and passion for regenerative agriculture.
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Follow their endeavors:
WEBSITE: http://www.backtonaturefarms.org/
EMAIL: mailto:info@backtonaturefarms.org
PHONE: Chad - (402) 720-0593; Dawn - (402) 720-0108
INSTA: @back.to.nature.farms
TIKTOK: back.to.nature.far http://www.cheerswithears.org/@cheerswithears
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUESTS: Chad & Dawn Christianson
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
14 OCT 2025 · Shane and Kristi Daniels and their family live on a ranch near Mullen, Neb.
It's a ranch story that began with a pickup, stock trailer, two horses and a milk cow. Now the couple is managing hundreds of cattle and making sure their decisions keep the ranch in the family for generations to come.
They are also part of the Graze Master Genetics® Certification Program and are looking forward to attending an event put on by Graze Master and Impact Solutions:
"Partners in Profitability Vol. 1," November 12-13 in Ainsworth and Long Pine, Neb.
Learn more about the event here: https://www.grazemastergroup.com/post/graze-master-genetics-partners-in-profitability-vol-1wednesday-to-thursday-november-12-13-in-lo
You can also contact Kerry Hoffschneider - Executive Director of the Graze Master Group to learn about their mission and services. Call or text (402) 363-8963.
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUESTS:
Shane Daniels
Kristi Daniels
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
2 OCT 2025 · As Director of Operations at Landoption, Ben Paige leads execution across product, sales, customer success, and team operations.
As the company’s Integrator, he aligns people, priorities, and performance to turn the Landoption vision into results. Prior to Landoption, Ben was charged with professionalizing supply operations and expanding the supply partner network at Arbor Day Carbon, supporting the organization’s growth in forest carbon.
Earlier in his career, he led the development and rollout of a transformative CRM platform that enabled state agencies to increase participation and revenue from hunters and anglers – a pivotal contributor to the company’s successful exit.
As a former U.S. Army Captain, Ben brings operational discipline and a mission-first – people always mindset to create a future with more wild places, more wild things, and more wild people – so his daughter can enjoy a day outside hunting and camping, just like him.
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUEST: Ben Paige
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
29 AUG 2025 · We want to help farmers and ranchers experience freedom and make farming fun again.
Doing things the way traditional agronomists, lenders and insurance companies tell us we need to do it is not that much fun anymore. If you share this sentiment, give us a call. We have been there done that and thrown away the free hat,” Vance McCoy - Transitional Ag Consulting
About Vance McCoy:
In 1988, when Vance McCoy was 16, his father passed away, leaving Vance and his mom Maggie to manage the farm, “I was the only boy and had three sisters. That was how it worked out from the beginning. Everyone just knew I was going to be a farmer. I had planned to leave and come back to the farm, but when dad passed away, that put me on the fast track.”
When McCoy was growing up near Elsie, Neb., the family raised mostly corn and operated a cow/calf operation. Today, he and his wife Ronda’s two grown sons, Tyler and Tanner, farm as separate managers of their own endeavors. McCoy continues raising corn and soybeans, but has also found a passion for soil health and regenerative agriculture. In addition to the farming business, McCoy also started Triple Creek Cover Crops, named for the three creeks that still cross the family farm. His daughter, Meredith, helps with the cover crop business.
His sons returning to the farm around 2012, was one of the reasons McCoy began to seriously look at changing some things, “I had bought my farm when I was 30, and when I was 40 had the sons coming back to farm with me already. We had to find a new way to make that work. We had to look at the expenses in a different way as well as our risk. That is when I really fast-forwarded into a new way of doing things.”
McCoy enjoys sharing his trials and triumphs on Facebook through videos and photos with posts outlining the real-world scenarios he is testing, “I try and be humble about it. I was lucky because dad was always forward-thinking. That’s another thing I tell people, ‘You have to respect your dad because he didn’t get to where he is at by being stupid. Be patient, there are probably some things you need to learn from him too.’ But, I also remind some of those dads that if their fathers had not allowed them to make changes, where would they be today?”
“Asking questions and getting answers will get us someplace,” he said. “Don’t preach. Ask questions. It’s the best way to learn from somebody.”
Contact Vance and the Transitional Ag Consulting team at: http://www.grazemastergroup.com/. You can also call/text Kerry Hoffschneider to connect you with Vance and the team at 402-363-8963.
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUEST: Vance McCoy
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
26 JUN 2025 · Co-founders of the Graze Master Group, Del Ficke and Kerry Hoffschneider, take a few minutes to explain Graze Master offerings, including Transitional Ag Consulting and the Graze Master Genetics® Certification Program.
