Rock Nobles Cattlemen's Tour Guide

FROM CATTLEMEN

to consumer 2021 MINNESOTA STATE C ATTLEMEN'S SUMMER BEEF TOUR & TRADE SHOW

July 13, 2021 WORTHINGTON • MINNESOTA

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Table of Contents Cattlemen’s Welcome, Cattlewomen’s Welcome.............................................................Page 5 Welcome from MNSCA President, Mayor of Worthington, Chamber President........................................................................Page 9 Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Tour Sponsors..............................................................Pages 13 & 15 Exclusive Tour Stop Sponsors; Onsite, Trade Show & Seedstock Booths...........................................................................................Page 19 Tour Map............................................................................................................................................Page 25 Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association Member Information..........................................................................................Page 56 Summit Lake Livestock converts hog barns for cattle production..............................................................................................Page 29 Brake Feedyards to highlight 2,400-head capacity barn on tour......................................................................................... Page 37 3B Farms transitions from dairy to beef while staying with Holsteins....................................................................................Page 43 Binford brothers grow cattle operation to 6,500-head capacity in rural Luverne............................................................................Page 49 Thiers complete a decade of expansion............................................................................Page 63 Mentes put focus on Maine Anjou........................................................................................ Page 73 Van De Berg farm upgrades with two new barns in 2016..........................................Page 81 Boeves switch to complete containment to expand herd.........................................Page 91 Compeer Financial offers scholarships for youths to attend State Cattlemen's summer tour for free.........................................................Page 99

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 1

Proud sponsor of the Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association

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Welcome to Tour 2021 Welcome!

On behalf of the Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association, welcome to our corner of the state.

It has been a wild ride, to say the least, to get to the tour you’ve all come to our part of the state to see.

Originally scheduled for July of 2020, the tour has had to make a few detours and endure some postponements, but we’re proud of what we’ve got to show you.

There are many top-notch beef producers and production facilities in Rock and Nobles counties. That’s where this year’s tour focus is.

Today, you’re going to get to see a variety of operations, each with its own uniqueness that we hope you all will be able to learn something new from to take back home to your own operations and businesses.

Whether it’s something on a tour stop, a trade show vendor, or connection you’re able to make in a conversation over a steak, I sincerely hope your day is worthwhile.

Thank you to the generous sponsors as well as the numerous volunteers and their commitment to see this tour through. Without your help, none of this is possible. Also a huge thank you to the members of the tour committees and their families for the time and effort you all have committed not only to this tour, but to promoting BEEF in our area. Your dedication is remarkable.

Please take time to page through this book and make note of all the

advertisers on its pages. Their support of this event shows their dedication to the BEEF industry in our area. We hope you also enjoy visiting with the vendors at the trade show and along the way.

Their support of this tour and the BEEF industry on a daily basis is what keeps all of our operations humming along each and every day.

Lastly, thank you to the tour stops. It takes a lot of hard work to get ready to open your operations up to all of us.

You all have many things to be proud of.

Thank you for letting the rest of us take a look around.

Thank you for attending the tour in our neighborhood today. We’re glad you’re here. Welcome and enjoy!

Sincerely,

Jay Bakken, RNCA President

Dear Cattle Producers It is with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm that I welcome you to the 2021 Cattlemen’s tour hosted by the Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association.

After 2020, I know we are all excited to gather again and we can’t ask for better hosts.

The Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association has pulled out all the stops to make this year both enjoyable and educational. Cattlemen and Cattlewomen will expand their knowledge by visiting southwest Minnesota. The tour will include visits to some of the country’s most prestigious and impressive cow-calf operations and cattle feeding operations.

Expand your knowledge through the tour, but also take the time to visit with the many vendors along the tour.

2020 stifled many of our one-on-one conversations. This is the time to reengage and ask questions.

Also, take the time to thank the vendors for their sponsorship of this opportunity.

It is also time to re-engage in organizations. I encourage you to become members of our Cattlewomen’s group. Our mission is to promote, support and encourage women involved in the beef industry.

Stop and talk to one of our board

members as we move this organization forward in 2021.

Please visit our website, mncattlewomen. org, for more information.

I look forward to seeing you on this year’s tour. If you have any questions or need any help please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Schiefelbein President, MN State Cattlewomen’s Association

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 5

Better equipment. Better solutions.

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RDO Equipment Co. provides the equipment, parts, service, and technology you need to meet your worksite needs.

Call your local RDO Equipment Co. to see what we can do for you.

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It is a great honor to welcome you to the 2021 Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Tour and Tradeshow The Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association has always been known to pull out all the stops and put together one of the most informative and enjoyable tours in the State. The Rock-Nobles area is one of Minnesota’s top livestock production regions and will be showcased by some of the most progressive and forward-thinking livestock producers in the Upper Midwest.

The ability to bring you a tour of this caliber is because of the great sponsors and vendors who help support the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s

Association. Please take time while on the tour to visit these great vendors that support our industry and help our farms and ranches produce one of the highest quality proteins in the world.

If you are currently a member of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association, thank you. If you are not a member, please consider joining our organization. We work every day on state and national issues to defend and protect our industry. The Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association is

producer driven and led, so if you have any comments or concerns, please let us know what we can do to help.

I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can and hope that you enjoy the tour and safe travels back to your farm and ranches.

Sincerely,

Grant Breitkreutz President of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association

Welcome to southwest Minnesota and the community of Worthington We are honored to have the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Summer Tour and Trade Show in our corner of this great state in 2021.

Enjoy your time here in Worthington, we have much to offer for your entertainment desires.

Worthington is home to many great

Ag Bioscience companies such as Cambridge Technologies, Ani-Logics Outdoors, Newport Labs, Merck and BioVerse.

The Beef Industry is a very important part of our economy. The beef producers in southwest Minnesota are among the best in the whole state. The producers

and their families contribute immensely to our communities while helping to feed the world!

Enjoy the trade show and tour of our producers’ operations!

Mike Kuhle Mayor of Worthington

Welcome to Worthington The Worthington Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce are excited to welcome the Cattlemen 2021 Summer Beef Tour!

We missed many of our community events in 2020 and we are looking forward to coming back stronger than ever. Now more than ever our community is looking forward to our summer visitors.

We are looking forward to folks gathering around beautiful Lake Okabena and joining in on some of our

memorable community events. The Windsurfing Regatta & Music Festival, International Festival, Nobles County Fair, and King Turkey Day are just a few days throughout the year that we pride ourselves in coming together as a community and welcome others to town.

We will continue to navigate this pandemic and work to get back to normal. Please keep an eye on our new and updated website, worthingtonmnchamber.com, for updated information or follow us on Facebook.

Once again, welcome and please reach out if there is anything the Worthington Chamber and CVB can do for you!

Sincerely,

Michael P. Daley Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Regional Economic Development Corporation

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 9

From the fields to the freeways, biodiesel and ethanol are helping power the economy while protecting our air.

In Minnesota, all diesel fuel contains 20% biodiesel in the summer and 5% during the winter. Higher blends of ethanol, like Unleaded 88, give your engine a boost with a higher octane rating while costing less at the pump.

