MFGC Recognizes Outstanding Members
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At the December 2001 Annual Forage Conference, MFGC recognized Mark Czech from the Central Minnesota Forage Council and David Baird from the St. Croix Forage Council for their outstanding forage production, promotion, and service. Thanks to Dan Martens and Bill Voedisch for nominating these outstanding individuals.
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Mark and Shelly Czech are co-owners and partners in Roadside Acres Dairy near Gilman. with Mark’s parents Joe and Claudette Czech, and brother Mitch and his wife Anne. Mark has served on the Central Minnesota Forage Council, including a term as chair. Mark and his family have cooperated with the forage council in providing a site for monitoring potato leafhoppers in alfalfa. They hosted a silage harvest discussion on the farm with the U of MN Extension Service and are willing to share their experience
with other producers. Mark cooperated last year on developing a slide presentation of forage management practices. Greg Cuomo Awarded MFGC Outstanding Service Award
Greg Cuomo was awarded the MFGC Outstanding Service Award for his service to MFGC and the forage industry, and for his role in promoting forages in Minnesota. Greg currently serves as Head of the West Central Research and Outreach Center at Morris, MN. He has served MFGC as President, board member, Chair of the Publications Committee, and Chair of the Forage Expo. Greg has been tireless in his efforts as an agronomist and member of the forage
council. His research and outreach has focused on improving pasture performance through the use of management practices, lengthening the grazing season with stockpiling, and determining the impact of grazing methods on pasture species composition and performance. Although he has an intensive schedule as an administrator, he continues to nurture forage research at the University and always finds a way to answer farmer’s questions. Thanks to Dennis Johnson for nominating Greg for this award.
- Thank you Mark, Dave, and Greg
- for your outstanding service to MFGC and the forage industry!
Congratulations to Doug Rathke and Connie Karstens
MFGC’s Forage Spokesperson Contest Winners
Congratulations to Doug Rathke and Connie Karstens from Hutchinson, MN on being chosen as the MFGC Forage Spokespersons for 2002. They will represent Minnesota at the AFGC National Spokesperson Contest in 2003. Take a moment to learn more about Doug and Connie and their unique farming operation. You can also learn more about their operation by checking out their website at: www.ourfarmtoyou.com.
Background Information
We
began our partnership in 1986 when we married and with our combined past experience,
we decided to make sheep our business venture. For us to start making some real money
with sheep, we needed to approach it as we would any other business. With all
businesses, efficiency, profit, and quality are the keys. As we saw it, in order to
increase our profits, two things could be done: 1) lower inputs, or 2) get a higher
price for the product produced. Rather than opting for one of these, we resolved to
do both. We achieved these goals by the use of management intensive grazing and by
honing our direct marketing skills.
After a considerable amount of research and travel to various operations in the U.S. and abroad, we decided that the best way for us to proceed with our sheep operation was to set up a grazing system. We have been practicing a management intensive grazing system since 1989 when we received a Sustainable Ag grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. At the time we acquired this grant, we also purchased our first property. We started out with a 40-acre farm in which we intensively grazed 40 ewes on a 12-acre pasture, which was subdivided into sixteen 3/4 acre paddocks. As the profit potential increased with the grazing system, so did the acreage and the stock numbers.
About Liberty Land & Livestock
Liberty Land & Livestock is our 180-acre farm of which 80 acres are grazed, 50 acres are rented out (corn and soybean stubble is grazed) and the remaining is farm site
and riverbed. Sheep are the primary livestock. We currently have 250 Dorset sheep. We are gradually expanding our ewe flock through carefully selected replacement ewe lambs and we plan to double our flock size. The Dorset breed suits our needs because they offer a steady year round supply of fresh lamb for our marketing options. Flock selection is based upon a self-sufficiency approach, with emphasis on mothering, milking, udder placement, twinning, average daily gain, and meaty carcasses. Selection for these traits enables us to be a reliable source for breeding stock for other producers. The animals generally graze from April through December, leaving three winter months for feeding hay. Jersey steers compliment the sheep in our grazing regime. Guard donkeys and llamas are used for predator control.
Although we mainly focus on sheep, we believe that diversification is critical. That is why we also raise and sell grass-fed beef, chickens, turkeys and eggs. We have found that these additional livestock work nicely with our direct customer sales and that stacking our enterprises enhances our farm management practices.
We practice biological farming as we work with nature to feed and nurture the soil life while we balance the soil minerals. This in turn helps our plants and animals to flourish. We are committed to keeping the land and livestock in harmony and in creating a wholeness.
At Liberty Land & Livestock, marketing is incorporated into nearly every aspect of our operation. In addition to the livestock production system, we also operate a sheep shearing business. We direct market approximately 800 to 1000 lambs each year. We have provided lamb for a Twin Cities ethnic restaurant for nearly 15 years. In addition, we have operated a Minnesota State Fair food booth in the food building for over a decade. In 1996, we built and opened a USDA inspected processing facility on our farm. In this facility, we cut and package lamb under our own farm label and sell our products in our small retail store called, The Lamb Shoppe. In the retail area, we have lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, eggs, wollens, and other speciality items that we raise on our farm. We have found there is a strong demand for consumers looking to purchase their meat from farmers, particularly grazers.
Our Pasture Program
The methods and techniques in which we operate our pasture program are constantly evolving. As our stock numbers rise and diversify, as our acreage increases, as our plant conditions vary, as other variables come into the picture, we do things just a little differently. Each year, we seem to incorporate new ideas and find better ways to manage the operation.
The animals begin grazing in early spring. Stockpiled pastures from the previous grazing season are used first. The weaned winter born lambs and the ewes that will be lambing in May are grazed together as a unit. Another group of animals includes the ewes that have finished lambing during the winter and these sheep are then re-bred back to lamb again in late fall.
The sheep continue to graze throughout the summer under very close management. In August, we begin stockpiling some pastures. In late autumn, the sheep glean corn/soybeans from the fields. Then when winter arrives and the snow becomes too deep (ewes will dig through about 12 inches of snow), the sheep are brought back to the farmyard. Here they are fed ground hay in large piles and are divided into these different groups of stock: 1) Maintenance ewes (spring lambers), 2) Late Gestation/Lactating Ewes (winter lambers), and 3) Lambs (includes the remaining spring born lambs and fall born lambs).
Management Tips
The "one" certain thing that we have learned over the years is that there is always more to keep learning about pasture management, soil work and grazing. One of the first things that we did and would highly recommend for thers is to seek the advice of a knowledgeable consultant. It is best to begin with a complete soil test and analysis because land and environmental conditions vary. But do not stop with a mere soil test; it is very important to do tissue analysis along with the soil sampling. The tissue tests often reveal very important things that a soil analysis will not always show. You may find that the plants, for various reasons, are not utilizing certain nutrients. The challenge comes when you work through all of these factors.
There are a number of resources that grazers can turn to for information to help them with their pastures. Besides all of the seminars, books, magazines, and research papers available, we have found that field days and visits to other farms prove to be equally valuable.
At Liberty Land and Livestock, we can be certain that incorporating the techniques of grazing management is one of the best things that we have done for our operation. Not only has it helped to reduce labor, helped to minimize input costs, helped to produce a healthy and superior quality product, but it has been beneficial for the environment as well. It is truly a win-win situation. By integrating the grazing system with out multi-year lambing system and applying our marketing methods, we have found it most rewarding - both financially and working in a business we thoroughly enjoy.