Building fences, cowherd, beef demand

Last year after a late, wet spring in northeastern Iowa, Lyle decided it was time to switch up his typical corn-soybean rotation and seeded down some “nice creek bottoms” to forage beans. (They were billed as “poor man’s silage” in the seed catalog and that intrigued him.)

“The co-op was abuzz with what was growing in those fields. Then when I chopped them off in August, there was a lot of, ‘You chopped your beans?!’,” Lyle says. He reseeded with rye and had 15 inches or more of growth for fall grazing.

Lyle, who farms near Decorah, Iowa, has been feeding the forage beans this winter and says nutrient-wise it’s the perfect complement to his corn silage.

“In my quest to change that from a corn crop on those bottoms to something I could use for my cows, it just seemed like this was the year to try it,” he says.

Sure, there are other farmers in his area with cowherds, but I’d have to bet that the last few years Lyle is the only one who has been thinking he needs less corn to sell at the elevator and more cow feed.

Providing the proof, Lyle says, “I’m the only guy putting fences in, while everybody else is taking them out.”

Neighbors ask how he can waste that good crop ground.

“I guess I shrug my shoulders and say, ‘I like my cows,’” Lyle says.

But don’t confuse that passion with a hobby. Ever since picking up his first purebred females at a local salebarn, Lyle has used data to make improvements that make his investment of time and money worth it.

Docility and mothering ability top his criteria, but he’s also interested in end product traits and recently added GeneMax as another selection tool.

Last year, 87 of Lyle’s cattle fed just down the road from his pastures hit 58% Prime.

Considering the cattle versus corn economics this year, will the co-op chatter change? It’s hard to tell, but regardless, Lyle plans to keep his focus on the herd.

“It takes a lot of time and studying, but I want the type of cattle the industry is going to demand down the road,” he says.

To read Lyle’s entire story, including how his grandpa helped him buy his first cows, how he picks his bulls and why he enjoys the business, be sure to check out, “Why? Why? Why? Why Not?,” the February cover story of the Angus Beef Bulletin.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

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