About this episode

Josh Lucas shares his journey of building a ranching business from the ground up in Vermont, emphasizing the importance of persistence and learning.

In this episode of Ranchonomics Stories, John Haskell sits down with Josh Lucas to share the story of building a ranching business from the ground up in Vermont. Starting with rented land, a side job, and a willingness to pursue every opportunity that generated cash flow, Josh reflects on the early years of hauling livestock, leasing overlooked pastures, and steadily growing his operation one decision at a time. Along the way, he shares how working for someone else became a form of paid education and laid the foundation for building his own successful business. The conversation explores the mindset shifts that helped Josh move beyond simply working harder to building a business that creates both profitability and freedom. From learning to focus on the right enterprises to outsourcing low-value tasks, investing in relationships, and protecting time with his family, Josh shares the lessons that transformed both his ranch and his life. More than anything, this episode is a story about creating opportunity through persistence, continual learning, and a willingness to think differently. Make sure to hit subscribe/follow so you never miss an episode! In this episode, we cover: How Josh…

More episodes of Ranchonomics

• 107. Don’t Step Over Dollars to Pick up Pennies: Time, Focus & Opportunity Cost with Amos Troester · July 21, 2026 · 21 min
• Pete Ferrell — Five Generations and a Ranch Worth Fighting For [Ranchonomics Stories Ep 6] · July 16, 2026 · 48 min
• 106. Screwworm 2026: What's Happening, What to Watch, and What to Do with Travis Krause · July 14, 2026 · 21 min
• 105. From Row Crops to Forage Crops: A New Way to Think About Your Acres with Amos Troester · July 7, 2026 · 20 min
• Ben Habig — 45 Goats, a Rented Duplex, and a Business Nobody Else Was Building [Ranchonomics Stories Ep 4] · July 2, 2026 · 47 min
• 104. You Can’t Build a Sustainable Ranch on Unsustainable Effort — Josh Lucas · June 30, 2026 · 25 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Ranchonomics podcast page.