Last updated on April 7th, 2026 at 09:03 am
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RAIN, RAIN, COME THIS WAY
rANCHING WHERE EVERY DROP OF PRECIPITATION IS A GIFT
KEVIN STOPANSKI
Jenner, Alberta
If the definition of a desert is an area that receives less than 10 inches of precipitation a year, what do you call an area that averages half of that?
Kevin Stopanski and his family call it home.
Here’s the kicker: home for the Stopanski clan is north of the 49th parallel, in the southeast part of Alberta, Canada. Yes, Alberta, the Canadian province known for rugged Rocky Mountains and lots of snow.
That’s not the case in the Palliser Triangle of southeast Alberta. “It was deemed to be uninhabitable 100 years ago,” Stopanski says. “But our ancestors just had to try and we’re still here. Some years it takes you right down to one knee and you think you have to go down on both knees, and all of a sudden the clouds will open up and rain and you’re good for another year. So we’re survivors.”
He’s the third generation to farm and ranch in the prairie part of the province with its rolling hills and short, hard grass next to the Red Deer river corridor. One of his three sons is the fourth generation to ranch there and the fifth, along with cousins and siblings, is eight years old and already learning the ropes.
The hard grass that dominates the native pastures has its advantages. “The short, hard grass is one of the things we can attribute to our heavy, solid weaning weights,” Stopanski says. “A lot of order buyers and auctions say that the hard grass cattle are probably the best cattle to buy because they don’t come into the auction ring and shrink a whole bunch.”
But the minimal precipitation means the native pastures require lots of management. “You’ve got to have a lot of it,” Stopanski says of the native pastures. “It’s not like we can graze a lot of cows on this grass. So it’s one of the things where management is probably the most critical part of the ranch. One of the things a guy has to keep in check and make sure we don’t overgraze it.”
Beyond keeping a stewardship eye on the ground, it’s natural to keep a weather eye skyward. That’s because if the rain and snow don’t come at the right time, a dry country gets even drier. “We have to rely on April and May rains to make June grass grow,” he says. “And then hope we don’t get too hot in July and August and hope we get some fall rains in
September and October to replenish the soil. If we miss that cycle where we don’t get fall rains or snow, it puts pressure on the next season.”
The Stopanskis also grow hay and have some tame pastures of crested wheatgrass, some brome grasses along with alfalfa and clovers. “We can utilize them for a month or two during calving, after calving and branding season, then throw the cows and calves out on the native pastures, let them just go to town and grow.”
Spring turnout happens around June 10 and the cows will graze native pastures through the end of October. “Then we find stockpiled grass in the winter,” he says. If any of the native pastures they grazed earlier had some regrowth, they can rotate back and get another month of grazing that takes them through the end of the year.
Traditionally, calving season started in March. However, they recently moved to calving a month later, starting in early April to take advantage of better weather. And they cut their calving season down from 60-75 days to around 45 days.
Beyond that, they’ve moved from calving in corrals and putting calves in barns out of the weather to calving on pastures. “They stay on pastures, nice and clean and the calves are healthy. They’re not freezing, they’re not in a snowstorm, they’re not getting wet. They get up, have a suck and respond really well.”
The cow herd is a base of Red Angus bred to red Limousin bulls, producing a growthy, well-muscled and vigorous calf. “Even the females out of that cross are doing really well for us, too,” he adds.
The calves are marketed after weaning through their local sale barn, drawing active bidding and repeat buyers. “The reputation of my grandfather, my father and me is pretty good and I’ve trusted the guys who sit in front of the ring to know that when our cattle come in, they’re going to get the same reputation cattle that they’ve always got,” he says
In addition to the genetics, the calves hit the ring ready for the rigors of transportation and a new home. “We’re always in close contact with our veterinarians,” Stopanski says, and the cows and calves are on a robust herd health program.
Beyond that, the family uses low-stress management, which he believes is an important component to their vaccination and parasite control efforts. “I think if the stress level in your grazing program and feeding program is minimal, your cows are healthier and they can fight off any bugs they may get.”
Altogether, the operation runs about 3,500 acres of mixed pasture land, hay land, and around a section of barley and oats along with grazing in two community grazing associations. In the past, some of the crop has gone into feed with the majority sold as grain. But they endured two dry years in 2023 and 2024 and the situation didn’t look much better by July 2025. “Then we got a really good rain in August and thought we would be harvesting for the first time in two years. But no sooner than we said that, we had a big hailstorm and we probably had 70% damage to the crop,” he says.
So the grain was swathed, with some baled and some swath grazed. The bales were placed strategically where the soil needed the most improvement. Between the swath grazing and the hay, their cows got about a month and a half of additional grazing while the hailed-on native pastures recovered.
“So now we’re thinking that maybe we should concentrate more on that kind of feeding scenario,” he says. “Maybe put more crop land into a grazing program where we can use the cows to improve the land base by manure and urine.”
When Mother Nature smiles, they run 150 cows, but they’ve cut that back to around 125 due to drought. Then there are the eight Speckled Park cows that Stopanski bought as a gift for his wife. Raising three boys takes a lot of groceries, so the crossbred Speckled calves were fed and harvested for beef. That turned into a side gig of selling beef to friends and neighbors, many of whom are repeat customers. “So it’s a nice way to getting some income in the summer months from these people who want to have a good barbecue season with our beef.”
Riomax as a Survival Tool
Ranching in country that can take you to your knees is a daily effort in survival. That’s why the Stopanski family has been Riomax customers for many years.
