In the cattle business there are big rewards for finding a niche that develops into a national interest. Rodney Lowrance of Pleasant Hope, Mo. is taking his investment in Gelbvieh cattle and possibly venturing into one of these niches; grass-fed meat production.
With the recent awareness to go green, organic, and become environmentally safe, the marketing of “grass-fed beef,” is becoming more appealing to today’s consumer. “I am looking into selling grass-fed beef and possibly some organic beef. The organic beef is a lot more work because there are a lot of regulations and restrictions involved,” stated Rodney.
Rodney is especially familiar with the ups and downs of the local cattle industry. Rodney grew up in Halfway, Mo. and worked on his father’s farm raising Angus cattle. In 1972, Rodney moved to Arizona for several years and upon moving back to Pleasant Hope, decided he needed to be back in the cattle business. “When I got back, I swore I was going to get back into Angus. But when I got back, things had changed in the Angus breed,” recalled Rodney. Rodney finally came to a conclusion. “I looked and looked for the breed I wanted. I went back and forth between Angus and Red Gelbvieh’s before I decided on the Gelbvieh,” said Rodney.
Rodney started his herd with five Red Gelbvieh’s and three different genetic lines. “I’m down to mostly my own line now with 5th generation Gelbvieh,” noted Rodney. According to Rodney, different years call for different measures when it comes to breeding cattle. “Some years I A.I. and sometimes I use embryos or a bull. Within the next month, I am going to possibly buy another bull and probably breed the cattle with him,” stated Rodney.
Another yearly obstacle is the price of grain and hay. Rodney currently has approximately 30 head of Gelbvieh on a 22 acre field. He also has another 40 acres rented in nearby hayfields. “I go shares and contract most of the hay I get. We originally started buying hay, but it became too expensive. If you have to fertilize, there is not much money in hay,” said Rodney. According to Rodney, the hay production in the southwest was pretty good, making steers a good investment. Rodney is also feeding corn gluten. “I have had good luck with the gluten and it is a lot cheaper than using a molasses block,” stated Rodney.
The changing beef market also means good health and records on cattle are essential. “I bought Gelbviehs for their body composition,” recalled Rodney. Rodney has the proper equipment for working and vaccinating his cattle, including a True Test scale system. “I usually have around a 72 lb. birth weight and a 640 lb. bull weaning weight. My heifers are usually weaned around 780 lbs, recalled Rodney. Rodney usually vaccinates his cattle twice a year.“
After I pencil whipped it, I found out it is just as cheap to get the vet to work the cattle as it is to get a bunch or your buddies to help you. When you use the vet you don’t have to feed the help,” laughed Rodney.
Even though Rodney sells all of his cattle through private contract, he is looking for another way to capitalize on his investment. Through research and an extensive grazing program, Rodney is hoping to market some of his beef as grass-fed and enter a new market. “We have good beef in the freezer, but if I didn’t like doing this I wouldn’t do it, said Rodney smiling.
