The Radke Report

This kid…She’s an old soul and a deep thinker. She’s stubborn, but sweet. Passionate and strong. And she sure loves her cattle.

She’s on fire for the Lord. Her devotion and faith inspires me, and makes me want to be better. More than anything, I hope she never forgets how deeply loved she is, just the way she is.

Proud of our girl today - a purple ribbon on her speech, and the story of Scarlett and Lucky keeps gaining momentum! Catch her on the road with me this fall; she’s gunning for my job & I’m good with being her driver and cheering her on!

Always a fun time being on SharkFarmerXM with Rob Sharkey - The Shark Farmer & Emily Sharkey. We covered a lot of ground in a hurry on this episode, including:

- The Radke Land & Cattle President's Day Production Sale on Feb. 17 in Mitchell, SD. Learn more at www.radkelandandcattle.com

- The launch of Bid On Beef & the exciting auctions we have coming up on the platform. Don't forget when you register at www.BidOnBeef.com  the first $25 to shop is on us!

- The fight to protect our private property rights and local control in South Dakota against the corporate Green New Deal interests seeking to bury a carbon pipeline on land they are not welcome. Learn more at www.sdnotforsale.com

- Promoting agricultural literacy in schools with children's books! Check out the books at www.amandaradke.com

Listen to the episode & let me know what you think!

Something incredible is happening in South Dakota, and the entire nation is watching.

Patriotism. Passion. Purpose. The spirit of 1776 runs deep in the heart of my home state. United. Strong. And True.

Anybody paying attention can clearly see, our precious God-given, Constitutional rights are under attack. Our family farms and ranches hang in the balance. And it’s all over a climate change boondoggle that has politicians on the right and left clamoring to grab every federal tax dollar incentive coming this way.

This agenda is playing out in every state in various forms. And in South Dakota, it’s coming in the form of the passage of South Dakota Senate Bill 201 (“Provide new statutory requirements for regulating linear transmission facilities, to allow counties to impose a surcharge on certain pipeline companies, and to establish a landowner bill of rights.”)

South Dakotan voters have won the final say in a controversial carbon pipeline bill.

The campaign to repeal Senate Bill 201 needed 17,508 signatures to force a statewide vote on the legislation this November. On Monday, they turned in over 34,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office.

“South Dakota Is Not For Sale”

For months, a proposed carbon pipeline project has created conflict in the upper Midwest, pitting landowners against corporate interests. Ignored by their Republican House, Senate, and governor, a group of South Dakotans decided to fight back.

“What were they trying to accomplish with Senate Bill 201 if it wasn’t to take control and give power to this pipeline project?” Jim Eschenbaum, chair of the South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance, told Dakota News Now. “We think SB201 is bad legislation, it’s authoritarian government, it’s just a bad idea.”

It was production day at Advanced Ag Products By-O-reg+ in Canton, SD.

Jaron Van Beek & Kevin Van Beek were great hosts showing us their process and teaching Scarlett about the products we use at Radke Land & Cattle.

Stay tuned for an upcoming episode of the “Heart of Rural America” featuring this fast-growing company!

Discover more here: https://byoreg.com

In April, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it would be putting in place the technology, tools, and processes to help quickly pinpoint and respond to costly foreign animal diseases.

“Rapid traceability in a disease outbreak will not only limit how long farms are quarantined, keep more animals from getting sick, and help ranchers and farmers get back to selling their products more quickly – but will help keep our markets open,” said Dr. Michael Watson, APHIS Administrator.

According to APHIS, “The final rule applies to all sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or older, all dairy cattle, cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo or recreation events, and cattle or bison of any age used for shows or exhibitions. The rule requires official ear tags to be visually and electronically readable for official use for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison, and revises and clarifies certain record requirements related to cattle.”

The implementation of this rule is expected to go into effect on Nov. 5, 2024.  

The #HeartOfRuralAmerica to me looks like this — friends, neighbors, and families coming together to stand up for their communities and to protect what is good and right. It’s standing firm in the truth, no matter the cost.

It’s instilling in our children and grandchildren through our efforts and example values of faith, family, freedom, grit, hard work, and service to one another. It’s valuing human life. It’s being a committed agriculturalist — a true steward of the land and livestock. It’s wrapping around someone in need. It’s caring about one another.

That’s the story I hope is told, and those are the values I pray are reflected, in an upcoming documentary that was shot today in South Dakota as everyday citizens have rallied together to protect their land, their private property rights, their families, and their communities from the devastating potential impacts of a Green New Deal carbon pipeline.

“You need people who have their own views, whose views you respect, whom you can have a productive disagreement with, and work out ideas which you might not have come up with, or who improve on ideas you had.” – Lee Hsien Loong

This week on the pod I sat down with Amanda Radke and we talked about the following topics:

• The spirit of the American rancher
• Private property rights
• How cattlemen and women are building successful businesses
• The importance of finding common ground even through disagreement
• Why the future is bright in the beef industry

The Miniature Hereford Breeders Association junior show was time well spent.

Together, we celebrated who we are in the heart of rural America and invested in agriculture’s next generation — our kids — as they work each day to find their passion and purpose wherever life takes them.

Thank you for the invitation to come speak and pour into your junior members.

My heart is full.

Special thank you to By-O-reg+ & 4 Wiley Farm, LLC for the warm welcome and hospitality!

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We are only given 24 hours in a day, and we have only one life to live. And I’m of the mindset that when I get to the end of my life, I don’t want to be well-rested and wrinkle free. I want to have given my all for the things I’m passionate about, earning every wrinkle, line, and scar, because at the end of it all, I want to know I did my best to honor my faith, my family, and my community. 

It’s in these moments of thought and prayer that I evaluate the things I pursue. Is it meaningful? Does it help others? Does it lift up my family? Does it honor my marriage, my sibling relationships, and my parents? Does it reflect the culture I want to live in? Does it advance the trajectory of the America I want to see?

As a lifelong beef cattle rancher, there are some fundamental truths about this business that cattlemen and women hold dear. 

This isn’t an easy life, but it’s a good life. Staying connected to the land and being a caretaker to the animals is an incredible pursuit, and the fruits of your labor are best enjoyed alongside family, who are willing to tackle the day-to-day grind of this business and stay committed to the task. 

And although cattle prices are currently quite favorable, there are some hard facts about our industry that paint a sometimes grim picture.