34 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | September 2024 have to leave at noon to take care of family, you can. The flexible schedule is great. What’s your crop rotation? Bryce: Periodically we do a little cash crop. We are primarily cattle based and occasionally throw in a cash crop if we have enough feed and the opportunity presents itself. Brendan: We have an alfalfa rotation, followed by a cash crop, then a cover crop, and back to alfalfa. What has your biggest challenge been in farming? Bryce: The big ones are staffing, the price of equipment, and it’s challenging to expand and grow. Other than that, we have normal challenges every day. The other would be the commodity prices going up and down. By vertically integrating, it has stabilized our income every year and we are not waiting to see what prices do. Once we have a track record of six to seven years, it’ll be easier to expand knowing we have that locked in. Brendan: It’s also the weather. What does sustainability look like on your farm? Bryce: Being able to grow the operation, have staff getting paid well, and families living healthily. You have to be financially sustainable and environmentally sustainable at the same time. You can’t just have one. We also have a big focus on regenerative ag and improving the soil year-over-year. Brendan: We also don’t need to rely on anyone. We keep all the nutrients on-farm and buy some in from other farms. It’s just getting cycled on this farm and building soil health and organic matter. What’s your most memorable year of farming? Bryce: When I was just starting out, we had a good year in 2012 and had a really good crop. I was really young, and it set me up for growing the farm. The good crop and good prices got me ahead. I’ll also remember 2021 for extreme drought. Memorable years are not always good. There are many years you want to forget and many you want to remember. Brendan: This past year is going to be a memorable year with cattle prices. It helped a lot of young guys in the area this year, as well as us. What keeps you up at night? Bryce: My kids. I sleep pretty well. I make sure I’m getting to everything and it’s all getting done in terms of daily operational stuff. If you execute well every day, it usually all works out pretty well. The biggest thing is weather. This year it’s been pretty good, except for a spring storm where we lost calves. You can’t control that – you’re just adapting to what you get. Brendan: There’s not much Bryce hasn’t seen. My biggest thing is unforeseen equipment problems. We have well-maintained equipment, but it can still break. We have also been running into issues with equipment dealers, and they have the same problems as us with staffing. What is a goal you have for raising your herd? Bryce: Improving herd quality and nutrition. You can have best genetics but if you aren’t feeding them it doesn’t matter. Brendan: Keep growing the farm and get better yielding carcass weights. What do you do in your time off? Bryce: I don’t like to take too much time off. I get farmers’ guilt. You feel guilty for not being at home. When I take time off, I don’t disconnect completely. I like to drive around and look at cattle and crops. UP CLOSE Cattle are kept on pasture for as long as possible, even in the winter months. Pristine Prairie Organics photo
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