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CE 038 969

Crain, Robert L.People on the Farm: Raising Beef Cattle.Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. Office ofGovernmental and Public Affairs.Dec 7829p.; For related documents, see CE 038 960-968.Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government PrintingOffice, Washington, DC 20492 (Stock No.001-003-00035-6). A slide/cassette presentationdeveloped to accompany this unit is available throughthe Photography Division, Governmental and PublicAffairs Office, USDA, Washington, DC 20250($29.50).Guides - Classroom Use - Materials (For Learner)(051) -- Reports Descriptive (141)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Agricultural Education; Agricultural Skills; Animal

Husbandry; *Career Choice; Career Development;*Career Education; Family Environment; Family Income;*Farmers; *Farm_Management; Field_Crops; *Job Skills;Profiles; Secondary Education; Values

IDENTIFIERS *Beef Cattle; Colorado; Missouri

ABSTRACTThis booklet provides information on raising beef

cattle through profiles of two families, the Ritschards of Coloradoand the Schuttes of Missouri. Through descriptions of daily life forthese families, the booklet discusses the way of life on modern beefcattle farms and the problems and decisions faced by farmers. Thebooklet explains how agriculture fits into the national economy andillustrates major economic concepts: supply and demand, impact oftechnology, division of labor, and the role of government in farming.Through the daily activities of these families, the booklet providesinformation on the skills, lifestyle, income, and values needed bypersons who are successful in such a career. The booklet isillustrated with photographs of the families at work on their farms.(KC)

************************************************************************ Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made ** from the original document. ************************************************************************

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BRIEFLY

This booklet recounts visitswith two_families out where beefbegins. One lives on a ranch, theother on a farm:

Even though they graze 400cows, the Ritschards ofColorado say there are nocowboys living on their ranch oranywhere near themandcertainly no Indians; Yet; theyride superbly trained cattlehorses through sagebrush toround up cows and calves, th6ybrand calves every spring; theydrive their cattle to the highground for summer grazing; andthey perform countless othertasks that sound like words tornout of a Western movie script.

instead of 10-gallon hats,though, they sport those capswith a company's name on thefrontmodern billboards ofagricultural advertising.

Herbert Sch:itte, Who raises

cattle in Missouri; wears a captoo. But he roLnds up his 50cows and their calves with apickup truck or on foot. There'sno sagebrush visible on hisfarm. Some nights, though, theyipping and howling of the'coyotes in the nearby woodsmake it sound like a Westernmovie at his place, Herbert says.

it is on such ranches andfarms that America's beef supplybegins.

Yet, each operation isdifferent. The Schuttes havefewer cows and less land thanthe Ritschards; but they growhay, corn, and soybeans andraise some hogs-in addition tothe beef cattle. The Ritschardsraise cattle and grow hayexclusively, though they pursueplenty of nonranch activities.

So It goes across the country.In Texas, where more beef

calves are produced than in anyother State, atypical cattlemankeeps about 300 cows grazing

on privately owned range. Hedoesn't grow any cropsjustgrazes cattle.

In the Southeast, a typicalcow7ca/t farmer would keep aherd of 50 cows grazing in hispasture and woods, and wouldgrow grain and soybeans forsale,

Up in Montana and Wyoming,a typical rancher would keep aherd of 150 cows munching onnative grasses and shrubs. Theywould graze on public land inthe summer and on private landthe rest of the year.

Farther west and south,between the Rockies and theSierra Nevada; a typical 300-cowherd would probably graze ondesert shrubs; native grasses,and sagebrush on Governmentland much of the year and onprivate land the rest:

This is the story of twofamiliesof how the Ritschardsand the Schuttesraise beef inColorado and Missouri:

PEOPLE ONTHE FARM:RAISINGBEEF CATTLERanching Alona theColorado

The picture window in Mimi_Ritschard'S living room actuallyprovides a picture. A line ofcottonwood trees alongside thesilvery Colorado _River diVideSgreen meadows frOM brownrolling hills about a third of theway up: Above the hills whitepuffy clouds float thrOUgh a clearblue_ Sky. BelOW the river in the"picture," and closer to Mimi'shome; are first meadows, then atwo-lane highway, then thecorral. It is in this corral thatheifers are kept as they calve forthe first time.

For a few weeks each spring,the corral is alive with calving

and nursing cows and theirhungry offspring: During the day;it is Mimi's job, between runninga house; working in the com-munity, and selling modularhomes; to keep alert to problemsin this combination maternityWard and nursery.

A city girl who became arancher's wife; Mimi savedseveral calves in the spring of1977.

One calf was born with theafterbirth sack over its _head.Mimi burst the sack and reacheddown the calf's throat to cleanout an air passage: She tickledthe wet animal's nose with astraw. She pushed on its chest.She did everything.

Finally; the calf began tobreathe.

"I didn't think -you'd make itwith that one," said a voicebehind her at the time. ''Good foryou:'

Mimi's husband Gene hadwalked up behind her quietly

and watched her fight to save thecalf's life: She's a registerednurse and that helps. BUt Miinisays she learned most of whatshe knows about calving fromher husband`

Mimi met Gene when herfolks moved to Kremmling,Colorado from San Francisco.

Gene said he "noticed heraround' one summer, called heron the telephone, and asked fora date: Later, after her sopho-more year at Arizona StateUniversity, they were- married.He had aleady received hisbachelor's degree from ColoradoState University; but Went toArizona State with his bride sohe could start working on hismaster's degree. His motheralways encouraged him_toprepare for a second careerin case_he was hurt on the ranch:

But Gene lasted only a year atArizona State.

"I can't stand it;" he said toMimi in October. "I miss the

3BEST COPY AVAILABLE

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4

The first home for many new calvesborn_en_the_Ritschard Ranch inColorado is_the corral in front of Geneand Mimi Ritsehard'S home beside

U.S. Highway 40, just east of Krent -_rnling. From the corral; the calves aremoved with their mothers to pasturesbeyond the highway. bedide the

4di

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Colorado River. Lindee uses this earlymorning light to catch -up on homeworkbefore school bus arrives.

ranch; You stay here and finish.I'M going home."

So _Mimi stayed, got hernursing degree, then joinedGene on the ranch;

Now they have four children:Mike, 14; Lindee, 13; Julie, 11;and Kristie, 7.

It was Kristie who came out tothe corral where grandpa, 65:year-old Con Ritschard, wastending an injured cow thismorning. She brought a pail ofwater.

Child and rancher greetedeach other with a warm hug.Then Kristie put the bucket Ofwater in front of the disabledcow; Con walked to his homenearby for breakfast.

Kristie and Con's othergrandchildren; after feeding thedisabled cow, the steers theywere raising as 47H projects thisyear, a milk cow, the horses, andthemselves, caught the schoolbus on U.S. 40. The highway,which runs almost from coast to

coast, goes right past the frontof their home,

Con's wife Gladys had pre-pared the couple's breakfast; justas she had done--good timesand bedfor 45 years. On thiSday after breakfast, she woulddrive 40 miles to join in a cardgame. She's been playing bridgeSince college days, before themet Con Ritschard nearly half acentury ago;

Gladys, while not working ashard as She used to, acts astreasurer of the Ritschard ranchbusiness, pays most of the bills;and helps out in other waysWhen .needed.

She writes pioneer stories forlocal newspapers (after all; shewas born in Cripple Creek, "thelast of the gold rush towns,"where her mother died whenGladys was 5 and her dad wasdrowned When she was 9).

