Where optimism ends and action begins

BY BRAYDEN ELIASON Cow-Calf Council Chair

What a wild ride we have been on this past year and hats off to you who struggled through it all. As I sit here writing this, I cannot help but think back to last year writing my previous article and how unsure everything was looking for our industry and especially here at home on the ranch. We were in a severe drought situation, calf prices were far too low, hay prices were far too high, fuel prices starting to sky rocket, and we were starting to wonder what we were going to do. Winter left us with an extremely low snow pack and it seemed there would be no relief to the drought, leaving a lot of ranchers questioning just what the next step would be.

and instructed from NCBA Sr. Executive Director of Governance & Leadership Development, Barb Wilkinson. This was a very educational experience as to what everybody’s roles are within the association as the board of directors. She shared a quote by Peter F. Drucker that says, “Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right thing”. My intent for writing this is twofold:

First, in order for us as a board of directors to lead this organization we need to hear from you. What is it that you as a member of the association want to see happen or where do you want it to go? As a grassroots organization, if we don’t hear the needs, concerns or feedback of the membership, then the board cannot do what these operations want. By not attending meetings and conventions or conversing with the leadership, it is unlikely that you will be heard or be up to date on what is happening. Barb also shared “You are bound by actions taken at all meetings, regardless of your attendance.”

I am here to say now that the good Lord has blessed us and our industry here in Idaho, giving us the all important rain that was needed, and to top it off, significantly higher calf prices in the past year to heal some of the wounds. This optimism doesn’t overlook that it was still scathed with some rather large wild fires, record breaking fuel prices and feed costs. Unfortunately, we know our fellow ranchers outside of Idaho, from Utah to Texas and Colorado to Oklahoma and beyond, have not been so lucky to receive rain and are still in dire drought.

At our last meeting of the ICA staff and board of directors we were given the opportunity to be taught

Second, as members we need to utilize those tools and opportunities that the ICA has given us to be the best leaders and managers on our operations. For most of us that run our own operations we are the CEO’s (Chief Everything Officer) and we have many hats to wear. This means it is up to us to both do the right thing as well as it get it done right.

At the most recent fall convention, the Idaho Beef Council hosted a BQA certification course where many took the opportunity to become certified, including myself. This is something that the ICA is a big advocate for and so should we as livestock producers. Simply by labeling our calves on the sale catalog as BQA certified can have added value to your sale. When looking in from the outside, the public can know that our animal welfare is well at the top of our list.

Taking opportunities to serve with the ICA is also something that will benefit not only the association, but your operation. Be willing to take an open spot on a committee or a board when it becomes available, don’t hesitate to volunteer and step up. Seeing and discussing firsthand what issues the industry is facing will help you be better prepared for when you have to deal with similar problems, know what resources are available to you and how you can more efficiently navigate the issues.

I hope that we can stay optimistic for the year to come with the moisture we need, high calf prices, and low expenses. But regardless of what comes our way this year, just know that the board of directors and office staff is here to help you be better leaders and managers. Your operations have seen many challenges and are still here despite the hiccup or two that has come, already proving your reliance. Now is the time to

BY MELANIE MOSEKIAN, for the Idaho Cattle Association

If you find yourself driving up Highway 95 coming out of Cambridge, heading toward Council, look up at the hilltops and see if you can spot a cross. Daytime is sometimes a challenge, but at night – it’s glow is truly breathtaking.

I had the chance to sit down with Royce, Pam and Mark who happen to be our neighbors across the river. And as neighbors, we treasure the opportunity to look up at the cross- and count our blessings to be able to share the belief that “GOD IS GOOD!”

The location of this glorious landmark is the home of SS Cattle Company, a cow-calf operation & partnership between Bob and Bonnie Schwenkfelder, Royce and Pam Schwenkfelder, and Mark and Cody Moura. The Schwenkfelder family has been in the Salubria Valley since the early 1880’s. Royce & Bob’s grandfather and great-grandpa Schwenkfelder came from Switzerland in that time frame, and homesteaded for some years after the move. In 1979, Royce and Pam came back to the ranch and worked for Royce’s dad before taking ownership in the operation, along with Bob. Royce & Pam were blessed with 2 daughters (Kayla, who resides with her family in Genesee and Cody, who lives with her family in Cambridge as well) and Cody & her husband, Mark have since joined the operation. During a period of roughly 108 years, the Schwenkfelder family held federal grazing permits where they could demonstrate stewardship to the land, while providing forage for their herd. As time went on, and they were presented with various agency hurdles, SS Cattle transitioned to less permitted grazing while adding in irrigated private lands. In more recent years, the decision was made to convert to fully operating on private/lease lands in more recent years. The decision to vacate these permits was not taken likely, but Royce has demonstrated (through his 10 year tenure on the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission board of directors, among other commitments) that he is nothing less than a staunch advocate for grazing and stewardship of the great public lands offering in Idaho. He strives to be a strong voice in this arena, and will continue to do just that as part of his role on the Board of Directors for the Idaho Cattle Association and looks for every opportunity to share his knowledge and educate others on the importance of this ecosystem.