Using biofuels in your vehicle helps reduce emissions, adds value to the state’s crops and helps drive a strong rural economy. Plus, it’s made right here in Minnesota, so we can all breathe easier.

Brought to you by the Nobles County Corn and Soybean Growers and their checkoffs.

10 | ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021

Your Area’s Preferred Ag Lenders Our Edgerton Team

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Our Worthington Team

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Sponsors PRIME Plus

AgWeek | Farmers Business Network / Prairie Livestock Supply | Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce Minnesota Soybean Growers | Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association | New Vision Coop Radio Works Worthington | The Globe | Tyson Foods

PRIME SPONSORS American Foods | Blue Hilltop/Kuhn-Knight | Buffalo Ridge Concrete | CHS Nutrition | Compeer Financial Diesel Machinery Inc. | Edgerton Implement | Elanco | Form-A-Feed | Golden Harvest/Enogen | Jaycox Implement/Case IH JBS | Livestock Equipment & Manufacturing | Main Street Financial Services | Merck Animal Health | Minnesota Beef Council Minnesota Corn Growers Association | Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Nobles County Implement Performance Livestock Analytics | Producers Livestock | Professional Ag Marketing | RDO Equipment Co. | Ritchie Rock County Corn & Soybeans Growers | Rock County Implement | Security Savings Bank The First National Bank in Sioux Falls | Wyffels Hybrids, Inc.

Choice SPONSORS Adrian State Bank/Adrian Insurance Agency Inc. | Artex Manufacturing | Big Gain Inc. | BJM Enterprise Inc. | CFS Coop Chandler Feed Company/KLM Commodities LLC | Cox Realty | First State Bank Southwest | Linder Farm Network Minnwest Bank | MN Ag Water Quality Program | Nobles County Corn & Soybean Growers Association Nobles County Farm Bureau | Precision Planting/Bousema Farms Inc. | Rock Vet Clinic | Roto-Mix | Schutte Ag Services Syngenta, NK Seed | The ARC Group | Tinklenberg Lumber & Hardware, Inc. | United Prairie Bank

Select SPONSORS 266 Ag Service LLC | Adrian Plumbing & Electric | Agri-Energy LLC | Alpha Media - KLGR | Behrends Sign Works | Big Orv’s Boehringer Ingleheim - Dan Fedders | Braun Farms & Trucking, LLC | Braun Farms and Trucking LLC | C&J Construction Cattlemen’s Nutrition Services | Cattnach Insurance Agency, Inc. | CFE | Cleveringa Construction, Inc. | DeBoer Chevrolet Drenth Grinding | Extended Ag Services Inc. | Farmer’s Union Agency | Hokeness Grain & Livestock, Inc. Hoop Beef System, LLC | Hubbard Feeds | Hulstein Excavating | I-90 Seed Solutions | KCID Radio - Spencer Radio Group Kent Feeds | Kibble Equipment | KLOH Radio | Korth Auction Service | LDH Construction | Luverne Farm Store | Marshall Radio Mickie’s Restaurant & Bar | Morton Buildings | NK Enogen Feed/Nutrien Ag Solutions Papik Motors and your Heartland Chevrolet Team Dealers | Rolling Hills Bank & Trust | Sasker Construction LLC Schiefelbein Farms | Van Dyke Grinding Co. Inc. | Windom Radio - KDOM | Winter Feed Shak WNAX - Michelle Rook | XXL Trucking - Bob Hewitt ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 13

14 | ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021

ROCK NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S

Business Members Animal Health International | Brake Trucking | Bullerman Angus | Busse Plumbing & Heating

Cabinets & More | Carls Farm Store | Central Valley Dairy Supply | Cooperative Energy Company | Country Side Inn Curt’s Baling | Data Mars | Dean Hokeness Trucking, Inc. | Dick Lacey | Dierks Oil Co. Inc. Edgerton Veterinary Clinic | Elbers Auction / Real Estate Retrievers | Ellsworth Locker First Farmers & Merchants | Fischer Rounds | Henning Construction | Herman Motors Independent Ag | Ivan DeJong Trucking | Jensen Electric, Inc. | Jensen Management Service Inc. Katzer Concrete Inc. | Kozlowski Insurance Agency | Lee’s Locker | Leuthold Liveztock Luverne Commodities, Inc. | Manley Tire & Oil | McClure Electric | Meulebroeck, Taubert & Co., PLLP Midwest Country Feed LLC | Modern Gas/Popkes, Inc. | Nexus Marketing | Nickel & Associates Insurance Agency Ollerich Cattle Company | Orv & Sons | Poet Nutrition | Pritchett Twine & Netwrap | Purina Animal Nutrition Quality Printing, Inc. | Randy Buntjer Auction & Realty, LLC | Reker Construction | Remme Construction Riggs Trucking LLC | Riverside Hoop Barns, Inc. | Rock County Star Herald | Ross Metzger Trucking RT Equipment | Russell Consulting + Prairie Partners | S & S Locker | Sibley State Bank State Farm Insurance - Jason Vote Agency | Sunshine | Sutton Auction | T&S Truck Repair Tru Shine Truck Wash | United Prairie Bank | V&M Locker | Valero Renewables Van Tillburg Ag | VP Trucking | W-2s | Westphal Transport | Willy Seed LLC | Woltman Group

Exclusive provider of footwear protection Farmers Business Network / Prairie Livestock Supply

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 15

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Open Lots Bed Pack or Deep Pit Confinements Confinements Working and Loadout Facilities Turnkey Mills and Steam Flakers Lagoons and Manure Management Feed Storage, Handling, and Mixing

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Ask about our summer programs!

We’re here to help make planting Smarter Every Season!!!

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CONTACT : Steve (507) 360-9560

Jason (507) 820-1790 ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 17

Our Gratitude and Appreciation

to the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association and Minnesota’s Beef Producers The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Development Team provides comprehensive assistance with:     

funding opportunities and resources grazing plans; including conservation acres permitting at all levels of government environmental compliance project planning and guidance

   

all livestock related issues marketing property searches for new and expanding cattle operations Minnesota Farm Link - linking existing farms with the next generation

Contact us with your livestock related questions!

