The Cowboy Up Podcast Russell True & Alan Day

Twenty years ago, two individuals started a company focused on sustainable agricultural and the humane treatment of animals. Over two decades later, that company now employees upward of 100 people, has expanded its products from its original no-sugar-added bacon, and more than ever adheres to its original philosophy. When we learned about Pederson’s Natural Farms, we were so impressed that we invited vice president Neil Dudley to join us. Neil talks about how innovative sustainable agricultural practices can lead to healthier ecosystems, more ethical food production, and a balanced relationship with nature. Whether you’re a farmer, a food enthusiastic, or simply curious about sustainable living, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiration. It may even tweak your appetite! Here’s to good eats and good health—naturally.   

When the opportunity to purchase a western railroad company dropped in Al Harper's lap, he was a real estate executive living in Florida. But the opportunity intrigued him, and sooner than later, he became the CEO of American Heritage Railways. As a result of Harper's passion to preserve and celebrate America's railroading history, company operations now reach nearly 1,500,000 rail passengers annually on three directly owned railroads and license special events on over 50 additional railroads. No surprise Harper was awarded the True Westerner Award by True West Magazine this past March. Give a listen to this inspiring conversation about heritage, innovation, and love of the rails.

Who better to explore the culinary legacy of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody than Steve Friesen, the Director of the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave for over 25 years? Friesen joins us to introduce his newest book, “Galloping Gourmet: Eating and Drinking with Buffalo Bill.” Buffalo Bill’s culinary roots began on the American Plains with simple foods such as cornbread, fried “yellow-legged” chicken, and hardtack. While leading buffalo-hunting expeditions and scouting, he discovered gourmet dining. As his fame increased, so did his desire and opportunities for fine dining; his early show business career allowed him to dine at some of the best restaurants in the country. He then took it upon himself to introduce his diverse cast of employees, which sometimes exceeded 1500 people, to the same fine dining. As one newspaper reporter observed, “Colonel Cody displays no more care about anything than the proper feeding of horse and man.” The “Galloping Gourmet” includes 250 artifacts and historic photos and over 30 annotated period recipes.
This week’s podcast song is “Stories That the Rocks Tell” by singer-songwriter Micki Fuhrman.

What’s it like to grow up on a dude ranch? Few people can answer that question. One of them is Russell True, who grew up on the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson and eventually became owner and manager.  Our newest podcast team member, Steven Clauson, interviews Russell about his experiences as and how dude ranching has evolved over the decades. By the way, Russell was inducted into the Dude Ranch Hall of Fame in January 2024.
"In my opinion the world needs more good people and more of the culture of the American West. The world’s fascination with cowboys and the West is for good reason." - Russell True

It’s estimated that we consume a credit card of plastic every week. Alarming on one hand, too easy to ignore on the other hand. But we all share the problems of garbage, no matter how we vote or where we live. How pervasive are these problems and can we do anything about them? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes says, you bet we can! The author of the new eye-opening book, “Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World,” Humes joins Russell and Alan to highlight what innovative people are doing to help our planet and what we can in our daily lives.

It’s a challenging life, cowboying and relying on the range for your living. And if you saddle up regularly in the rodeo circuit, you have one heck of a challenging and busy life. Just ask the Wright family. That's exactly what Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Branch did when he was assigned to write a story about them. Cowboys? Rodeos? Branch, who grew up in the West, was all in. In fact, he turned the New York Times story into a book about the Wrights called the “The Last Cowboys.” He chats with our podcast cowboys about the Wrights, the future of cowboying, and what life is like on the rodeo circuit. Branch also shares a few additional true stories from his newest bestseller, “Sidecountry: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Road of Sports.”
Concluding this episode is Bethany Zill’s version of “Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” Bethany hails from Tucson, AZ, where she also is a videographer and documentarian.