Cover Crops Help Expand Cattle Operation
With three sons who might one day take over the family farm ,
Todd and Michelle Andresen are advancing plans to expand their beef operation without buying more land .
The Andresens run about 1,500 acres of grain , grow about 300 acres of hay and raise 110 cow-calf pairs on about 400 acres of pasture north of Detroit Lakes , Minnesota . Expanding last season ’ s cover crop trial would add pastureland , extend the grazing season , cut feed costs and — once established — help to alleviate the excess spring moisture that often delays planting .
The initial trial started with a 27-acre wheat field . On the cover crops planted into the post-harvest wheat stubble , the Andresens grazed cattle for 10 days in November .
Environmental Quality Incentive Program ( EQIP ) assistance from USDA ’ s Natural Resources Conservation Service reduced the risk of trying a cover crop . Clean Water Funds from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources covered part of the fencing costs . Becker Soil & Water Conservation District and NRCS staff offered technical assistance .
“ We want to grow that end of our operation , and I think [ how we ’ re going to do it ] has got a lot to do with these programs ,” Todd says . “ We can grow our livestock end without a lot of capital expense . We don ’ t need to purchase more land or rent more land . We can utilize the land we have now with cover crops — full-season cover crops or cover crops after we harvest our wheat or corn — and just grow internally .”
That might mean expanding to 150 or 200 cows — maybe more depending upon what their oldest son decides to do after he graduates from high school this year . Michelle ’ s primary responsibilities center on the cattle . She also helps with fieldwork . Each son owns a few cattle .
Rotational Grazing Begins
In August 2019 , the cattle grazed on land previously enrolled in USDA ’ s Conservation Reserve Program . The Andresens bought the CRP land about six years ago , intending to use it for pasture .
“ I knew nothing about rotational grazing ,” Todd says . “ We ’ d never done it . So , we started with 152 acres , fenced the whole thing , made it into six paddocks , put in 7,000 feet of waterline and six water tanks .”
EQIP Assistance Provided A Rotational Grazing Payment
Once the property was fenced and water was installed , the paddocks opened to rotational grazing about four years ago . The grazing contract with NRCS expired in 2019 . The Andresens are continuing the practice on their own .
“ We see the huge benefit in what ’ s going on there ,” Todd says . “ The best benefit is we can have more animals per acre than we could in the
56 • OCTOBER 2020