Sandhills Stories is a Podcast featuring ranchers that span across a near 20 thousand square mile area known as the sandhills of Nebraska. The unique landscape of rolling sand dunes covered in native grass is known as one of the largest intact temperate grasslands in the world. Ranching is a way of life here and it's how most people in the area make a living. The Sandhills Task Force (a non-profit that works with area ranchers) wanted to share the stories that rarely get told outside of a branding pen or small local gathering. Join Cody in his travels and visits with ranchers all across the sandhills. If you'd like to learn more about how we work with area ranchers check us out at sandhillstaskforce.org
Join Cody as he sits down with Ashley and Tevyn the project coordinators for the Sandhills Task Force. They discuss what type of projects they work on and how they help partner with ranchers in the Sandhills to improve the land.
21 Mar 2025
Downing Ranch
Tim, Bonnie and Brett Downing own and manage Downing Ranch near Dunning Nebraska. Join the conversation as Cody, Tim and Brett sit down to talk about ranching, Tim's journey to their current operation, and Brett's role since returning from college.
31 Jan 2025
A.B. Cox 4-O Ranch
A.B. Cox is a rancher, stockman, conservationist and cowboy. A.B is in the Nebraska Sandhills Cowboy Hall of Fame, a past Leopold Conservation award winner, past board member for the Sandhills Task Force and a great storyteller. Listen in as A.B and Cody talk about conservation, success and failures, tough winters, life lessons and of course ranching the Sandhills. Enjoy the first episode of season 3!
16 Feb 2024
Switzer Ranch
The Switzer ranch near Burwell Nebraska has been in the family for over 100 years. It was started by Sarah Sortum's great grandfather who came to the Sandhills as a grouse and prairie chicken market hunter. Using the Kinkaide and Homestead Act he staked his claim and began the ranch. Currently the ranch is home to the 3rd 4th and 5th generations. Over the years their business has changed but Ranching, Conservation, and good cattle are a top priority along with a few new enterprises. Join Cody and Sarah as they sit down and talk about the history of the ranch, how it has changed over the years, and how their most recent endeavour Calamus Outfitters plays a role in the business.
13 Feb 2024
A Sandhills Poet
Natalie G'schwind grew up near Calloway Nebraska working on her family's ranch. From a young age she enjoyed writing and didn't get into poetry until college. She is currently a Range specialist in Halsey Nebraska where she works with ranchers and continues to write poetry. She recently returned from a trip to Elko Nevada where she presented some of her poems at The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Many of her poems are about The Sandhills, Cowboys and the western way of life. Listen to the end where you can learn how to get entered to win a free signed copy of Natalie's book, a collection of her poems "Bays and Prairies".
15 Jan 2024
Plum Thicket Farms
Nancy Peterson DVM is originally from the front range of Colorado. When Nancy and her husband Rex decided to look for more ranch country they decided on the Nebraska Sandhills. For the past 25 years Nancy, Rex and their son Pat have farmed and ranched south of Gordon Nebraska. Join Cody and Nancy as they discuss what it was like practicing veterinary medicine for several years and their journey from Colorado to Nebraska.
1 Dec 2023
Shovel Dot Ranch
Homer and Darla Buell are fourth generation ranchers on the Shovel Dot Ranch near Bassett Nebraska. The Shovel Dot was founded by Homer's Grandfather Benjamin Franklin Buell in 1883. On a trip through the sandhills to work for a logging company on the west coast he returned to the Sandhills and staked his claim. Homer and his brother Larry managed the Shovel Dot for several years together before deciding to split it for generational transition purposes. Join Cody as he and Homer talk about the history of the Shovel Dot and how Homer and his family try to preserve their history and stay progressive about managing their operation.
26 Jun 2023
John Ravenscroft Three Bars Ranch
John Ravenscroft of the three bars ranch is a third generation rancher. He has ranched his entire life in the sandhills except for a stint of serving our country in vietnam. John is very active in the community. On top of ranching John is currently the president of the Sandhills Task Force. Join Cody and John as they visit about ranching, conservation, a wild draft stud horse, and serving the public.
13 Jun 2023
Dailey Angus Ranch
Lemoyne Dailey and his wife Rhonda own and operate Dailey angus by Thedford Nebraska. Join Cody and Lemoyne as they visit about Lemoyne's start in ranching at a young age, buying and selling ranches to get where he is today and also his time spent as a deputy sheriff. Lemoyne also talks about some struggles in ranching including being burned in a wildfire and the long road to recovery.
2 Jun 2023
Mental Health in Ranching
Ryan Sexson is a rancher by Nenzel Nebraska. Ryan currently serves on the National Grazing Lands Coalition board, and his passions include grazing, stockmanship, and mental health in ranching. He can personally attest to knowing many individuals that have taken their own lives over the years and he is looking for ways to remedy that in our ranching communities. Cody and Ryan Sit down and talk about Ryan's personal journey with mental health and what the ranching community can do to help each other out with this issue
26 May 2023
Buck Buckles A Sandhills Cowboy
Buck and his wife Joan live 15 miles east of Gordon Nebraska. Born in the 1940's Buck has been ranching in the sandhills his entire life and is well known as a horseman and cowboy. Buck and Cody sit down to discuss everything from loading cattle on train cars as a kid, stacking hay with horses, blizzards, droughts, and even seeing the first quarter horses move into the sandhills. Joan, who is not in this episode, is one of the best painters of horses and cowboy life out there.
19 May 2023
Pilot
On this episode Cody visits with the Executive Director of the Sandhills Task Force Shelly Kelly. They talk about what the Sandhills of Nebraska is, The Task Force, and Shelly shares her personal ranching journey.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
10 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
18
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
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