She was the first womanpresident of the local PioneerSociety, despite the seeming

prohibition in that organization'sbylaws which declared m plain1919 English; "we'll let thefemales come (to the meetings)once in a while,"

"Gladys' presidency wouldmake the old folks turn over intheir graves;" Con muses.

Gladys !as_also been active inthe PTA, the Girl Scouts, and thecounty fair.

Beyond the highway in frontof the Ritschards' homes, thewaters of the Colored° River arejust beginning their spectacularrun toward the Grand Canyon,the Gulf of California, and,through an aqueduct, to the cityof Los Angeles. Water that runspast the ranch might very wellSleke the thir§t of Some LosAngeles_high school Studentfew days hence.

The Colorado is the lifebloodof the ranch Operation. Itirrigates hundreds of acres ofpasture for the cattle early inthe spring, pasture that can be

For salo by too Superintendent of Documents, U.S. (;overnment Printing °niceWashington, D.C. 20.102

StOCic Number 001-003-00033-6

1

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Above:After breakfast; the Ritschard children,left to right, Julie, Lindee, Mike andKristie, will be off to schoolt father,Gene; center, will open irrigation ditches,adjust a water gate 12 miles away,end move cattle between meadows.Gene's wife; Mimi, standing, will showmodel homes, teach a 4-H class in

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sewing_and discuss outfit design withcheerleaders.BelowAlso after breakfast, Con Rltschard,Gene's father will walk an ailing cow inthe corral then help with the_ditchesand moving cattle. His wife, Gladys, willdrive 40 miles to play bridge.

2

harvested later as hay to be fedto the same cattle all winter.Beyond that, it provides extraincome for the Ritschards, wholease five cabins along its banksto a group of Denver fishermen.

"Our river has been ourmainstay," Gene said. Incomefrom the cabins pays the taxesand "takes up other little slack,"he said.

The Ritschards keep 400 cowson about 8,350 acres, countingthe 7,000 acres they lease forgrazing from State and FederalGovernments. They don't growgrain and they don't grain-feedcattle on their land. They sendtheir young cattle to a feedlot tobe fed grain and then to be soldwhen their weights are right.The Rittchards hope the marketprices will be just right at thesame time the beef cattle are attheir best weight of 1,000 to1,100 pounds. Even when theprices aren't high enough;however, the steers are sold.They can't be "Stored" indefi-nitely like grain, waiting forbetter prices;

Farmers such as the Schuttesof Missouri and ranchers suchas the Ritschards are calledcow-calf operators; They keep aherd of cows year after year.Thos cows bear calves everyyear, and this "crop" of animalsis sold regularly:

On such farms and ranches,mothers and calves usually staytogether 6 to 8 months; Afterthat; the calves, which ace sooncalled heifers (if they are female)or steers (if they are castratedmales), are usually shipped offsomeplace else. They willprobably be "grown out," or"stockered," on grass for 4 to 6months (until they weigh 600 to700 pounds) and are then sentto a feedlot to be fed fatteninggrain for several more months;When they are heavy enough(about 1,000 to 1,100 pounds),they are sent to a packing plant,where they are butchered andtheir carcasses converted into

5

steaks,_ roasts, and other beeffoods. From birth of the calf tothe consumer's table takes from16_to 20 months or longer;

Some Where near two out ofthree cattle slaughtered in theUnited States go through afeedlot of some sort, sometimeson the farm Where they wereborn. The figure fluctuatet froMyear to year with the cost offeeding them, which usuallymeans the cost of corn and grainsorghum. If the cost of suchfeedgrains is too high, the steersare fattened on the grass instead.But that taket longer and usuallyresults in a lower grade of beefsold at a lower price.

The cost of producing, feedercalves varies widely. Includingland values, it cost farmers in theCorn Belt with a 50-cow herd$369 to raise a calf in 1975.Such costs were down to $225in the intermountain area andup to $444 in Texasjust to geta calf ready to sell to a stocker

or a feedlot operator.So cow -calf operators needed

from $225 to $444 to cover theexpenses of growing each calf.But such calves sold for only$80 to $150 apiece that year.

How can cow=calf operatorsstay in business with suchlosses?

A lot of them don't, But forthose Who remain in butinett,there are several answers. Oneis that a lot of them are goingfarther and farther into debt.

A second answer is thatfarmers and ranchers can scrapeby in the short runhoping forbetter yearsby not counting ascosts their management andlabor or the value of their cows,machinery, and land. This kindof bookkeeping, of course, willcatch up with them eventually sothat when a good year or twocomes by, the farmers orranchert will make up for thelean years by buying equipMentout of cash. Maybe they'll even

reward their management effortswith a new car or pickup.

And, of course; figuring landvaluet into the cost of raisingbeef has a far different meaningfor the new landowner than forthe operator who has-owned hisland for many years. For theperson who is still_payingior hisland, that cost is real cashflowrighl out of his hands, soto speak. For the other, it is abookkeeping entry, but none-theless it represents money toWhich he is entitled for providingthe land (theoretically,_ that'swhat the buyer of the beef wouldhave to pay for land if hedecided to raise his own calves).

In 1977, net farm income onthe Ritschard Ranch was $2,174after selling cattle for $79;402and receiving $22,495 in o"herincome. That's over and abovethe wages which were paid theRitschards from the familycorporation (which legally ownsthe operation), some $27,000

Before school, Kristie takes water toa cow which was partially paralyzedIn giving birth to a calf. Her grandfather,Con, will help the cow to her feetand then encourage her to walk so asto speed the animal's recovery. All thechildren have daily chores to com-plete, ranging from the feeding ofhorses to gardening, housework, andmoving cattle.

3

CATTLE FEEDING AREAS

Concentration ofCattle on Feed

alHeaviest

Lesser

Lee St

divided among Con, his sonGene; a full-time hired hand;and one part-time employee.

Besides COn, Gladys; Gene,and Mimi; stockholders in theranch's family corporation areGene's sister and her huSbandJoe and Kay Kayter Of Toponas,Cblorado, 40 miles fromKremmling.

There have been better yeartfor the RitSchardS. In 1973, thesale of cattle alone brought theRitschards $148;000, which was$13;000 over expenses.

By Shrewd Management overthe years, the Ritschards haveput away enough savings toreduce their borroivingS eachyear. In 1976, they paid only $500in interest and in 1977; none;

Many ranchers on thewestern slope pay as much_$1,200 interest a year, accordingto Henry Gronewaller of theExtension Service at ColoradOState UniVerSity. Dr. Gronewalleris a management specialist who

4

helps a great many ranchers inthe area through a computerizedbusiness analysis program.

"These folks on the westernslope are borrowing $150,000 ayear to meet operating and livingexpenses," he said In 1975;they lost $100 a head; In 1976,they lost $100 a head. The onlything that keeps them in businessis land inflation," or the inflatedvalue of land that enables therancher to offer more collateralfor loans.

Mimi Ritschard says that"financially, ranching-is gettingtougher all the time Our son willhave to have some other sourceof income."

Her son Mike has always beendeeply involved in the work ontheir ranch. He's been riding ahorse since he was of kinder-garten age. His horse, the sameage as Mike, is Partner, halfThoroughbred and half quarterhorse.

"That's the kind of horse we

like," his grandfather Con said,nodding toward Partner. Whena calf stops; he stops; He hashotter blood and more staminathan a full Thoroughbred or a fullquarter horse. But he'll buckyou off in the morning once ina while."

After school, Mike and Partnerhelped Con and Gene movesome cows and their calves toanother pasture down beside theColorado. Together they saddledup next to the corral and rode;casually straight-backed,through the viaduct under _U.S.40 to the Colorado River. Astheir horses crossed the bridge.that Con had built years ago,the river seemed lower thanusual to Con. The weather hadbeen dry.

