Every little bit adds up
Jim and Maureen Skavdahl win the 2007 CAB Commercial Commitment to Excellence Award
Little at a time, Jim and Maureen Skavdahl's Lower 33 Ranch near Marsland, Neb., has steadily grown and improved over the years.
Both came from ranching roots, but made their own way acquiring land and cattle. The Skavdahls now run 800 of their cows on 24,000 acres, and manage another 600 cows on 17,000 acres, all in the rolling Sandhills of western Nebraska.
Skavdahls have been building and fine-tuning their herd ever since.
"We always made sure that gentleness, udders and function—the basic fundamentals of a good cowherd—came first. Then we added carcass," Jim says.
They've tracked results through performance and carcass data from Beller Feedlot of Lindsay, Neb. The Skavdahls have fed part of their calf crop with the Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB)-licensed feeder for the past five years, typically retaining a percentage ownership.
"Their grade and performance have improved every year," Owner-manager Terry Beller says. Yield grade 4s have simultaneously decreased. "They're really consistent and gain nearly 3.5 pounds per day. We don't push the implants, so the cattle are doing that on their own."
Growth has always been important to the Skavdahls.
"You can't lose sight of performance," Jim says. "It doesn't make a difference what their carcass is if they don't convert."
From 2003 to 2005, the ratio of feed to gain improved from 6.79 to 6.35. Three years of carcass data show that came with a growing emphasis on marbling. In 2003, the cattle were well above the national average at 19.3% Certified Angus Beef â, but improved to 33.8% in just two more years.
"The carcass thing starts on the ranch with good nutrition for the cow and a good vaccination," Jim says. "Then you get the calves to the feedyard, and they have to know how to feed them."
Maureen adds, "But you've got to start out with the right genetics, so it's all a big ball of wax."
To make genetic change more quickly, the Skavdahl's artificially inseminate (AI) all heifers and their top 100 cows.
"We've really seen improvement in the heifers' progeny," Maureen says. If improvement falls short, there's room to cull: they keep back more replacements than needed and sell 3- and 4-year-old bred females. That gives them extra evaluation time and earns a premium over selling bred heifers.
Jim and Maureen are happy with their role in the beef industry and like working together.
"We're lucky that we're both interested in range and livestock," Jim says. "We make a better team because we both enjoy the same things."