Farmer Writes: the life of a Kansas rancher

I was the sixth generation of my family to farm/ranch in northwest Kansas. Last year, however, I jumped at the once in a lifetime opportunity to move my ranching operation 1,000 miles north.

The McDaniel Ranch of 2,200 acres is now situated on rolling bluffs between the Big Belt Mountains and Canyon Ferry Lake in south-west Montana. We moved up here last November and it hasn’t been without its challenges.

I am receiving an education in operating within a dryer environment and managing the wildlife presence.

Dealing with the wildlife pressure on the fencing and stockpiled forages for winter grazing has been quite challenging. Last winter we had over 400 elk, 80 antelope and 30 deer on our property all on the same day. My fence that worked well in Kansas didn’t last very long in Montana with that kind of traffic.

I am currently trying to construct a fence that is low maintenance and flexible to wildlife pressure. The fence is a single strand of hot wire approximately 30” high from the ground.

This works well enough for the cattle, lets the deer and antelope go over/under with ease and is low enough that if the elk don’t jump over will just hit their legs and not their chest.

I have been constructing these fences around my cool season irrigated grass pivots which are meadow bromegrass, tall fescue, orchardgrass , perennial ryegrass along with red clover and birdsfoot trefoil.

I am constructing these pivots to rotational graze the cattle during the summer and stockpile for use into the fall/early winter.

I have been raising Red Angus cattle for nearly 20 years and recently purchased an excellent herd of Black Angus that fit the low maintenance and calving ease that I pursue.

In early August we used a five day CO-Synch timed breeding programme that we’ve been successful with in the past. We target a May/June calving which is in sync with nature and has worked very well for us. We AI’d 80 head and the rest of the cows are exposed to bulls. It can be a time consuming ordeal, and always falls in the middle of the hustle and bustle of rodeo week with our two young girls who are just getting started.

In 2002, I became a co-operative producer for Pharo Cattle Company. Since then, selling registered Red Angus bulls that are in line with Pharo’s low maintenance philosophies has been at the forefront of our operation.

I’m excited with the possibility of expanding the market with PCC genetics in the future with a Northern Pharo Cattle bull sale.

Though we have sold several bulls in the Pacific Northwest and Canada there is a great demand and untapped potential for the genetics that Pharo Cattle are producing.

I’m also excited to get back into selling grass-fed beef to the local market.