10. Shepherding Soil Health with Amanda Shine of Roving Ram Ranch

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Amanda Shine, a shepherd, teacher, and researcher passionate about soil health and regenerative agriculture. She and her husband Seth established Roving Ram Ranch in 2019 and provide affordable meat, wool products, and adaptive grazing services for local landowners who need their land regenerated.  Amanda started her livestock career working on Wisconsin dairies and attending the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy Farmers, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has degrees in Biology (B.A.), Agriculture (B.S.), and Agronomy (M.S.), with coursework for the latter degrees focused on rangeland ecology and management. She also raised Savannah and Boer meat goats for many years, using them for grazing projects in both Oklahoma and Nebraska.  After six years operating Roving Ram Ranch in Montana’s Flathead Valley, Amanda and Seth are moving operation to Texas, where they will continue Roving Ram Ranch while Amanda has an assistantship at Texas A&M involving grazing research. Amanda Shares: How she began pursuing sustainable agriculture in her early life How she integrated her academic career with her practical hands-on experience Why she and her husband Seth chose to raise sheep when they moved to Montana  The revenue streams possible from raising sheep How regenerative contract grazing works Sheep’s ability to detoxifying  toxic plants and how they discern what to eat and leave Fred Provenza’s research on how animals forage and mix plants for maximum benefits All about livestock guardian dogs   The logistics of rotational grazing  The lambing process and giving back to the community by providing affordable clean meat to those who otherwise could not afford it Her experience teaching soil and water health management  The importance of educating and empowering farmers to steward the land and use regenerative practices to heal the Earth What sheep are really like The sheep breeds they raise and why The process of shearing  How rotational grazing aids the health of the sheep as well as the land The experiential research process of rotational grazing to meet specific goals for a landowner The regenerative strategy of feeding on pasture during winter to load the soil with organic matter Understanding Ag as an educational resource for regenerative farming  Her assistantship at Texas A&M involving grazing research You can connect with Amanda through Roving Ram Ranch: Website: www.rovingramranch.com Instagram: @rovingramranch Email: [email protected] Intro/outro music by Ken Belcher