Cracking the Cattle Code with Ken Stewart

A special announcement from Del Ficke – Ficke Cattle Company, Graze Master Genetics?

“There are few people who have the integrity of Ken Stewart and even fewer who have the knowledge to do the right thing.?What that equates to is a sound business model and, more importantly, the longevity of the relationships with the people we are working with at Ficke Cattle Company.?It’s more than a friendship with the Stewarts.?Even though we are not related, it’s like Ken and I are cut from the same cloth.”

Read this article for your own good, because guys like Ken are making a difference for everyone they come in contact with.?It’s really a ray of sunshine and a bright light of hope that hearkens back to the good attributes of how the West was built.?Attributes that have been forgotten and need to come back.?We need to get back to a handshake and working with credible people who show through their actions that they want their neighbors to succeed in a very community and beyond traditional stewardship type of way.”

Cracking the Cattle Code with Ken Stewart:

If you want to sit and talk cattle with someone who absolutely lives and breathes building the best herd, visit with Ken Stewart.?Ken and Jenny Stewart have committed their lives to raising their now grown children – Keighly, Jimmy and Jacob – and Sim-Angus cattle with a commonsense approach.

XL Ranch was built the American way – from the ground up.?Located in Northern Wyoming, the Stewarts have wide-open spaces to think broadly about an industry that needs rational, sound leaders who are willing to do the learning and heavy lifting it really takes to strive for working cattle that work for their operation and the customers they serve. Today, the Stewarts’ diverse experience includes management of large, commercial herds in excess of 12,000 cows all the way to smaller seedstock operations of 500 and everything in-between across the continental U.S.A.

“I grew up on a dairy that was converted to beef when I was still quite young,” Stewart said.?“It didn’t take me long to know that raising beef cattle was what I wanted to do. The study of genetics and the ability to breed cattle that can perform within the parameters of the resources available on any given location at the optimum level, is what really turns my crank and fuels my passion to continue our life’s work.”

“It is very gratifying to share my experiences with the next generation or others who may want to look at trying to optimize their resources and raise the type of cattle that will work for them – cattle that don’t have to be pampered or propped up,” he went on. “I guess in a nutshell that’s why we do what we do and why I don’t foresee myself ever getting too far removed from this great industry.”

“Regardless of size, we are working with cutting edge managers,” Stewart stressed.?“We always take something away that increases our knowledge of, and passion for, this great industry.”

“We in the beef industry are tasked to balance economics, nutrition, and productivity,” Stewart said matter-of-factly.?“When we study this equation and try and crack the code to success, we realize that as seedstock providers our primary job is to offer the proper genetic package that does the most – right.”

It’s about maximizing the resources that every unique ranch has to offer he said, “I assure you that it is easier to write these words on paper than correctly calculate and solve the equation.?The truth is, very few ranchers ever look past all the third-party influences and actually get good at what it takes to become truly profitable.”

Stewart said it’s also about cutting through all the clutter and getting to know others in the industry – the cream of the crop, “When you do run across an operator who has the discipline and skillset to crack the code, it is my advice to take notes and spend as much time with them as possible.?That’s what I do in hopes that some of their knowledge will wear off on me.”

“Our stance is our cows need to work for us,” he went on.?“The cow/calf industry relies primarily on forage as the main feedstuff.?At XL Ranch, forage is the one and only. Forage quality plays a huge role in being able to properly-manage the fetal programing of your calf crop, period.?As a rule, most conventional-thinking ranchers would agree a cow needs 2.5 to three percent of her body weight in dry matter per day.?However, in most places at some point throughout the year, you will find that rule of thumb will not provide adequate nutrition to sustain a cow.?At certain times of the year, forage quality decreases and the cow can hardly get enough nutrients for herself, let alone what’s needed to program and properly develop and set up the fetus for success after birth.”

Stewart said he just won’t accept everybody saying, “that’s just the way it is” and “you need more commercial fertilizer” or there’s just “no profit in ranching.”

“We love ranching, but it is also our business, and it has to be profitable – period,” he said adamantly. “Our belief is that no matter how much potential a cow has or what her EPD (expected progeny differences) profile says, she needs to work within our perimeters. I always say that a little bit of discipline goes a long way when it comes to breeding cattle. It’s simple, she needs to graze most of the year on what we have available, maintain her body condition, breed back, and calve in a rather short window, and wean an acceptable weight every year. We don’t pick favorites. Our approach is that our favorite cattle are the ones who are still here and doing their job. After the pressure to preform test has been passed, we will utilize all the other sciences including EPD’s, genomics, visual appraisal and more.”

That goes the same way for products, the Stewarts have found success with Riomax360? and are constantly doing their research about how and which products positively impact the economic model they are building at XL Ranch.

“The difference with Riomax is its use of Indirect Supplementation Technology that is powered by a proprietary Nutrizorb? digestion pack,” he explained.?“This is very different than the traditional direct-fed supplements available on the market today.”?

Stewart is also passionate about raising their cattle in a real-world environment, “We don’t pamper our cattle because it is necessary to watch every penny in order to survive in today’s market.?Pampering cattle at any cost and feeding as if you only ranch because you love it, doesn’t keep you in business.”?

“As seedstock producers, it is our obligation and responsibility to make genetic improvements in order for the beef industry to succeed,” he relayed.?“Industry-wide, impressive, great strides are being made in terminal traits such as marbling, ribeye area and growth.?I truly believe these traits are important and I don’t want to give you the wrong impression because our cattle fair very well in this department and are very profitable in the feedlot/packer sectors of this business. With that being said, I also want to be clear that our stance is that first and foremost we want our cattle to work for us and our customers, they need to preform even in the harshest conditions, or we are not doing our customers any justice.”

This pragmatic and profit-centered approach is what led Stewart to Del Ficke at Ficke Cattle Company and Del’s approach to the newly coined phrase, “regenerative agriculture.”

Stewart was connected with Del through his son, Jimmy, “My son, (who thinks a lot like me), actually first heard Del speak in Montana.?Jimmy called me after the presentation, telling me that he had finally heard someone who thinks along the same lines as us in terms of ranch management. This was refreshing because so many of the experts out there preach the exact opposite of what we know actually works, that is unless you want to prop up your genetics.”

“Jimmy went on to say that he thought Del could really help us with soil health and implementing some regenerative practices that wouldn’t break the bank, but throughout time would increase production and drastically add to our bottom line,” he explained. “After that phone call, I reached out to Del and figured out rather quickly that Jimmy was correct. So, for the past several years, our relationship has continued to flourish.” ?

Ficke could not be more honored to continue to grow this relationship with the Stewart family, “Every farmer and rancher likes to say they are the best stewards of nature on earth.?Well, it’s not really all their fault, and they are doing as much as they have been taught, but we collectively are not doing enough.?Now, through leaders like Ken, the time is right to really come on board with thinking on our own and challenging each other to go beyond what we have been told is good for the environment.?It’s time to do things that make your livestock better, soil better, your operation, and your family better.?Stewardship isn’t just our operations – we have to be thinking bigger than that and Ken and Jenny Stewart are thinking that way.”

Stewart Family:

Ken cell: (601) 528-4029 | Jenny Cell: (307) 254-0292

[email protected] | www.xlranch.com

Ficke Family:??

Del cell: (402) 499-0329

[email protected] | www.fickecattle.com