A cattleman’s ultimate goal is to ensure beef finds its way to the dinner table, but producing delicious, high-quality protein isn’t an easy task, especially at the feedlot level. Cattle feeders have to ask themselves where their calves are coming from, discover what type of feed (and how much) will get those animals to a desirable weight in a timely fashion and still manage to make a profit.
It’s their mission to make sure the right type and kind of animals are being provided with the right feed in the right environment. Only then can beef be the right choice for consumers at the meat counter.
Unique opportunities
In the 1960s, Harris Ranch was a 10,000-head feedyard. The Coalinga, CA, operation grew rapidly and in 2024, houses 110,000 cattle. The Brian Coelho family bought the yard in 2019 but kept the original emphasis on quality.
“Cattle care comes first and is the first thought when considering any decision,” says Courtney Andreini, Harris Ranch cattle manager. Though the day officially starts at 5 a.m., she said it’s a 24/7 operation. California has mild weather compared to many other states, Andreini notes, but there’s different tasks for each season.
Summers can hit temperatures of 100 F, so the team is focused on keeping cattle quiet. Shade structures help animals regulate their body temperature and straw bedding gives them a cool place to rest. While Andreini said it might seem counterintuitive, the straw reflects sunlight, whereas manure attracts it because of its color.
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“We really try to minimize activity in the pens,” she said of work in hotter months. “By noon, we try to be wrapping up the activity.”
Winters are the opposite. While Andreini is thankful snow or ice aren’t ever a concern, rain can still create mud. The facility is built on a slight slope, to help with drainage, but she said loaders or scrapers are constantly moving to help keep things flowing.
Cattle that come to the ranch are sourced as locally as possible, as Andreini said Harris Ranch prioritizes relationships with their California cattlemen. They prefer greener cattle, because as nice as body condition is, Andreini said lighter flesh scores allow the Harris staff to have more influence on the animals’ finish.
“True pasture animals,” Andreini described. “Confirmation matters, but we’re thinking of the internal confirmation of the animal.”
Most cattle come in as yearlings, but Andreini said all animals are required to have two rounds of vaccines and no physical ailments (pinkeye, lameness, pneumonia, etc.) before they’re unloaded.
“A strong vaccine program is crucial to the foundation here in a yard of this size,” she added. “It really just gives them a solid foundation for when they get onto the yard.”
Beyond that, cattle often comingle with other animals in the lots, so Andreini said its vital no diseases are spread among them.
The high standards pay off for the yard, as nearly 30 truckloads are sent out for harvest on a given day. Part of those numbers are owed to the packing plant also owned by the Coelho family.
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The plant is a sort of safety net, Andreini explained, meaning there’s a constant flow of orders that need to be filled. Beyond that, it’s a unique opportunity to ensure their program is working, as grading scores are more readily available.
By keeping an eye at cattle on the rack, Andreini said Harris Ranch knows that what they’re doing back at the bunk is worth it.
A team effort
John Hepton is no stranger to time at the bunk. Feeding cattle has always been his favorite pastime.
“I always had some interest in it—the nutrition side of feeding cattle and seeing different results,” the Idaho cattleman said.
Hepton purchased his first feedlot in 2005. Today, Hepton Livestock oversees nine feedlot facilities across the state and a calf ranch. With so many operations across the state, Hepton said he’s learned the value of teamwork.
“Typically, we’re going to have an overall manager, cattle manager and feed manager,” he described. “For me, I rely on those managers day to day.”
The to-do list looks different at each location, but the biggest changing factor is the feeding plan.
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“We try to buy as much local feed as we can in each of the areas,” Hepton said. “We also feed a lot of byproducts.”
Potato waste, onion ring waste, bakery waste—Hepton said the byproducts come from nearby businesses. It’s a choice that takes what would otherwise go to a landfill and transforms “waste” into a feed ration.
No matter what ends up in the feed bunk, Hepton wants cattle to grade high. There are limited options to sell cattle in the West, Hepton said, but everything is sold on a grid basis.
“We just do our best to negotiate the best grid we can with any of the packers or any of the processors,” he explained. “We try to maximize the value on that grid with the cattle we sell them.”
In procuring calves for that purpose, Hepton has two viable options: bring in beef-on-dairy crosses from his calf ranch or purchase from outside sources.
The benefit of feeding his own calves is that Hepton can choose the genetics utilized at breeding season. He targets growth and performance, so when his own livestock populate the feedlot pens, they’re set up for success.
When it comes to buying cattle, Hepton said his hope is to make opportunistic purchases. He instructs his buyers to find cattle with a higher grading opportunity but also a price tag that offers the possibility of a positive return.
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“We buy cattle directly, we buy cattle through the sale yard, we buy cattle through video. We’ll buy cattle through every arena they’re for sale,” Hepton said. “Our industry is small enough to know which ranches have cattle that perform, and which don’t.”
He’s willing to pay a little extra for calves that are weaned and up to date on their vaccinations, because when each part of the beef production does their best, a greater goal is being met.
“I think it’s just important that the segments of the industry are able to work together and reward those that are able to provide a superior product,” Hepton added.
The right attitude
Katie Hatch has had a similar devotion to her role in the industry since she was young. Her parents may have had “town jobs,” but Katie joined her local 4-H chapter and went on to Colorado State University studying animal science. There, she met and fell in love with her classmate, Joe.
He shared her love for beef cattle, and after graduating, they leased some ground and purchased their first set of cows. The operation grew in both acreage and herd size, but in 2023, the Hatches were presented the opportunity of a lifetime. As of last year, they own 50% of H&M Feeders, a 14,000-head feedlot in Iliff, CO.
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With their recent growth, they were able to get a little pickier on what cattle they bid on. Bulls proved to be more hassle than they were worth and horned cattle created too many challenges for the facilities, so Joe said they stick to polled steers and heifers.
“A lot of what drives our buying is what the market says has value,” Joe added. “We try not to get too hung up on chasing a specific trait … We try to find value in the marketplace.”
While calves are bought for weight and growth potential rather than phenotypic characteristics, Joe and Katie oftentimes sort pens on color.
“In my opinion, it makes them just look a lot cleaner,” Joe explained. “Black cattle usually bring a little bit more, but if you have a really nice set of reds or Charolais and you get a buyer that’s really interested, they’ll bid them a little bit higher than if you have a mix.”
No matter their hide color, however, cattle can expect to receive equal treatment. Joe said staff members are out in the pens multiple times a day to assess both happiness and health.
Although Joe and Katie do their best to create the perfect environment for calves, they emphasize the importance of proper animal handling techniques on the ranch.
“When we get them, we have to weigh them, process them, get them to go to a new pen on new feed with a new water tank,” Joe said. “If they come stressed, it just makes our jobs a lot harder trying to get them settled down.”
Sending calves through the chute once or twice a year just doesn’t cut it. Joe said the more time spent handling animals at a young age, the better the calves will do in the feedlot. It’s almost ironic, but time is the secret ingredient for not only the calves but the cattle feeders, as well.
The young couple are first-generation entrepreneurs in the beef industry, but Joe said success came when they learned to ask questions to mentors and friends.
“The difference between the ones who are able to find success in agriculture and the ones who aren’t able to is really boiled down to the relationship building,” Katie added.
With the right relationships, Katie and Joe are doing their part to buy the right calves. Those calves are fed the right ration and go on to produce the right kind of beef products that consumers want to buy.
It’s a recipe for success, and one that cattle feeders across the country are working to perfect in their own ways.
