A healthy soil, rich in carbon has the ability to grow profitable, nutritious food, all the while enhancing the local environment.
Recent developments in the science community regarding how soil organic matter is formed are presenting new opportunities for how we farm.
It has been found that given the right conditions soil microbes are major contributors to rapid soil carbon formation.
We try to practice biomimicry in our production systems to enhance the soil.
Cows are high percentage black Angus and are moderate in size, maturing at around 1250 pounds.
Calves are born in June on lush green pasture and stay with their mothers until the following spring.
All heifer calves are exposed to a bull at 14 months of age for 30 days and the cow herd is exposed for between 45 and 60 days depending on market conditions.
Breeding bulls are selected from our own herd, with criteria including first cycle conception, good phenotype, easy fleshing, sound feet and good libido. All bulls used are yearlings.
It is our goal to develop our breeding stock to thrive on forage in a northern grazing environment.
Diverse perennial pastures are stockpiled to allow grazing to begin as soon as snow recedes in late March, early April.
The grazing program consists of at least daily moves and stock density and recovery periods range form 60-150 days depending on the season.
In the fall time cattle graze diverse annual forage plantings, allowing perennial pastures to be stockpiled and rapidly improving soil health for subsequent cash crops.
Winter grazing includes bale grazing and corn grazing depending on market conditions.
Crop residues are utilized when the opportunity presents.
Traditionally a zero till farm we utilize low disturbance direct seeding with a single disc opener.
Residues are left on the surface and biology is left to cycle nutrients within the system.
Adding diversity to the annual cropping system is important and several different cash crops are grown and some crop are grown together as an intercrop and separated post harvest.
The diverse annual forage plantings that are direct grazed by the cattle are the main source of soil fertility for the system.