TRAFALGAR, Ind. - Six years ago, Thomas Burgett, a third generation farmer and a sergeant with the Indiana State Police, noticed that the 100-year-old family farm was struggling financially and experiencing significant soil erosion and fertility issues. This directly affected the rate of gain within the cattle herd, so a family decision was made to switch to rotational grazing in an effort to practice more regenerative agricultural methods. The results have boosted the productivity and sustainability of the land and the animals while providing a new path forward for the Burgett Farm. 

Cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass that has invaded vast swaths of Western rangelands, is responsible for much of the increasing wildfire danger in the Intermountain West. However, scientists at the University of Nevada – Reno have discovered that fire danger can be reduced through the application of targeted cattle grazing in the dormant growing season by attracting the cattle with stations containing protein feed supplements.

Over the past decade, the importance of better understanding our cattle’s grazing behavior and impact on rangelands has become increasingly important. With the increasing size of finished cattle, the size of breeding cattle must also grow to create those larger-framed cattle. 

“We ain’t done yet!” This declaration was made by Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher regarding his team’s quest to win a coveted national championship – a worthy goal for a college football program.

The real goal of every livestock producer is to maximize the amount of energy captured by the sun in the range or pasture allotted to them.

Grazing cattle have the unique ability to upcycle, or convert, low-quality forages into high-quality, nutrient-dense protein.

As livestock graziers, “roots in the ground, all year ’round” is standard practice when managing perennial pastures, but it’s a mantra that is gaining momentum among crop growers as well.

“A family of teachers.”
That’s how Jill Flynn refers to her brood, who together own and operate Hidden Hollow Hideaway Cattle & Guest Ranch in the hills just outside Townsend, Montana, overlooking the Missouri River. Perhaps no one is more representative of that designation than Jill’s late husband, Kelly.