Faith, family and feed

So tell me Miss Morgan, where do you see yourself in 10 years? Um…well…that’s a good question!

If you had asked Shawn or Shane Tiffany that 15 years ago, could they have guessed what blessings lay in store?

In December 2007, at 28 and 30 years of age, “the Tiffany boys” to the locals around Herington, Kan., became some of the youngest feedlot owners in the industry.

"The Tiffany Boys" don't really have defined positions in the feed yard but if roles were to be assigned Shawn (left) would be operations manager and Shane (right) would be business manager. Shane explains that he makes the promises and Shawn carries them out. — “The Tiffany Boys” don’t really have defined positions in the feed yard but if roles were to be assigned Shawn (left) would be operations manager and Shane (right) would be business manager. Shane explains that he makes the promises and Shawn carries them out.

Their father Steve was yard manager at Black Diamond Feeders for 14 years, so when former owner Doug Laue was ready to hand off the business that helped launch U.S. Premium Beef, he offered the chance to Shawn and Shane, now owners of Tiffany Cattle Co.

However, this transition wasn’t a stroll through the alleyways.

“It was a baptism by fire, no doubt about it,” says Shane. “Name change took place Dec. 1 and 10 days later the lights went out—big ice storm. So we ran the feedlot for 10 days without any power. I look now and think how in the world did we get through that but I think ignorance was bliss. We just put our heads down and worked. You know it hasn’t been easy but God has just blessed us tremendously.”

Recession was about to hit the country and advisors had warned the boys away, that it would be “crazy,” but they had faith.

During that first crisis, they had eight customers and about 2,800 head on feed. Now they feed for close to 130 customers, stay full for most of the year, manage 2,300 head on grass and farm enough acres to not only spread feedlot waste, but grow all the silage and some of the corn they need.

What once used to be a WWII Army air core base with 2,500 men stationed there has now become a temporary home to more than 20,000 cattle fed by Tiffany Cattle Co. every year. — What used to be a WWII Army Air Corps base with 2,500 men stationed there has become a boarding house to more than 20,000 cattle fed by Tiffany Cattle Co. every year.

Laue’s role as a founding member of USPB helped the Tiffanys with continuing market access, but it’s their level of customer service that underscores success.

“Everyone is aware that this is a risky business or it can be at times—you’ve got weather events and all these different things that are going against you—but no one likes surprises,” says Shane. “I think one of our biggest advantages is we just communicate. They don’t find out there was a problem with the pen when we ship them, they find out the day it happens. And they don’t find out on a piece of paper, I want them to hear it from my mouth and give them every bit of information I can.”

This quote is written on the white board in Shane's office to remind him what the business is all about. — This quote is written on the white board in Shane’s office to remind him what the business is all about.

They credit most of their success to the quality of cattle they feed but no matter how good the genetics, it takes people who know what they’re doing to create high-quality beef, and the numbers prove they can do it.

In 2013, they fed 21,000 head that made 83% Choice, 5% Prime and including 39% CAB, averaging $58.80 per head in premiums per customer.

In an industry built upon relationships, these brothers have turned customers into friends. And that’s the bottom line.

-Kaitlin

In harsh country, quality pays

By: Katrina Huffstutler

When consumers question the sustainability of today’s beef cattle operations, they clearly haven’t met James Cloud.

After all, he’s raising commercial Angus cattle on CRP land in Rule, Texas, that’s been in the family more than 100 years. And despite the environmental odds being stacked against him in the last few years — almost no rainfall, record high and low temperatures — he’s still found a way to make it work.

The not-so-secret “secret” to his success?

A focus on quality.

When I was a kid, a popular bumper sticker seen around the Lone Star State read, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.” That’s a lot like James’ journey. Though his original herd was a lot more colorful (and had a lot more ear) than today’s, he soon learned that wasn’t the way to the premiums.

Like a friend of his late dad once told him, “It doesn’t cost me any more to feed a good one than a bad one.”