Cows and calves foragedleisurely in the big meadow onthe other side. The men rodeslowly up to the herd; trying todecide which calves belongedwith which cows before they

THE MISSING $2.00"Farm-retail price spreads"

may sound like gobbledygook toyou, but they do exist and yourgrocery bill reflects them.

For example, If you bought aT-bone steak at $2.50 a pound, alarge part of what you paid fallsbetween the farmer and yourshopping bag. The farmer receivedonly ab,)ut 50 cents a pound forthat steer your T-bone came from;

Why the gap? That's wherefarm - retell price spreads comeInto the picture. There are_a lotof costs Involved in transformingthe animal on the hoof into steaksand other cuts in your super-market.

Your T-bone starts out as partof a live animalusually about a1,000-pound steer. When thefarmer sells the steer, let's sayhe gets 50 cents a pound or $500.

Then the animal goes to thepacker and Is dressed out to a620-pound carcass; Not includingany value added by the packersservices; the carcass is nowworth 80.6 cents a pound.

The carcass must be cut andpacka_ged for retailing, however.By the time some bone and fatare removed and some 'moistureand meat are lost during theprocess, only about 440 pounds ofsalable meat are left. This meatnow hat a value of about $1.14cents a pound.

Processing, transportation, andmarketing costs also have to befigured. Add to that $1.14 centsper pound about 10 cents forSlaughtering, 4 cents for trans-portation from slaughterhouse toretail Store, another 23 cents forlabor to cut the carcass Intoretail cuts and package It for sale;about 5 cents for packagingmaterial, and about 2 cents foradvertising.

Add on a little profit for eachof the firms along the line, andyou come up with a figure of _-

about_ $1.60 a pound for the 440pounds of usable meat;

But how did that T-bone get upto $2.50 a pound?

Well; that steer we started withproduced a mere 16 pounds ofT-bone steak in the first place.The other 424 pounds of meatwere mostly _cnts that sell at lowerprices than T-bone. Chuck steaksand roasts; ground beef, shanks,short ribs,-and stew meat aregood examples.

If you average out all thehamburger at, let's say,_$100 apound, the T-bone at $2.50 a

1,000 LB. STEER

620 LB.CARCASS

440 LB.RETAILCUTS

pound; and all other cuts atvarious prices, you come out with$160 per pound.

That's why_tne price the farmerreceives per pound of live animalIs so far from the price theconsumer pays for meat in thesupermarket. But then again, theconveniently packaged, ready-to-cook cuts of meat you buy In thesupermarket are a far cry fromthe 1,000-pound live animal.

16 LB. T-BONE

separated 25 pairs to he drivento another pasture;

Riding among the animals,Con Stood in the stirrups, movingas smoothly as 3 water bug onthe Colorado River. He dartedswiftly among the animals,identifying cows and calves thatbelonged together and sepa-rating each pair from the herd:The cowboy's legs absorbed thehorse's movements like tirelesssteel springs:

Mike rode into the herd andfollowed a calf around until itpanicked and bolted for opengrass. His mother bolted withhim. They were a pair. Mikepointed them toward the gate.

Gene paused to count thenumber of cattle that had beenstarted toward the gate at thehead of the meadow. There wereenough. The men rode_ to thegate and opened it. The cowsand calves pushed through to ahillside covered with sagebrush.

After walking a few hundred

yards through sagebrush, thecows and calves came to awooden bridge: They refused tocross. Gene roped a calf, dis-mounted, and wrestled the calf,bawling and struggling, acrossthe bridge; Its concerned mother.followed. Then all the others.

Two gates, more sagebrushand another bridge crossing later,the cows and calves arrived attheir new temporary pasture. Ina few months, they would bemoved again. Then again.Meantime, they would be eatinggrass and converting it throughtheir ruminant stomachs intobeef such as man has beeneating since antiquity;

It was spring=the busiesttime of year on the ranch.

"Everything happens at once,"Gene said.

The cows begin calving inearly April. Early in May 1977,the Ritschards had branded 350calves;

Gene and his dad, a hired

hand, Mike, Mike's friend, acousin, Gene's brother-in=law,and five other young men did_the work. It took only 4 hours.

It's really more than branding.Three pairs of men wrestled thecalves off their feet, another mancastrated the male calves, twomen branded the calves, oneman vaccinated them againstblackleg disease, and Condehorned the animals; He alsonotched their ears so they couldbe easily identified out on therange. Then the calves arereleased to join their mothers:

Male calves are castrated toimprove their behavior, their rateof weight gain, and the flavorof their beef.

Branding time provides quitea show and the RitSchardt canexpect 25 to 35 people to showup for it either to work or just towatch . So Mimi and her mother-in-law prepare and serve a feabt.In the spring of 1977; theyserved a rolled beef roast, a

BEEF COW INVENTORY, JANUARY 1, 1978THOUSAND HEAD

U.S. Total 38,747,000

Mil 2500,000 and over

ri 1,000,000-2,500,000

11,000,000 and unaer

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ham; a mess of beans; a lot ofcoleslaw; three salads; a bunchof hOmemade rolls, and somehomemade cinnamon rolls.

Another spring job at theRitschard ranch is cleaning outthe grassy ditches that deliverwater to the meadows andpastures, not only at the lowerranch atong the Colorado butalso at the upper ranch 12 milesnorth.

The flow of water to theMeadows is controlled by gatesoperated by the Ritschards: TheColorado is the source of waterat the lower ranch and theTroublesome Creek is the sourceat the upper ranch.

Without water to spread acrossthe meadows, ranching, as theRitSchardS do it, would beimpossible: Melting snow pro-vides the water%, Cattlemen cantell hoik much water will beavailable in the spring andsummer for their grazing cattlewhen Soil Conservation ServicespetialiStS measure the depthOf the snow pack on the moun-tains in the winter; Ranchers liketo see the snow pack meltgradUally through the summer,keeping the streams; rivers; andmeadows replenished withoutflooding.

Since one stream's water maybe shared by several ranches;the amount of water that eachreceives is important, especiallyin dry years. Most water argu-ments; though; were settleddecades ago. The first rancherto start using a. creek's waterassumed first rights to the water;which are called senior waterrights in the West. Rancherswho came albrig later assumedtheir secondary rights in theorder in which their rancheswere established. Water rightsare sold with the land.

One legend claims thatTroublesome Creek was namedafter an agument over waterrights that took the life of onerancher.

The Ritschards hold senior

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water rights on the Colorado andjunior water rights on Trouble-some Creek.

On the day that the Ritschardswere moving cattle betweenpastures, a neighbor with seniorwater rights on Troublesometelephoned Gene to say heneeded more water. Withouthesitation, Gene drove 12 milesto the upper ranch in a pickupand adjusted a water gate sothat more of the Troublesomeflowed to the neighboring ranch.It was a precision adjustmentbased on a series of numericaltables in an engineers' handbookthat Gene carries.

With our national concern forwater, it irritates the Ritschardson their occasional visits tocities to find so many cityresidents sprinkling their lawns.They think the Nation willsomeday have to decide betweenfood and green lawns in westerncities;

In the spring, manure isspread on the meadows, fencesare fixed, and, finally; all of thecows and calves are walked 12miles to spring pasture at theupper ranch.

It takes four or five men oneday to drive the herd up thewinding gravel road to the upperranch. About 70 yaung cows(first-time mothersT are truckedup with their calves earlier.

