organic calves for finishing and I have that option through the co-op.” Dollahite has steers and heifers coming in around 18–20 months old. They weigh 900 pound when they arrive and he finishes them to 1,200–1,300 pounds. This can take six to nine months. He purchases these animals for $1,100 and sells them retail at $2,400 (processing is covered by the customer or the wholesaler). His biggest expense is the Peculiar Farms— utilities for the well which can run as much as $1,000/month in a highproduction season. With equipment and seed costs, his gross profit on the cattle operation for direct marketed animals is $1700/acre. Dollahite has the cattle pastures divided into three-acre paddocks. BY ANN ADAMS Depending on season and size of cattle, the cattle may be in a paddock for three days to two weeks. He aims for a recovery period of 28–42 homas Dollahite and his wife, Amanda Duran, have been days. Since there is permanent fencing and water drinkers on all of finishing cattle on 60 acres of irrigated perennial pastures at his paddocks, moving the animals is as simple as opening a gate and Peculiar Farms in Los Lunas, New Mexico since 2011. During letting them through. Labor needs are minimal so the cattle operation is that time they have developed their finishing enterprise so they a one-man show. Adding 2,000 meat chickens that move with the cattle can finish approximately 100–120 animals per year. They have grown only increases the gross profit per acre further. the direct marketing of their products so that currently they are selling The 200-foot, 10-inch well, installed along with drip irrigation under approximately 25% of their animals in a retail market and 75% through permanent pasture in 2014, was a major investment for Dollahite. He the wholesale market of La Montanita Coop. had begun with a perennial cover in 2011 but found the flood irrigating In addition to challenging with no their numerous farm guarantee of when or products—beef, turkey, how long they would geese, ducks, pigs, eggs get water. Using an and vegetables, they NRCS EQIP Grant, also began a farmstand his well produces 500 and then a restaurant, gallons/minute and the Europa Coffee and Tea drip irrigation is placed Bakery, to sell more of on three-foot centers, their products direct to one foot underground. the consumer. In just This way he can drill a year, the demand his annual covers into for product has grown the perennial cover of so that they now also clovers and grasses offer a Farm to Table that he planted from experience for farm Peaceful Valley. He dinners and catered drills summer and weddings on the farm winter annual mixes as well as a European that he purchases Grass-finished cattle are sold direct to consumers or to wholesale Farm Stay through from Greencover customers via the Sweet Grass Co-op brand. The cattle are grass-finished Air BnB. Seed. These mixes in six to nine months. Dollahite is part of include sunflowers, the Sweet Grass Co-op okra, mustard, and which is a cooperative of family-owned ranches located throughout buckwheat for summer forage. For winter forage, his mix includes a Colorado and New Mexico. Ranchers in this cooperative raise their kale-turnip cross and grains like winter wheat. animals humanely and on pastured forage and in a way that improves While there is additional costs with the well, Dollahite believes he land health. Originally Dollahite was involved in the whole cattle wouldn’t be able to scale his operation the way he has and raise the cycle, but he quickly learned that the niche need he could fill was to quality of beef consistently without it. Having access to reliable water consistently finish animals on his irrigated pastures because of his year round means he has the opportunity to buy in more animals reliable water and the year round warm weather. and raise them in a manner that is good for the land and good for the “It’s worked really well for me to be a part of the Sweetgrass Coop animals. He doesn’t have to buy in hay like his grandfather did so he is and purchasing the calves through the cooperative. I get a consistent saving on his feed costs. calf crop throughout the year and I know the genetics are good—these Prior to 2001, these pastures were in Kentucky fescue with an animals will produce on grass finishing. I also have different ranches average paddock size of 20 acres. Dollahite’s grandfather would drill to work with and I know how the animal has been treated which is winter wheat to provide additional forage for the winter. When Dollahite important to me. To work with a group of producers who have the same added the drip irrigation it took a while for the fields to establish. ethics means I can offer the kind of product I want. It’s hard to source CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
CASE STUDY
Grass Finishing Cattle Year Round on Cover Crops in New Mexico
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