Large frames and feeding grain.
“Are you looking for a bull?” My mind thought “no” as my voice said, “Tell me about him.” I was killing some time at a purebred association’s sanctioned auction and ranchers were standing by to answer questions about their consignments. “How much does he weigh”, I asked. The response was between 1800 and 2000 pounds, however the rancher didn’t know for sure because the bull was too big for the scales. Don and I have owned a 2000 pound bull and this big boy before me, with a neck the size of an oak tree, had to exceed that. To the bull’s credit though, I was told that he was “as docile as can be”. That I did believe.
Across the alley and one pen down was another bull, much younger, though I didn’t note the exact age. I did note that the sign attached to the pen said “no creep”. As tall and skinny as he was, he could have used a snack. I wondered to myself if the seller thought this young bull could be raised on grass alone or if he was selling with the anticipation that the bull would receive supplementation.
Speaking of frames, large and tall was the theme for the cows being offered. I stand about 5 feet 7 inches and some of those girls’ hip heights were at my shoulder. That would be a frame score of around 8. Many of these cows were filled out with calves by side. How were they maintaining their body scores? Grain. The ranchers were freely talking about the grain being fed on their farms. At what cost I wondered. No doubt several of them raised their own grain but there is still cost associated with that.
Don and I started out with large-framed cows. Their EPDs looked good and we felt comfortable with the seller. We soon found out though that large frames and low input, grass fed operations aren’t very profitable. On grass alone, the cows would not always breed back timely and on two occasions, needed birthing assistance. We are working toward cattle with smaller frame sizes with no regrets. Our bulls aren’t too big and heavy for heifers. The cows breed back, with a calf by side, and have good body condition.
Feeding grain might be profitable for others; I don’t see their ledger pages. I do know that feeding grain costs money whether harvesting or purchasing. As far as cow size goes, I’m not interested in spending time monitoring cows for birthing assistance. Large dams and sires produce large progeny. As a side note, at least one animal was pooping “money”. I cleaned my boots before climbing into my vehicle and saw that whole corn kernels were stuck to the bottom along with the manure.
Grass to spare.
The spring equinox has come and gone and the cattle still have grass before them. This will be the first season that we have grazed through the winter with grass to spare. A long-time goal has been achieved and the amount of grass to spare may very well be an indicator that we should retain some heifers.
What is your favorite part about raising cattle?
I was recently asked, “What’s your favorite part about raising cattle?” My answer, “The rewards of good stewardship.” In essence, my favorite part has many parts though, because good stewardship has such a wide range. For instance the cattle maintain the land, and I’m rewarded with scenic, rolling pasture. Also, there is the reward of raising cattle with the intent to benefit others in the industry. Just as important, is the reward of providing quality food for my family.
Speaking of family, lets interchange stewardship with parenting. How many of you reading this post are parents who use raising cattle as an avenue to teach your children good stewardship? The reward being responsible individuals with a good work ethic.
Good stewardship brings about quality of life. Healthy cattle will bring a higher dollar amount which in turn rewards me with a fatter vacation fund.
In turn, I ask you. What is your favorite part about raising cattle?
Just an observation.
I read few ranching and farming trade publications. Actually, read might be a little strong of a word. Skim is probably a better description. My interest in their articles is passing because they don’t often apply to our small operation. For the last two months however, I’ve noticed a change in theme. Words like managed grazing, small frame, low input and sustainable are scattered throughout the paragraphs. These words, actually management practices, aren’t new, they just seem to be appearing more often in trade magazines. These practices have worked well for us. We are seven days away from the first day of winter and still have forage for the cattle to graze. Neighbors within a few miles of us started feeding hay in late summer. One very close neighbor has tall, skinny animals trying to gain on two inch high pasture. He’ll grain them before marketing. Perhaps these neighbors read the back issues of the magazines that I mostly disregard. Just an observation.
Don’t burn off pasture land.
My thought today is to follow up on a post from nine months ago. Last February, our pasture and winter supply of hay was burned up by a careless act. I made my best attempt to turn the other cheek and pledged to watch for something good to come from the setback. Well, all I have to offer is good advice. Don’t burn off pasture land. The regrowth has been slow and the grass seems to have thinned out. From a profit angle, the cattle began consuming more mineral when they were turned into the area two weeks ago. I believe that the soil life was driven away causing the forage’s nutritional value to drop. I am closely watching this grazing area as the cattle are moved across it. My plan to rebuild this pasture is to not graze the plants down to the usual height of six to eight inches and at the same time, get even manure distribution. Hopefully next spring will bring better growth, less water runoff and an increase in soil life.
When you stop doing, then you stop doing.
When you stop doing, then you stop doing. These are just a few of Grandma Clem’s words that I took to heart. I mulled them over today as I trekked back to the cattle to move them to a new grazing lot. My coat and boots were heavy, as was the reel of poly wire in my hand. Inclement weather is upon us here in Missouri and I’m not keen on doing chores in a biting wind. Hence, I thought about Grandma Clem and the inspiration of her words. I thought about my strong legs that take me to my work and my strong arms that perform the work. My winter gear that protects me. The opportunity to be outside in fresh air and about being a good steward of what is in my care. Without these things, I might find myself sitting in a chair, becoming inactive and weak, and letting quality of life slip away from me. I’d like to encourage you and other cattle folks to look positively on your winter chores and caring for livestock. Don’t just do it because you have, do it because you can. Like Grandma Clem says, when you stop doing, then you stop doing.
… a gain for ranchers…
Today I read an article about the closing of 2,000 feed lots in the United States last year. According to this article, the rising prices for young cattle, high feed costs and drought conditions in cattle country are to blame. High costs and drought conditions are old news. Its in just about every industry publication I pick up. I wasn’t aware of so many feed lot closings though. No doubt this is going to set some ranchers back and possibly hurt sale barns that broker the cattle. However, the loss of conventional ranchers may well be a gain for ranchers who raise their stock on grass. Barring several years of drought in a row, pasture land won’t be shutting down like feed lots. As for the sale barns, is there opportunity here for specialty grass-fed genetics sales? I believe that some ranchers will have to rethink their production models and will be looking for stock that doesn’t require a creep feeder at an early age.
Idle land… a waste
I see it along gravel roads and interstates alike. Idle land becoming overgrown with cedar trees and goldenrod. Most certainly someone owns the land and it looks like a waste of good resources to me. I’m sure you can guess where I’m going with this entry. If asked, my advice to those landowners would be to plant some fence posts and rent to someone who needs a place for some dry cows to graze. Maybe scatter some grass seed, before they arrive, to be trampled into the ground and fertilized. Depending on the degree of overgrowth, the stocking time may be only as long as a few months, however given time and good management practices, grazing time will increase along with rent revenue. What can you do with the in-between grazing times? Maybe lease the land for hunting. Wildlife can benefit from the habitat disturbance and allow an opportunity for a more diverse wildlife population.
Another upside to putting idle land to use is the opportunity to be a good neighbor. Just two tenths of a mile down the road, from the overgrown lot I photographed, is open pasture being grazed. It won’t take long for the thistle from the neglected land to spread and become a nuisance if not managed.
How about increasing your property value as another incentive to put idle land to use? Land that can turn a profit is invariably more valuable that overgrown, unhealthy land.
Going back to being a good neighbor; how about allowing an up-and-coming cattleman the use of the land in exchange for some land maintenance. What a great opportunity to be a step up for someone just starting out and adding value to your land at the same time.
I believe being a landowner is a privilege and with privilege comes responsibility. To let such a privilege go to waste is just that – a waste.