The upper ranch is at anelevation of 8,000 feet above sealevelthe lower, at 7,500 feet.

The herd is kept at the 720=acre upper ranch only a week orso, and then driven up into thehigh countryup to 10,000 feetabove sea levelwhere theygraze until fall on land leasedfrom the Bureau of LandManagement (BLM), the ForestService, and the State ofColorado.

Rangeland varies widely inits ability to feed livestock It isleased in terms of how rranimal units per month (ALIM's)it can support. A grazing permitstated in terms of 300 head for

11

4 months would be called a300-head perrnit, Whole ranchesare sold in terms of cow_ units,say, at a price of $1,200 percow unit.

"We don't talk in terms ofacres around here," Gene says."Some don't even know howmany they have. Ranches aresold on carrying capacity;"

After their cows and calvesbegin grazing on the public landin the summer, the Ritschardsdrive to the high land once ortwice a week to ride among theanimals and check for sickCows and lame bulls. They alsomove the animals into fenced-inpastures to assure an evenconsumption of forage and toprevent overgrazing.

The Ritschards and othersmart ranchers move the cattlefrom grazing area to grazingarea so that all the leased landis used by the time the cattleare moved off early in the winter.Such management of rangelandis necessary not only to keepthe animais well fed but to assurethat the range is not overgrazed,that is, eaten down to the pointwhere the grass is killed or willgrow less over the years.

The bulls are trucked up to thehighlands about June 25. Conand Gene place the bulls amongthe cows, trying to arrange themin such a way genetically thatthe offspring will be quick weightgain ers_

The Ritschardt bUy purebredbulls whose familiee are knownfor rapid rate of gain. In 1976,they even went so far as to latiyfour prize-winning bull8 e;:hibitedat the National Western stockshow in Denverthey were thesecond best-pen of four animalsin the show. As if that were anextravagance, Con explained;

"The market was at a lull, andwe could afford them."

Altogether, the Ritschardslease 2,500 acres of BLM land;an equal amount of land froththe State, and another 2,000acres from the Forest Service.

All of this land is leased forabout 700 animals.

Such leases are tied to deededholdingswhoever secures onehas to own some land first.

A good bull is kept on aranch or farm about 3 years andthen sold. The reason is thatafter that, there's a good chancehe would mate with one of hisown female offspring and anyweaknesses in the familygenetics would become morepronounced in the offspring: ,

Cows are kept 7 to 9 years;the good one for as long as 12years. Then they are sold forbeef, and are replaced in theherd by the most promising ofthe heifers (female "teenagers")born in the spring 2 yearsearlier. How many of thesefemales are kept is a reflectionof (11 the amount of forageavailable on the ranch or farm,and (2) the owner's optimismabout the prices he can get inthe future for the offspring of thenew cows: Nationally, 15 to 20percent of all beef cows arereplaced annually.

In 1977; the Ritschards kept60 calves to become replace-ment cows. They usually keep70.

Beyond managing the cattle;the Ritschards' biggest activityin the summer is the harvestingof about 900 tons of hay inAugust. The hay is harvested andstored to feed the cattle throughthe harsh winters. The amountof hay raised or bought largelydetermines the size of the herdthat may be kept. The more hayneeded to be bought, the lessnet income there may be leftafter the sale of the cattle. Soranchers raise as much hay asthey can.

If there is a drought; therewon't be enough water to soakthe meadows and there won't beenough hay. So a rancher mightbe forced to sell some cowsalong with the calves.

For the consumer, this couldmean more beef at the stores in

10

the short run and less beef atthe stores in the long run;inasmuch as there will be fewercows to calve the following year.

The Ritschards cut, bale, andhaul the hay-from 500 acres ofgrassland each Augustallwith the help of labor-savingmachinery, of course.

After haying; activity eases upa little on the ranch: Gene callsit "the best time of the wholeyear." He might go camping andhunting inthe mountains withhis family. From mid-Septemberto the first of November, theRitschards mend fences, putfences around the hay; which isall stored outdoors; and makeother ranch improvements.

Then they bring the cattledown from the high country tothe ranches. Heifers which haveborne their first calves and thesecalves are kept at the upperranch; the rest are driven down,to The 630-acre lower ranch.

There cows are tested forpregnancy and treated for grubs(heel fly larvae that burrow intothe heel of the animal)

The Ritschards also startweaning the calvestaking themoff their mothers' milk.

in January, the cows arereunited at the upper ranch. InMarch; the hay runs out at theupper ranch and the cows areall driven down to the lowerranch.

From the time the steers areweaned, they are eligible forsale. The exact time of theirsale depends on prices.

If the price of corn is low, theRitschards will ship the steersin the fall to a feedlot, probablyin northeast Colorado, wherethey will pay the feedlot owner40 cents for each pound that thesteer gains plus expenses formedicine or anything else.

On steers sent into a feedlot,they have made a profit of $40to $50 a head over and abovewhat one calf would havebrought If it were sold immedi-ately after weaning. On the

other hand, the Ritschards havebeen known to lose $80 a headsending them through a feedlot.

There's another alternative:a rancher can sell the weanedsteers immediately to someonewho will feed them and assumethe risks of the market. Con saysthey have sold cattle every waypossible. They have grain fed -thesteers on their own ranch; butthat got too expensive, Consays. They lost $75 to $100 a ,

head on such cattle, he says._ "We don't have a, pattern,"Con explains. "We watch themarket. If cattle prices are highand we can make a profit; wesell 'em._Sorne people get toogreedy. But if we're getting a fairprofit, we market a percentage."

If the price isn't right at thetime the calves are weaned; the.Ritschards keep them, if theyhave enough hay. The calvesare fed hay and protein supple-ment "until the market turns."

The-Ritschards have beenknown to sell their calves towhat Con described as farmfeeders in Iowa, and to feedersas;far east as Pennsylvania.

"We sell over the telephone;"he says. "They know our cattle."

And if farm feeders aren'tbidding high enough for theRitschard feeder cattle; theRitschards test the _prices inauction rings in Denver, FortCollins, or Brush, Colorado;There are feeder auctions everyweek.

The Ritschards assign thefeeder cattle to an auction andtake whatever price they bring.Truckers charge the Ritschards75 cents a hundred pounds todeliver cattle to Brush; thecharge is somewhat less toDenver. "We can't afford to bringthem back home," Gene said.

'We can't price our com-modity," Con points out "Wesell for whatever we can get. Onthe other hand, when we buysomething, we still pay what theysay."

Con says "you guys put us in

13.

some awful corners sometimes.We have to readjust the opera-tion all the time."

"Cut corners and find newsources of income"that's whatthe Ritschards would print onbumper stickers;

Besides renting cabins on theColorado, the Ritschards-feedand otherwise care for horsesfrcm nearby dude ranches duringthe winter. This helps them useup their surplus hay.

"We're not making a profitwe're not even getting paid forour work," Con says; "We utilizeeverything."

Its been that way from thebeginning. When Con marriedGladys, all they possessed was ateam of horses.

For 7 years they lived in arented log cabin and savedmoney_ fit:0i what Con earned asa ranch hand.

By 1939; Con and Gladys hadsaved $2,000. So they borrowed$2,000 from a neighboringbachelor, who didn't require anysecurity; added a $1;000 loanfrom Con's sister; and made adown_payment on a ranch ownedby the county assessor. Theasking price for what becamethe Ritschards' lower ranchwas $17,500.

Con and Gladys had by thistime acquired 20 head of cattle;free of debt, so they mortgagedthese cattle and bought 20 morehead of cattle: With that start,they built a family corporationthat now includes two ranches.