And he’s feeding some really good ones. In fact, 30% to 50% of their progeny are routinely hitting the CAB target at Sam Hands’ Triangle H Feedlot in southwestern Kansas.

How does he do it? He likes to call it the three “Ms”: Marbling, maternal traits and muscling. He also doesn’t lose sight of what it takes to survive the extremes of West Texas.

“People laugh when I tell them this, but I want a bull that looks like a butane tank on legs,” he says. “Tall and skinny doesn’t work here. This country’s too hard on them.”

Katrina is a freelance writer for us, based out of Electra, Texas. To read more about James, his operation and how he shared CAB with some very special kids, look for her story in the Angus Journal later this year.

McPherson County, as in Feeders

Last Saturday afternoon, Gary ventured down to McPherson County Feeders, a stellar CAB Partner located south of Marquette, Kan., licensed since 1999.

MCF 3006 award FB — Allan and Deanna Sents with manager Landon Shaw, and awarded rifle.

Allan Sents and company have been Partner of the Year twice, in 2005 and 2010. Since then, MCF has captured carcass and feedlot data on more than 57,000 head of cattle, with a 20.9% CAB acceptance rate. That may not sound exactly like what we would call “stellar,” but keep in mind that from 1999 through 2007, they averaged right around 15%. From 2008 through 2012, the feedlot averaged more than 25% CAB, and the last two years that has been more than 30%–a real commitment to feeding cattle that meet the brand’s 10 specifications.

Each fall, feedlot owner and general manager Allan holds a customer appreciation night. He serves a meal of CAB strip loin steak, calf fries, beans, dessert and drinks to about 150 people. Gary doesn’t always get to attend, but this year he did, because he had the distinct honor of presenting Allan and managner Landon Shaw with a Henry Golden Boy rifle in a walnut case with a plaque honoring them for achieving the “Gold” status in the 30.06 program. Their 2,000 elite, On-Target cattle exceeded 46% CAB and Prime.

There have only been three feedyards (out of a current base of 70) that have achieved this status: Beller Feedlot of Lindsay, Neb.; Chappell (Neb.) Feedlot–and now, McPherson County. Since this program is transitioning to a new “35-10” model, we will no longer be presenting this award. MCF is the final recipient of this award for feeding a cumulative 2,000 cattle or more the make at least 30% CAB with no more than 6% outliers. True friends of the brand, Allan and his wife Deanna are super CAB Partners.

Congratulations to all the folks at MCF!

Still at the top in beef quality

Performance Blenders repeats with Quality Focus Award from CAB

by Jill Dunkel

It’s hard to stay at the top.

But the “coaches” at Performance Blenders of Jackson, Mo., found ways to work with their team of 130 or more cattle producers to keep a traveling trophy. That’s the Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) Quality Focus Award for feeding partners with up to 15,000-head capacity.

Last year’s drought and resulting high corn prices forced the team to modify a few strategies, but those challenges did not overcome efforts to raise cattle that hit the CAB and Prime target.

Performance Blenders won the award for this second consecutive year, and owner-manager Gerry Shinn and wife Jane accepted at the CAB annual conference in Palm Desert, Calif., Sept. 18-20.

Shinn and his son Geoff work with retired Missouri Extension cattle veteran Roger Eakins to help producers make more money increasing beef quality and marketing finished cattle to reap the premiums.

Gerry Shinn says the company utilized more commodity-based alternative such as distillers grains and corn gluten over the last year. But moderation and superior genetics allowed for much success.

“We concentrate on cattle that are genetically bred to marble and grow. The breeding probably went a long way to keeping our [performance and grade] numbers up,” Shinn says. “But it really wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be.”

Part of that notion could be the high bar he set last year, when 507 enrolled cattle made 84% Certified Angus Beef^® (CAB^®) brand and Prime. This year 518 enrolled could “only” manage 83.4% CAB and Prime. The share of cattle that graded Prime eased from 22% to 21%.

At these quality levels, channeling cattle from so many individual small producers, nobody could do it better. Certainly no other CAB partner yard enrolling at least 500 head got into that neighborhood of quality.

