Takeaways

• Most fights over animal ownership are decided at the local and state level, so tracking bills and showing up to hearings matters more than waiting on Congress.
• Bans often pass in places with little or no affected industry because supporters want a precedent they can cite in the next city or state.
• Mindy Patterson argues that animal cruelty is already a felony in all 50 states, so the better answer is enforcing existing law rather than writing new ones.
• Building relationships with lawmakers and educating them about what you do works better than showing up angry, because many decision makers have never seen a cow.

Summary of the Episode

In this episode of Heart of Rural America, Amanda Radke welcomes back Mindy Patterson, president and founder of The Cavalry Group, an organization that works to protect constitutional property rights related to animal ownership. Mindy starts with news out of New York City, where the city council voted to ban horse drawn carriages in Central Park, with the ban set to take effect June 1, 2028. She walks through the language in the ordinance, including limits on what owners can do with their licensed horses.

From there, Amanda and Mindy explain why this matters far beyond New York. Mindy describes carriage bans that have already passed in Florida and Salt Lake City, pending proposals in Texas cities, and a list of bans on working animals, rodeos, pony rides, and petting zoos across 29 states and 63 municipalities. They talk about how supporters use emotional stories and redefine terms like humane treatment and animal husbandry to move bills forward, and why Mindy believes the answer is enforcing the animal cruelty laws already on the books.

The conversation turns practical. Mindy shares how The Cavalry Group monitors legislation in all 50 states, trains members to testify, and shows up in force, including a win against a Maryland bill targeting kangaroos and zebras. Amanda shares her own first experience testifying, and both hosts encourage listeners to get to know their lawmakers, ask where they stand, and educate them on agriculture. Mindy also reports back from the Kirkpatrick Foundation animal conference in Oklahoma City.

The episode closes with a heads up on a federal bill Amanda is watching, a call to vote with the Constitution in mind, and a reminder to share the show. To follow the legislation Mindy is tracking or to become a member, visit thecavalrygroup.com.

Presented by Bid on Beef | CK6 Consulting | CK6 Source | Real Tuff Livestock Equipment | Redmond RealSalt | Dirt Road Radio | All American Angus Beef | Radke Land & Cattle

• Use code RADKE for $10 off your next All American Angus Beef order at www.BidOnBeef.com
• Save on Redmond Real Salt with code RADKE at https://shop.redmondagriculture.com/
• Check out Amanda's agricultural children's books here: https://amandaradke.com/collections/amandas-books
• Learn more about Bulletproofing Your Direct-To-Consumer Beef Enterprise: https://amandaradke.com/products/bulletproof-your-beef-business

• Resources for producers: the USDA Law Fair website and americanlandandlegacy.org

Takeaways

• Children are not an interruption to your purpose, they are your purpose. Amanda Radke shares how a conversation with her priest reshaped the way she balances business, travel, and speaking with her role as a wife and mother of four.
• Resilient, faith-filled kids are built through everyday habits: family dinners without phones, meaningful chores and real responsibility, time outdoors connected to the land, and parents who live out their faith where kids can see it.
• Raise courageous adults, not comfortable ones. Teaching kids to think critically, to ask "Is this true?" and "Who benefits if I believe this?", prepares them to stand firm in a culture full of noise, fake news, and AI.

Summary of the Episode

In this solo episode of The Heart of Rural America, host Amanda Radke steps away from cattle markets and policy to talk about what she calls the most important work in agriculture: raising the next generation. A South Dakota rancher, entrepreneur, and mother of four, Amanda shares ten lessons she has learned, and is still learning, about motherhood, faith, and family life in a culture that increasingly pushes comfort over conviction.

Amanda counts down, starting with the idea that children are her purpose, not a distraction from it. She covers why the family dinner table is a powerful discipleship tool, why kids need responsibility more than entertainment, and how the land teaches patience, resilience, stewardship, and gratitude. She also speaks from personal experience as a former foster parent and adoptive mother about how families can step into hard places to serve vulnerable children.

The second half of the episode focuses on character and conviction. Amanda explains why she wants to raise courageous kids instead of comfortable ones, how to teach children discernment with practical questions they can ask about every message they hear, and why faith is caught more than it is taught. She closes with a challenge to build intentional family traditions and to remember that the children we influence are the legacy we carry into eternity.

Presented by Bid on Beef | CK6 Consulting | CK6 Source | Real Tuff Livestock Equipment | Redmond RealSalt | Dirt Road Radio | All American Angus Beef | Radke Land & Cattle

• Use code RADKE for $10 off your next All American Angus Beef order at www.BidOnBeef.com
• Save on Redmond Real Salt with code RADKE at https://shop.redmondagriculture.com/
• Check out Amanda's agricultural children's books here: https://amandaradke.com/collections/amandas-books
• Learn more about Bulletproofing Your Direct-To-Consumer Beef Enterprise: https://amandaradke.com/products/bulletproof-your-beef-business

• Resources for producers: the USDA Law Fair website and americanlandandlegacy.org

Takeaways

• Dean Wade explains how cutting fast food and processed food took him from 8 to 9 percent body fat down to 4.5 percent in a single season, with no change to his workouts.
• Dean and Chris Earl connect what it takes to survive as an undrafted NBA player to what it takes to survive in the cattle business right now: discipline over motivation, a team of doers, and a refusal to quit.
• Dean shares why he is already planning a life after basketball in Kansas and how Angus genetics and Bid on Beef fit into that plan.

In this episode of The Heart of Rural America, Amanda Radke goes boots on the ground at Rocking R Ranch in New Mexico for customer appreciation day with return guest Chris Earl of CK6 Consulting, Bid on Beef, and All American Angus Beef. Chris brings along his longtime friend Dean Wade, a Kansas native and new addition to the Philadelphia 76ers, for a conversation about beef, athletic performance, and rural roots.

Dean opens up about growing up in a small Kansas farm community, going undrafted, and building a seven-year NBA career on defense, nutrition, and daily habits. He explains how a wake-up call in his early NBA years pushed him away from fast food, how a home-cooked, beef-centered diet helped him drop his body fat without changing his training, and why Bid on Beef gives his family consistent, high-quality steak delivered to the door. Chris ties Dean's underdog story to the challenges facing cattle producers today, arguing that the ranchers who keep showing up on the toughest days are the ones who win.

The conversation closes with Dean's plans for after basketball, including land in Kansas and a growing interest in Angus genetics, plus a lighthearted debate over favorite cuts and how to cook them. Amanda wraps with a reminder to keep fighting for this way of life, for yourself and for the next generation.

Presented by Bid on Beef | CK6 Consulting | CK6 Source | Real Tuff Livestock Equipment | Redmond RealSalt | Dirt Road Radio | All American Angus Beef | Radke Land & Cattle

• Use code RADKE for $10 off your next All American Angus Beef order at www.BidOnBeef.com
• Save on Redmond Real Salt with code RADKE at https://shop.redmondagriculture.com/
• Check out Amanda's agricultural children's books here: https://amandaradke.com/collections/amandas-books
• Learn more about Bulletproofing Your Direct-To-Consumer Beef Enterprise: https://amandaradke.com/products/bulletproof-your-beef-business

• Resources for producers: the USDA Law Fair website and americanlandandlegacy.org