North Dakota has a hard environment but I think it makes our producers even better managers.” “We can be proud that we have good producers raising good cattle. “Our state has a good reputation for cattle quality and our cattle sell extremely well, considering freight costs and distances that it takes to market cattle here,” he commented. Beef from North Dakota calves ultimately moves to both domestic and export markets.
Dhuyvetter said family-sized feedlots in North Dakota are on the rise, and this added industry creates more market for feed grains and options for increasing calves’ market value. He is also among many producers who integrate cattle raising with farming. A calf’s value is determined by its weight and market appearance.ĭhuyvetter says most producers he talks to are culling deeper and reducing herd numbers again this winter. Tracking calving records has helped Novak identify marginal producers such as cows that produce inferior calves or are poor mothers. These cattle are more likely to have a stronger immune system to minimize health and disease losses from stress encountered as they move through weaning and marketing. North Dakota cattle that get top dollars at market have been vaccinated at least twice before going to market. Healthy cattle also respond to vaccinations better, he added. A good nutrition program helps the producer avoid having thin cows, weak calves and poor rebreeding.” “You have to bring in the right nutritional supplements. “Cows need a balanced ration of protein, calories, minerals and fibrous type roughage,” he explained. That results in more productive animals and, hopefully, more money at market time, he said. Similar to people, cattle grow better and look better when they get a balanced diet. Dhuyvetter spends a lot of time working with producers helping them plan good feeding programs. Ethanol plants produce high-quality distiller grain byproducts that are an excellent source of added protein and energy for cattle rations.įeeding cattle has become a science in itself. For instance, flour mills take the bran and hull not used for flour to make pellets to sell as cattle feed. He also culled 10 percent of his herd.ĭuring tough feeding times, North Dakota producers are fortunate to have access to some good byproducts from other industries, Dhuyvetter said. Novak used the oats for additional hay and purchased grain screenings at the elevator to enhance his lower-quality hay. The dry weather made for a poor hay crop, too. With the dry summer, oats that Novak planted for grain were stunted from lack of moisture. By January, we had used up most of our extra resources.” With a lot of snow, everything is harder – digging out hay, digging out cows, hauling cows to market.
“But when it gets really cold, you need extra feed and straw. “We grazed our cattle as long as we could in the fall so we thought we had plenty of feed,” said Lee Novak, a cattle producer south of Minot who is served by Verendrye Electric Cooperative. Many producers adjusted by pruning, or in some cases, liquidating their herds. Need for supplemental feed supplies increased expenses. A dry spring and summer intensified the problem, contributing to poor, inadequate hay supplies. Weather extremes and feeding challenges this last year will likely reduce that some.”Įarly snowfall and blizzards last winter depleted many producers’ feed stock supplies. In the 1970s, North Dakota peaked with cattle numbers at about 1.4 million. “The cattle industry is dynamic with things always changing,” says John Dhuyvetter, livestock specialist at the North Dakota State University North Central Research Extension Center (NCREC) south of Minot, which is served by Verendrye Electric Cooperative.
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