But Shinn always aims higher: “We had some cattle that didn’t grade quite as well as I thought they should, but by the same token, we had some others that did well. All in all, we had a good year.”

Distillers and gluten byproducts in some rations held the line on cost, but Performance Blenders kept to a corn tradition for the last 60 to 90 days. It’s not entirely about cost of gain.

“We think there’s more to it. We’re trying to add dollars and hit value on top of the cost-of-gain variable,” Shinn says. “When you can get $100 extra and hit premiums for quality, that makes it more worthwhile to spend a little more on feed sometimes.”

Not everyone was able to pull in a profit this year, however.

“It did minimize the impact,” he says. “Most all of the people in this data set, they’re cow-calf people. We work with them on their breeding program, stacking the pedigrees for carcass traits and getting them to fit a grid. They are collecting carcass data to make breeding decisions.”

Although not all customers take advantage of the carcass data, Shinn encourages its use.

To make any premium beef program work, “they have to grow and they have to grade, because that’s where your premiums are at,” he says.

While some producers have their eye on the Choice-Select spread, Shinn says the Prime-Select spread is where it’s at.

“If we can get 15% to 25% of the cattle into Prime, we’ve got a lot more dollars coming back. That’s what I always tell people,” he says. “If you want to put a bulls-eye up on the wall and have something to shoot for, shoot for Prime. There’s a tremendous demand for it. Do that and everything will come out fine in the wash, day in and day out.”

Flashback Friday: Impacts, one at a time

Most of the folks we interview have optimism in common. They have high hopes for what they plan to accomplish in the next 3, 5, 10 years. So we’re excited to start this new thread, “Flashback Friday” that will revisit some of those ranches that we stopped at years ago. We’re checking to see what they’re up to now. –Miranda

Although we may not always see it or think about it, we all have an impact in the lives of others. Whether it’s the advice we give, the knowledge we share, the donations we make, or simply the way we represent ourselves – it all leaves an impression.

It probably hasn’t crossed their minds much, but on the “impact scale,” beef producers leave a pretty big dent.

After nearly 12 years, we did a follow-up with Oberlin, Kan. Angus producer Monte Moore and we can only guess at the number of lives he’s touched in that time. We’ll just start with the number 7 and estimate from there.

He and his wife (#1) have raised two kids (#2 & #3). His brother-in-law (#4) partners with him on the farm and ranch and his sister (#5) keeps records for the beef operation. His dad (#6) and his uncle (#7) both continue to help on the farm as well. Each one of these people have felt first-hand the impact of Moore’s hard work, constant drive to improve his herd, dedication to the Angus breed, and overall love of his job as a producer.

His work is quality and his cattle are quality, and they both impact other producers and industry members. At Decatur County Feedyard, a Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) licensed feedlot, Monte’s cattle are in the top 10%. Last year they made 95% USDA Choice or better with 80% CAB and 5.3% Prime.

Feedyard manager Kevin Unger says Monte is a great example because he uses the data he gets to improve his management and his herd.

When Monte’s cattle improve, other producer’s herds improve as well, because he keeps his best heifers as replacements. The majority go back into his herd, but 20 to 60 head are sold annually.

“Our goal has always been to continue improving our females. By producing better cows we’ve advanced the finishing ability and carcass quality of both our heifers and steers,” Monte says.

High quality animals = high quality beef, and there’s no telling how many consumers have been positively affected by the quality of beef Monte raises. But with numbers like 80% CAB, it’s likely they enjoyed the beef they were eating.

Monte not only also wants consumers to enjoy his beef, but also to know what it took to get it to their plates.

“Their first perception is ‘Oh, you raise cows.’ They think all you have to do is put a bull in a pasture with cows and a year later you have an animal ready for harvest,” Monte says. “But when I tell them about all the genetics and testing and planning, etc.; they quickly realize this is a big deal.”

The orginal article, “Moore cattle get better over time” appeared in the March 2001 Angus Journal.

