Shovel Dot Ranch: Cattle Ranchers using 21st Century Technology

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Shovel Dot RanchCattle Ranchers using 21st
Century Technology

• Homer Chad Buell

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Shovel Dot Ranch

• Established in 1883
• 30,000 acres
• Mostly native, unimproved range

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Shovel Dot Ranch

• Commercial cow calf
• Backgrounding, home raised and purchased
• Yearlings, home raised and purchased
• Hay and alfalfa production

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Rangeland
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Sub-irrigated Hay Meadow
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Cow Herd Hereford/Angus Cross
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Shovel Dot Ranch
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Shovel Dot Ranch

• Cattle Ranchers or
• Grass Farmers?

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Holistic Resource Management--NRCS
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Why Manage Grass

• Biggest resource
• Profitability
• Withstand stress
• Drought
• Overgrazing
• Grasshoppers

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A Management Tool

• The Grazing Manager
• (TGM)

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How Shovel Dot Uses TGM

• Planning
• Historical information
• Evaluation of grazing techniques
• Communication tool
• To determine grass remaining
• Determine hay needs
• Ranch equalization
• Cost accounting

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In the future for Shovel Dot and TGM

• Use more to plan herd reduction in time of drought

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Why TGM?

• Provides relevant information
• Adjusts easily
• Forage year
• Forage growth curve
• Pasture Production
• Livestock inventory
• Management plan for grazing, burning, haying,
  supplemental feed
• Actual pasture utilization

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TGM--where it is now

• Updated and improved by Agren
• New user support
• Contact person, Rob Ravencroft
• 3340 Potomac Dr., Lincoln NE 68516
• home 402-328-8149, cell 402-499-0793

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Focus on controllable

• Most difficulties are internally caused even
  though there is an overwhelming tendency to blame
  outside forces.

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Managers

• We control, guide and direct our farms and
  ranches.

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• The Grazing Manager has helped us become Better
  Grass Managers

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