For the inaugural episode of the Ranchlands Podcast, it only makes sense to sit down and chat with the man who started it all– Duke Phillips III, the Founder and CEO of Ranchlands.

More than 20 years ago and with only 35 cows to his name, Duke moved his family to the Chico Basin Ranch located on the prairie just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Over the course of two decades, Duke, his family, and his growing team have built Ranchlands into a large-scale ranch management business that now stewards 380,000 acres of land across four western states.

While Ranchlands’ business has evolved in many exciting and unexpected directions, Duke’s commitment to cattle ranching and conservation has never been stronger. As you’ll hear in this episode, Duke considers conservation to be the primary product that Ranchlands produces.

We’re going to use this first episode as an opportunity for you to get to know Duke and learn more about the history of Ranchlands. We talk about the mission and vision of Ranchlands, and why we decided to start a podcast. Duke discusses people’s intellectual and emotional connection to the land, his life-long commitment to ranching and conservation, the fascinating individuals that make up the Ranchlands community, and much more.