Dry Creek Ranch, Agridime Update & Cattle Industry News

It’s The Ranch It Up Radio Show! Join Jeff Tigger Erhardt, Rebecca Wanner AKA BEC and their crew as they hear where there is a new boss lady in town in this red angus outfit.  We head to the Dry Creek Ranch.  Plus updates on the Agridime cattle ponzi scheme, market recaps, the ranch channel sales calendar and lots more all wrapped into this brand new episode of The Ranch It Up Radio Show. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcasting app or on the Ranch It Up Radio Show YouTube Channel. Season 6, EPISODE 277 Dry Creek Ranch: Passion For Red Angus Dry Creek Ranch in Amidon, North Dakota, is a family-run Red Angus cattle operation that focuses on raising registered and commercial cattle, selling breeding bulls, and offering ranch-raised beef directly to customers. The ranch is operated by the Robison family and emphasizes practical, efficient cattle genetics and long-term herd improvement, with activities that include private-treaty sales and ranch-direct beef marketing. It’s part of the western North Dakota ranching tradition, combining working-ranch livestock production with a direct connection to consumers and other cattle producers in the region. Current State Of The Beef Business Beef prices are climbing faster than almost anything else in the consumer price index. The broad beef and veal category is up 15 percent over the past year, as of January. Uncooked ground beef has hit a new record high, after posting its biggest jump since June of 2020, according to new government data released last Friday. That stands out against the rest of the grocery aisle, where price pressures have eased. Chicken prices rose just over 1 percent in the past year, while milk prices have stayed mostly flat. At the wholesale level, the average value of choice beef in 2025 was up 16 percent from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even major meatpackers like Tyson Foods are feeling the strain, with the company’s beef division reporting quarterly losses since early 2024. The surge in beef prices has pushed the White House to respond. President Donald Trump has pledged to increase competition in beef processing and has expanded Argentine beef import quotas in an attempt to boost supply. But the situation is more complicated. The U.S. cattle herd has fallen to its smallest level since the early 1950’s. Drought, higher production costs, and elevated interest rates have all made raising cattle more expensive. Don Close, a senior animal protein analyst at Terrain Ag, says the cattle industry is cyclical, but this downturn has lasted longer than expected. Right now, ranchers can make more money selling animals young for slaughter than keeping them to rebuild herds. And even if herd expansion started today, it wouldn’t reach grocery store shelves until at least 2028 — meaning beef prices could stay high for years. Meanwhile, the U.S. has halted shipments of live cattle from Mexico following the return of the New World screwworm. Imports from South America may provide some relief, but those supplies are mostly used for ground beef and won’t quickly solve the broader cattle shortage. And that is a quick snap shot of the current beef business Reference: https://fortune.com/2026/02/14/why-are-beef-prices-so-high-american-cattle-herd-inflation/ Five Federally Indicted For Alleged $220 Million Nationwide Cattle Fraud Scheme Five individuals were federally indicted last week for their roles in an alleged $220 million nationwide fraud scheme involving the online and direct-to-consumer meat business Agridime. Those indicted by a Fort Worth federal grand jury on February 11, 2026, were: Jed Wood of Fort Worth, Texas, charged with three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering involving wiring more than $63,000 to a lender for “Home Payoff” Joshua Link of Strafford, Missouri, charged with ten counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering, including wiring more than $527,000 to purchase real property Tia Link of Smithton, Missouri, charged with three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering, including wiring more than $527,000 to purchase real property Taylor Bang of Killdeer, North Dakota, charged with eight counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering Royana Thomas of Arlington, Texas, charged with six counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering As alleged in the indictment, each of the defendants were associated with Agridime LLC, a business headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas that offered cattle sales and meat processing and retail services to the public.  Jed Wood served as the Operations Director.  Joshua Link served as the Executive Director.  Tia Link served as the Marketing Director.  Taylor Bang served as a cattle broker, and Royana Thomas served as the financial controller.  The indictment alleges that, from January 2021 through December 2023, the five defendants, acting through Agridime, perpetrated a fraud scheme in which they falsely represented to individual cattle purchasers, cattle ranchers, and feedlots that Agridime would use their funds to purchase specific individual cattle from each victim, raise the cattle, and eventually sell the meat from the same specific individual cattle for a profit.   In reality, as the indictment charges, the defendants did not use victim funds as promised and instead used newer cattle purchaser funds to pay Agridime operating expenses, pay funds owed by Agridime to earlier cattle purchasers, pay personal expenses, and purchase real property.  Reference: https://www.tsln.com/news/five-federally-indicted-for-alleged-220-million-nationwide-cattle-fraud-scheme-one-is-fugitive-on-fbi-wanted-list/ Featured Experts in the Cattle Industry Haley Robison - Dry Creek Ranch https://www.drycreekranchnd.com/ Follow On Facebook: @drycreekranchnd Kirk Donsbach – Financial Analyst at StoneX https://www.stonex.com/ Follow on Facebook: @StoneXGroupInc Shaye Wanner – Host of Casual Cattle Conversation https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ Follow on Facebook: @cattleconvos Contact Us with Questions or Concerns Have questions or feedback? Feel free to reach out via: Call/Text: 707-RANCH20 or 707-726-2420 Email: [email protected] Follow us: Facebook/Instagram: @RanchItUpShow YouTube: Subscribe to Ranch It Up Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RanchItUp Catch all episodes of the Ranch It Up Podcast available on all major podcasting platforms. Discover the Heart of Rural America with Tigger & BEC Ranching, farming, and the Western lifestyle are at the heart of everything we do. Tigger & BEC bring you exclusive insights from the world of working ranches, cattle farming, and sustainable beef production. Learn more about Jeff 'Tigger' Erhardt & Rebecca Wanner (BEC) and their mission to promote the Western way of life at Tigger and BEC. https://tiggerandbec.com/ Industry References, Partners and Resources For additional information on industry trends, products, and services, check out these trusted resources: Allied Genetic Resources: https://alliedgeneticresources.com/ American Gelbvieh Association: https://gelbvieh.org/ Axiota Animal Health: https://axiota.com/multimin-campaign-landing-page/ Imogene Ingredients: https://www.imogeneingredients.com/ Jorgensen Land & Cattle: https://jorgensenfarms.com/#/?ranchchannel=view Medora Boot: https://medoraboot.com/ RFD-TV: https://www.rfdtv.com/ Rural Radio Network: https://www.ruralradio147.com/ Superior Livestock Auctions: https://superiorlivestock.com/ Transova Genetics: https://transova.com/ Westway Feed Products: https://westwayfeed.com/ Wrangler: https://www.wrangler.com/ Wulf Cattle: https://www.wulfcattle.com/