12-30-2024 ICE UPDATE

Hello All:

Time to Catch Up: Our typical activities have progressed throughout the year. Planting, calving, harvesting all came and went with few far-outside-the-norm events. We had enough rain for a decent corn crop but haven’t had rain in August for several years and this always leads to a poor soybean crop. More grass than usual for the cattle so that was a bright spot for the season. We just wrapped up Christmas and had a delightful time with my parents being here and LOTS of family games. Not that we haven’t been doing things, but now we need to deliberately focus on an agenda item for March…our annual bull and bred heifer sale. It’s looking like we will have around 58 bulls, 51 heifers and 30 older cows that are either late bred or we’ve been leasing from a good friend who bought heifers in our first sale 8 years ago. More details on all the sale information forthcoming.

Preg-Checking: I fault no one for not believing the following, it is my situation and I was astonished. Our cows, several teenagers, pregged 96% bred, our replacement heifers 93%. We have never had results like this, and this is about the 4th year in a row I’ve said that. Our standard used to be 80% and 60%…and some years we didn’t get to that. Other than maybe having the cattle fast for a few days whenever we do pen work I don’t know how to be harder on our cattle that what we’re doing. I believe what I discuss next sheds some light…

Epigenetics: Definition: While genetics studies the actual DNA sequence itself, epigenetics examines how environmental factors can influence gene expression without changing the DNA sequence, essentially acting like “switches” to turn genes on or off, allowing for different traits to be expressed even with the same genetic code; in simple terms, genetics is about the “code” while epigenetics is about how that code is “read” and interpreted.
The above definition I copied from a Facebook post from James Coffelt of Ohio Land and Cattle (Black Angus). He is the only other seedstock producer I am aware of who pressures his cattle, cows AND bulls and heifers, in a fashion similar to what we do. I’m excited regarding this because I’ve finally found a scientific area of study that deals with what we are trying to do in our herd. I’ve said for years that it takes genetics AND pressure to create the right kind of seedstock. Epigenetics (new term for me) is EXACTLY that combination of factors. Epigenetics results from pressure applied to genetics.

What gets “programmed” into a calf that comes from a “fed” herd? The universities say a cow can’t develop or produce offspring on poor quality forage and must have a minimum amount of protein and energy to maintain condition, rebreed and carry the following calf. So what do “we” (the industry) do? We feed the cow hay, lick tubs, protein supplements (alfalfa is a protein supplement), corn? silage? to get through the winter. We also do that to the herd bulls and replacement heifers because they will fall apart without it. BUT GOD…designed the Bos Genus with the ability to gain compensatorily (my computer doesn’t think that’s a word). I say, and have experienced, if you have good summer forage, May – September, and calve in May-June, you can run your cows, with calves at their side, all through the winter on relatively poor feedstuffs and have a bulletproof herd. What is being “programmed” in the second group?

The genetics/epigenetics in our herd AND the corn field resources we have access to, allow us to be an ULTRA low-cost cattle operation (but it still costs a lot!). Feed costs are far and away the highest carrying cost of a cow herd. In very simple summary: ICE Cattle provides excellent grazing for the herd from late April to October on good grass pastures with some annuals mixed in, then graze mostly cornstalk residues, with some dormant cover crops, from October through April. Our cattle graze, we don’t feed them. We do this same “feed” program with all our development cattle, bulls and bred heifers. You WILL NOT GET this commitment to efficiency, or epigenetic programming, in virtually all other seedstock producers. If you are trying to build an efficient herd of momma cows why would you buy your seedstock from someone who programs their cattle for inefficiency?

Pushing All of Your Chips to the Middle of the Table: What this means to me are major life events in which you bet everything you have, and often what you don’t, on yourself. I have seen this happen in young people who start a business when they are still at home. I had a student at Lincoln Christian who sold his lawn mowing business as a senior for $40,000. This was in 1996 when that amount actually meant something…it was $15,000 more than I had when I started farming that year at 25! It could be a decision to go to college without any family funding. My Dad and my Father-in-Law both did this, they were both the first generation in their families to attend college. My sister and I did this and two of my children have done this. Through work and scholarships, Robert and Ashley had their college paid for before they stepped on campus. In the agricultural realm it often means buying your first piece of land or line of machinery. I did that the first time in 1996 (land) and 2003 (machinery). We bought several acres again in 2005 then in 2012-2014 we purchased Mom and Dad’s land, bought land in Wyoming and a rental property in Colorado. I figure I’ve pushed all my chips to the middle of the table a half dozen times or so over the years. In any of those instances, circumstances could have turned a different direction than they did and the results could have been disastrous. As I assess things as they currently stand I’m probably done pushing all of my chips to the middle of the table…because they aren’t my chips, they’re OUR chips (always have been) and I want Kristin cared for regardless of what happens to me.

To those considering pushing all your chips: The rewards can be fantastic, the risks are many and the consequences potentially severe. You can’t just work hard you must also work smart. Acknowledging God in all your ways is a most important start. Most people never push, they accept safe. A high paying job you hate is safe (until it’s not) and miserable. I can’t tell if the U.S. is on the edge of a cliff ready to fall into a valley or at the foot of a mountain that needs to be climbed. Either way, to build something will be painful, you will experience the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Choose your pain. I do know that in ALL times there are opportunities and some do well when most don’t. And there is no better place to be than America for opportunities to thrive.