Jim Ostlie: jim.ostlie@state.mn.us 320-842-6910 Kelly Anderson: kelly.anderson@state.mn.us 320-808-4424 David Weinand: david.weinand@state.mn.us 651-201-6646

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Trade Show

EXCLUSIVE TOUR STOP SPONSORS

Booths

CHS Nutrition..................................... Exclusive - Brake Feedyards

First National Bank in Sioux Falls............G&A Farms • Boeve’s Hanson Silo........................................................G&A Farms • Boeve’s

Wyffels Hybrids, Inc......................................... Exclusive - 3B Farms

Producers Livestock.......................................G&A Farms • Boeve’s

Main Street Financial Services.......................... Exclusive - Brad Van De Berg

ROCK COUNTY SEEDSTOCK SHOW

Livestock Equipment & Manufacturing......................Exclusive - G&A Farms • Boeve’s

ONSITE VENDORS Blue Hilltop/Kuhn-Knight........................Summit Lake Livestock Compeer Financial......................................Summit Lake Livestock Golden Harvest/Enogen..........................Summit Lake Livestock Zoetis.................................................................Summit Lake Livestock Animat Inc.....................................................................Brake Feedyards Boehringer Ingelheim..............................................Brake Feedyards Weiser Concrete.........................................................Brake Feedyards C&B..................................................................................Brake Feedyards Agri-Plastics.................................................................................3B Farms Animat Inc.....................................................................................3B Farms Jaycox Implement/Case IH...................................................3B Farms EasyFix.............................................................................Binford Feedlots Form-A-Feed.................................................................Binford Feedlots Merck Animal Health................................................Binford Feedlots RDO Equipment Co...................................................Binford Feedlots Security Savings Bank.............................................Binford Feedlots Elanco ...........................................................................................R&R Thier Farmers Business Network / Prairie Livestock Supply...................................................R&R Thier Rock County Corn & Soybean Growers......................R&R Thier Settje Agri-Services + Engineering, Inc.......................R&R Thier Professional Ag Marketing.............................................. Dave Mente C&J Construction....................................................Brad Van De Berg Manley Tire & Oil.....................................................Brad Van De Berg Mix 30............................................................................Brad Van De Berg Sterling Equipment & Repair Inc.....................Brad Van De Berg Diesel Machinery Inc.....................................G&A Farms • Boeve’s Excel Machine & Manufacturing, Inc..........................................G&A Farms • Boeve’s

Five Pine Cattle Co. Koedam Cattle Reisdorfer Red Angus

TRADE SHOW BOOTHS AgWeek Artex Manufacturing Big Gain Inc. Blue Hilltop/Kuhn-Knight Central Valley Dairy Supply ....................................................Double CFS Coop Everlast Industry.......................................................................... Outdoor Farmer’s Union Agency Farmers Business Network / Prairie Livestock Supply Forward Farm Lines Fulda Area Credit Union Hubbard Feeds Jaylor Fabricating Landmark Builders Leedstone Minnesota Beef Council Minnesota Department of Agriculture Minnesota Select Sires Co-Op, Inc.................................... Outdoor Minnesota Soil Health Coalition Minnesota Valley TV MN Ag Water Quality Program MN Hereford Breeders Assoc Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association MultiMin USA, INC. Nobles County Corn & Soybean Growers Association Performance Livestock Analytics Precision Planting/Bousema Farms Inc. Professional Ag Marketing Radio Works Worthington Ritchie Rock Valley Precast.................................................................... Outdoor Roto-Mix Security Savings Bank SW MN Hay LLC Syngenta, NK Seed The ARC Group The Globe United Prairie Bank University of Minnesota ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 19

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Enogen Feed hybrids are available from authorized Golden Harvest Seed Advisors.

GoldenHarvestSeeds.com Enogenfeed.com ©2019 Syngenta. Golden Harvest® and Enogen® are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.

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myradioworks.net yourmediaworks.com 22 | ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021

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ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 23

READ THE GLOBE ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. In print, online or with the app — we’ve got the tools so you

DON’T MISS A THING

Get DAILY news updates on news, sports, business & events Learn about area family farms and new techniques & practices in our quarterly product

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TOUR MAP 2

Leota 23

NOBLES COUNTY

Hardwick

ROCK COUNTY

Kenneth 75

3

90

Hills

1

Converted slat facilities

Worthington 59

60

Ellsworth

South Tour 5

R&R Thier

Outdoor, bedded and slatted Barns

6

3

3B Farms

7

Brad Van De Berg

4

Binford Feedlots

8

G&A Farms • Boeve’s

Bedded barns, slatted barns Commodity and Working facilities

90

5

91

Brake Feedyards

Multi-generational slatted barn feedlot operation

9 Rushmore

2

Multi-generational feedlot operation

266

91

270 Steen

Summit Lake Livestock

Adrian

6

75

North Tour

Reading

91

Magnolia

Luverne

8

1

Wilmont

4

7

59

Base of Operations 9

Worthington Arena Nobles County Fairgrounds

Dave Mente

Cow/calf, rotational grazing Local seedstock display Slatted barn Receiving barn/working facility Outdoor lots Pivot irrigation dewatering

Becca Clemens / Forum Design Center

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 25

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Credit Division: 1-800-950-7522

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Commodity Division: 1-800-831-5936

ProducersLivestock.net 26 | ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021

We support and salute our area farmers.

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LUVERNE, MN 507-283-9171 ROCK RAPIDS, IA 712-472-2595 www.papik.com 28 | ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021

Brian and Garrett Penning stand inside one of the hog barns they converted into a calf barn, complete with calf crates.

Julie Buntjer / The Globe

Summit Lake Livestock converts hog barns for cattle production

Check out this video:

By Julie Buntjer | jbuntjer@dglobe.com WILMONT — When brothers Russ and Brian Penning started Summit Lake Livestock about 15 years ago, they did so as a way to get their own start on the larger Penning Farms operation southeast of Wilmont.

On the State Cattlemen’s Tour, the Pennings will showcase the hog barns they converted for cattle production.

The two began by buying day-old Holstein bottle calves and, as the venture grew, they renovated several vacated hog barns on an uncle’s farmsite, added two hoop barns on that same site, and built two more hoop barns on the farm where they grew up.

“The barns were at a stage in their life that they needed everything,” shared Russ. Doing the work mostly on their own, they gutted the buildings, installing new electrical components and custom beams in the floors, as well as replacing the slats. A pair of calf barns feature two different growing systems — one with open pens where calves roam freely; the other with individual calf crates.

Today, Summit Lake Livestock continues to bring in some day-old bottle calves, though a majority come in at 200 pounds. They also switched from Holstein to Holstein-Angus cross. In addition, they buy cattle at 600 pounds to finish out.

The Pennings use two other former hog barns — 40-foot-wide curtain barns from the 1990s — for finishing cattle. On those buildings, the south walls were removed to make way for feed bunks and manure pit access was altered. The pit is pumped twice per year, with an

outside containment area used to hold the manure from spring until it can be applied after harvest in the fall.

“If I had to do it over, I’d do it over in a heartbeat,” Russ said of converting the barns from hogs to cattle production.

“This was a way for us to expand into existing facilities we already had. The costs weren’t huge, but the return to the farm is greater.”

The brothers, with help from their families, pail-feed milk replacer to young calves and finish out cattle on a corn silage, high moisture corn diet, as well as some grass hay and straw.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

“We do have some alfalfa, but we typically sell most of that to local dairies,” Russ said.

While baby calves come in from dairies around the Midwest, Summit Lake Cattle takes in a load of 230, 200-pound calves each week from Amish farmers in Pennsylvania. With a mix of both steer and heifer calves coming in, Russ said they separate them out and keep pen sizes to about 400 to 500 head. Since they get in twice as many cattle as they need to keep their lots full, they sell 800 head about every eight weeks — mostly to neighboring farmers.

