Better Beef

Dr. Grace Majors Better Beef

This episode of the Better Beef Podcast features veterinarian Dr. Grace Majors, a recent graduate of Washington State University who has returned to practice in her rural home community. The conversation focuses on the realities of rural mixed animal practice, the transition from veterinary school to real-world work, and the challenges of building producer trust as a young large-animal vet.  Dr. Grace Majors describes deciding on veterinary medicine in high school and gaining early experience by shadowing at the clinic where she now works. She outlines the intensity of veterinary school, comparing it to “drinking from a fire hose,” with three years of didactic coursework covering multiple species, followed by a clinical year. She contrasts non-tracking programs like Washington State, which require broad training across species, with tracking schools such as Colorado State, where students can focus on specific areas like small animal or equine. A major theme is the difficulty of stepping into the role once held by a highly trusted, long-practicing rural veterinarian. Dr. Majors explains that producers often compare her to the retired vet, assuming his outcomes were always successful and holding her to a near-zero margin for error. She emphasizes that the medicine can be learned, but building trust with cattle producers—especially as a 26-year-old woman in a traditionally older, male-dominated environment—is the hardest part. She and the host explore the importance of communication, honesty about limits, and the willingness to seek mentorship. Dr. Majors shares candid stories about complex cases, including a challenging surgery on a steer and the emotional weight of outcomes that are influenced by timing, producer decisions, and biological unpredictability. She stresses that prevention and management changes often matter more than “magic bullet” treatments, highlighting the value of producer education on issues like scours, respiratory disease, and breeding soundness. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Majors frames rural veterinary work as a service-minded profession grounded in community, food-chain responsibility, and a sense of greater purpose beyond financial reward.   For previous episodes of the Better Beef Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com. [https://americancattlemen.com/podcasts/] American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By: Moly Manufacturing [https://www.molymfg.com/] Central Life Sciences [https://www.centrallifesciences.com/] Medgene [https://medgenelabs.com/] Forge [https://forge-ind.com/]

Chef Pete

Welcome back to Better Beef, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Today Kaid sits down with Chef Pete to discuss Beef in restaurants.  Chef Pete recounts growing up in a crowded home, pushed toward construction by his father, a tradesman who saw building as the safest path. After realizing on his first day doing concrete that this wasn’t his future, Pete took a winding road that included trouble with the law and time in prison. There, watching people create surprisingly impressive meals from extremely limited ingredients, he discovered how deeply food and creativity spoke to him. That realization set him on a path into professional kitchens, where he treated every job as a paid internship and never stopped learning. He explains how corporate restaurant work gave him stability, but it was in European-style kitchens like Cafe Tuscano in Pocatello that his craft truly took shape. Mentors such as Jason Spence and Dave Miller drilled in fundamentals, discipline, and the importance of “kitchen language”: clear communication, respect for the entire brigade, and special appreciation for dishwashers as the backbone of service. A later move to Arizona’s highly competitive dining scene tested his skills and proved just how prepared he really was. Returning to Idaho, Pete eventually connected with Carol, an investor from Boston with restaurant experience, who quietly “scouted” him before deciding he was the chef to build Rogue with. Pete insisted on owning the menu, designing the kitchen, and fully committing to the vision—so fully that he tattooed the restaurant’s name on his forehead as a promise he wasn’t going anywhere. The episode explores his approach to sourcing and preserving ingredients in Idaho’s harsh winters, transforming budget cuts like chuck into refined dishes through salt-curing, braising, and careful temperature control. Pete also unpacks the science and emotion of umami and MSG and shares his long-term dream of creating a “new world cuisine” rooted in Native American and indigenous foodways. He closes by offering aspiring chefs honest advice about low pay, long hours, doubt from others, and why total dedication to the craft is still worth it.   For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com. [https://americancattlemen.com/podcasts/] American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By: Moly Manufacturing [https://www.molymfg.com/] Central Life Sciences [https://www.centrallifesciences.com/] Medgene [https://medgenelabs.com/] Forge [https://forge-ind.com/]

Unhinged Rancher

In this episode of the Better Beef Podcast, host Kade Panek sits down with Kyle, known across social media as the former Unhinged Rancher and now the Unruly Rancher. Many recognize his unfiltered rants, wild cow-tagging clips, and potbelly pig chaos, but this conversation focuses on the far larger part of his life that never makes it to the screen.  Broadcasting from west central Kansas, “out in BFE” between Oakley and Scott City, Kyle manages a 1,200-head corporate cow-calf operation largely on his own. He shares his unlikely path to that responsibility, starting with a rough upbringing in northwestern South Dakota, a stint in Job Corps in Ogden, Utah, and a string of jobs in welding, oil fields, gas stations, and fast food. The story leads to his arrival in Kansas with everything he owned in the back of a behind-on-payments pickup, stepping into a newly purchased ranch where an entire herd’s survival would depend on him. Kade and Kyle dig into the reality of calving out 1,200 cows mostly solo, from brutal blizzards and loading trucks with calf carcasses to 14–16 hour days and tagging more than 100 calves in a single stretch. Kyle explains how corporate ranching actually operates, with tight budget oversight, feed and mineral bids, and regular reporting, and contrasts that with public ideas of “factory farming.” He also breaks down why “waspy” cows are often kept in the herd and how reading cow body language—particularly the silent, locked-on “Mickey Mouse ears” look—can mean the difference between a close call and a serious injury. The conversation also covers the origin of the Unhinged Rancher's viral salt block shot video, filmed with a well-used salt block and a bottle of tequila, and the surprising responses it generated. Kyle reflects on how social media began as a joke, evolved into an alter ego and a platform, and opened doors to new opportunities, including speaking engagements. Along the way, he is candid about past trouble with the law, hitting rock bottom, and rebuilding his life through relentless work and ranching. For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com. [https://americancattlemen.com/podcasts/] American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By: Moly Manufacturing [https://www.molymfg.com/] Central Life Sciences [https://www.centrallifesciences.com/] Medgene [https://medgenelabs.com/] Forge [https://forge-ind.com/]