Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode: The War On Beef & The Fight To Save Local Ranchers feat. RS June | Ep. 50
Date: September 1, 2025
Host: Sean Ryan (guest hosting for Clay & Buck)
Featured Guest: RS June, The Beef Initiative

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the challenges facing America's local ranchers and the beef industry amid increasing control by multinational corporations. Sean Ryan interviews RS June, a key figure in the Beef Initiative, about the movement to restore local food sovereignty, reconnect consumers to ranchers, and revive rural economies. The conversation blends personal testimony, industry insights, and a call to action, illustrating the consequences of corporate consolidation in the food supply and the importance of fighting for “truth in food.”

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Beef Initiative – Mission & Urgency

• The "Think Tank" Approach:
  RS June describes the Beef Initiative as "a modern day cattle organization with a focus on truth in food and truth in journalism. You can't have one without the other." (06:05)
• Loss of Family Farms:
  “We’re losing about 77 family farms a day in this country…Around 150,000 family farms have vanished in the past five years.” (07:21–07:32)
• Corporate Monopoly:
  85% of the beef in the U.S. goes through just four multinational corporations, with JBS (Brazil) called out in particular: “These guys are bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.” (06:46)

2. Connecting Consumers and Ranchers

• Direct Access Philosophy:
  Unlike typical middlemen, “We connect people directly to the ranchers—domain names, their websites...There ain’t no room for a middleman. Right? This is a rebuilding project.” (08:17)
• Rural and Urban Divide Melting:
  “The cities are chaos. The countryside is filled with nothing but dollar stores and vape shops…We're all sitting here in the same boat.” (07:49)

3. RS June’s Personal Journey

• Origin Story:
  June describes his path from artist and designer in Philadelphia, through homelessness, to discovering Bitcoin, and eventually to cattle and the Beef Initiative (10:22–18:49).
• Impact of Food Disconnection:
  “Our mothers used to cook with tallow from a local farm. My mom grew up cooking microwave meals. She died young in the streets…” (16:20)
• Beef Initiative as Revenge and Purpose:
  “The Beef Initiative for me is revenge. I lost my mom. I lost a lot of friends...So this is a revenge move for me.” (17:12)

4. Industry Learning Curve & Key Lessons

• Processing as the Bottleneck:
  “Texas had 254 counties…they used to have 254 processing centers. Not anymore. And that's what fixes our society.” (26:12)
• International Parallels:
  Similar loss of access and seed oil infiltration are happening globally, like in Thailand. (27:57)
• Skepticism and Challenges with Ranchers:
  “It was a lot of disrespect. Didn’t rub me the right way. I'm not a salesman; I’m more like a hustler.” (30:55–31:08)

5. Building Trust and Teamwork

• Crucial Advisors & Partners:
  Figures like Cole Bolton ("processed 400 ranchers’ beeves") and Ranch Mama Shannon (from Eversole Cattle) are vital. (36:26, 37:56)
• Cultural Divide:
  "Philly is different...it took everything from me. Took my mom from me. There's more dope that runs through that neighborhood...than anywhere else on this planet." (37:55–38:42)
• Resistance to Mega Corporations:
  “If we can deport JBS...we can free up 20% of the beef industry for American ranchers.” (34:17)

6. Tactics, Outcomes & Rallying Others

• BeefMaps.com & Rancher Direct Certified:
  • 190 ranchers involved; newly launched certification identifies ranches selling direct to consumers without middlemen. (48:44, 49:43)
• Not a Lobby, But a Think Tank:
  “We’re not a lobbying organization…the Beef Initiative itself is for profit; the I Am Texas Slim Foundation is nonprofit.” (52:38)
• Consumer Participation:
  First 160 ranches on the map were nominated by consumers; now growing further. (43:10)
• Policy Engagement:
  Beef Initiative helped get 3D printed meat banned from taxpayer funded purchases in South Dakota, with a research analyst, Brianna Sagdahl, leading efforts. (51:16)