1

Those kept to finishing weights are marketed primarily to Cargill in Schuyler, Nebraska, and DemKota in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

The Summit Lake Livestock site on Cattlemen’s Tour was settled

by Russ and Brian’s grandfather following World War II. Their uncle and aunt reside on the site, with the brothers each living on their own farm nearby.

They are the second of three generations actively involved in the farming operation today.

2

1 | Holstein-Angus cross calves are being raised in what used to be a hog barn on the Summit Lake Livestock farm near Wilmont.

Their dad John, and his brothers, Rick and Tom, farm and feed cattle in partnership, and Russ and Brian are raising their kids as the next generation to potentially continue in the business.

2 | Cattle near finishing weight are shown on the slatted floors in one of the barns that was converted from a hog barn to a cattle barn.

Russ and his wife, Melanie, have three children: Rhett, 12, Riese, 11 and Regan, 9. Meanwhile, Brian and his wife, Angela, have five children: Courtney, 21, Morgan, 19, Hunter, 14, Garrett, 13 and Jack, 8.

“All of the kids help in some aspect of the farm,” Russ said.

“Brian’s kids help with the bottle chores and little calf chores and in the shop. They’re all getting old enough to help with raking and baling.”

3

3 | Some of the Holstein-Angus cross calves being raised in a converted hog barn on the Penning farm.

4

4 | Brian and Garrett Penning stand outside one of the finishing barns that had been converted from a hog barn to a cattle barn.

Photos by Julie Buntjer The Globe ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 31

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Exclusive Sponsor: CHS Nutrition Jesse Brake and his son, Kaleb, stand outside the 2,400-head capacity slat barn constructed on their rural Wilmont farm in 2012.

Julie Buntjer / The Globe

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Brake Feedyards to highlight 2,400-head capacity barn on tour

By Julie Buntjer | jbuntjer@dglobe.com WILMONT — The business of raising cattle has kept multiple generations of the Brake family busy as they’ve worked to grow the operation through feedlot improvements and frequent shipment of feeders.

Today, the third generation is in the process of taking over not just the cattle operation, but the hog operation as well, according to Jesse Brake. His grandfather, Don, started the farm north of St. Kilian, where Don’s father purchased three 80-acre parcels for a trio of his sons.

Jesse is joined by three brothers in the cattle business — Joe who drives truck, and Jared and Jordan, each of whom

work on the farm. Their dad, Jerry, is still involved, as are two uncles, Steve and Doug, and Doug’s son, David.

“Jerry, Doug and Steve grew the cattle and hog operations … big enough to where us boys can now be a part of it,” Jesse said.

“Everybody takes a part in the operation where they kind of lead and we each stay out of each other’s hair,” he added with a grin.

During the cattlemen’s tour at Brake Feedyards, visitors will tour the doublewide slat barn constructed on the farmsite nine years ago. The 2,400-head capacity barn houses cattle from 1,000 pounds up to market weight.

The barn, measuring 120 feet wide by 650 feet long, includes mostly slat flooring, with some concrete flooring in the area where the barn was built over an existing feedlot. Corn stalks are used for bedding.

“Most slat barns are only a single wide,” Jesse said. “We built a double wide, where you feed on each side. Part of the reason we did it is we saved a lot of money with the way this barn was designed with the pit.

“If it was a single wide, we would have been 1,300 feet out in the field,” he CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

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Brake Feedyards consists of 18 outdoor lots and as many pens under their 2,400-head capacity barn.

Photos by Julie Buntjer / The Globe

A worker moves a bucket full of cattle feed on the Brake Feedyards site.

The Brake Feedyards feed mill processes most of the cattle feed and about 20% of the hog feed for the family farm.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

added. “We didn’t really want to be that far out there.”

The below-barn pit holds about 5.2 million gallons of manure and takes about eight days to pump out each fall.

Constructed at 128 feet wide — eight feet beyond the width of the barn — Jesse said they can lower the pump into the pit from the outside of the barn, causing less disruption to the cattle inside.

The extra pit space is also a benefit considering the size of the animals housed in the barn.

“When you get to that big of an animal, they produce a lot more manure compared to a 500-pound calf,” Jesse said.

The Brakes start all of their cattle in outside lots, bringing in 600 pound calves and 850- to 1,000-pound yearlings from primarily South Dakota. Some loads are purchased from Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska as well.

“There are 18 pens outside and 18 to 19 pens inside,” Jesse said, noting three different sized pens under the doublewide barn that are filled with anywhere from 100 to 150 head each.

The barn features a 10-foot curtain on the bottom and a three-foot curtain on the top, with maneuverability to maintain air flow year-round and reduce steam during the winter months.

“I’d rather have them in here any day during a snowstorm or hot weather,” Jesse said.

The Brakes feed a ration of cracked corn, distiller’s grains, silage, ear corn, grass and alfalfa hay.

“All of our corn gets rolled in our roller mill,” Jesse said, noting the grain bins and mill located directly north of the feedyards.

While the Brakes like to raise Angus, their cattle lots include a mix of both black and red Angus, Limousine, Gelbvieh, Charolais and even some Brahman-mixed crossbreds.

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By Julie Buntjer | jbuntjer@dglobe.com ADRIAN — When Steve Bullerman quit milking cows in the late 1990s, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the black and white Holsteins that had been a fixture on his rural Adrian farm.

Bullerman, son of Steve. The fatherson duo, along with Jeff’s cousin, Ted Bullerman, comprise the 3 B’s in 3B Farms, LLC.

In search of a new use for the dairy barn, the family connected with other dairy farmers in the area and began buying bottle calves to feed and grow to finishing weight.

Today, 3B Farms brings in 200- to 300-pound calves and raises them to 1,550 pounds before they are marketed to Packerland in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The calves are raised on Jeff’s farm, and moved to Ted’s farm for finishing.

“As time evolved, we started building the barns we have today,” said Jeff

“In 2003 we started building cattle barns,” Jeff shared of the initial starter

and grower barns. By 2005, construction began on their first slatted floor finishing barn. The style was chosen for management and manure purposes, with four more slatted finishing barns constructed during the next five years to reach their current capacity.

“Calves go from the starter to grower barn, and at 600 pounds they go to the finisher barn,” Jeff said. “Today we’re at about 4,000 head and finish out a little over 3,000 head a year.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43

With few packers taking Holstein cattle these days, Jeff said the breed appealed to them because there was a market niche at the time.

“When we started, people joked that it wasn’t real cattle,” he said. “It came down to money and flowability (for us).

On paper, it makes more sense to us.”

The Bullermans get in 12- to 13-weekold calves once a month from farmers in Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky, as

well as from Amish farms in New York and Pennsylvania. While the feedstuffs are primarily the same as used in traditional beef breeds, the ration is balanced differently.

“For years, Holstein steers were fed so hard as calves that they would get to 1,100 or 1,200 pounds and stop growing,” he added. “Now we can get a daily gain of three pounds, which isn’t far off of Angus.”