Salt of the Earth

On a recent trip to Iowa, I was able to take my 9-year-old daughter Grace along with me. She didn’t have school for a couple of days, due to parent-teacher conferences. I’m on the road, quite often, and when I get the opportunity, and it works into the schedule, sometimes one of my kids come along.

One of my favorite stops in Iowa is always Gregory Feedlots. After the stop there, I said to Grace, “You know, this is why I like my job. I get the opportunity to work and become friends with some really fine people!” And in that group of people are folks like Jim Gregory, owner of Gregory Feedlots, and his feedlot manager, David Trowbridge.

We were just a little early, so we went out onto the yard, and saw David, horseback, sorting cattle back into their proper pen. They were a little wild anyway, he informed us, and something spooked them. They went through the fence and into the next pen. He said, “I thought you were going to be here at 11:00! I almost forgot you were coming.” No worries, I said we were running about 30 minutes ahead of schedule this trip, and we have the time. David had been sorting those cattle, had more cattle to unload; gave directions to feedlot workers to tag some cattle; the vet had been there earlier in the morning to make a diagnosis, and the list goes on. Why he takes time for me to visit is sometimes a mystery to me. He’s a very busy man. With Gregory Feedlots for 35 years, David is steeped in knowledge about the feeding, care, and marketing of cattle. Particularly good Angus cattle. In addition to this, he has a number of beef cows of his own, is on the Iowa Cattleman’s Association board, and is on several other industry boards.

It has often occurred to me that those who are not involved with production agriculture perhaps do not fully appreciate how hard these people work. The weather is not always nice; markets are fickle; and cattle don’t always behave! The feed truck breaks down, there’s a flat on the tractor, or insects wreak havoc in a field of corn. The bulls tear down a fence during a fight; the coyotes killed a calf, and the automatic “frost free” waterer is frozen up on the coldest day of the year.The horse bucks you off riding pens, you get kicked by a cow, or you lose part of of a finger in a pinch point while running cattle through the working chute.

One might say that those folks who work in a factory often deal with hardships and machinery that doesn’t work at their particular place of employment. I’m not discounting those folks at all. What I am saying is many of these people like David, work for someone else and it’s not popular in today’s world to take care of things like they were your own. At 5:00 p.m., their day is over, and it’s time to go home. Not the case with so many, like David, in agriculture. They work long hours, they work hard, and they make sure that the job gets done right.

Not an exact comparison, because of religious meaning, but the verse in the bible that reads: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13. This comes to mind when thinking of all those who work in production agriculture, whether it is for yourself as a family farmer or rancher, or whether you’re working as the manager or as a pen rider or feed truck driver, or all of the above. We often use the phrases such as “worth their salt” or those peple who are “the salt of the earth” that lead back to that verse.

So my salute in this blog is for all those who make the agricultural world go round. Happy trails, and adios!

~Gary

Beef’s a trip day 10: Working together to make ’em better

David Trowbridge. Gary and Lane Darnall. Dale Moore. Scott Keeling.

Just stating those names brings up a deep sense of admiration among our team. They’re only a handful of the dozens of CAB-licensed feedlots we work closely with. They’re some of the most focused guys we know. They join Terry Beller on that list of some of the hardest working people we know, too.

Some of them were born into the cattle business. Others say they accidentally fell into the career. It doesn’t matter to us how they got there, we’re just glad they did.

These are the guys (and gals) who manage all those daily decisions we talked about yesterday.

2011_06_02_mr_Gregory Feedlot-37 — David Trowbridge, manager at Gregory Feedlots

David Trowbridge started working at Gregory Feedlots near Tabor, Iowa, right out of college. He’s seen the business do a 180 since he got into it. His team has gone from providing service for almost entirely outside investors to now spending the majority of their time working directly with ranchers.

“They want to know how their cattle have done, how their genetic program is working. We’re trying to learn what they’re producing so we can work together to make it better,” David says.

That’s a common philosophy we hear from these fantastic feeders.