Looking back, Con says he'dlike to do it all over again.

"I wouldn't," says Gladys.Over the years, there have

been a lot of laughs and a lot ofclose calls. At the county dances;playful cowboys would switchthe blankets on sleeping childrenso that their parents; numb fromdancing, would take the wrongyoungsters home with them,

Once Gladys was asked tohandle the driving of a pickuptruck that was being pulled outof the icy Colorado.

A cow and her cast together form oneunit for purposes of leading land totgrazing Also, when Westerners talkabout the size of a ranch, they speakin terms of cow-calf units rather thanacres. The reasonis that the qualityof the grass varies so widely. Ranchers

and government experts know abouthoW many cow -cast units an area cansupport without overgrazing, assumingan average amount of rainfall andIrrigation water. If too many animalsgraze an area, less grass will grow backthe following yearperhaps none at alt;

Teams of horses would runaway at least once a day.Tractors turned over.

Con says_that he has beenfortUnate. "The Old Man hasbeen sittin' on my shoulder along time;" he says. He recallsone time when he was "riding abronc and heading a big oldsouthern cow, when she cameback in front of my horse and thehorse reared up and fell."Con's boot was caught in thestirrup; But Con's boot cameloosejust before the horserolled over three times.

Yet, when someone suggestedthat ranchers are "pretty muchstove up -by 55," Gladys dis-agreed. She said Con's brotheris 69 and still doing pretty muchwhat he did before;

Ranch life in the "old days"could be lonely.

Folks didn't see each otherduring the winter. In the springwhen they met in town, they'dinquire, "how'd you winter?"

14

In about Februarys the lack ofvisitors would get to Gladys,who now plays bridge threetimes a week when weatherpermits. As she grew crankier;Con would finally utter the codewords "why don't_you go totown and get the mail?" AndGladys would go.

She was a truck driver andeverything;" Con recalls. Foryears, they rented cabins; soGladys washed 50 sheets a week.They milked cows and addmilk in town; so Gladys wasconstantly washing milk bottles;They had a mail route; so for16 years Gladys delivered mailover a 50-mile route twice a_week. She even worked wit thecattleuntil She was throWnoff a horse;

"When we were married,"Con chucklea, "we agreed thatshe would take care Of the littlethings and I'd take care of thebig things. Well, nothing bigcame long...

11

4-Is

s

Left:Upper ranch of Ritschards is summerhome for Gene, Mimi and family. It isalso a stop-ovcr place for cattle on theway to and from grazing on thehigh ground. Land in background isleased for grazing from Bureau of LandManagement.Below:Signs on utility pole beside U.S. 40 in-dicate some of family's activities.

+4.

_ Alt CLUBMEMBER

4. A.

UVES. MERE

F FA_HMI

UI/15

Con and Gladys enjoy keepingclose track of the busy livesof their grandchildren.

All winter, the youngsters ride81/2 miles each way in a schoolbus to attend classes in Kremm-ling. In the spring and fall,thoUgh, when the whole familyis living at the upper ranch, theyride 30 miles round trip on aschool bus to the same SChoOl.

To thOW what this distancecan do, Mimi recalls a recurringincident when she was schoolnurse. She'd diSCOVer a childwas ill and telephone its mother;only, to discover that the motherhad no idea of the illnessbecause it was so dark whenthe child got on the bus;

All the Ritschard childrenshow cattle at the Middle Faitand ROdeb held in September.Mike has won the rate-of-gaincontest, and once exhibited areietve dhartiOlOn.

Sure, the steers become petswhile the youngsters are feeding

12

them through the year: And yes,the kids will cry when they aresold. Gene remembers the yearthat Julie named her steer Baby.

"That really tore everybodyup, when Julie sold her Baby,"he recallS.

Mimi says she is jealous of herkids who get to do "so manyneat thinga," such as Mike goingto Fort Collins for 3 days tostudy judging and cartooningunder the auspices of 4-H, anationwide youth programcoordinated by the CooperativeExtension Service._

Of course, Mimi is responsiblefor some of -those "neat things"swimming lessons in thesummer and skiing lessons inthe winter. Her children arequick learners. In an effort to getahead of them once, Mimi tookskiing lessons by herself fortwo seasons__ before getting thechildren started. They caught upwith her in their first few lessons.

The fairilly haS taken trips

together to California, theGrand Canyon, New Mexico, andTexas. One Friday before LaborDay, they drove into Denveragainst a flood of outgoingtraffic, rented rooms in a motel,and had the motel's swimmingpool practically to themselvesfor the weekend.

Mimi says, "our main functionis our kids." And that interestextends beyond the family. Sheis not only a leader in 4-H butteaches sewing in 4-H and issuperintendent of her church'sSunday school. Gene is presi=dent of the school board and amember of the Colorado Cattle-man's Association.

Mimi is secretary-treasurerof her church and a countypolitical committee, belongs toa sorority which raises money forcivic projects,ls a member ofthe Cow Belles (a women'sorganization within the ColoradoCattleman's Association), andsells modular homes. The latter

job helps pay for the orthodonticwork on the children.

Con recalls that a group ofKansas cattle families visitedtheir ranch in 1976 and said thatall their wives worked in town.

There have always been goodyears and bad years in the cattlebusiness. In 1976, most rancherslost money, if you figure everycost of doing businessas mostregular businesses would. Onthe other hand, 1973 was a prettygood year.

"If the drought continOes (in1977), some will go under," Consays, "The stout will survive.

"You couldn't hire someone torun this ranch and then haveany money left for yourself.We're not making a profit.We're not even getting paidfor _our work.

"The government seems tothink people will stay out hereand work for nothing."

Con believes the captains ofindustry' come from a ruralbackground, where "they weretaught how to work and how todo for themselves.

"Out here you have to be anelectrician; a welder; a lawyer, aditch shoveler, a financier. Andyou have to be able to argueyour own case."

Con has gone before govern-ing bodies to petition that theactivities of boaters on theColorado be restricted.

"They were filling up theriver," he said, "and leavingdirty campgrounds." There wasvandalism.

What with land values in thearea rising in recent years, Geneconcedes that their ranch landis worth about a million dollars;though it would be difficult ifnot impossible to pay that muchfor it and then get your moneyback in the foreseeable future.

The Ritschards would probablynever sell, anyway.

Sure, it gets cold in the winterand Gene says he doesn't likelooking out the window to read"32 degrees below zero" on the

thermometer. look forward to springturning"But after you've been out in the cattle out to grassand the

it awhile, it isn't so bad," he says calving.philosophically; And he can

THE RITSCHARD RANCH, 1977

DebitsVeterinary and breeding feesSale, purchase, and trucking of animalsOther livestock expensesMachinery repair, suppliesFuel and oilFarm share of autoFarm Share of utiliiieSIrrigation costsFertilizerSeeds, supplies, etc.Operational laborMiscellaneousTaxesInsuranceBuilding improvement, repairsFeed purchasesLivestock purchases

Total cash expenses

Machinery, equipment depreciationBuilding, improvement depreciationBeginning inventory

Total business debts

CredittSale of livestock and livestock productsSale of feed cropsGas tax refundGovernment paymentsCooperative's dividendsMiscellaneous

Total cash receipts

Ending InventoryTotal business credits

Net farm income: $2,174, which represents what theRitschards paid themselves for their management.

