However, the many ranches we visited were still cautious; they have grass, but in the Sandhills they need those August rains to provide their most nutritious grasses and their winter feed. Stock tanks were full and there was standing water in most areas. Wherever the WLJ Tour goes, rain generally follows.
Most of the commercial ranches we visited were cow-calf-stocker outfits; they like selling yearlings in August, and they are looking at a $230 market for 800-lb. steers. There are lots of reasons to be optimistic about the cattle business. but don’t go crazy.
Most years, the Sandhills are open country and folks can graze right on through winter, with most feeding cake as a supplement. They said this last winter was especially tough with a constant snow cover. Hay supplies were short, but they made it to spring with a couple weeks of hay left over.
We visited Haythorn Ranch and learned that they were stacking and feeding their hay with horses, beaver slides and all. They quit the horse-drawn hay operation in 2018; it is remarkable to hay the same way they did it 100 years ago.
We visited several progressive purebred operations: Krebs Angus, Connealy Angus, Hoffman Ranch, TD Angus and Van Newkirk Herefords. These outfits need no introduction, you all know them. We saw lots of great cattle and lots of hospitality at each call.
We also visited the new Sustainable Beef packing plant in North Platte—they were well on their way to reality. This packing plant will be state of the art and will process 1,500 head a day with one shift. The project may not have happened without the investment from Walmart, which makes me think of the Walmart and 44 Farms program. I’m just wondering if these guys at Sustainable Beef will head down that road with all the genetic resources in the area. They say they still have hook space for sale but won’t need your cattle for two more years. They plan on being operational in 2025.
Water is an abundant resource in Nebraska. The Ogallala Aquifer is a stable resource for Nebraska farms and ranches. In most cases they drill about 20 feet to water. The sub-irrigated meadows provide a lot of hay for these outfits, the only problem is getting them dry enough to get the hay equipment out there. They must drain the meadows with ditches that flow into the rivers in the area.
One of the highlights was a visit to Kelly Ranch, north of Sutherlin. Mike Kelly had the whole family out and a bunch of associates like Skip Marland, who knows more about the Sandhills than anyone I’ve met. Kelly Ranch, Lashley Land Brokers Prudential, and the Sandhills Cattle Association hosted our group for dinner and entertainment that evening.
It wouldn’t be a WLJ Tour unless they got the buses stuck, which we did at Terrell Farms. Those soft sand roads were tough for a couple of our drivers. The Terrells got the front loader out and off we went. They showed us 2,400 heifers they were breeding for a customer.
The tours have been going on for about 75 years. My grandpa, Nelson, started them after World War II, then my dad, Dick, did them and Jerry York and I have been continuing the tradition since. Now it’s time to pass the administrative duties on. Devin and Samantha Murnin will assume the duties. Jerry York and I will still be around to help them set up tour stops and escort future tours.
The cattle markets turned higher: corn is down and feeders and fed cattle are setting new record prices—$190 in Lanesboro, MN. Fall feeders are as high as $242 at the CME. The rebuilding of the nation’s cowherd will start this fall. There will be a lot of bred heifers for sale this fall, so be ready.
Grass is still the key, and we are off to a good start with good spring rains. Some areas of the Southwest have received two-thirds of their normal rain in three days; west central Kansas looked to be the only red spot on the drought map. So, keep praying for summer rains. — PETE CROW