At the Graze Master Group, we are Balancing Nature & Profitability. It’s Agriculture – Done. Your. Way.
Our Transitional Ag Consulting Services offer the following:
- We customize proven, profitable production strategies for your farm, ranch, and agribusiness by assessing what you are leaving on the table and leaving no stone unturned.
- Our expert and experienced ag input analysis ensures you are optimizing your current resources.
- Our professional farm and ranch financial planning team can give you the peace of mind that your assets are secure, and a plan is in place for future generations.
- Effective communication is the foundation of a successful business, and we build this vital component into all aspects of our services.
Contact us for a no-cost, no-obligation phone call to learn more.
Graze Master Group founders:
- Del Ficke https://tel, del@grazemaster.com
- Kerry Hoffschneider https://tel, kerry@grazemaster.com
Learn more at http://www.grazemastergroup.com/
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUEST: Del Ficke
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
29 APR 2025 · “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." ~ Masanobu Fukuoka
As a grower of food and community in Cheney, Kan., Shelby Beyer embodies this quote in her many endeavors at Anchor Farm that she owns and operates with her husband Brad and their two children.
Anchor Farm produces a wide variety of seasonal vegetables in outdoor gardens and high tunnels. Brad and Shelby also shepherd a flock of hair sheep. Their goal is to provide healthy meat and produce for their family and their local community.
Shelby has broad work experience across the agricultural setting. She worked in the conventional beef cattle, research, soil amendment, organic produce, and regenerative dairy industries before starting Anchor Farm in 2019.
Prior to her pursuing her passion for agriculture, Shelby worked in health care for 20 years. This journey led her to a deeper understanding of the connections between healthy soil and ecosystems, and food and human health.
More recently, Shelby has worked with multiple companies to conduct soil health research. She provides consulting services for growers of all sizes, helping them to support and grow the diversity in their ecosystems and the health of their soils.
Shelby's intent is to nourish her community and support farmers in their quest to grow diversity. She has an intense drive for sharing the magic of food and the natural world with those around her, especially younger generations.
Follow Shelby at https://www.facebook.com/share/1H3dku6nPZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUESTS: Shelby Beyer
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
1 APR 2025 · Del Ficke, co-founder of the Graze Master Group, and Larry Hafer - Graze Master Group leader, talk about the new Graze Master Genetics® Certification Program: https://www.grazemastergroup.com/graze-master-genetics
The program is a complete systems approach to genetic improvement and profitability backed by 80 years of combined expertise in real world cattle solutions.
It’s cow sense and common sense combined. The following are key points to the certification program:
· We provide genetic recommendations that will make herds excel in the real world with practical traits suited for your farm and ranch.
· We can help you fine-tune your genetic resources and turn them into market opportunities.
· We use your quality genetics as a base for building a profitable herd that is best suited for your farm and ranch.
· We also want to extend an invitation to be part of the Graze Master Group family and powerful ag solutions network.
“The Graze Master Genetics Program is an opportunity for livestock producers to benefit from improving their genetics with a solutions approach, based on years of development that not only improves the animals that roam your farm or ranch, but also improves the soil beneath them while putting more profitability in those operations,” Hafer said.
“This program is mostly about people,” Ficke said. “It’s about their potential first, and then how that potential can exponentially grow on their farms and ranches. The right cattle genetics is one piece of a much bigger story. The rest of the story, and most important, is about maximizing our journeys while we have time left on earth. Larry and my roads and all our group’s life stories led to this moment. Now we want to take the power of the Graze Master Group ag solutions network, and combine it with the power of the Graze Master Certification Program, and see that power unfold in dreams on the farm and ranch that begin to take shape in their vision for their future.”
Learn more about the Graze Master Genetics® Verification Program by calling or texting:
Del Ficke - (402) 499-0329
Larry Hafer - (402) 937-2585
Everyone is invited to come out to the Graze Master Group field day, equipment show, and educational workshop in Denton, Neb. July 10-11, 2025 to learn more:
https://www.grazemastergroup.com/events-2025
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUESTS: Del Fike & Larry Hafer
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
28 FEB 2025 · According to Statista Research Department, http://statista.com/, "The United States is home to the largest number of prisoners worldwide. More than 1.8 million people were incarcerated in the U.S. at the beginning of 2025."
In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by other parts of the justice system as well, so they might be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails.
The statistics are alarming, heartbreaking, and expensive. During this Underdog Ag Podcast, we meet Brandon Hinrichs, the visionary behind Aspire Impact Network. A network that, "empowers communities through life skills, programs, community corrections, and family support, while also offering web development, data solutions, and tech services."
