miles of fence to (close off) odd-shaped pastures.”
Some pastures might only house 15 or 20 cows,
while others 45 to 50. “It’s not a very efficient way
of managing the cows, because it takes more bulls,
but that’s the most efficient use of the grass,” Claflin
explains. “Otherwise, it would just be wasteland.”
Michelle joined the operation in 2004 when
youngest daughter Carly started school. The former
schoolteacher logs more than her share of tractor hours
and helps out with data entry. Middle daughter Caitlin,
a student at Oklahoma State University, thrives in the
soil sampling and prescription environment, and helps
out when she’s home on break.
Charles’ father, Tom, keeps the road hot, running
errands and picking up parts for the operation, in
addition to spraying and running a combine dur