Also of interest in Ritschard operation:Net return per $100 capital investmentEconomic cost of maintaining an animal 1 yearTotal cash income per animalNet loss per animal

6

$ 1,78475

1004,5994,300_ 1132,2646,3384,488

_1,12727,054

3,6576,0373,9604,5669,223

17,105$101,339

$ 6,633__5,419208,358

$321,749

$ 79,4029,744

238181228

12,104$101,897

$222,026$323,923

$ .43$442.35$313.53$128.82

13

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NAMES'Left:Separating calves from their mothersis important early step in brandingoperation. Calves are in foreground.Bottom:Wagon of hay in foreground lured cattleto corral. Riders encourage the move-ment. As cattle ebb and flow withincorral, cattlemen use gates and corrals-within-a-corral to separate calvesfrom cows.Below:After herding calves cn foot with a_feedsack, Fred Kayser, a nephew of Geneand Mimi, finds time to relax.

Fa

-Ati:

Ili:flet

Above:Modern cattlemen like Joe Kayser,Con Ritschard's son-in-law and a stock-holder in the ranching operation, brandwith old-fashioned heated irons whilejets emblazon sky with contrails.Right:Young people pitted their muscles andstamina against bovine fear andstrength for 3 hours in the spring of1978-to see that 325 calves were In-oculated against disease and branded.The males are also castrated lbecomingsteers) and one ear on each femaleis notched with a knife to make hereasier to identity on the range whenshe gets older. The Ritschards brandedanother 50 calves earlier.

Everyone plays an important role ata branding. While Joe Kayser ropescalves, his niece Kristie_ tends ananimal which seems ill. Joe's daughterJody inoculated for awhile, thenswitched to holding rear legs of calvessteady for branding:_Afterward. in Geneand Mimi's kitchen, Jody joins otherhelpers and guests at huge dinner.Before mid - afternoon it's all over andtime to get on with other ranch work;

.- - .

Si

p4.77'"*..

Herbert Schutte, right; la the only oneof 10 children of Mr. and Mrs. LawrenceH. Schutte to continue living on afarm. His father, left; who lives next

to him, says he laughs when the otherchildren "come out here and try toboss me." Lawrence and his five sonsused to milk 20 cows twice a day by

hand. Now there are no dairy cows lefton either farm;

/

Growing Grain andRaising Cattle Nearthe Mississippi

A thousand miles east of theRitschards and not far north ofthe midwestern segment of thesame U.S. 40 which runs in frontof the Ritschard ranch homes;another riverthe mightyMississippiserves anothercattle family.

The Herbert Schutte family ofKahoka, Missouri, raises andfeeds beef cattle. But it alsodepends on the sale of soybeansfrom its farm to make a living.For the Schuttes, the MississippiRiver is a huge conduit by whichtheir soybeans and sometimescorn reach the markets of theworld.

Thousands of barges shuttleup and down the MississippiRiver to help carry away thebountiful grain harvests of middleAmerica. They travel only 9

18

miles east of the Schutte farm.Herbert Schutte sells his

beans to the local elevatoroperator, the Logsdon Brothers,which in turn sells them toothers along the marketingchain.

When to sell soybeans is akey decision for Herbert. Hetunes in to local radio stationsseveral times daily for reports onbean and cattle prices bothlocally and In Chicago. Evenwhile he is bouncing through apasture in a pickup, the radiomay tell him the price of beans Isjust right and it is time to sell.In that case he would driveimmediately to his ranch home,telephone the elevator operator,confirm what he's paying thatday for beans, and then sell, say,300 or 3,000 bushels of beansover the phone.

When he contracts to sell,.Flerbert then telephones atrucker to arrange for the pickupand delivery of his beans.

Selling 300 bushels of beans at$6 a bushel, Herbert would soonget_a_check in the mail for$1,800. Or he could drive over tothe Mississippi and pick up thecheck personally as early as theday the beans are delivered.

Herbert,- like others in the 30States where soybeans aregrown, keeps soybeans on thefarm like cash in the bank. Hemay store some of them on hisdad's farm, which is next to his.

Soybeans are the best moneycrop there is, according to hisdad, Lawrence H. Schutte.

Soybeans, Herbert says, arethe only thing he sells thathave doubled in price, thoughhis fuel and fertilizer bills haveboth doubled since 1972.

in February 1977, Herbert had3,300 bushels of soybeans storedon his farm. He'd harvested3,000 bushels the previous fallto add to 300 already In storage

wafting for the prices to gethigh enough to coax the beans

21

out of their bins.Herbert was born on the

adjoining farm where his motherand father continue to live; Oneof 10 children, he's the onlyone who stayed in farming.And he loves it.

Once he tried another way oflife. After 3 years in the army,he married Carmie, who livednearby; and went to work for abig biscuit company in Quincy;III., about 50 miles south of hisparents' farm. That was in 1953.

"But; I never saw daylight,"he says. "I lasted less than ayear."

Herbert and Carmie soonbought some wooded land nextto his father's farm and startedto clear away the underbrushand trees; They lived in an oldold house"with holes in it sobig you could throw a catthrough them"for 4 years; 1year without electricity. Threeweeks after they moved in, thehouse was nearly wrecked by atornado that tore over the ridge;

"Carmie said many times shewondered why she ever cameout here with me," Herbertrecalled; "But we learned wecould live that wayif we hadtO."

They built their present ranchhome in 1958, providing mostof their own labor.

The Schuttes bought 280acres in 1954, including thehomestead; for $15,000 andplanted 60 acres each to soy-beans and corn. Then Herbertand his father cleared another150 acres of trees and brush forcropland, grazing land, andponds.

On those 280 acres, Herbertand Carmie keep a herd of_50 high -grade beef cows. Theyalso rent another 320 acres forgrowing corn and soybeans.They feed,,-,:ain to 45 youngcattle each year for sale bothprivately and at local auctions;In addition; they feed 100 hogsand plakto Increase the numberto 400.

"It was P-e hogs that paid forthis farm," Schutte said. "We'vebeen building up the cattle.Now we have the herd built upto where we hope it can makesome money."

Herbert believes that securityon the farm lies in a diversifiedoperation. "If one thing loses,maybe another makes money,"he says.

It works for him. In 1976; hewas selected one of Missouri'sseven top farm managers.

"With too many of the special-ized units, 2 years of bad pricesand they are out of business,"Herbert says. "We're lust outhere to make a living."

About raising livestock; "Whenit's raining and you can't workin the fields, you can look out atyour cattle and say 'they'remaking me money,' " Herbertsays.

Unlike western Colorado,where it might taket 15 to 30acres of grazing land to provide

enough feed for one animal unit(a cow and a calf', Herbertfigures it takes 1 acre of hisrich grassland to pasture onecowor two cows if he wereto seed one of those "highpowered" fast-growing grasses.

Herbert likes to feed his cattlehay because "the more rough-age they use, the more they'regoing to make you." However, hefeeds them more corn when theprice he can get for corn at theelevator isn't high enough toencourage him to sell the cornto others.

In 1977, Herbert said, "Whencorn sells for $3.65 a bushel, westart selling corn."

"Until they've got the moneyto pay for my grain, I'm going tofeed it to the cattle," Herbertsays; "I can't produce corn andthen give it away."

When the weather's good,Herbert and his land can pro-duce corn very wellusually130 bushels to the acre, nearly

Lawrence Schutt% 78, joins his grand-son Daniel, 16, In cultivating soybeansIn late spring. Knives behind tractorscut soli between young soybean

22

. . meitft:

plants, killing weeds_ and enabling thesoil to better hold moisture, Drivermust see that knives don't harm soy-bean plants.

