Nebraska Cattlemen and Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition Team Up to Host Summer Grazing Tour
Mark your calendars for the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition (NGLC) –Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) joint Summer Grazing Tour scheduled for June 10, 2014 in southwestern Nebraska.
The tour will involve three long standing Southwest Nebraska ranches and one commercial feedyard in the Imperial and Wauneta areas including the Maddux Cattle Company, Wine Glass Ranch Inc. Kuenning and Son, Inc and Imperial Beef.
Maddux Cattle Co. is a cow-calf and yearling cattle operation located in southwest Nebraska. Taylor and Clara Maddux homesteaded the ranch in 1886, 11 miles north of Wauneta on the Stinking Water Creek. The ranch has grown today to encompass 40,000 acres of owned and leased land that sustains 2,500 mother cows and 5,000 yearlings.
Native range consists of sandhills and hard land canyons that are part of the watersheds of three creeks that run through the ranch. The operation has approximately 1,800 irrigated and 600 dryland farming acres, the balance being native grass, some of which is subirrigated meadows. Jack and John Maddux, the third- and fourth-generation owner/operators of the ranch, manage the operation.
The cow herd is a maternal composite of five breeds: Red Angus, Tarentaise, Red Poll, South Devon and Devon. Cows are British in body type and production levels. Breed selection is aligned with year-round grazing and the low-input system of the ranch. Harlow Hill has been the ranch foreman for the past 35 years.
Wine Glass Ranch Inc.
In 1888 Sherman McCoy walked the last 30 miles from the western most rail stop to what would become the Wine Glass Ranch. The fourth and fifth generations, Jeff Pribbeno and son Logan, continue the tradition of stewardship.
The Wine Glass Ranch Inc. developed rotational grazing program utilizes 60 paddocks and 200 miles of water lines. Simplicity is key and accordingly, cows calve on summer range with minimal observation.
Kuenning & Son LLC
Jerry & Kathy Kuenning would like to welcome you to their family ranching/farming & feedlot operation. Jerry’s grandfather Ernest Schroeder, came to Perkins County in the early 1920’s. This operation, originated by Wilber & Doris Kuenning in 1945 with land added in 1973 from Ernest. Jerry came into the partnership in 1975. Within the last five years Wilber, Jerry & his wife Kathy have been joined by son Brandon and his wife Kelly R., daughter Kory and her husband Nick Fowler and 3 very active grandchildren Luke, Lily and Hayden Lucy. Their youngest daughter Kelly K. is a nursing student in Lincoln.
The operation consists of a cow-calf herd, a grower operation and a custom feedlot. Additionally, they farm together and raise irrigated and dryland corn, beans, wheat and alfalfa. The primary use of their owned and rented pasture land is for the cow-calf herd. The main cow herd is a crossbred Angus base with some black Simmental influence. Kuennings calve in March with a smaller fall herd calving in late August. They A.I. their first calf heifers and a base herd of cows. They keep replacement bulls and heifers from that set of cows. The Kuennings drill the irrigated wheat ground to triticale immediately after harvest. They graze the triticale in early fall with stockers and with cow-calf pairs in early spring. The cows move on to native pasture mid-May through October depending on grass conditions. Their calves are weaned in mid-August in normal grazing years and as early as July 15th in drought years. They use a rotational grazing program consisting of 3 ranch units with 5-6 pastures in each unit. They will move the cows to cornstalks as soon as the harvest permits.
Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experienced grazers and a progressive feedlots as they relate their unique incorporation of grazing techniques and time tested managerial practices. Lunches will be provided. The day concludes with an evening beef dinner featuring a panel discussion of the owners from the tour stops. Come and learn more about the activities of the NGLC and NC. Registration fee is $25 per person and can be paid upon arrival. Preregistration is required for meal counts by contacting the Nebraska Cattlemen at 402-475-2333 or 308-882-4002 (evenings) by May 31.
–Nebraska Cattlemen