“My customers get a range of data back and I like to tell them that we can provide you with anything that you can provide us with,” Dale says. “No matter who they buy their bulls from they need to figure out what kind of a bull they need and based on our carcass data they get to evaluate that and see what they need.”

Feedlots often get run though the mud, by activists and media groups for certain, but also by cow-calf producers who think they’re only interested in cheating them out of a fair profit. Maybe there are a few who still take what they can get at the expense of everybody else, but I’ve never met them.

When these souls carve time out their busy days to “drive the yard” with me, they’re not talking about how they can cheat a rancher by a few pennies per hunderedweight. They’re talking about building demand so everybody can cash in. They’re talking about keeping cattle healthy, reducing stress and making every single animal a success.

They’re also talking about, “How can we make more of them quality for Certified Angus Beef?”

Why? Well, why don’t I let one of them tell you in his own words:

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

PS—Do you know why we’re on this gate-to-plate journey? Check out “30 days on a Prairie Farm” for the whole scoop.

Beef’s a Trip Archives:

Day 1: Starting at day one

Day 2: Who are these people?

Day 3: Stockholders

Day 4: The cowherd’s purpose

Day 5: Deciding to care

Day 6: Quality focus doesn’t have to skip the middleman

Day 7: Stocking for quality

Day 8: SOLD!

Day 9: What have you done today?

Day 10: Working together to make ‘em better

Day 11: Keep on truckin’

Day 12: Packers want quality

Day 13: The target

Day 14: Packers up close & personal

Day 15: It’s not all about the beef

Day 16: Further processors

Day 17: From here to there–and a lot more

Day 18: He’s on your team

Day 19: Beyond prices, grocery stores uncovered

Day 20: Getting quality in the carts

Beef’s a trip day 9: What have you done today?

Before I’ve had my morning coffee (er, morning Diet Coke) Nebraska cattle feeder Terry Beller has probably already mixed rations, fed cattle, priced corn, bought cattle and maybe even returned a phone call or jumped in a tractor cab.

Terry with yard behind — Terry Beller, owner-manager of Beller Feedlots

I know a lot of people who DO a lot. I’ll even admit I’m a busy gal, but the thing that amazes me about cattle feeders is the sheer number of decisions they make on a daily basis (and many even before the sun comes up). Although they weigh everything, they must be decisive–and fairly quick–because as soon as they’ve made one, there’s another waiting for their opinion.

Choices include (but aren’t limited to) feedstuffs, health programs, who to buy cattle from and for how much. Equipment needs, the latest government regulations and financing plans also demand attention. Most have employees they have to consider. Then feeders have the responsibility of being the final link before harvest, the final stewards of those genetics that have been bred into those animals.

And they’re astutely aware of that fact. “You take pride your business,” Terry told me once. “Number one, I feed these cattle like they’re my own, and I care for them like they’re my own.”

Beller Feedlots feedstuffs — Feedstuffs…just one of the many feedlot decisions.

It’s about doing the right thing (hmm…sounds like those ranchers I know…) but it’s also about that almighty bottom line.

Nobody stays in business if they can’t turn a profit, so all of those decisions have to come back to returning some of that black ink we like to talk about. Producers like Terry know that it’s a balance of controlling costs AND increasing income that makes it happen. One way to the latter: focusing on quality. They keep that in mind as they consider all those daily decisions.

If a feeder wants to maximize quality and earn premiums for it, they’re probably thinking about:

Individual animal management
Being judicious with their use of implants and beta-agonists
Sorting to grid marketing groups

Of course, they can only maximize genetic potential, not create it, so all improvements must start at the ranch. And many feeders I’ve talked to are interested in helping there, too. They’ll share carcass and performance records back with ranchers, in hopes that they’ll use that to better those cattle over time.

A feeder has many day-to-day judgments to make, but whether or not to produce quality isn’t usually one of them. It’s not a split-second decision, but rather an overriding philosophy that guides all those other choices.

