223 | The Cow Built for Grass

What happens when a cattle breed is designed specifically for grass-based farming instead of the feedlot?

In this special narrative-style episode of the Grazing Grass Podcast, Cal Hardage tells the story of the South Poll breed and the people behind it. Starting with Teddy Gentry’s journey in the late 1980s, this episode explores how one goal shaped an entirely new kind of cow: heat tolerant, fertile, efficient on forage, and built to thrive in regenerative grazing systems.

You’ll hear from Teddy Gentry, Greg Judy, Ralph and Jerry Voss, Steve Freeman, and Nathan Hahn as they share how South Poll cattle changed their operations and why they believe smaller, forage-efficient cattle are the future of profitable grass farming.

This episode covers:

•  Why Teddy Gentry created the South Poll breed 
•  The four breeds that formed South Poll cattle 
•  Heat tolerance, slick hair genetics, and grass efficiency 
•  Why fertility and longevity matter more than size 
•  Greg Judy’s transition away from conventional cattle 
•  Leasing land to grow a grazing operation 
•  Why South Poll breeders avoid the show ring 
•  Building profitable cows instead of high-input cows 
•  Grass finishing cattle on pasture 
•  Selling direct-to-consumer grass-fed beef 
•  The economics of regenerative cattle production 
•  Longevity and maternal performance in grazing herds 
•  Using smaller cows to improve profit per acre 

If you’ve ever wondered whether modern cattle genetics truly fit regenerative grazing systems, this episode will give you a lot to think about.

Resources Mentioned:

• Teddy Gentry
• Greg Judy
• Burk Teichert
• South Poll Grass Cattle Association

Listen, learn, and keep on grazing. 

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Original Music by Louis Palfrey