Posted: 5/15/07
Father-son beef partnership moves toward grass-fed organic
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
A lot of changes have taken place on the Herman farm over the past six generations. Dairy, chickens, hogs, and beef have all had their turn at the farm, which is situated partly in Iowa and partly in Minnesota. Today, the focus is on raising grass-fed organic beef, and quite possibly other organic meat as well.
Gene Herman put not just hours, but years into researching the farming methods involved in raising grass-fed beef. He read Stockman Grass Farmer for about 20 years, but didnít begin to move in that direction until his son Ryan decided to return home to farm with his dad.
Ryan read books on the subject on his own as he was pursuing a degree in animal science at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He felt that he wanted to return to the farm someday, but his father urged him to work somewhere else for a year. That year was all it took for Ryan to decide that the farm was where he wanted to be. He worked for his dad a while, and then the two developed a succession plan and created an LLP partnership.
Geneís reason for looking into alternatives to conventional farming methods were prompted by health concerns. A number of years ago some farm chemicals splashed in his eyes. He believes the accident with the chemicals is the reason that he had to undergo cataract surgery at a relatively young age.
The Hermans have been following an organic protocol for about three years, but are not certified organic. It may be another three years before they will able to become certified due to the transition time required between conventional and organic methods. Their beef is currently marketed as "grass-fed."
To begin with, the Hermans sold about two-thirds of their cow herd to get down to the animals that would be fit for grass. They began on a small scale, about 30 head, and continue to vary the number to strike the right balance.
At this time of year, the Hermanís herd is grazing in the pasture. Pastures are divided into 15-acre paddocks. All equipment, such as water tanks and mineral wagons, are portable so that they can follow the animals. Paddocks are separated by lightweight polywire.
"You just roll it up and take it away," said Ryan
The Hermans rotate the cattle to different pastures about twice a day, but there is some flexibility in that. They can supplement the feed supply if they are going to be gone so that the cattle wonít suffer, although they wonít gain as well. Still, the flexibility is something that you canít get with other methods.
Ryan compared the rotations to the movement of the buffalo herds in the 18th century. The "mobbing," as he described it, is good for the soil. In fact, he said, a study was done which showed that the organic matter in pastures in which cattle are rotationally grazed increases by as much as two percent in a single season.
The Hermans are making an effort to find a good balance between the common grass that grows all over and the special varieties. They canít afford to lose grass to winter kill, said Ryan.
In the spring, they supplement the cattleís diet with dry hay because of its lower moisture content of about 12 percent. Grass is about 80 percent moisture, and creates loose manure. With loose manure, the cattle lose too many nutrients, Ryan explained. They also feed some balage, which is about 50 percent moisture. They also seed some annual grasses which results in a longer grazing season. But an early winter snowstorm will put a quick end to the grazing season.
Although some producers have developed systems which allow them to graze the year around, the Hermans are not at the point where they can do that yet. Winter feeding represents their highest input cost. They generally stockpile some grass and feed the balage and hay.
They will supplement the winter feed with molasses, although because they are following an organic protocol, they have to be careful about where the molasses comes from and how it is shipped.
The timing of the rotation is not something thatís random. Using something called a Brix meter, Ryan checks the soluble nutrients present in the pasture grass. Sunlight increases the nutrients, creating more sugar for energy, so the cattle are rotated later in the day when the nutrients peak.
"We have to get the most out of grass to replace the energy we canít provide through grain," explained Ryan.
Currently, it takes about two acres per animal, including stored feed, to operate their system, but the Hermans are hoping to get it down to one acre per animal. A nice feature about a grass-fed operation, said Ryan, is that it is scalable. A young person who wants to start farming can raise 20 animals on a 40-acre parcel.
Cows are bred to have calves later in the spring, Ryan and Gene explained. Their calves will start coming in late May and June. They want the weather to be mild when the calves are weaned to avoid illnesses.
"We donít have drugs to fall back on if they get sick," said Gene.
But there are unique problems with an operation such as theirs, and sometimes they have no choice but to use conventional methods. For example, when a cow got hoof rot, he was treated and removed from the rest of the herd.
"You canít be inhumane," said Ryan. Much of their time, he added, is spent preventing problems.
Another advantage the Hermans see is lower input cost. They save on chemicals, antibiotics, machinery, and storage costs. Other benefits include less erosion, higher water quality and improved worker health.
Consumer demand
Consumers continue to show they are willing to spend a little more for specialty beef products. Studies indicate grass-fed meat has higher levels of essential fatty acids, vitamin E, beta-carotene and CLA. CLA stands for conjugated linoleic acid, and is thought to boost the immune system and fight cancer. Ryan believes our human physiology is more attuned to grass-fed meat. He said the taste and quality is equal to grain-fed beef. Many people have told him it tastes close to what beef tasted like before feedlots.
The meat also tends to be lower in total fat because the animals are finished at 1,000-1,150 lbs.
One challenge is grass-fed beef is mainly a seasonal product. Of course it can be frozen like all beef, but consumers of the product are more demanding and want to buy the meat fresh. The season typically runs from June through October. The Hermans sell their meat through Thousand Hills Cattle Company. Grass-fed beef currently fetches about $1.75 per pound carcass weight, compared to about $1.17 for grain-fed. Organic grass-fed beef will bring $2.45/lb carcass weight, but there is little market for the organic in this area due to the cost. Thatís an area the Hermans expect to see grow in the future, however.
Gene and Ryan agree there will always be a need for conventional beef farming. All farmers, they said, are working to provide a safe food supply. They are hoping, they said, to fill carve a niche in the industry and provide consumers with an alternative. They are looking at the possibility of offering other organic farm products such as chicken, eggs and lamb.
The Herman farm will be featured on a farm tour sponsored by the NRCS and U of M Extension on Wednesday, July 25, from 1-3 p.m.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com