Lucky for you and I, folks like Terry enjoy a good steak as much as anybody:

“People are so proud to put that delicious meal on the table. It’s a big part of people’s lives to socialize while they’re being fed great food. It’s something they look forward to. It’s just an amazing business.”

And we’re proud to have him in it with us! Come along tomorrow and we introduce you to some more feeders who share Terry’s mindset.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

Beef’s a Trip Archives:

Day 1: Starting at day one

Day 2: Who are these people?

Day 3: Stockholders

Day 4: The cowherd’s purpose

Day 5: Deciding to care

Day 6: Quality focus doesn’t have to skip the middleman

Day 7: Stocking for quality

Day 8: SOLD!

Day 9: What have you done today?

Day 10: Working together to make ‘em better

Day 11: Keep on truckin’

Day 12: Packers want quality

Day 13: The target

Day 14: Packers up close & personal

Day 15: It’s not all about the beef

Day 16: Further processors

Day 17: From here to there–and a lot more

Day 18: He’s on your team

Day 19: Beyond prices, grocery stores uncovered

Day 20: Getting quality in the carts

To find a list of all of our friends blogging their way through the month, check out Holly Spangler’s “30 Days on a Prairie Farm” series.

Different by design

As we drove through his monoslope building, Tom Revier rolled down his window and invited me to take a deep breath. The demonstration worked as it was intended. I was shocked not by what I smelled, but by what I didn’t.

2012_10_10_mr_Revier Cattle Co-29 — It seems like Tom Revier thought of everything when he built his feedyard.

Everything about Revier Cattle Company near Olivia, Minn., screams differentiation, starting with the innovative manure handling plan that includes an underground sewer and a solids separator. From the immaculate facilities to the completely uniform look of the cattle on feed, it doesn’t take long for one to realize this isn’t your average feedlot.

Tom used to custom feed cattle, but when he went to owning them all himself he got real specific on the kind of cattle he wanted and the ultimate product he wanted to produce.

A survey of the yard shows pen after pen of uniform, Angus cattle.

“Angus has improved the genetics the most and improved quality in all aspects, not just dollars in the beef,” Tom said.

But he quickly learned that going straight to the rancher source was the easiest way to be sure he had the kind of critters that fit his program.

“We found out not all black cattle do the same,” he said.

Just one more point of differentiation that makes his feedlot tick.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

Rations may change, business models won’t

2012_10_08_mr_Redstone Feeders-37 — Todd (left) and Bill Wilkinson of Redstone Feeders are finding ways to deal with this year’s drought.

You know it’s an unusual year when the silage pile is so tall that it interferes with the internet connection.

Of course, moving the antenna to a higher point on the feedyard office isn’t the only change that the crew at Redstone Feeders, near DeSmet, S.D., is making due to the widespread drought.

Earlier this week I met with brothers Todd and Bill Wilkinson, who own the 8,200-head operation with a third brother, Ed. In addition to cutting way more silage than usual, they’re buying more wheat straw, tweaking their rations and changing up the somewhat standard risk management routine. What was always a “push ‘em harder and faster” approach on calf-feds is getting a second look, as they pencil out ways to feed a little less of that high-dollar corn.

“We’re not sitting around crying about it. We’re developing strategies,” Bill says. (I love that optimism…and it seems like I’ve heard a line like that before..)

2012_10_08_mr_Redstone Feeders-53 — Some fairly new arrivals settle in to their new digs.

But what remains constant? “We’ll feed the kind of cattle that make us money,” Bill says.

Their target is predominately high-grading Angus genetics, because it gives them an “additional marketing alternative,” says Todd, who is careful to point out that it’s “not just about pounds.”

They own all of the cattle that come through their yard and say that helps take some of the gamble out of it. Both grid marketing and source-and-age verified programs help them capture premiums.

When I asked if they ever deal with folks who say they’ve got “good black cattle”—when really they’ve just got black cattle, I loved Bill’s answer: “Yeah, we deal with them. We deal with them by not buying those cattle.”

And drought isn’t going to change that.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

Faith, family and feed

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