Brandon wants to use his skills working as a probation officer and in the system in the past to help alleviate stress on the system and to ensure people don't repeat going to jail. His mission and vision saves our precious neighbors and saves taxpayer dollars. It's an amazing mission that needs more partners to succeed. Contact Brandon at (402) 759-2210 to become engaged with his cause and amazing pantheon of services.
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUEST: Brandon Hinrichs
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
29 JAN 2025 · “Farm and Ranch Profitability all Starts in the Soil.”
Terry Buettner serves as the Account Development & Agronomy Support Manager for Ward Laboratories Inc. based out of Kearney, Neb. Ward Laboratories are Graze Master Group partners. Buettner joined Ward Laboratories in the fall of 2017. He graduated from the University of Nebraska – Kearney in 1983 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He has been involved in production agriculture and seed sales in the Kearney area for 34 years.
During this Underdog Ag Podcast, Buettner will discuss the Ward Laboratories Soil Health Assessment as well as Soil Health Principles that lead to increased fertility, more productive land, and more. Below is more information about the assessment that benefits farmers and ranchers in numerous ways.
About the Ward Laboratories Inc. Soil Health Assessment:
Looking to boost your dollars per acre at harvest time? It all starts in the soil. Your plants are only as healthy as the soil they are feeding from. Reduced microbial activity and limited nutrient availability can result in lackluster harvests. Ward Laboratories can give you a complete report of our findings and recommend corrective measures.
The new Soil Health Assessment (SHA) package is a test that combines the latest in soil science, ensuring that both soil fertility and soil health are viewed through a single test, helping farmers and researchers measure and manage soil health without compromising productivity. Microbial activity and food are evaluated to provide data that enhances operations while also evaluating nutrients in a manner that is widely accepted by Land Grant University correlations and calibrations.
This new package also includes modified aggregate stability. With this addition, the new Soil Health Assessment offers two biological, one chemical and one physical indicator of soil health.
Learn more at:
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wardlab.com%2Fservices%2Fsoil-health-analysis%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C79dffb84baca4af7cca308dd341bbf67%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638724015955712676%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KusZoRs9%2Bogy27kyNLgSAkMHC7Zub0MkcqaA2RwLhsA%3D&reserved=0
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grazemastergroup.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C79dffb84baca4af7cca308dd341bbf67%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638724015955725977%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3pEP68f7WoxektKh28txTkJsMsOq3PAFVXKAm9Zi6S4%3D&reserved=0
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HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUEST: Terry Buettner
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
21 DEC 2024 · This Underdog Ag Podcast features a very inspiring story told by Svetlana (Vysotsky) Hensley, wife of Allen Hensley, of Agua Dulce, Texas.
Although she ended up in Texas, Svetlana spent the first five years of her life in Lviv, Ukraine. Then, because of religious persecution (even imprisonment), her parents, Igor and Nadia, fled to the United States with very little money, only the belongings they could carry, each other, and their faith in the risen Christ.
Listen to Svetlana talk about her journey to the United States, that began when she was a tearful child at a train station in the Ukraine. So sad to leave her home, her friends, and her life there, little did she know a church and community in Oklahoma was preparing to welcome the family with open arms.
This story is one of gratitude, humor, endurance, love, and faith. A fitting story to move us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Thank you, Allen Hensley, for recognizing the precious gift your wife and her story are to the world. Thank you, Svetlana, for your willingness to share your journey.
P.S. There are a few surprises along the way in this interview too. Such as, we may know the source of those mysterious crop circles that pop up at times. Also, the power of mowing your lawn and more.
In honor of Svetlana’s father, I am also sharing her father’s obituary below so that the story may live on in the hearts of those who read it:
Igor Fedorovich Vysotsky, age 77, entered through the eternal gates of Heaven peacefully on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in the comfort of his home. Igor is survived by his loving wife, Nadia (Gavrilov) Vysotsky, and his six children, Miroslav Vysotsky (wife Natasha) of Roseville, CA; Lilia Otten (husband James) of Bartlesville, OK; Nelya DeSpain (husband Brady) of Talala, OK; Igor Jr. Vysotsky (wife Lauren) of Cypress, TX; Svetlana Hensley (husband Allen) of Agua Dulce, TX; Isaya Vysotsky (wife Aileen) of Tampa, FL; and 21 grandchildren: Sara, Breyden, Alexis, Emily, Ethyn, Leah, Baylie, Trystan, Mia, Melana, Abram, Jonah, Eli, Miryk, Adelade, Levi, Silas, Kirym, Samuel, Magdalene, and Maverik.
