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at different times of the year for those 500- and 600-pound calves . It just spreads it out so you ’ re not vulnerable to one shot at the market , whether it ’ s good or bad . And you don ’ t get a check every two weeks , but you do get one every couple of months , so that helps cash flow .
“ Even the weather can make a big difference ,” he adds . “ We are spread out probably 70 miles or so from one end to the other . It might rain on the south end of our ranches but not the north end . Same thing with winter storms . So , the more we can spread all our risks with these external factors , the better .”
Speaking of weather , if you were wondering how they calve in the middle of winter in North Dakota , it ’ s more manageable than you might think , especially since they pool resources . Ultrasound is used on all bred cows , which are then split into calving groups . When each group gets close to dropping babies , they either get put in the barn at night or penned close by where they can be watched closely . In a couple of days , when the calves are dry , up and nursing , they are able to go back out and handle the cold .
The Meyers got into Limousin bulls through a ranch visit from Jerry Wulf , with many of these marketing opportunities also being introduced to them by the folks with Wulf Cattle — who probably has one of the best customer service programs among seedstock breeders
U . S . ___ $ 30 ( 1 year ) ___ $ 40 ( 2 year ) ___ $ 52 ( 3 year )
INTERNATIONAL ___ $ 40 ( 1 year , Canada ) ___ $ 50 ( 1 year , Surface Mail ) ___ $ 100 ( 1 year , Air Mail ) of all breeds . In addition to bidding on and buying back their bull customers ’ calves , Wulf Cattle also provides educational programs and builds relationships with marketing outlets for their bull customers to maximize the value of their calves .
That is how Meyer Ranch got into selling calves to natural programs , age- and source-verified markets and the rest . They learned about it through Wulf ’ s contacts and programs and figured out how to make changes to their management that would qualify their calves for these premium markets .
“ There is a lot more paperwork to it ,” Dave admits . “ We have to watch a lot closer and make double sure that any animal that gets treated ( with antibiotics ) is recorded and put into a different group to go to the auction barn instead . We put EID tags in all our calves . And when you ship them , there are also more details like the truck has to be really clean and only a certain number of head can go one load . It ’ s really for the safety of the cattle . So , it takes more time and more effort , but it ’ s definitely worth the extra work .”
He says most of the end product goes overseas where they pay more for natural , hormone-free beef . And because they do feed out some of their own cattle , they have confidence in the quality of beef
In the beautiful , rolling hills southwest of Bismarck , ND , each of the Meyer sons have their own ranch and cattle herd within about 35 miles of the home place . Photo courtesy of Strauss Brands .
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52 • OCTOBER 2021