“With the slatted barn and working with a nutritionist, we figured out Holstein steers couldn’t be raised on a dairy ration or beef ration,” Jeff said. “Once we figured out that balance, we found a product the packers were excited about.”

Jeff said the barns on their site are holding up really well, and if they had it to do over, there’s only a few things he’d like to tweak.

“If I was building new buildings, I wouldn’t change a whole lot,” he added.

The commodity shed and pile of earlage on the 3B Farms site.

Photos by Julie Buntjer / The Globe

Calves are brought in at 200 to 300 pounds and raised to finishing weights on the Bullerman farm.

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 45

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Brothers grow cattle operation to 6,500-head capacity in rural Luverne LUVERNE — Brothers Grant and Eric Binford began farming together when they were in junior high, getting their start with a few cows and some pigs and working alongside their dad.

“We used dad’s equipment and provided labor to him,” shared Grant, “but we were never part of his operation.”

Holsteins were the cattle breed of choice for the Binfords in the early 2000s, and now they raise a mix of both Holsteins and native cattle.

Julie Buntjer / The Globe

When the elder Binfords, Lowell and his wife, Mary Beth, retired in the 1990s, Grant and Eric took over the home farm and expanded both the cattle and hog operations. They remained in hogs until seven years ago, and now focus on corn production and cattle — Holstein and western (native) breeds.

“Eric takes care of crop production and the book work, and my role is running the feedlot and managing the labor,” Grant shared.

Their cattle feedlot includes several monoslope bedding barns, the first of which was built in 2000, just before they began feeding out Holstein calves.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 51

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An aerial view of the cattle barns on the Grant Binford farm east of Luverne.

Special to The Globe CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49

“That’s where a lot of our growth was at,” Grant said. “We purchased 350- to 500-pound Holsteins and raised them to finish weight.”

As the brothers continued to map out a plan for growth, they had to decide between more barns or a lagoon once they reached 1,000 animal units. They opted for barns and, in the span of a decade, they increased capacity to 3,000 head.

In 2012, the Binfords built their first slatted barn, adding a second slat barn three years later to expand their operation by another 3,500 head of cattle. Both barns feature rubber mats, which reduce injuries compared to being on concrete.

Today, their Holsteins come primarily from the Texas panhandle and New Mexico, and are marketed to plants in Green Bay, Wisconsin, while their traditional beef breeds come from the Dakotas and Montana.

Grant said they chose Holsteins as a way to leverage the extra investment in their buildings, as the price for feeders was more attractive at the time their

buildings were constructed.

Holsteins are less able to handle weather stress, so they benefit by being under roof, he said. The buildings also give the Binfords an advantage in manure handling.

“Labor is a challenge,” Grant said. “We typically employ four full-time and one part-time (people).”

The Binfords and their hired help do everything from cattle feeding and manure hauling to planting, baling and harvest.

With so much manual labor occupying their time, the Binfords appreciate some of the technology available to them as producers. Four years ago the brothers incorporated cattle management software (Performance Beef, developed

by Performance Livestock Analytics) on their farm, and tag most of the cattle that come into their operation. Last year they expanded to incorporate the new health features, using electronic ID tags on most of the cattle that come into their operation.

During the course of an animal’s time at the Binford farm (approximately 400

days), their tag may be read up to five or six times. Each reading gives the Binfords valuable information about the animal’s rate of gain, and can also be used as a tool to manage health.

“The analytics have saved a lot of time for us on entering data,” Grant said.

“From a cost standpoint for the farmerfeeder, I love the system. It gives us a lot of data that we’re missing.

“Most of us don’t have dedicated people in the office,” he added. “The last thing you want to do is come in at night and enter data.”

With the technology, the Binfords find more time to spend with their families.

Grant and his wife, Rebecca, have three children: Levi, 14, Lane, 11, and Katelyn, seven, while Eric and his wife, Shari, have four children: Matthew, 18, Kierra, 15, Caleb, 12 and Shaylee, nine.

“At this stage of the game, who knows (if they’ll take over the operation),” Grant said. “We’d like to have at least a percentage of them come back and join the operation.”

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Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association P.O. Box 12, Maple Plain, MN 55359 www.mnsca.org | mnsca@mssca.org | 763-479-1011

Cattlemen and Women of Minnesota,

Thank you for attending the 2021 Summer Beef Tour. I want to personally invite and encourage you to become a member of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association (MSCA). We are the only statewide association that is dedicated to looking out for you and the future of cattle production in Minnesota.

We pride ourselves in being a grassroots organization that starts at the local level. Twenty-three local cattlemen’s associations are affiliated with our state organization and they are the foundation of the MSCA. As our locals are affiliated with us to provide guidance and issues they are facing in their regions, the MSCA is affiliated with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to provide our input on beef related issues on the national level.

The Checkoff Referendum

The MSCA is very supportive of the Beef Checkoff, its important role in increasing consumer demand and wants to continue to help clarify the distinguished difference between the Checkoff duties and Role of our Cattlemen’s Association.

The Checkoff is governed by 99 producer members across the US that make up the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Based on each state’s cattle population, Minnesota has 2 producer members on the Board. Members serve a 3-year term and can serve two terms on the board. These members are nominated by certified cattle associations in each state (i.e. MSCA, Farm Bureau, Breed Associations, Farmers Union, and others).

These nominations are sent to the USDA for the Secretary to pick the appointments. Appointed members to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board collectively oversees the collection of the $1-per-head on all cattle sold in the U.S. and the $1-per head equivalent on imported cattle, beef and beef products.

Issues related to fair markets, price discovery or regulation are something the Checkoff dollar cannot deal with. That is our role at the MSCA. Our producer members create policy and stances on issues they are facing, and our leadership and staff communicate and represent those stances in conversations with agencies, legislators, and national organizations. The checkoff promotes beef and drives demand, the association aids in making sure producers can raise beef. We have seen the success of the checkoff in the last year with the incredible demand for beef both nationally and internationally.

56 | ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021

Gray Wolf In October of 2020, the Gray Wolf was finally removed from the endangered species list. MSCA Executive Director Allison VanDerWal and I attended this event last fall.

Concurrent to this delisting, Minnesota has been working on updating their wolf plan. Current MSCA Vice President Jake Thompson sits on this committee as well as representatives and beef producers from Farm Bureau and Farmers Union.

We expect this plan to be announced this summer. The MSCA is still dedicated to ensuring producers have the resources they need to protect their livestock. Whether this is working to ensure the DNR, and MDA have the funds to run a successful wolf management plan, working to ensure the wolf management plan aids our MN cattlemen or other issues that producers need help about the wolf. Early this spring the Snake River Cattlemen and Tri-County Cattlemen passed a resolution and submitted it to our State association to move the current arbitrary line that divides the state in how producers can handle a wolf. This resolution will be submitted to our resolutions committee and then the full membership to be voted on at our annual convention. If you want to create a resolution on any beef related issue you think the cattlemen should adopt as policy, please submit that to us.

