Page 24 Stories of the Heartland • Sunday, September 20, 2026 hometownsource. com / heartland /
Black Oak Feeders: Driven by passion
BY SHEILA MCCOY STORIES OF THE HEARTLAND
MELROSE –“ If you find something you love, you’ ll never work a day in your life.” That’ s a quote that remains with Chris Ritter, owner of Black Oak Feeders, for a long time and one that eventually became his reality.
Black Oak Feeders has been a staple in the countryside of Melrose since 2010, supplying producers from near and far with quality cattle. Most are Holstein. While Owner Chris Ritter initially raised young bulls and heifers to finish, he eventually moved to only raising them until they weigh up to 800 pounds or less. The backgrounding feeder model is practice that works out great for Chris, as well as his customers.
Chris explained that backgrounding feeder cattle is an intermediate growth phase that occurs after calves are weaned from their mothers and before they enter a high-energy finishing feedlot.
As to his customers, Chris said most producers prefer to finish the animals themselves for a variety of reasons. One is that they already run finishing operations that have contracts tied to specific loads and prices. Managing finishing in-house also allows the producers to maintain a consistency within their finishing programs, as well as control performance, timelines and how animals fit into different kill plant requirements.
Chris said there were mainly three reasons behind the decision to stop raising cattle to finish. Besides the fact that large, finished animals are hard on equipment and buildings, a western feedlot partner wanted more animals that he could finish. One of the great benefits of switching to turning more groups of cattle increased the business’ cash flow rather than tying up the mon-
Long Prairie Livestock Market Exchange 43 Riverside Drive • Long Prairie, MN
For More Information, Call The Barn at 320-732-2255, Brad 320-266-0724 or Stacy 605-880-0783
Sheila McCoy / Stories of the Heartland
Black Oak Feeders in Melrose, owned by Chris Ritter, has provided high quality Holstein cattle to producers for more than a decade. Pictured are Wyatt Ritter, left, and his dad, Chris Ritter.
SALES SCHEDULE REGULAR SALE EVERY TUESDAY 12:30 p. m.- Hay And Straw, 1:00 p. m.- Feeder Cattle, Goats, Sheep, Hogs, Weigh Up Cattle
DAIRY SALE EVERY FRIDAY
12:00 Noon- Dairy Cows Springing Heifers, Feeder Cattle, Baby Calves And Weigh Up Cattle TACK AND HORSE SALE
First Friday of the Month Sale Starts At 5:00 p. m. Tack and Misc Followed by Horses, Ponies And Donkeys ALL ANIMAL SALE First Saturday of the Month Approximate Sale Times 9:00 a. m.- Miscellaneous 11:00 a. m.- Hay and Straw 12:00 Noon- Caged Animals Followed By Hooved Animals