Ranching in tough conditions and Riomax go well together, Stopanski says. He tried around 10 different mineral products when the Riomax dealer came knocking. Stopanski learned why Riomax is different and why that difference can help the herd in lots of different ways. So he tried it, first putting the tubs out after calving. “Our calves were healthy, so Riomax was put out there just to make sure the calves weren’t getting scours.”
Then he learned that with Riomax, he wasn’t supplementing the cow as much as supplementing the microorganisms in the rumen. “And maybe we lose that conception when we’re feeding animals. We’re feeding the gut of the animal to keep her healthy.” Back then and still now, the cows and calves have orange tubs 24/7, 365 days a year.
“It seems like when the conditions change, we don’t find cows declining much because they’ve got this big bank of minerals and they’re healthy. They can adapt to variable conditions, I think, a lot quicker.” Riomax has helped with feed conversion and keeps the cows in good body condition, even gaining weight, regardless of drought and grazing conditions. Beyond that, fertility is great, with his cows coming in bred in the mid 90% range.
“Our calves are coming off grass going into the auction ring at maybe 10 pounds heavier (than similar calves from other ranches). We don’t see that heavy fluctuation with the seasons being harder. And in a good year, we’re maybe going to see a 40-pound gain on our calves,” he says.
“The vigor on the calves has been noticeably better. The milk quality in our heifers has been noticeably better, especially the heifers that have been on the program as calves.” That’s particularly noticeable in the colostrum, he adds.
“The colostrum benefit, I think, is huge using Riomax. The calves are healthy because they’ve had that Rio going through their umbilical cord. They’ve got this big bank of calcium and phosphorus and copper, which can take them right through until they can eat grass and eat the mineral.”
Just like many Riomax believers, however, he says the scariest part is writing the check. But he figures it like this: “We’re buying feed for $200 a ton, so that’s 10 cents a pound. If I can make that cow eat 7 to 10 pounds less hay, that 70 cents. It only costs me 80 cents to feed that mineral, but that isn’t counting that healthy calf and cow. Vaccine response is probably 40%-50% better because she has Rio in her belly working,” he says.
“I think right now that Rio helped us sustain ourselves. We have had to cut some numbers but I don’t think as many as we would have otherwise. Riomax has given us a manageable guarantee that we’re still going to have consistency in our calf weights and cow fertility.”
STOP TREATING GRASS LIKE IT'S FREE (DROUGHT REALITY CHECK)
COW & BULL PREP IS CRITICAL FOR BREEDING SEASON
Percent of calf crop weaned is the single largest factor influencing profitability. After all, you can’t sell a calf that is never born.
With calving season underway for some ranches or looming for others, now is the time to start thinking about this year’s breeding season. Here are some tips to ensure you have a successful calving season next year.
First, let’s consider the cows: Cow Body Condition Score (BCS)
The body condition of your cows going into the breeding season is critical for setting up your herd for reproductive success. According to Olivia Amundson, Extension cow-calf specialist with South Dakota State University, cows should be in at least a body condition score (BCS) of 5 at calving and first-calf heifers should be in a BCS of 6.
If your females are in adequate body condition, continue the plane of nutrition. If they’re under, it’s time to ramp up your nutritional program to ensure the BCS is where it needs to be at turn-out. If your females are too heavy, you’ll need to cut back a little. Either too thin or too fat compromises fertility, Amundson says.
WHAT IF YOU COULD RELY LESS ON FERTILIZER? (17 MIN BREAKDOWN)
We all know fertilizer costs are going through the roof—and it’s forcing tough decisions across every acre.
But what if the answer isn’t just buying smarter… it’s needing less?
In this clip, Twain and Trevor break down how improving soil health can:
Increase nutrient efficiency
Unlock what’s already in your ground
Reduce long-term dependence on fertilizer inputs
It’s not about cutting corners—it’s about building a system that works with your soil, not against it.
That Ranching Podcast is a weekly sit-down around the kitchen table to talk about real opportunities for the men and women in the ranching industry. Hosted by the folks at Riomax, we talk about what’s working for ranchers, opportunities to pick up the herd's performance, and ultimately, put more dollars and cents back in the pockets of the folks making a living out of ranching. From mineral nutrition to management decisions, we dig into the why behind the what—including demystifying the science behind Riomax tubs without turning it into a sales pitch you didn’t ask for.
New episodes drop every Thursday morning—so be sure to tune in and join us on our journey of 'Driving Profitability Back to Rural North America.'
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You’ve spent years—maybe generations—building your herd and investing in top-tier genetics. But what if those genetics aren’t actually showing up where it counts?
In this episode of That Ranching Podcast, Twain, Trevor, and Daryl sit down around the kitchen table to talk about one of the most overlooked profit drivers in the cow-calf business: unlocking the genetic potential you already paid for.
Does improving your soil work the same way as improving your cattle’s digestion?
In this episode, we break down the science behind Rhyzogreen—how a simple foliar application feeds native soil microbes, unlocks tied-up nutrients, and drives real production gains. No added biology. No gimmicks. Just activating what’s already in your ground.
RANCHING AIN'T EASY.
FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO, YOU DESERVE
MORE IN RETURN.
15 - 30% FORAGE SAVINGS
3 - 10% INCREASE IN CONCEPTION RATES
10 - 40 LBS. INCREASE IN WEANING WEIGHTS
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