Packing Issues At our annual convention this past year, members passed policy to support programs that increased incentives to statewide trade schools to offer meat cutting and or meat processing management classes in an effort to maintain and/grow the number of local processing facilities in MN. Members also passed policy that opposes USDA intervening in marketing agreements except for providing price transparency. Regarding the disparity between boxed beef and live cattle prices, MSCA leadership and staff have been in communication with Representatives and Senators about the importance of getting individuals back to work. Conversations have also been had with the MN Attorney General’s office regarding antitrust issues in the meatpacking industry. If anyone is interested in having these conversations with their office or discussing meat packing issues, please reach out to me at 763-479-1011.

MN State Legislature

Some of the issues the MSCA monitored over this session are as follows: • Paycheck Protection Program – Working so those funds were not taxed on the state level.

• Pollution Control Agency – Supported legislation that did not allow the MPCA to increase their fees through a rule making and supported legislation that would undo the changes that were made this year to the NPDES permit.

• Board of Animal Health – supported legislation that kept the Board’s Executive Director position as appointed by the Board of Animal Health and not the Governor.

• Livestock depredation payments - $350,000 set aside for payments to producers who lose livestock to wolves.

How do I get involved?

Join online at www.mnsca.org/become-a-member, fill out a membership form at the MSCA Booth or fill out the below membership form and mail it to the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association at P.O. Box 12 Maple Plain MN, 55359.

Want to be involved in a committee? Reach out to either our office or talk to a board member for more details!

Thank you for the consideration and I hope you take the opportunity to join the MSCA and your local Cattlemen’s Association. If you have any questions regarding our Association or if you do not have an association in your area and are interested in starting one, please feel free to call us at 763-479-1011.

Sincerely,

The Policy Pen

Weekly e-newsletter to update producers on educational programs, policy updates cattle related news and more. Not on the email list? Join at www.mnsca.org/communications/ the-policy-pen.

Grant Breitkreutz MSCA President

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 57

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Check out this video:

Thiers complete a decade of expansion

Ryan Thier stands next to some of the cattle in one of the farm’s monoslope buildings.

Julie Buntjer The Globe

By Julie Buntjer | jbuntjer@dglobe.com RUSHMORE — R&R Thier Feedlots is growing the fourth generation of cattle producers all while going through a major expansion project on land west of Rushmore.

degree in farm management and ag business.

“Dad and I worked together and I gradually took over the reins,” said Ryan.

poured concrete floors on their existing outside lots.

Owners Ryan Thier and his dad, Richard — the R&R in the farm’s name — have pen space today for up to 15,000 head of cattle after significant expansion efforts in the past decade.

The feedlot was on the State Cattlemen’s Tour in 2010, at which time visitors saw the Thiers’ first 1,500-head capacity monoslope barn (built in 2004) and outside lots. Since then, 12 new outside lots with cement bases and mounds, along with three additional monoslope barns have been constructed. The lots and a 1,500head slatted confinement barn were completed in 2014, and two 3,000-head capacity barns were completed in 2016 and 2018. In that time, the Thiers also

“We don’t have Mother Nature to cooperate with us feeding livestock,” Ryan said, noting that the cement lots are less labor intensive, and the monoslope barns provide not only a buffer against the harsh winters, but welcome the sunlight and improve efficiency in feeding cattle.

The Thier farm was started by Ryan’s grandfather, Cyril, who began feeding cattle in the 1920s. Richard, after graduation and a stint in the service, returned to the farm in the late 1950s, and roughly 40 years later, Ryan joined the operation after earning a two-year

“We’re trying to get consistent gain and conversion,” Ryan said. “With the slatted barns, once the cattle are in there, they’re on their home stretch.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 65

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 63

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Cattle come into the outside lots between 300 and 700 pounds, and come from producers all across the United States. While Holsteins have been the breed of choice, the Thiers are in the process of converting to native cattle because of the greater access to markets. At this time, a JBS facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin is their only option for marketweight Holsteins.

“Things change every day and we have to adapt, to find that niche market,” Ryan said. “The Holstein market was tough the last couple of years.”

The Thiers feed a ration of silage, earlage, corn, byproducts and supplements, and move their feeders under roof for the last 150 to 200 days before they reach market weight.

A commodities shed added in the last decade is one of the greatest things Ryan said they could have done.

“That’s had the biggest return — that and our loading site being under roof,” he said.

R&R Thier Feedlots employs eight to 10 people, on average, who are a “huge part of our success,” Ryan said. The next generation of Thiers, growing up in the business, are also finding ways to help when needed.

Ryan and his wife, Stephanie, have five children — son Ryker, 13; and daughters Lucy, 12; Stella, 10; Hazel, 8; and Wren, 6.

“My great-grandfather bought this 80 acres,” Ryan said of the home farm. “He had 16 children and bought 80 acres for each of them.”

TOP TO BOTTOM: Shown is one of the 3,000-head capacity beef barns that comprises R&R Thier Feedlots near Rushmore.

Today, Ryan said the family is trying to use every tool it has to the max to remain successful.

Holstein cattle look out from one of R&R Thier Feedlots’ 3,000-head finishing barns.

“We’re trying to be efficient,” he said. “I think that’s the name of the game in today’s world.”

A sign marks the R&R Thier Feedlots west of Rushmore.

Photos by Julie Buntjer / The Globe ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 65

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Justin, Dave and Stacy Mente are shown in front of pastureland used for their Maine Anjou cow-calf operation.

Julie Buntjer / The Globe

Mentes put focus on Maine Anjou

Check out this video:

Rural Adrian family produces quality show, breeding stock

By Julie Buntjer | jbuntjer@dglobe.com ADRIAN — Located southwest of Adrian, Mente Cattle Company owners Dave and Stacy Mente, along with their three sons — Dylan, Trevor and Justin — have spent the past two decades improving the genetics of their herd with a focus on creating quality show and breeding stock.

Today, the Mentes raise a mix of Maine Anjou, Simmental and Angus cattle, with a continual move toward three-quarter and hybrid Maine.

“The foundation of our herd got started (in 1999) with my brother showing for 4-H,” shared Stacy. “We purchased a show heifer (a maintainer Maine Anjou) for him and bred her … and then we built off of that.”

“We started buying groups of heifers from a guy I knew in Iowa,” added Dave.

“We started with smaller groups and then bigger groups, and now we’re just keeping back our own heifers.”

Dave said he likes Maine cattle for their docile nature, good mothering ability and muscling.

The Mentes, who married in 1997, started out raising pregnant cull cows and “doing whatever we could to make money to buy the nucleus herd, just because we didn’t have land or pasture,” shared Dave.

Their break came when Stacy’s brother was offered a neighboring farm.

“He was just out of high school and couldn’t afford it, and we had just gotten married,” Stacy said. In 1998, the young couple rented the pasture and farmland, and in 1999 they purchased the quarter section on contract for deed, with the acreage and 50 acres of pasture purchased outright.

“We are eternally grateful to them,” Stacy said.

