With its semiarid landscape and its topographical variation, it’s no wonder some people scratch their heads when picturing the state as a great area for forage production.
But with a little bit of luck, a lot of skill and an equal amount of practice, 62-year-old Casey Epler and his family of Hillsdale beat the stereotype that nothing grows in Wyoming except for sagebrush and maybe fossil fuels.
In 1993 and once again in 1996, Epler won first place at the World Diary Expo in the commercial forage division and placed second a few years later. His humble nature attributes his winnings to his area’s conditions, but also to his time-tested knowledge of growing alfalfa.
“We live in an area where we have warm days and cool nights, and that makes growing quality alfalfa a lot easier,” Epler says. “Sometimes we think about people in the eastern states and think they can grow the best hay, but sometimes it can be tough because of all the moisture they get. I just manage appropriately by doing things like regular soil testing, applying the right fertilizer at the right time and hoping that the weather conditions will turn out right.”
After getting hit with the drought in 2012, Epler made a few changes to his operation. He decided to get out of the hay selling business and focus on forage production for his cow and sheep herd. He still sells hay here and there, but his main use is for grazing, winter feed and for reclamation purposes in his oil field service business.
Switching to cost-effective forage
Over time, Epler went from growing straight alfalfa to an alfalfa-grass mix to better fit the market. Within the last three years, he started to experiment with sainfoin and found the versatile, non-bloating legume to be an exceptional addition to his operation.
After taking advantage of a groundwater buyout from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), he converted an irrigated field to a nice dryland field with sainfoin and mixed grasses. He figured that he could put sainfoin up for hay, feed it as a protein supplement, graze it in the summer or even leave it standing for winter grazing.
Sainfoin is an ideal pasture crop for areas in the Rocky Mountain region and is highly palatable, Epler says. Because of its deep root structure, sainfoin is a great alternative for areas that are susceptible to drought. It has the same amount of protein as alfalfa, but it tends to grow better and produce higher first-cutting yields, Epler says.
For Epler, switching to sainfoin was a cost-effective approach to better management and sustainable practices. He has noticed improvements in his sheep herd when they graze sainfoin all summer. He manages the herd to lamb in April, and then both the ewes and the lambs are pastured in the sainfoin leading up to the market. He says the cows also have done well with sainfoin as a protein supplement in years when he can winter graze.
Taking advantage of the area’s resources
Over the years, Epler and his family have built multiple enterprises to adapt to current circumstances. Depending on the year, his area can receive adequate moisture or face grueling droughts. But he has learned to make the farm work for him, not the other way around.
Epler takes advantage of sharecropping and renting the majority of his acreage. He owns about 250 irrigated acres that he plants with an alfalfa-grass mix, as well as his recent addition of sainfoin to his grazing and cutting scheme.
“It takes a lot to live on the planet anymore,” Epler says. “A person never has enough land or money sometimes. You got to take what is available to you and use your neighboring resources.”
Epler explains that sharecropping is a way for him to lower his overhead expenses. Other than time and labor, there is really no cash outlay in sharecropping, unless you buy the land owner’s portion of the hay crop, he says. He believes it is a good management option if you can find the right people to work with.
Epler realizes he wouldn’t be able to run his family business without the help of his son, Harry, and his wife, Bonnie. For nearly 40 years, they have made this operation work because of their willingness to adapt and change. His only hope is that he can leave his land better than he found it. FG
PHOTO: Hay grown in Wyoming takes show honors around the country for quality. Photo by Lynn Jaynes.
