Burnin’ Daylight

Matt McKinley
  • 4.8 (70)
  • COMEDY
  • UPDATED DAILY

A podcast explaining and celebrating the intricacies, wisdom and humor of cowboy/ cowpuncher/ buckaroo culture. Enjoy conversations with working cowboys, authors, musicians, business leaders and hilariously offensive news and political analysis from the viewpoint of your favorite feedlot cowboy, Matt McKinley. The podcast for the working cowboy!

  1. 9H AGO

    Friggin’ Farm & Ranch Report — Weekly Wrap | April 10, 2026

    This week’s Weekly Wrap is a full barn. JBS Greeley’s workers are back on the line with no contract, diesel jumps another 24 cents to $5.64, and USDA’s April WASDE reminds everybody there still aren’t enough cattle and there’s too much wheat. We break down live and feeder cattle, cash trade, slaughter pace, boxed beef, and what a below-capacity kill floor means for your fats and your calves. On the sale barn side, we run the Sale Barn Double-Shot with cattle runs across the West plus a firm using-horse market, and we tip the hat to sponsors Lone Star Stockyards in Texas and Atkinson Livestock Market “The Old Reliable” up on Highway 20 in Nebraska. Then it’s grains, inputs, and pain: range-bound corn and beans, wheat trading a war-and-drought risk premium, diesel screaming higher, fertilizer stubbornly expensive, and interest rates that refuse to back off. We hit drought maps, Washington State’s fourth straight drought emergency, and what that means for grass, hay, and stocking rates. War Reel covers the Iran front, Hormuz and Red Sea shipping risk, and the Black Sea grain corridor – not because we like it, but because it’s why your fuel bill and fertilizer freight won’t calm down. We wrap with Forest Service HQ moving west, the Farm Bridge deadline, sports shenanigans, and an “On This Day” run from the Titanic to a Florida Porsche joyride. Sponsored by: Lone Star Stockyards (Wildorado, TX) – https://www.lonestarstockyards.com Atkinson Livestock Market “The Old Reliable” (Atkinson, NE) – https://www.atkinsonlivestock.com Markets, war, drought, and bad decisions – all tied back to what it means for your cows, your crops, and your fuel bill. Move your ass – we’re Burnin’ Daylight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min

  2. 1D AGO

    Man About a Horse — Friggin’ Farm & Ranch Report (4/9/26)

    Today's Friggin' Farm & Ranch Report is a "don't screw up" kind of market. Live cattle in the high 240s, feeders still stout, May corn in the mid-$4s taking some pressure off the bunk. Cash rundown from OKC West, Clovis, Billings, and a horse market with starch back in the cull floor. Inputs: diesel at $5.643/gal, WTI near $98, DAP/urea still painful. Drought hammering the southern Plains and Southwest. War reel: Ukraine grinding, Israel-Hezbollah trading shots, Hormuz still a choke point. Policy risk meter at 48/100. Freedom Framework overall: 41/100 — defensive. Watch your inputs. Sponsored by Lone Star Stockyards — catalog horse sale Saturday April 11 at 11am Central. lonestarstockyards.com Subscribe and get the full dashboard at burnindaylight.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    33 min

  3. 2D AGO

    War Premium Off, Cattle Still Tight — Friggin' Farm & Ranch Report (4/8/26)

    War, ceasefire, and a cattle market that refuses to roll over. In this Friggin' Farm & Ranch Report for Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Matt walks through a wild 24 hours where Trump's Pakistan-brokered two-week truce with Iran knocked crude down as much as 18%, only for the whole deal to start cracking before the ink was dry. We talk Hormuz, Lebanon, OSINT, and what a "ceasefire" actually means when tankers, missiles, and diesel bills are all tied together. From there, it's one clean after-close market segment: - Live cattle holding in the high 240s with tight supply still doing its job - Feeders clawing back earlier weakness on cheaper corn and snug calves - Corn/beans/wheat leaking lower into the bell as war and weather premium come out - Metals ripping on a late fear bid while stocks puke into the close in a classic risk-off flush Fence Post Politics hits the Farm Bill, environmental lawfare, and the AI data-center land war that's chewing up irrigated acres, water, and cheap power. Drought and herd numbers get their due, with tight beef cows and tight grass still the main story in the West. We close with On This Day, some sports, and a reminder that local zoning boards might be the last line of defense between your cows and a server farm. If you're trying to make sense of war headlines, diesel receipts, and a cattle market that won't quit, this one will get you caught up enough to make decisions without flinching. Move your ass -- we're burnin' daylight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    47 min

  4. 3D AGO

    War, Weather & Cattle Checks

    War premium, ugly diesel, tight cattle, and DC nonsense – today’s Friggin’ Farm & Ranch Report (April 7, 2026) runs from the ring to the war zone and back to your wallet. Matt kicks off with Lone Star Stockyards’ run at Wilderado – 1,168 head with feeders $10–$20 higher and calves sharply higher on a light test – then walks through fats, feeders, hogs, and a grain board trading war, weather, and rumors. He lays out crude over $100, national diesel around $5.64, DAP at $682, urea at $549, potash just under $400, prime at 7.75% and feeder finance at 8.25%, plus a hot sale-barn pulse from Nevada to Oklahoma and a big Superior run that shows just how aggressive buyers are on light calves. The WAR REEL dives into “Operation Epic Fury,” the largest volume of U.S. strikes on Iran so far, continued Russian-Ukrainian slog, 400+ wounded U.S. troops, and what missiles over Hormuz and the Red Sea really mean for oil, freight, and your fuel bill. Matt breaks down OSINT, Telegram, and legacy media spin, and why the only thing that matters is what actually got hit and who pays the bill. From there it’s H5N1 in more than a thousand dairy herds, tighter EID rules, New World screwworm creeping north with a sterile-fly plant in Texas, and a hard look at the 45Z “clean fuel” tax credits that turn your tillage, nitrogen, and manure into someone else’s carbon score. He closes with a quiet but important Colorado property-tax change for pasture-based outfits, some “On This Day” history, and a quick run through March Madness and early-season baseball. For working cowboys and farm & ranch families who live and die by moisture, markets, and policy, this is your daily sitrep. Subscribe to Burnin’ Daylight on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get podcasts, and get the full market dashboard and premium write-ups at burnindaylight.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    43 min