The operation today focuses on Red Angus progeny with a Charolais cross, and while they run pairs in a cow-calf format, there is also a backgrounding element, as well as the farming of corn silage forage as well. Royce & Mark oversee the bulk of day to day operations, but they were quick to point out that they would be at a loss if not for the valuable work done by Tyler Reynolds & Daniel Reeder. It’s not a secret among ranchers that it’s hard to keep employees, in part because it’s a 24 hour, 7 days a week job. Royce says, “We live in an area that has three or four companies who offer really good benefits, pay, time off, and sometimes, a four day work week. How do ranchers compete with that? Employees have families and need to be able to see their kid’s games and programs and such. Quality of life makes for a better team of employees and it is a balance that is difficult in the ag business, and that is one of our goals.” Royce also told me that they consider themselves blessed to have had many employees who have been able to work with SS Cattle for many years longer than one may consider average, current hands included. Mark shared that it’s Daniel & Tyler who ensure the herd is healthy & happy – and therefore profitable- and that they really are part of the SS Cattle family at the end of the day.

THE CROSS ON THE HILL…..

It may seem obvious, but it’s worth stating : the Schwenkfelders are grounded in their Christian faith, and they rely on this faith to keep going in the tough times and say “Thank You” in the good times. The project to put the cross on the hill was accomplished through the help of family and community members. It is not treasured by the Schwenkfelder family alone, but by all who admire it’s beauty. When I asked them to share what it means to them personally, Pam, with a tear running down her cheek, said “The cross means everything to me. If I have a really bad day, I head to the cross and I give my problems to God. Lots gets solved there”. In agreement, Royce commented, “It’s an appreciation for how blessed we are. It brings everything into perspective when you know you’re just here on this earth a little while. We didn’t do all this and we are responsible for only a short time for the stewardship of this piece of dirt.”

I asked Pam, Royce & Mark if they each have specific responsibilities, tasks, chores, jobs on the ranch. Royce replied, “It’s not assigned, but we all have certain things we all do…” Pam said, “So we don’t uhhh…..it helps our relationship” and a chuckle was shared by all around the table. Royce continued by saying, “It’s a family deal and so one of the quests is to make sure it all works”. Mark takes care of a lot of the forage production, harvesting, and sales details. Pam has tasks that she enjoys and Royce acknowledged that she’s good at them. For example, Pam keeps a watchful eye on the health of animals; going through the feedlot, looking to see if any cattle are showing signs of sickness. The guys who feed (Daniel & Tyler) are also out there on a daily basis and will give her a head’s up. Pam’s intuition with animals doesn’t stop at cattle however. She’s been successfully training Border Collies for 15 years (strictly as a hobby!) and has even had entries at Red Bluff, as well as Pendleton Cattle Barons. Pam says, “There’s more to it than just hollering at your ranch dog!” a sentiment she demonstrates as she rotates cattle through pastures in the Summer months- with the help of her trainees. Royce takes care of most of the bookkeeping tasks, cattle management, and public relations. However, at the same time they try to not be exclusive to certain jobs, because they’re finding that a little bit of cross-training is nice in case someone isn’t able to get out there all the time. They have found it to be a lesson, because if you have employees that can only do certain tasks, you limit their abilities to learn how to do things they may be a natural at.

The Brand

Sitting across the table from Royce, I spy the brand on the front right breast of his shirt, which leads me to ask, “What is the meaning behind your brand?” Royce answers, “My grandpa came up with the design. It’s a double rowlock, which is the top of a hay derrick that has the pole setting on it. The rowlock is that piece of steel on top where the pole tilts. Farmers used these back in the day to put up loose hay.” I prodded for the what the meaning was behind it, but Royce just chuckled and said, “No meaning, it’s just a double rowlock”. To me, this response epitomizes the practicality of this hard working family that continues on through the generations.

Q&A TIME

What do you like best and least about ranching?

Royce: “Every day is a different day. That’s one of the things I like about ranching. Least: when you can’t change things that need to be changed. When you can’t find an answer to a problem that needs to be solved.”