Igor was born on January 25, 1947 in Matsoshyn (village near Lviv) Ukraine to Fedir and Agafia Vysotsky. He was the seventh of their eight children together. Igor attended and graduated from the Matsoshyn school house (completing grades 1-8; and prevented from pursuing higher education because of his Christian beliefs) after which he attended mechanical and technical trade schools where he earned mechanic and electrician certifications. Igor then completed 2 years of compulsory military service and entered the workforce in Lviv Ukraine. This turned out to be a fortunate location for Igor, as he began attending a local home-based church where he met, courted, and married his bride, Nadia, who would remain his life-long spouse for over 54 years, and would be by his side until his last breath on this earth.
As the patriarch of a growing family, Igor worked for various state owned/run enterprises and was often held back from promotions or outright fired for his beliefs and his refusal to live out his Faith in secret. The ongoing persecution for his Christian beliefs strained his ability to provide for his family and he often had two to three menial jobs and drove a gypsy cab during non-working hours to make ends meet.
This was simply the way of life for true Believers under the oppressive regime of the Soviet Union and became a theme of his ongoing struggle for freedom to worship and to live a life that God called him to live. Aside from the “softer” persecution of career and professional development limitations, Igor also experienced direct punishment for playing Christian worship music in the privacy of his own home. He and his pastor were imprisoned for over 40 days after being reported to the authorities by a neighbor. Igor was prepared to serve a much longer sentence but was unexpectedly released without explanation.
Although Igor was able to feed and clothe his children, he and Nadia recognized that it would be a difficult future for their family to build a life they wanted under their circumstances in Ukraine. Together, they made the difficult decision to renounce their citizenship, sell-off or give away most of their possessions, pack up their suitcases with whatever remained, and leave their homeland behind with five children in tow, in pursuit of freedoms of opportunity and above all, the freedom to live and worship their God as He had called them to. They found this freedom in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, having been sponsored by First Assembly of God Church. The Vysotsky family arrived in the USA on November 4, 1989, where they began the second act of their life.
Igor and Nadia embraced the opportunities that America afforded anyone lucky enough to reside inside its borders. They learned a new language, maximized their work opportunities (working just as hard as they had in Soviet Union but reaped the benefits of their labor), became business owners, sponsored other family members to immigrate to the States, raised their five Ukrainian born children and added one American born, and welcomed sons and daughters in law into the family. Above any material gains, Igor and Nadia were blessed with 21 grandchildren whom Igor considered his greatest success and best part of his legacy.
Igor was a man of few words but managed to speak volumes in the way that he lived his life for his children to observe and model after. He lived out his faith by example in his daily devotional time, in reading his Bible, in private prayers and fasting, church attendance and giving. He also taught life skills and deep personal convictions and virtues that his kids have adopted by living those out in the person that he was rather than verbal teaching. He taught the importance of effort, to do tasks the best that one had the capacity to do them, to mind the fine details, the willingness to learn and to try something new, the confidence to tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges, the necessity of humor in life, the virtues of sincerity, honesty, justice, gratitude, and servanthood. Igor had a critical eye for detail, offered strong and unfiltered opinions, and quick wit and a dry sense of humor that he employed regularly to entertain himself and those around him; all qualities that have been embraced and adopted by his kids and grandkids.
Igor suffered a stroke in September 2022 that limited his mobility and contributed to his passing on July 3, 2024. He lived a full life and leaves behind a legacy that he could not have imagined during his humble beginnings in the village of Matsoshyn. He lived a life worthy of remembrance. A life that our God called him to live. Igor followed and obeyed and through the many trying times of imprisonment, persecution, loss of earthly possessions, and loss of health, his faith never wavered. He now spends his time in Heaven with the One he loved and trusted all his days on Earth.
Obituary source: https://www.davisfamilyfuneralhome.com/m/obituaries/Igor-Vysotsky/Memories
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Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
HOST: Kerry Hoffschneider
GUEST: Svetlana Hensley
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CREDITS:
Mitchell Roush, Producer
Bibi Luevano, Cover Art
Purple Planet Music, Theme
We're having a heart to heart with the countryside, let's talk.
Hosted by Kerry Hoffschneider
Hosted by Kerry Hoffschneider
Information
| Author | Kerry Hoffschneider |
| Organization | Kerry Hoffschneider |
| Categories | Natural Sciences |
| Website | - |
| wordeed@outlook.com |
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