While Stacy’s family operated a dairy, it was Dave who had experience in beef CONTINUED ON PAGE 75

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 73

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Justin Mente walks toward a herd of cows in one of the paddocks on the family’s cattle farm.

Julie Buntjer / The Globe CONTINUED FROM PAGE 73

production. A native of Tipton, Iowa, he grew up showing cattle and had a 10cow herd for producing show heifers.

“I love the cattle business and the lessons my boys have learned in the cattle business,” Dave said. “There’s a lot of hard work, a lot of goal-setting, a lot of people you meet and a lot of life lessons.”

While the Mentes made improvements on their acreage to accommodate cattle — updating dirt yards to cement, building windbreaks and installing fence line bunks — the two biggest changes included the construction of a new calving barn and show barn, and converting all of the tillable farmland into rotational grazing paddocks. The Mentes received help through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to seed the grazing land, thus eliminating the need to rent pasture while keeping the cows close to home.

The paddocks were seeded with a mix of grazing alfalfa and six grasses — big bluestem, switchgrass, Indian grass, intermediate wheatgrass, meadow brome and orchard grass.

“We’ve got two sections — the north wheel and the south wheel,” Dave

explained. “Each wheel has six pie shapes coming out of it.”

Up to 25 cows are in a paddock at a time, and they stay for just four to seven days in one section before moving. A common water source is located in the middle of the pie, so it’s accessible no matter which paddock they are in.

“The ideal is to not let the grass get below six inches in height,” Dave said.

The cows are moved to the pasture in mid-May, after the A.I. and embryo transfer work is completed, and are taken off by Nov. 1 to graze corn stalks on land farmed by Stacy’s dad.

“They pretty much run my dad’s half section from Nov. 1 to March 15 or so,” Stacy added.

Calving begins on the Mente farm around Feb. 1 and extends through early May. The elite calves are weaned and sold starting around Aug. 1, with the second cut calves weaned by mid-September.

The remainder of the calves are sold as feeders before the big fall run.

The Mentes sell five to seven bull calves

as commercial bulls each year, Dave added. Primarily, sales come from show cattle, commercial bulls, elite bred heifers and commercial heifers. They also keep some back for themselves as they strive to hold to a 100- to 110-cow herd.

With all three of the Mente’s sons owning some cattle in the herd, Stacy said the hope is they can eventually come back to the farm. Already, they have their areas of expertise. Dylan, the oldest, prefers working with the feedyard and crops. He does some of the mechanic work on the farm and provides the manpower to get things done.

Trevor likes to work with the cows and knows every cow family and their pedigree. He offers suggestions on genetics, does well with clipping and fitting cattle for the show ring and is a true salesman.

Justin, meanwhile, loves showing cattle in both 4-H and other competitions.

Ranging in age from 18 to 22, the Mente sons keep things running smoothly when Dave is on the road for his fulltime job with Zoetis, an animal health company, and Stacy works in scheduling for the Sanford Hospital network.

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 75

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Who we are The Rock-Nobles Cattlemen Association was founded in 1971 as the Rock County Livestock Feeders Association. Its name changed in 1983 to the Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association. The group previously hosted Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Tours in 1989, 2000 and 2011.

The Rock-Nobles Cattlemen Association is a partner with the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association, working to defend producers and members of the beef industry within Minnesota. We are a grassroots non-profit membership organization, advocating on behalf of members to ensure cattle production remains a relevant, safe and sustainable way of life for generations to come.

Brynn Bullerman (front) is shown with the cow-calf pair she exhibited at the 2019 Nobles County Fair in Worthington.

Tim Middagh / The Globe

We are part of more than 20 local county organizations providing the greatest opportunity for producer input and policy recommendations. We’re proud of our local members, including more than 200 active cattlemen and business partners. Our members are active in their communities every year, grilling thousands of hamburgers and steaks at events from Hills to Brewster.

Our association donates to area food shelves, high school scholarship programs and FFA chapters in Rock and Nobles Counties.

For 2021, our association has two youth serving as Beef Ambassadors: Samantha Moser from Hills, and Brynn Bullerman from Adrian. Moser and Bullerman represent the RNCA in our communities by participating in area parades, being a part of the county fair beef shows, and giving out beef samples at the yearly home show in Worthington.

Sam Moser represents the Rock Nobles Cattlemen’s Association in an area parade.

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Julie Buntjer / The Globe

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Van De Berg farm upgrades with two new barns in 2016

By Julie Buntjer | jbuntjer@dglobe.com HILLS — When Brad Van De Berg purchased an acreage set up for dairying just north of Hills in 2009, it was with plans to clear out the existing outbuildings and begin anew with facilities to feed cattle.

He built two new barns in the summer of 2016 — a 900-head capacity slat barn and a 95-head capacity shipping/receiving and bed pack barn with sick pens. He also added concrete to the existing cattle yards to create feed storage.

“(The farm) is set up so I can handle it,” Van De Berg said. “Financially we started from scratch. All I own here is the acreage, and I wanted to have enough livestock to make a living on the farm.”

From 2009 to 2016, he had a capacity for 350 head in outside lots. Due to continuous issues with manure runoff that ended up on the neighbor’s land, Van De Berg decided to take action and put a roof over his cattle pens.

Today, all of the manure from the operation ends up in a concrete storage pit that gets pumped out twice a year — a little in the spring and emptied in the fall. There is also a 24- by 48-foot manure bay for the pen pack manure.

Van De Berg, who grew up seven miles north of Beaver Creek, farms with his dad, though not in a financial partnership. They share crop equipment and help each other with the workload.

In addition to raising cattle, Van De Berg CONTINUED ON PAGE 83

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 81

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grows corn, soybeans, rye and oats on 750 acres.

“In a normal year, we grow all of our feed,” he said, adding that corn makes up about 80% of what he grows each year. He also does custom round baling.

“One thing I do a little bit different than a lot of people is after my silage comes off, I raise winter rye,” Van De Berg shared. “That’s where spring manure gets pumped and then it gets planted again to corn, so I’m getting three crops in two years.

(either rye or grass hay or corn stalks) and a balancer. As for water, each cattle pen has its own water line, which allows Van De Berg to medicate animals in specific pens as needed.

The Van De Berg cattle operation focuses primarily on finishing cattle that arrive as yearlings between 850 to 950 pounds. He has them on feed for about 180 days before they go to market, then a new shipment comes in.

Cattle generally come from Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota and South Dakota.

“Winter rye is good for the soil, but I’m using it for feed as well,” he added. “It gets baled as baleage or dry round baled as dry hay.”

Farming since 2007 — the same year he and wife, Melissa, were married — Van De Berg is proud to be doing what he loves in the neighborhood he’s in.

Along with rye, his cattle feed consists of high moisture corn, dry corn, corn silage, modified distillers, a dry hay

“We all work together as neighbors around here,” he said. “When we have to work cattle or pour concrete, we

do it with the neighbors. I call a few neighbors and then they call me as well.

The jobs where it takes two, three or four guys, that’s how we do it.

“Even the neighbors I don’t work with much, if I needed help for a day, I know who I can call,” he added. “The best part (of living here) is the neighbors.

