The Maude Family Ranch - Beef, Pork, and 115 Years of Tradition (Live Farm Tour) - Maude Hog & Cattle | #112

Charles and Heather Maude are 5th generation ranchers in South Dakota running a direct-to-consumer beef and pork operation built on land their family has worked for over 115 years. This tour covers the full operation - cattle, hogs, grain storage, equipment, and the irrigated river bottom at the center of a federal land dispute that drew national attention. Watch this alongside the full-length podcast episode for the complete story behind what you're seeing on the ground.Key TopicsDirect-to-consumer beef and pork - how it actually worksCattle finishing and feeder calf productionFarrowing crates - the honest case for and againstWhy feed quality determines meat quality in hogsGrain storage, forage systems, and matching stocking rate to grassThe disputed river bottom and the federal land disputeWhat You'll LearnHow a small ranch runs multiple livestock enterprises on limited acresWhy weaning date is a range management decision, not just an animal oneWhat farrowing crates are actually for and why a skeptic changed her mindHow monogastric and ruminant digestion produce fundamentally different meatWhat 115 years of private land management looks like - and what happens when it's challengedWhy boundary disputes in the rural West are common, and criminal indictments are notConnect with Charles & HeatherWebsiteInstagramFacebookTimestamps00:00:00 — Introduction and context 00:02:00 — Cattle paddock: finished beef and this year's steer calves 00:04:00 — Weaning early — a drought and range management decision 00:06:00 — Grain bins: what they store and how they work 00:08:00 — Farrowing facility: why the crates exist 00:13:00 — Hog nutrition: simple stomach vs. ruminant digestion 00:15:00 — Pasture-raised pork: why quality and finish time differ 00:18:00 — Legacy equipment: grandfather's tractors and the 1948 truck 00:24:00 — The fence line: terrain, flooding, and where fences actually go 00:25:00 — The Forest Service dispute begins 00:27:00 — No written violation, no due process, criminal charges 00:28:00 — Working toward resolution: the Small Tracks Act 00:30:00 — Secretary Rollins, the temporary use agreement, and what changed 00:33:00 — The survey stakes, the crop damage, and the escalation 00:37:00 — What the land trade proposal was and why it was rejected 00:39:00 — What this case means for ranchers and private landowners 00:41:00 — Final reflections