Jen Livsey – Multi-Generational Commitment to Work with Nature in Colorado’s Eastern Plains

Jen Livsey plans and manages grazing on her family’s commercial cow/calf ranch, the Flying Diamond in eastern Colorado. Jen has an MS in Ranch Management from the King Ranch Institute and is the owner of EastCo, a pasture and livestock insurance group.

As Jen puts it, the family’s philosophy has been to leave things in better condition than they were found and to take steps to ensure the ranch passes on to the next generation. It seems to be working, as The Flying Diamond Ranch has been in the family for more than 100 years.

Our conversation was filled with laughter, covering a wide range of topics such as the Kit Carson biography “Blood and Thunder” and ranching for profit by layering multiple revenue streams. We also talk about tools to manage for drought, the disconnect between agriculture and consumers, and using Instagram to hire a ranch hand. Listen to the end for speculation on the ways ranching might change in our lifetime. Enjoy!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/jen-livsey ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:30 – Getting to know Jen Livsey and the Flying Diamond Ranch in Colorado

4:15 – Comparing the beef cattle business to poultry and pork

6:30 – Peering into the crystal ball of regenerative agriculture

10:00 – Grazing cattle are an integral part of the grassland ecosystem

12:25 – Ranching for profit and keeping the ranch in the family

17:15 – Layering multiple revenue streams and expansion via leases

21:30 – Tools to manage for drought

25:35 – Great new hire via Instagram

29:25 – Attracting the brightest minds to agriculture and managing our natural resources

32:30 – Disconnect between agriculture and consumers

37:25 – Efforts to improve communication between ag and consumers in Colorado

40:35 – In what ways will ranching change in the next 30 years?

44:25 – Integrating grazing on cover crops and transitioning marginal cropland back to rangeland