Takeaways

• Dean Wade explains how cutting fast food and processed food took him from 8 to 9 percent body fat down to 4.5 percent in a single season, with no change to his workouts.
• Dean and Chris Earl connect what it takes to survive as an undrafted NBA player to what it takes to survive in the cattle business right now: discipline over motivation, a team of doers, and a refusal to quit.
• Dean shares why he is already planning a life after basketball in Kansas and how Angus genetics and Bid on Beef fit into that plan.

In this episode of The Heart of Rural America, Amanda Radke goes boots on the ground at Rocking R Ranch in New Mexico for customer appreciation day with return guest Chris Earl of CK6 Consulting, Bid on Beef, and All American Angus Beef. Chris brings along his longtime friend Dean Wade, a Kansas native and new addition to the Philadelphia 76ers, for a conversation about beef, athletic performance, and rural roots.

Dean opens up about growing up in a small Kansas farm community, going undrafted, and building a seven-year NBA career on defense, nutrition, and daily habits. He explains how a wake-up call in his early NBA years pushed him away from fast food, how a home-cooked, beef-centered diet helped him drop his body fat without changing his training, and why Bid on Beef gives his family consistent, high-quality steak delivered to the door. Chris ties Dean's underdog story to the challenges facing cattle producers today, arguing that the ranchers who keep showing up on the toughest days are the ones who win.

The conversation closes with Dean's plans for after basketball, including land in Kansas and a growing interest in Angus genetics, plus a lighthearted debate over favorite cuts and how to cook them. Amanda wraps with a reminder to keep fighting for this way of life, for yourself and for the next generation.

Presented by Bid on Beef | CK6 Consulting | CK6 Source | Real Tuff Livestock Equipment | Redmond RealSalt | Dirt Road Radio | All American Angus Beef | Radke Land & Cattle

• Use code RADKE for $10 off your next All American Angus Beef order at www.BidOnBeef.com
• Save on Redmond Real Salt with code RADKE at https://shop.redmondagriculture.com/
• Check out Amanda's agricultural children's books here: https://amandaradke.com/collections/amandas-books
• Learn more about Bulletproofing Your Direct-To-Consumer Beef Enterprise: https://amandaradke.com/products/bulletproof-your-beef-business

• Resources for producers: the USDA Law Fair website and americanlandandlegacy.org