7. Spotlights on Rancher Stories

• Ranch Mama Shannon (Eversole Cattle):
  Transitioned from a non-ranching background to lead her family's grass-fed, grass-finished operation. “She would never eat anything that had to die...then she met a cattleman.” (53:40)
• Browsy Acres:
  Run by “Ronda Rousey from the WWE” and husband Travis Browne. Highlights methods like regenerative grain finishing—“the grains are grown on the farm and move around with them in the pasture.” (56:23–57:32)

8. The Power of Local Beef

• Nutrition Benefits:
  Eating beef from his local rancher vs. the grocery store: “Same eight ounce steak. I wasn’t hungry for seven hours.” (59:44)
• Changing Desire Patterns:
  “When you eat actually nutritious local beef, your entire desire structure changes.” (60:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Corporate Control:
  “Four multinational corporations control 85% of the flow of beef in this country. We lose 77 family farms a day.”
  — RS June (06:46, 07:21)

• On the Personal Cost:
  “The Beef Initiative for me is revenge. I lost my mom…All that anger turned into something else…it was very, very disciplined now.”
  — RS June (17:12)

• On Consumer Power:
  “You want to solve the problem of the city and the country coming at each other like this? Feed the city local beef from their local ranchers.”
  — RS June (18:40)

• On Breaking Into the Industry:
  “I did not have the confidence to communicate with all these ranchers, man. I'm from Philly.”
  — RS June (28:56)

• On Challenges with Ranchers:
  “I told a rancher from Jersey…basically, f-off, you’re a marketing company…I'm like, bro, your listing has been on our map for free. I just came off the streets, bro.”
  — RS June (31:08)

• On Beef Quality:
  “My experience going from eating beef at the grocery store to eating beef from my local rancher…it is quantifiable…I wasn’t hungry for seven hours.”
  — RS June (59:44)

• Closing Blessing:
  “Your mom would be incredibly proud of who you are and what you’re doing in your life right now.”
  — Sean Ryan (64:29)

Key Timestamps

• 03:44 — Introduction & how RS June came to the show; discover of the Beef Initiative
• 06:05 — RS June explains the Beef Initiative, scope and mission
• 07:20 — Shocking statistics: family farms lost per day
• 10:00 — RS June shares his personal journey (homelessness, Bitcoin, meeting Texas Slim)
• 16:20 — The impact of food, family, and loss; why the fight matters to June personally
• 26:12 — The importance of local processing centers and the effect of losing them
• 30:47 — Difficulties and distrust in approaching ranchers
• 36:26 — Building his team and advisors: Cole Bolton, Ranch Mama Shannon, etc.
• 39:55 — The “war” for local control, threats, resistance to corporate pushback
• 43:10 — How the rancher database was built and participation structure
• 48:44 — Current stats: # of ranchers, certification system, measuring impact
• 51:16 — Policy impacts: lobbying confusion, South Dakota win
• 53:40 — “Ranch mama” Shannon’s story and broader rancher spotlights
• 59:44 — First-hand nutritional benefit story of eating local beef
• 61:16 — Ways to connect, participate, and support the movement

Resources & How to Get Involved

• Website & Rancher Map: beefmaps.com
• Single Source Beef/E-commerce: onerancher.com
• Industry News & Education: beefnews.org
• X Account: @beefinitiative
• Nonprofit Arm: iamtexaslim.org
• Raw Milk Map: realmilk.com

Tone and Language

The conversation was direct, gritty, and heartfelt, frequently blending East Coast urban candor with the tenacity of ranch-country resilience. Both Sean Ryan and RS June ground the discussion in hard-won personal experience and a matter-of-fact attitude, generating authenticity and passion throughout.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone concerned about food sovereignty, rural America, or grassroots efforts to reclaim the nation's food supply from multinational control. RS June’s unfiltered presence and Sean Ryan’s affable probing make for a compelling and informative deep dive into the heart of the American beef industry’s battles—and revival.