19

70 percent above the nationalaverage. In the drought year of1976, however, 50 bushels ofcorn to the acre was good for afield on the Schutte farm;

The Schutte cattle are out onpasture from mid-April until thesnow flies in the fall: Their dietof grass is supplemented byprotein feed laced with vitamins.The animals are switched amongfour 20-acre pastures;

Since Herbert has built a pondof water in every 20-acre pastureby damming creeks that flowoff his hilly land; each pastureis an independent feed unit.Building such ponds was his firstbig job after he cleared theland in the fifties.

From about 50 acres of othergrassland, Herbert cuts hay twoor three times a summer to storefor winter feeding:

Herbert plans that calves bornin the spring are weaned by thefirst of November. By then, lastyear's calves have been sold.

Weaned calves at Herbert'sfarm are allowed to eat all thehay they want at first, but theirintake of grain is graduallyincreased as their hay ration isreduced.

"You can founder (cripple orstunt) them by feeding them toomuch grain at first," Herbertsays. "Their hooves get longerand they kind of gant up (getthin); They never fatten as good."

Like the Ritschards, Herbertis continually trying_ to improvehis calves' rate of gaim

Some calves, Herbert says,gain 3 pounds a day, others notover 2. By the time a steer or aheifer on the Schutte farm is ayear old, it weighs 500 to 700pounds.

By the time they are ready forsale; the Schutte steers arebeing fed 18 to 20 pounds ofgrain a day.

Herbert aims for a rate of gainof 21/4 pounds a day per animal.

"We have to make 2 pounds a

day or we lose money," he says."If the gain is 2 pounds a dayand we sell the animal for 50cents a pound; that means adollar of gain a day. If the gainis 21/2 pounds a day, we can sellfor 40 cents and make the sameamount of money--if we do iton the same amount of feed."

Part of the gaining ability ofthe calf is hereditary; part comesfrom the ration; and part fromthe care the animal is givenhow well it is kept from stressconditions;

Herbert says it cost him $350to raise a calf in 1976, figuringthe cost of the mother, feed; andmedicine=-but not the value ofhis land. That's 35 cents a pound.If he had figured in the price ofusing his land; he said; he wouldhave lost $140 a head when hesold.

He sells the animals (bothsteers and heifers) at what heconsiders their peak weight,1,000 to 1,100 pounds. After that,

20

a

Left:Checking on condition of his cowseveryday, Herbert Schutte finds theyrespond readily when he drives Intotheir pasture and calls. Daughters Ann,9, and Barbara, 4, like to feed thetame animals broken ears of corn.Above:Tying barbed wire with twine only be-cause it is a temporary fencing ar-rangement, Herbert Schutte says cowscan smell barbed wire and stay awayfrom It avoiding injury.

23

they contain too high a per-centage of fat,

In 1976, Herbert sold 10 beefcattle to individualsfriends orjust "people who drove by."

The other 30 that he fed weresold at various weekly auctionsin Kahoke, 20 miles north. Sixpackers (companies whoslaughter and dress out beef)send their buyers to that sate,

If Herbert isn't bid the pricehe wants at such an auction, hebrings the cattle back home inhis own truck;

"Once I brought some homeand kent them for a couple ofmonths, but I got my price," herecalls; "Of course, it could gothe other way (meaning theprices couid have gone evenfarther down as he fed thecattle)."

Since cattle are auctioned atnight in Kahoka, Herbert mightstay at the sale barn until 1o'clock in the morning. Thenext morning he'd still have tobe up at dawn to feed the cattleand chock on the hogs;

If the cattle are on pasture,he drives his pickup out to them.He calls them to the pickup sohe can look them over. The cowsrespond quickly to his "s00000cow, s000000 cow. Teeny. Comeon Dolly," So he is able to lookthem over rapidly for signs ofillness or injury and then checkon their supply of proteinsupplement; Often, he drivesback to the barnyard to grindsome more teed to take it to theanimals,

When he checks them in theevening, Herbert brings alongsome corn on the cob to handfeed them: It helps keep themtame; he says. And tamenessmakes it easier for him toinspect them, treat them, andhandle them in general,

When the cattle are not_ onpasture but asleep in the barn-yard nearer the house, Herbertand his sons must start haulingmanure at 6 a,m.usuallybefore dawn. They toss manure

Soybeans unloaded by weighmusterRoger Spory beside the MississippiRiver could end up being used in some

remote comer of the world. This loadof nearly 64 bushels brought HerbertSchutte a check for $604.

that has accumulated around thehay barns into a spreader, thenthey pult it by tractor out to thepastures to be spread on thegrass, which is enriched by thenitrogen and other elements inthe manure.

Other than the livestockchores, work on the Schuttefarm centers around growingcrops. In the fall, besides sellingcattle, the Schuttes harvest thecorn and soybeans and :henprepare the ground for nextspring's planting. If Herbertwants to harvest wheat thefollowing July, he plants it inSeptember or October.

Rather than leave nis cornstalks on top of the ground likesome farmers do; Herbert likesto plow them under in the fall onthe thcory that they'll breakdown and become part of thesoil faster when under dirt,

He fertilizes his crops both inthe fall and in the spriag,applying nitrogen; potassium,and phosphorous to corn andjust potassium to the soybeans.The beans need little nitrogenbecause they get some of theirown nitrogen from the air.

Herbert plants his corn in May

24

and his beans between May 20and June 10.

If the Wyaconda River floodshis land after plantingP.ncl a lotof his land lies next to the riverthen Herbert plants again, Inan all-out effort to catch up withfavorable weather, he mightstay up all night for severalnights-planting, the radio on histractor picking up Wations fromall over the United Stdtes. Allcrop farmers have lights on theirtractors for night work;

Herbert describes vbhat it'slike to lose a crop early in theseason;

"Things never looked betterfor us at noon on the 23rd ofJune,'' he recalls. "And then wehad a tremendous hail storm, By3:30 we didn't have a thing."Hailstones had driven the youngplants down to the ground. ButHerbert reptanted the soybeansthe first of July and harvested33 bushels to the acre (thenational average is about 25).

As each of the crops grows,Herbert, one or more of his sons,and his dad pitch in with thenecessary cultivating. Cultivatingis breaking up the surface of theground between the young plants

21

with sharp-toothed tools touproot weeds and enable theground to better absorb rainwater:

Of course; all the machineryfour tractors; the grain grinder-mixerr the _planters; the plow%and the disksmust be kept inworking order so that crop workisn't held up by needed repairwork.

That sounds like a fUli ached;ule. But it doesn't nearly fill thelives of the busy Schuttes.

Herbert and Carmie go intotown. a lot; perhaps on an errandfor a sick neighbor or to buyfertilizer.

"We're not nearly so tied downat in dairying," Herbert said."We're involved in a lot ofthings:"

At mid-afternoon of onetypical day, Herbert had still toinoculate a calf with an anti-biotic, then check on the condi-tion of the water tank (wherethe cattle drink) and finally checkon the condition of the cattlethemselves. Then he wouldreturn to the house in time towash, change clothes, and eatby 6 p:m. because there was a7:30 p.m. Knights of Columbusmeeting for him and Carmie wastaking a boy to a basketballgame;

Herbert is chairman of the St.Patrick's parish council; so ifthe pipes freeze at the chUrch,he either fixes them or sees thatthey are repaired. He's active inthe Knights of Columbus and _

has helped the local AgriculturalStabilization and ConservationSer Vice committee assessdrought damage.