If someone has cattle out, everyone comes out to help.”

Several years down the road, he may be able to call upon his own children to help. The Van De Bergs have three — son Jason, 7, and daughters Melanie, 3, and Miranda, 8 months. Melissa works as an accountant for a Sioux Falls, South Dakota business and also operates a photography business.

Van De Berg serves on the Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s board.

Cattle are kept comfortable under roof at the Brad Van De Berg farm.

Julie Buntjer / The Globe ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 83

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He’s shown here on his parents’ farm, with his farm visible just down the road.

Julie Buntjer / The Globe

Boeves switch to complete containment to expand herd

By Julie Buntjer | jbuntjer@dglobe.com STEEN — G&A Farms, Inc., of rural Steen is a third generation beef cattle operation started by Arthur Boeve in the late 1950s. Second generation owners, Glen and Ann Boeve, created the incorporation and gave the farm its name, and third generation owner Matt Boeve continues to grow and expand the operation.

Comprised of adjoining farms — Glen and Ann’s to the west and Matt and Kayla’s to the east — the operation has a capacity for up to 2,500 head of cattle and 8,000 hogs, with Matt and Glen farming about 2,700 acres of tillable land.

“I’ve known since I was seven that I wanted to farm,” said the younger Boeve, who earned an associate’s degree in agriculture from South Dakota

State University in 1998. “We’ve been fortunate to be able to grow land base and livestock base here.”

farmland, with a lot of it discharged in July, when Mother Nature tends to deliver less rainfall to growing crops.

The farm’s most recent expansion was five years ago, when the Boeves went to complete containment — a requirement to be able to expand the number of animal units. All runoff is collected in lagoons — one on each farm — with underground pipes connecting the two lagoons to manage water levels.

“It doesn’t take a lot of set-up,” Boeve said of the system. “If it’s a perfect day, you just flip a switch. It’s programmable, so we can put on twotenths to three-tenths or up to an inch (of water). It’s so handy, and as far as being a good neighbor, if it’s windy you don’t run it.”

“With as much water as we’ve had the last two years, it’s been challenging,” Boeve said. “They’re going to take some maintenance in the next couple of years to get them back to capacity.”

Also somewhat unique to the Boeve operation is that most of the nine cattle pens in the operation have a concrete base. Those that don’t have dirt mounds.

Water from the lagoons is pumped onto approximately 60 acres of adjacent

“For taking care of the cattle — cleaning and bedding, we want to make them as comfortable all year long,” he said. “We CONTINUED ON PAGE 93

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 91

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The two Boeve farms have a combined capacity of 2,500 head of cattle and 8,000 hogs.

Photos by Julie Buntjer / The Globe CONTINUED FROM PAGE 91

want them to eat and rest and come back and eat again.”

Boeve has developed a working relationship with a cattle ranch in Montana, where he estimates about 60% of his cattle originate from.

Generally, they bring in calves at 600 to 800 pounds in the fall, feed them through the winter and sell them in May. “Then we’ll go buy some 800 to 900-weight yearlings to feed through summer to get us back to the fall calf run,” he said. “We feed all steers — a lot of black Angus, some Charolais.”

Cattle are marketed direct to the packer, generally to Tyson in Dakota City, Nebraska, and JBS in Grand Island, Nebraska.

In addition to Matt and Glen, the operation employs two hired hands, and Matt’s wife handles the book work. They have their own roller mill for rolling corn and modified distiller’s (purchased from Dakota Ethanol in Wentworth, S.D., and a commodity shed stores their cattle feed ingredients.

The Boeves have incorporated technology into their cattle operation, using iPads in the feed truck, payloader,

The commodities shed is located on Glen and Ann Boeve’s homestead. tractor and combine. Daily email reports show feed intake levels from every pen, which gives direction on whether the cattle should be pushed harder to eat or back off a bit.

The data helps Boeve figure breakevens and profitability.

“Farming is just as data driven as any other job,” he said. “We depend on it and

it helps us every day.”

As Boeve eyes the changes of the past, and the potential for the future, he’s hopeful his kids will be part of the fourth generation of livestock producers. Between his daughters, Claire, 10, and Mallorie, 6, and Kayla’s sons, EJ, 12, and Gracyn, 9, they are a family of six who are proud to be Rock County cattle producers.

ROCK - NOBLES CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION 2021 | 93

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Compeer Financial offers scholarships for youths to attend State Cattlemen’s summer tour for free

By Julie Buntjer | jbuntjer@dglobe.com WORTHINGTON — Compeer Financial offices in Nobles and Rock counties are offering all youths and young adults aged 21 and younger the opportunity to take part in the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s annual Summer Beef Tour on July 13 at no cost.

The scholarships are hoped to reduce any barriers for youths who would like to attend the tour and learn more about the beef industry locally.

Scott Nordby, a financial officer with Compeer in Worthington, said the organization’s mission is to enrich agriculture in rural America. Offering scholarships for this tour is one way to make that happen.

“We are a huge advocate of this beef tour,” Nordby said. “Our priority is to bring more exposure to production agriculture. So many people in our area don’t have exposure to agriculture, especially on-farm.”

The eight beef farms participating in the

beef tour are efficient, modern and cutting edge, Nordby said, adding that Compeer decided it would be great exposure to get as many people — particularly younger people — on the farm.

“The tour just does a great job of showcasing (agriculture),” he shared.

“We didn’t want money to be a barrier for those younger people, so we’re covering any and all costs for them to participate in the tour.”

While there is no application process to receive a scholarship, youths and young adults are asked to register in advance at https://bit.ly/3wUnqL2. Registration will also be offered beginning at 6 a.m. July 13 at the Nobles County Fairgrounds in Worthington.

Compeer Financial is one of the largest member-owned cooperatives in the Farm Credit Services system, serving 144 counties in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. The majority of its work is in farm lending, providing loans for livestock, land, operating and

machinery, as well as crop insurance.

“We’re an ag-based lender out there to provide assistance to the farming community,” said Pat Barnett, a financial officer with Compeer Financial in Rock County.

With an eye on the next generation of ag producers, Barnett said the organization includes a young beginning farmers loan committee, and offers a groundbreakers conference for young beginning farmers.

It also has a pool of funding dedicated specifically for young, beginning and small farmers to finance projects.

“Our average borrower age is in the mid-50s,” Barnett shared. “We need to get the next generation … in the world of agriculture.

“We hope people turn out for the tour,” he added. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime to see some extremely great operations with different approaches to the cattle industry and a phenomenal opportunity to see some of the best there is.”

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Using plant-based fuel sources such as soybeans means not only do renewable fuels emit less carbon and other harmful emissions, but during growth, the plants capture carbon. The use of renewable, plant-based fuels like biodiesel lowers the amount of carbon and other harmful emissions released into the air by more than 50 percent.

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Thank You!

From donors to volunteers to vendors to farm families, this tour would not have been possible without the efforts of so many people and organizations.

The Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association and the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who contributed to making this year’s tour a success!

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