Pam: “The part I like most is being out in nature on my horse. What I like least is seeing a sick animal and can’t help it because it is beyond responding to what we can do.”

Mark: “The variety and seasonality of our job. Seeing that first baby hit the ground, get up and suck is rewarding. Least: that same time of the year when it’s two o’clock in the morning during a storm and you’re trying to save a calf from the cold. However, it’s all part of the game and with the joys comes the discomforts and vice versa.”

If you could do anything else in the world what would you be doing?

Royce: “Something outside probably having to do with wildlife or the land, but I’m really where I want to be.”

Pam: “I think I would be in some kind of lawn care.” We all laughed, but she was serious. She backs up her statement by saying, “No, really. I love landscaping and that kind of stuff.”

Mark: “I’m where I want to be right now. In my short 40+ years I’ve been given the opportunity to do a lot of things and I’ve enjoyed all of it. Working outside, building with my hands; just being outside. And I get to be with my kids.” He continues saying, “I always thought I wanted to teach. I have an Ag Ed degree.” Then jokingly he added, ‘but Cody (a teacher in Cambridge) and I didn’t want to live on two Idaho teacher salaries, so now we live on one!”

As mentioned earlier, Royce is a proponent for grazing and proper usage of public lands that Idaho has to offer, but that isn’t just a personal testament – the philosophy of being an ‘ag-vocate’ is one that is shared by all partners at SS Cattle Company. Mark told me, “We have to advocate for agriculture. Whether it be farming, ranching or hobby farming. People need to understand where their protein comes from. I think we’re always on the defense rather than the offense. You writing this article is the closest thing to an offense we have right now. We have to tell our story. The digital world is helping to get our story out. However, I think we need to get better at it as an industry.” Royce also commented, “A very small percentage of America does what we do: RANCHING. Therefore, we need to be doing a better job of educating folks about that endeavor.”

Pam also chimed in, “You need to be involved in groups that support and promote our industry. Community involvement is critical.”

With faith, family & advocacy at the core of their operation, SS Cattle Company continues to demonstrate Idaho values in support of our beef industry. If you haven’t had a chance to meet this remarkable set of individuals, I encourage you to be sure to connect if you find yourself in a common setting, or just stop by and say hello!

Lot 61

C 1311 Genesis 2135 Et

One of three full sibs from a tremendous flush. The only full sister was our record selling female in our fall sale at $195,000. Both of the brothers are definite herd bull prospects and will be in our 2023 Denver Pen of 3. They combine the show ring look with performance and additional pigment. 1311 seems to never miss and has produced 1.2 million in progeny sales thus far. 2135 has great EPD and Index values being in the top 10% in nine economically important traits.

Lot 42

These horned Belle Heir sons are right for the industry as they are great in structure and muscle mass. They are also very important for the industry as they can add so much to the carcass quality with lots of growth while still maintaining top maternal traits in the cowherd.

A heifers first calf with a WWR of 118. Another bull with an impeccable set of numbers being in the top 20% for 15 economically important traits and indexes. Extra pigment and big bodied. Sire “Barracuda” was sold to ABS.

1311 Genesis 2105

One of three full sibs from a tremendous flush. The only full sister was our record selling female in our fall sale at $195,000. Both of the brothers are definite herd bull prospects and will be in our 2023 Denver Pen of Three. They combine the show ring look with performance and additional pigment. 1311 seems to never miss and has produced 1.2 million in progeny sales thus far. 2105 has great EPD and Index values being in the top 3% for 10 traits.

Lot

C 4297 Validated 2132 Et

If you need to increase carcass value in your feeder calves tie to these Validated sons. They are especially strong for marbling. Extremely dark red, red to the ground with great pigment with a long level hip and wide topped.

A definite pen bull for Denver 2023. He is by the ever popular Endure and the 1311 donor that is a full sister to Miles McKee and has produced over 1.2 million in progeny sales. He is a big bodied bull with extra red throughout. In the top 5% for 11 economically important EPD’s and Indexes.

Lot 161

C Tahoe 2015

Great built son of Tahoe that packs all the bells and whistles along when it comes top carcass values. His added length of body and stride is a bonus for ranchers who need a bull that can travel big country.

One of three full brothers by Real Deal and the popular D83 donor dam. They all have a super set of balanced EPD’s and have excellent pigment. Two full sisters were a highlight in our fall sale averaging $13,250. This bull was named calf champion in Reno and will be shown in Oklahoma City and Denver.

Lot 210

C 8007 Alternative 2149 Et

One of two flush brothers to sell out of a great Yeti donor, 8007. This son of Alternative is a phenotypic standout with figures that rank him among the elite. Maternal power and carcass combination.