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Challenging the norm.
MEET BRIAN DAWSON OF MULVEY GULCH RANCH, BOULDER MT
Nestled in the heart of Montana’s big sky country, there is a ranch that is challenging the norm and pushing the boundaries of ranching as we know it. Mulvey Gulch Ranch produces 100% Black Angus Grassfed Beef, selling it in a variety of grocery stores, restaurants, and other foodservice industries.
We interviewed ranch manager Brian Dawson to get a glimpse of what it's like working in the untouched wild, managing thousands of cattle and acres of pastureland. While their ranching practices have evolved over the years, their commitment to animal and environmental stewardship has remained the hallmark of the Mulvey Gulch brand.
ARTICLE PREVIEW: Sick of High Hay Prices? Here’s How to Survive.
Without a doubt, ranchers in many parts of cow country are looking at the possibility of another tough winter. And that’s after a tough spring, summer, and fall. Hay is short and expensive, fall and winter pasture is short. That means ranchers across a broad swath of the country are looking at making some hard culling decisions.
With strategic supplementation to save or conserve your feed resources, however, you may not have to cull as deeply or cull at all.
That’s what Josh Freiberger and others have found. Freiberger, operator of Hague Angus Ranch near Alliance, Neb., shares this story: “Two years ago, I put my cows to the ultimate test,” he said. “We put up a lot of bullrushes here,” which are cattail-like plants. “It’s the most fibrous, dense, worthless feed you can possibly think of. And we put it up in September, so you can imagine how rank it was.”
He fed his cows a half ration of the bullrushes and half good quality alfalfa during his winter feeding period. “I had a 94 percent breed-up and the cattle stayed healthy.” How did that happen? “I attribute Riomax® to a big portion of that.”
What’s more, he’s seen a reduction in hay consumption using Riomax® tubs. Typically, he fed around 30 pounds of hay per day per cow. “We cut that back to 2% of live weight,” he said. “We’re feeding 25 pounds of hay per day.”
Freiberger was one of four speakers at a recent hay savings webinar sponsored by Riomax®. He provided attendees with hard numbers to show why he believes in the product.
Prior to using Riomax®, Freiberger and his dad were spending $2.83 per day during the winter, figuring that at current hay and mineral costs. That comes out to $595 per cow for the winter.
When they went with Riomax®, they were able to cut out their custom loose mineral. With the hay savings, they now feed alfalfa for only 150 days of their 210-day winter feeding period. Totaling all his current costs, he’s wintering his cows for $470 each. Comparing that with what their old program would cost at today’s prices, he’s $125 per cow ahead just on hay savings...
low input ranching: webinar snippet
Input costs can kill profitability. What you can do to reduce them? Hear from 4 well-seasoned ranchers about what they did to reduce inputs and increase profitability.
bruce keaster has been ranching for decades.
Discover what sold this Montana rancher on Riomax, and why he's never looked back.