  5. APR 2

    Friggin' Farm & Ranch Report | War Premium, Tight Cattle & DC Fire — April 2, 2026

    Today's show is a war-premium, tight-cattle, DC-on-fire kind of day. $110 crude, JBS strike Day 11, Trump's prime-time Iran address, the Farm Bill and PRIME Act moving in Congress, cattle price transparency, grazing and WOTUS, and a drought picture that's burning up the Southern Plains. All of it, straight through. Sponsored by LoneStar Stockyards — Amarillo, TX. Real markets, honest weigh-ups, buyers who show up to bid. Topics: Cattle markets | Energy & crude oil | Grains | JBS strike | Iran & Hormuz | Farm Bill | PRIME Act | Cattle price transparency | Grazing MOU | WOTUS | Southern Plains drought | On This Day — April 2 Full post + transcript: https://burnindaylight.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    41 min

  6. APR 2

    After the Bell — Friggin' Farm & Ranch Report (April 1, 2026)

    After the Bell for Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The Dow rallied 274 points on ceasefire hopes while the Pentagon loads a third carrier strike group into the Gulf. Wheat lost 3% in a single session the day after USDA said we're planting the fewest wheat acres since 1919. Diesel is $5.40 a gallon. Nobody in cattle country is laughing. Today's show covers USDA Prospective Plantings fallout, cattle board recap with fats at 244.05 and feeders at 368, the disconnect between Wall Street and the war, diesel at $5.40 nationally, JBS Greeley Strike Day 17, War Desk update on Operation Epic Fury Day 33 with a third carrier group and 82nd Airborne deploying, Colorado wolf program, E15 politics, On This Day, and tonight's MLB slate. Brought to you by Lonestar Stockyards — Wildorado, TX. Sale every Tuesday at 11 AM. lonestarstockyards.com Subscribe at burnindaylight.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    30 min

  7. MAR 31

    After the Bell — Friggin' Farm & Ranch Report (March 31, 2026)

    After the Bell for Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Live cattle holding the low 240s, feeders firm, and May corn creeping toward $4.60. Full war desk update on the U.S.-Israeli air campaign in Iran, Red Sea shipping threats from the Houthis, and what the Strait of Hormuz shutdown means for your diesel and fertilizer bill. Deep dive on the JBS Greeley strike entering its third week and why packer labor risk lands on producers. Colorado wolf program reality check with over $1.3 million in depredation payouts, the suspended lethal removal in Rio Blanco County, and why the compensation fund is already blown. Plus On This Day in baseball history and tonight's MLB slate including A's at Braves, Padres at Giants, Yankees at Mariners, Red Sox at Astros, and Rockies at Blue Jays. Subscribe at burnindaylight.substack.com for the full Burnin' Daylight Report with market dashboards, drought monitor, conflict tracker, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    33 min

  8. MAR 31

    Two Threats at the Gate — Friggin' Farm & Ranch Report (March 30, 2026)

    Friggin' Farm & Ranch Report — Two Threats at the Gate (March 30, 2026) Markets finished the day choppy: cattle held up but faded off early strength, grains leaked lower, and the big outside board is still trading war-premium and politics. The tape matters, but the real story today is what's crawling toward the southern border and what Russia might be hiding in Siberia. In this episode: - Cattle & hogs: June live cattle at 209.55 up 1.05; feeders at 293.30 up 1.85; hogs at 89.125, still range-bound. - Grains: May corn at 4.55 3/4 down 6 1/4; beans flat at 10.59 3/4; wheat at 5.07 up 2. - Russia FMD threat: Mass culling in Novosibirsk, farmers protesting, Kazakhstan banning Russian livestock, up to 18 regions potentially affected. What that could mean for global beef supply and U.S. cattle prices. - New world screwworm: 943 cases in Mexico since late 2024, now 70 miles from Texas. Southern ports closed, USDA releasing 100 million sterile flies a week, FDA emergency topical spray authorized. What producers need to know. - War Reel: Iranian forces harassing tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, Houthis threatening Red Sea shipping. How choke-point risk keeps a war-premium baked into WTI, diesel, freight, and fertilizer. - On this day: Seward's Folly (Alaska purchase 1867), Reagan shot 1981, and the first pencil with an eraser patented 1858. This report is built for working cow-country: the cattle producer, farmer, and small-time operator who needs a handle on the board, the border, and the war-noise. Listen and subscribe on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. Full write-ups and dashboards on Substack: burnindaylight.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min
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4.8
out of 5
70 Ratings

About

A podcast explaining and celebrating the intricacies, wisdom and humor of cowboy/ cowpuncher/ buckaroo culture. Enjoy conversations with working cowboys, authors, musicians, business leaders and hilariously offensive news and political analysis from the viewpoint of your favorite feedlot cowboy, Matt McKinley. The podcast for the working cowboy!

Information

  • Creator
    Matt McKinley
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    541
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Matt McKinley
  • Show Website
    Burnin’ Daylight

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