Our Ranchers
Prescribed Burns
The Great Plains have an enormous problem with invasive eastern red cedar trees. Although the tree is native to the area, it has far outgrown it’s natural distribution resulting in vast monocultures that imperil grassland species of all kinds.
The trees were once kept at bay by fires lit by Native Americans. However, they became pervasive following the removal of fire from the landscape in the past century.
All of our ranchers are members of their local burn associations, returning fire to the landscape and helping to rid Nebraska grasslands of these harmful trees. Every spring and fall, our ranchers use prescribed burns to maintain their landscapes for native grassland species.
Ranch Operations
Our ranching partners run one of two common ranching operations: cow-calf and backgrounding. Our cow-calf partners raise mother cows and calves in native grass pastures until the calves are about 9 months old, at which point they are typically sold to backgrounding operations. Our backgrounding partners keep cattle from about 9-months-old to 18-months-old, helping the young cattle build a solid frame for future weight gain. Backgrounding cattle graze native grass pastures and occasionally nutritious grain supplements (during the winter), before they are sold to the next person in the supply chain.
Location
We get our cattle from a small region called the South Loup Valley in central Nebraska. The valley is characterized by rugged, hilly terrain interspersed with wide, flat bottoms. The region contains an almost perfect blend of short-grass and long-grass prairie ecosystems. Our ranches are at the southern tip of the famous Sandhill region.
Rangeland Health
Grazers are a natural and essential part of many landscapes in Nebraska. While bison traditionally filled that niche, cattle are a great stand-in. When deployed correctly, grazing animals like cattle help cycle nutrients in rangelands. As forage moves through a cow’s digestive system, it’s broken down into a beneficial form, fertilizing plants and adding needed nutrients to the soil.
American Made
Buying from us ensures you are supporting beef produced in ecosystems well suited for cattle. In fact, Nebraska has some of the best landscapes for cattle-rearing in the world. Unfortunately, in the US, we import beef increasingly from countries deforesting tropical rainforests for beef production. Buying our beef is a great way to ensure your dollars are supporting American ranchers utilizing ecosystems tailormade for grazing animals.
Utilizing Marginal Land
Ranchland landscapes are largely constituted of poorly suited climate and ecosystems for raising crops. There is simply not enough water to grow cash crops in many areas of the country. So, what do we do with those lands? Well, ranches can transform grass into food. Cows are ready made tools to turn Nebraska’s otherwise unusable natural vegetation into protein for human consumption. Pretty cool.