Ep 18: Duke Phillips on Sustainable Ranching & Livestock

Ep 18: Duke Phillips on Sustainable Ranching & Livestock
Download file | Play in new window | Recorded on | Speakers: Duke Phillips, Seth Spears

Duke Phillips is a third-generation rancher living in Wyoming. He is the CEO of Ranchlands, an agricultural-based business that operates large-scale cattle and bison ranches in the American West that are dedicated to conservation and sustainability. They partner with conservation-minded owners to implement ambitious and complementary programs, including hospitality, hunting and fishing, a leather shop, strategic advisory services, and ecotourism.

Duke's journey has led to creating a set of core beliefs that balance ranching, conservation, and economics. He leads the strategic vision and business development oversight of Ranchlands' ventures and managed properties.

Quotes:

  • "Regenerative agriculture should include humans too. You want to be having a good time, be happy with what you're doing, and have a healthy community and healthy family while you're doing it." 
  • "Nature is powerful as hell."

Topics Discussed:

  • How Duke got started in ranching 
  • The origins of Ranchlands
  • Business diversification and land conservation
  • Combatting draughts and building contingency plans
  • Yellow Stone the show
  • Misconceptions about ranchers
  • Understanding bison, the national mammal 
  • The differences between managing Bison and Cattle 
  • How education has become a core piece of the business
  • Duke's thoughts on what conservation needs today 
  • How to live symbiotically with nature
  • The importance of questioning a company's motives before supporting them
  • The dichotomy of urban sprawl and what to do about it 
  • How nature has impacted Duke
  • A Rancher's essential gear
  • Being alone and not having Amazon Prime
  • Brewing beer from home
  • The ecological benefit of rewilding & how it affects land
  • What it's like being a cowboy
  • The importance of keeping family as a priority

Resources Mentioned:

« Ep 17: Brad Brooks on Business, Hunting, & Conservation Ep 19: Patrick Rollins on Knives, Bushcraft, & Survival Training »
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