Real Cowmen: Gelbvieh fits varied management strategies for these three producers
Sep 10, 2007 2:34 PM
By Lori Maude, Courtesy of American Gelbvieh Association
In the southeastern United States you will find fall calving herds, spring calving herds, or herds with both calving seasons. Some producers wean off the cow and sell at market; other producers will private treaty sell weaned calves. Regardless of the management system, Gelbvieh sired calves are working for the bottom line of these three producers in western South Carolina and northeastern Georgia.
Cows Follow the Chickens
Tim Donald will be the first to tell you that raising broiler chickens is his primary farming enterprise and his cowherd is a by-product of the poultry business. Donald bought his first 42 acres in 1986 and added chickens to the farm in 1991. “I wanted to be able to farm full-time and the poultry business makes it possible,” he admits. “But if you have chicken houses, then you have to have land to spread the litter (poultry manure) and that means cows to eat the grass.”
Donald says the two enterprises fit together really well. “The poultry litter provides an inexpensive fertilizer and works well with the rotational grazing system I use on the farm,” explains Donald.
The pastures are set up in 10-acre grazing paddocks. The additional fertilizer keeps the grass growing through the summer. Donald’s 52-head cowherd runs in three different locations. Donald also planted some of his acreage to Matua grass about six years ago for added tons of forage and better fertilizer utilization. “Matua uses the extra phosphorus from the poultry litter, so you don’t run the risk of the phosphorus causing problems in runoff,” explains Donald.
Donald has an entirely spring calving cowherd. “I tried the fall calving but the extra feed I needed during the winter didn’t make it work when you put a pencil to it,” says Donald. His cowherd begins calving in early February and is done by late April.
He began using Simmental bulls on crossbred cows when he first started his cow-calf operation. He used Simmental for three to four years but continued to have high birth weights and calving ease problems. Donald switched to Hereford bulls and reduced his calving problems, but also lost some pounds.
Looking for another option, Donald began looking into Gelbvieh bulls. Ed Randall of Randall Farms is nearby and Donald asked Ed the hard questions about Gelbvieh cattle. He made the switch and now eight years later, Donald is still a fan of Gelbvieh bulls.
“The calving problems went away with the Gelbvieh bulls and I’ve got the extra pounds I need at weaning time,” says Donald. “Our local market demands a calf that weighs between 480 pounds and 525 pounds. We can get to that weight in six months with our Gelbvieh calves—no problem.”
With the drought-shortened 2006 grazing season, the Gelbvieh-sired calves still weighed up well when weaned earlier. The 2007 season is testing everything with short grass and dry weather.
The housing developments continue to go up around Donald’s farm. With his close proximity to a lake front, the land prices have gone from $1,000 per acre in the early 1980s to well over $6,000 per acre these days.
“Our neighbors are not farmers and are not from a rural background,” admits Donald. “You have to have good people skills and a willingness to understand the changing government regulations to be a farmer these days. We have to be more proactive and participate in the community to keep our farms.”
Next page: Keeping the Farm in the Family: Frank Ables
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