Every child in the family hasbeen or is involved in sports.Four nights a Week for 11 years,Carmie drove them_to_SpOrtaevents. She even coached agirls' softball team for awhile;

Herbert and Carmie like to goto dances sponsored_by theparish or the local Veterans ofForeign Wars; or to drive 50miles to Quincy, Ill., to dance to

22

the music of one of the bigbands;

decasionally they attend live-Stock meetings in Denver andother ciidea. Carmie has visitedrelatives in California threetimes.

BOA the lives of Herbert andCarmie have centered onthe family. Some of theirchildren_ have left the farm.Janet, 23, is married and livesin Quincy, Nancy, 19, seeing thatthere were no eligible malet leftin the neighborhood; also movedto Quincy and got a job. John,18, left for Montana to cleartimber as soon as he graduatedfrom high school. When re-

turned, he got a job nearbybuilding granaries.

Still at home are Gerald; 21,who not only helps his dad onthe farm but works in a factoryas well; Daniel, 16; Joan, 12;Ann, 9; and Barbara; 4 yearsold.

Perhdps the highlight of thefamily's year is when all of therripack up and move into a motelin July to atts;nd and participatein the Clark County fair.

"That's our vacation;" Herbertsays, even though one of themhas to drive back to the farmthree or four times each day tofeed the animals and do otherOores.

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Beginning in February thechildren feed, weigh, lead, clean,curry, and generally take specialcare of special cattle that theywill show and sell at the fair.They're good at it, despiteHerbert's warning that "it doesn'tdo to win every timeyou losea lot of friends."

The Schuttes have shownour grand champion steers

three of them in succession.Gerald raised and showedone grand champion (best in thefair for that kind of animal) andhis brother John, a high schoolsenior, showed two. Both Johnand+ Dan, a sophomore in thesame high school, have wonother awards for good showman-ship in bringing their animalsbefore the judges.

All of the children, as theygrow old enough to handle cattle(if you can imagine a nine-year-old controlling 600 to 1,000pounds of ambling bone andmuscle), are given a calf by theirfather to raise as best they canand sell at the county fair. Theyoungsters compete againstnot only their brothers andsisters but against every otheryoungster in the area. The prizeis both money and the pride of

' winning. Herbert says he hopesit will instill leadership abilitiesin them.

Herbert tries not to "lean allover them" to show cattle at thefair. But if they don't want togroom, feed, and show a calf,then they can't go to the fair.

"After a week of thinkingabout that," he says, "theyalways want to show an animal.

"If they win money; it goesinto savings. I explain that it'slike earning so many dollars aweek for taking care of theanimal. And it keeps themoccu_pied"

When choice-grade steers areselling for 35 cents a poundlocally, community-mindedbidders in the 4=1-I beef auctionat the.county fair will bid as highas 90 cents a pound for the

1

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Real animals which helped the Schuftechildren win these trophies at countyfairs glisten almost as brightly inthe sun as their metallic counterpartsafter being fed, washed and curried

as meticulously_ss If they were human.Money earned from _the sale of prize-!winning animals helps youngsters get -a college &fixation or a piokup truck.

grand champion animal. Natu-rally, that encourages youngstersto do a good job. A winninganimal might sell for $1,000.And the youngster can bank itfor college or to buy a usedpickup later.

After 24 years of raising eightchildren, running the house,and driving into town, Carmiedeclared in 1977 that she'dstayed home long enough andnow she was going to find apaying job. So she became apractical nurse at a nearbynursing home, working the nightshift;

She gets home from thenursing home at 7:30 a.m., sleepsa couple of hours, gets up andworks around the house untilsupper, then sleeps another 4hours, gets up again, and goesto her paying job;

The extra income buys thosethings that are always neededaround the house: a new bed-room set; a new dryer; a swing

26

set. It costs the SchUttes $200a year just to keep everyone'steeth checked. There are alsogifts to buy for graduatingrelatives.

Farm operating expenses ateup $32,473 of the 436,122brought in by the Schuttes' farmoperation in 1976. That includes$3,600 in depreciation; But thecash difference of less than$4,000 represents what theSchuttes paid themselves fortheir labor, their management,and their investment.

In 1973, it was a lot better farthe Schuttes. They netted $8,220from farm income of $40,340.

Herbert said the way they"held their heads above water"in 1976 was through Carmie'searnings of $800 as supervisor_of a community project andHerbert's earnings of $3,700 forappraising corn crops fordrought damage for the localAgricultural Stabilization andConservation committee;

23

"A fella told me that youshdUld have a calf a week tospend," Herbert says, "The waythings are going, you've got tti_,have more than that, consideringWhat the calves are bringing in,"

Herbert figures his farm isworth_ $300,000. He's invested$50,000 in permanent improve=merits in the place since hebought it for $15,000, Rising landvalues made., the difference.

It took the SchUttes 7 years topay for their farm: And theyhave some savings,

"We haven't had to borrowevery year to operate," Herbertexplained. "But a couple ofyears of drought or bad priceSand we'd have to borrbw. Itcosts $10,000 a year _just forfamily ezpenses. We're takingthat from depreciation and usingoff-farm income. We didn't saveany last year."

After the Depression andduring World War II, a lot of folkSleft their farms near the Schuttesto go to work in the auto plantsin Detroit. Folks are still leaving.Some are coming back andsome are working in town,keeping up the farm as bestthey can.

Herbert says one of thereasons he stays on the farm isthat "someone has to stayaround." Once he helped savea neighbor who had fallen off awagon add suffered a fracturedSkUll. He often helps neighbors'cows deliver their calve-S. He'savailable to sing at funerals.

"I think we can survive ifanybody can," Herbert said."Diversity is the key to Security."

TRENDBefore 1950; there were more_

milk cows than beef cows in theUnited States; Beef cow numbertfirst exceeded milk cow numbersIn 1954 and the difference haabeen increasing ever &rim

!BUBLA. WM,

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Number of children around the Schuttedinner table is dwindling. Those whohave left return often and bring friendsor a husband. Clockwise from HerbertSchutte are: son Daniel, daughter

An,

Janet, her husband Danny Doeiman,her sister Joan (nearly hicidwn), Her-bert's wife Carmie, and daughtersBarb and Nancy,

THE SCHUTTE FARM, 1977

Farm Expenses ,

Hired labor(including son) $ 3;201

Repairs;maintenance 3,860

Interest 273Feed "Purchases 2,026Seeds 1,011Fertilizer, _lime,

chemicals 9,298Machine hire 2,203SUPPliffs 1,272Veterinary fees,

medicineGasoline; fuel, oilTaxeSInsuranceUtilitiesOther

_ 3276,2851,4651;438

574618

$33,849

Farm IncomeSale of cattleSale of hogsSale of grainCo-op dividendsDisaster paymentsGas tax return

$ 9,4302;777

2t047331

1,3111;135

$36,031

Other Income would Include$2,092 from the sale -ofsows and a bull, which_ is taxedas capital gains, and $9;624that_l-larbert and Camila earnedOff the farm.

Not included above would be depreciation at $4,547, plusmanagement, labor, and return on investment.

Herbert's

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_awrence Schutte was a mule skinner 1.4erid horse trainer in Europe in World

(ti e 141h,(tier I. After 27 months overseas,ncluding 275 days on the line haulingammunition, he came home, to drive

team of mules in parades inlVashington. D.C. and New York City.eople crowded 20 deep for miles and 4.

niles to see the parades.

Prints of these photographs may be obtained from the Photography Divisionand Public Affairs; Room 4405-S; US; Department of Agriculture, Washinglnumbers are available free to news media; Others pay a small fee;

28

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