ND family's feedlot deals with drought conditions

HEBRON, N.D. - When David Wanner's calves broke out of the wooden corrals at 4 a.m., he knew it was time to upgrade his operation.

Cattle getting out of the Wanner ranch, adjacent to railroad tracks along the Interstate 94 corridor near Hebron, could spell disaster. Besides that, his family's herd had expanded from 100 to about 400, the old corrals tended to get too wet, and his son, Greg, was coming home to join the operation.

Working with the North Dakota Stockmen's Association and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Wanners received a grant to build their new feedlot, just up the hill and through some trees from the original yard.

On June 20, the Wanner feedlot was one of four stops during the North Dakota Stockmen's Association's 15th annual feedlot tour. Other featured feedlots were Rocky Valley Ranch near Center, N.D., Price Farm and Ranch near Stanton, N.D., and Beaver Creek Ranch near Richardton, N.D.

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The new corrals at the Wanner place are made of metal pipe, keeping the cattle away from the dangers of road and track. But perhaps more importantly, the new multi-use facility gives the Wanners business options.
They background their calves and calve out their cows in the pens, and the working barn doubles as a calving barn. They also can background calves for other people.

Having different ways to use the facility makes them feel less guilty in a year like this, when they might not be using it as hard.

Hebron is located near the west edge of Morton County - one of the driest parts of North Dakota and the country right now. Already, the Wanners have sold about 50 old pairs and about 50 heifers they intended on keeping for replacement.

"This way, what grass we have left, we can keep our main herd together and hopefully come up with enough feed for them," David Wanner said.

The Wanners plan to cut about 25 percent of their normal hayland, which they expect to yield 10 to 20 percent of their normal amount of hay.

"That's all it pays to cut," Wanner said.

While they've planted quite a bit of corn, there are dry pockets where it didn't come up. And it's similar on their cash crop acres. The sunflowers they planted were coming up, but one of the rare storms that came through the area brought hail, destroying 70 percent of the crop. They might try to utilize the sunflowers as feed, though they aren't close enough to the ranch to make that practical. The wheat crop also could be used as a feed source, but it was heavily fertilized, so the Wanners will have to manage the increased nitrate levels by mixing with other feed.

If conditions worsen, the Wanners still have a few late-bred cows they could sell. But after that, any cuts would be to the heart of their herd.

"The dryness has been tough," Wanner said. "I think it's more emotional almost than anything."

Scott Ressler, environmental services director for the Stockmen's Association, said struggles with drought were the story throughout the feedlot tour. The dry conditions may be an opportunity for some of the feedlots in the area, if they have feed available, he said.

"Calves will be coming in lighter in the fall," he said. "Feedlots can add a lot of that weight."

The annual feedlot tour attracts 50 to 200 people, Ressler said. This year's event had under 100, but on a sunny, relatively calm day, Ressler said he was impressed with the turnout given the work that could have been done instead.

After 15 years of putting on the tour, Ressler said he's still surprised to see how much people can learn by walking around a selection of the state's feedlots. They get ideas for their own operations or to learn about the cost-share programs offered by the Stockmen's Association and NRCS.

The Wanners attended a number of the association's feedlot tours while planning their feedlot, taking photos or notes. They were happy to pass along what they learned.

Putting up feedlots has enabled some operations to expand within the land they have while protecting the environment, Ressler said.

"The investment, in the end, seems to be worth it," he said.

The Wanners haven't regretted their construction.

"It just gives us a lot of options to make a living versus just farming," Wanner said.