Working Ranch Magazine: History, Readers, Radio Show and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Working Ranch Magazine is a glossy magazine written for the people who run large commercial and purebred cow-calf outfits. Published six times a year by cowboy-writer Tim O'Byrne, it reaches more than 55,000 American cattle operations with upbeat, practical and often funny stories and field photography, and it has a radio show and a large social media following.
| Publisher and editor | Tim O'Byrne (Capt'n Tim) |
|---|---|
| Original idea | Drew Lawler, who invited O'Byrne to join |
| Frequency | Six issues a year; subscription $19 a year |
| Reach | More than 55,000 large U.S. cattle operations |
| Mailing list | BPA-audited, targeting ranches with more than 200 beef cows |
| Broadcast | Working Ranch Radio Show, on SiriusXM, regional stations and podcast platforms |
| Official website | Working Ranch (radio and magazine) |
History of Working Ranch Magazine
The magazine began with an idea from Drew Lawler, who brought in Tim O'Byrne to build it; issues date back at least to 2011. O'Byrne was well suited to the job. Born in Germany to a family with European and Irish roots that settled in Canada and the Central Plains, he started in embryo transfer work at what is now Alta Genetics west of Calgary in the late 1970s.
He then rode for big outfits in British Columbia, including the Nicola, Quilchena, Douglas Lake and Gang Ranch, and in Nevada, including the Gamble Winecup, T Lazy S and JD, before spending five years in Alberta feedyards. He wrote ranch features for Western Horseman and the books Cowboys and Dog Tales and Cowboys and Buckaroos: Trade Secrets of a North American Icon. His favorite saying, once started, half finished, sums up the magazine's working-ranch outlook.
Working Ranch Magazine Today
Working Ranch publishes six thick glossy issues a year for $19. Its stories are upbeat, educational and humorous, and much of its field photography is taken by ranch wives. The magazine also draws ranch management voices: in its April/May 2019 issue it ran a feature by a graduate of the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management's master's program.
The brand reaches well beyond print. The Working Ranch Radio Show, hosted by fifth-generation Wyoming rancher Justin Mills, airs on SiriusXM and Heartland AM and FM stations and is distributed as a podcast. The magazine's Facebook page has more than 160,000 fans, and O'Byrne's weekly Friday cattle call regularly draws 150 to 200 replies. The magazine has also supported the ranch rodeo world, including an article O'Byrne wrote about the WSRRA ranch rodeo association.
What Working Ranch Magazine Is Publishing Now
Cow-calf management
Practical, educational articles for commercial and purebred cow-calf producers running larger herds.
Ranch life and photography
Upbeat stories and field photography from working ranches, much of it shot by ranch families.
Radio, podcast and social
The Working Ranch Radio Show, product discussions and the weekly cattle call online.
Working Ranch Magazine Editors and Staff
Working Ranch's own pages name:
- Tim O'Byrne - Publisher and Editor
- Justin Mills - Host, Working Ranch Radio Show
- Drew Lawler - Originator of the magazine
The magazine lists tim@workingranchmag.com for O'Byrne.
Who Reads Working Ranch Magazine
Readers are owners and managers of larger cow-calf operations, both commercial and seedstock, across the United States, defined by an audited mailing list of ranches with more than 200 beef cows. Cattle and calves are the largest single source of U.S. animal agriculture receipts, according to USDA's Economic Research Service, and USDA's Census of Agriculture shows how much of the national herd sits on operations of that size.
Working Ranch already promises its readers humor along with the herd health advice, and its Friday cattle call proves ranchers love to talk back. For more laughs between issues, farm.FM serves farm satire and farm humor with a deadpan delivery, plus ranch humor for anyone who has sorted pairs in a sleet storm. Its farm jokes are once started, half finished.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
Working Ranch Magazine Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Rodeo Life: Sponsor spotlight, Working Ranch Magazine - the magazine's origins and Tim O'Byrne's background.
- Working Ranch Radio Show: Contact - radio host and magazine contacts.
- King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management: A Cowpuncher's Journey - a 2019 Working Ranch feature by an institute graduate.
- USDA ERS: Animal product receipts - cattle economics.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - beef cow operations by size.
Working Ranch Magazine FAQ
Who publishes Working Ranch Magazine?
Tim O'Byrne, known as Capt'n Tim, is publisher and editor.
How often is Working Ranch Magazine published?
Six times a year; a subscription costs $19 a year.
Who reads Working Ranch Magazine?
More than 55,000 large U.S. cattle operations, mainly commercial and purebred cow-calf ranches with over 200 beef cows.
Does Working Ranch have a radio show?
Yes. The Working Ranch Radio Show, hosted by Wyoming rancher Justin Mills, airs on SiriusXM and regional stations and as a podcast.
Built by a cowboy for cowboys, Working Ranch Magazine keeps big cow-calf outfits informed, and grinning, six times a year.