OUR PHILOSOPHY IS TO WORK WITH NATURE

As you can imagine, over 120 years the thinking about farm/ranch management has evolved in many ways. Our ancestors suffered through the dust bowl days where they attempted to bend nature to their will. Thankfully, they survived and learned to do a better job of working with nature.

Today at North Canadian Red Angus, we are pressing that thinking much farther as we seek to lower operating cost and create sustainable ecological conditions on all of the land we control. We calve in April when the forage supplies are more likely to meet the nutritional demands of the cows. In 2018, we started a year-round grazing program. We have pastures that are grazed in the summer months and pastures that are grazed during the winter months. Where this is not practical, we have reduced stocking rates. Combined with rotational grazing, our supplemental feed costs have been reduced by over 50 percent.

In 2018, North Canadian Red Angus began the transition to a medium-frame Red Angus momma cow. We chose Pharo bulls because of the specific breeding for grass efficiency and the selection for fly resistance. We want a cow that will thrive on forage with very little supplemental inputs. The medium-frame cow has shown to produce more of her body weight in a weaned calf than a large-frame cow. The nutritional needs of the medium frame cow are less, allowing stocking rates to be increased. The net result is more pounds of beef per acre and less input required for the cow.

Our goal at North Canadian Red Angus is a four-frame cow that weights 1,050-1,150 pounds. Her calf at weaning should weigh no less than 50 percent of the mother’s body weight. The calf, like the mother, should be very efficient at converting forage into pounds with very little help from supplemental feed.

Rotational grazing is critical for allowing the forage to rest and is a key ingredient in improving the quality of grass pastures. The grasslands are carbon sequestering and act as a water sponge. This helps us meet the goal of creating sustainable ecological conditions on all of the land we control. In this way, we create a very fine product for our customers, improve the environment, and get to enjoy the ranching lifestyle.

Not only do we work with nature, we also work with our Creator. We see our work, whether building family relationships, doing community service, involvement in church or our ranching activity all as a part of our service to the One who brought us into existence. We are interested in all of the elements within our society that impact our business and lifestyle.

For this reason Tony blogs on a variety of subjects that he feels are important to a prosperous future for our business and lifestyle. This includes information on our ranching activity so you can be informed and keep up with all that is happening on the ranch, spiritual posts that reflect our faith in a Creator who cares about the human family and political posts that deal with the many complicated issues of the day.

We fully recognize that not everyone will agree with our opinions and ideas and look forward to your comments. Vigorous debate is perhaps the greatest sign of a healthy representative republic.