Young Cattleman of the Year Award

First Generation

Story by Amy Beth Graves CATTLE PRODUCERS FOCUS ON RAISING QUALITY ANGUS

Story by Amy Beth Graves

For Zane Gross, a couple of years stick out as the most influential in his cattle operation in Ashland County. The first is 2010 when he bought some heifers after showing steers at the county fair for FFA projects. Intrigued by the production side of the business, he bought four Limousin/Angus crossbred heifers. It was also the year he met his future wife, Courtney, who has shared his passion for raising cattle. Three years later, Zane bought his first registered Angus cow, which became the foundation for the couple’s operation and is still roaming their pastures near Ashland. It was in 2017 that all the pieces came together. Zane and Courtney were graduating from Ohio State University and trying to figure out the next steps in their lives when property next to the hobby farm owned by Zane’s parents came up for sale. It was the perfect start for the young couple who were ready to make a go at being first generation cattle producers. “We’re fortunate that we got the support from our parents. Buying our neighbor’s property was a milestone for us,” Zane said. “It’s a passion of ours to raise cattle, and we hope someday to make it sustainable enough for us to live off of.” As the couple work toward that goal, Zane works at nearby E.R. Boliantz Meat Packing Co. where owner Bob Boliantz has been a mentor to him. It’s there that he’s learned how to better manage his cattle, determine efficient feed rations and develop relationships with cattle producers across the state. He started there the day after graduating from Ohio State where he got a degree in animal science and agricultural business. “Bob has really taught me a lot. Sometimes I go with him to get cattle and I’m able to see how they’re raised and handled. I see their feed rations and can mimic them or take other ideas on how to better raise cattle and fit them into our operation,” Zane said. “With him harvesting about 250 head a week, I see a lot of cattle and the end product. Seeing them hanging in the cooler lets me see the quality of the meat and make management decisions on how to get to a quality end product.” Today, the couple, who have two small children, raise about 20 registered Angus cows and specialize in breeding bulls and replacement heifers for commercial cattle operations. They also sell freezer beef directly to consumers with the cattle processed at Boliantz. Their operation is named Buckeye Creek Angus, reflecting their love of the Angus breed and Ohio State. A row of Buckeye trees found along the edge of a creek inspired the name. Improving the quality of the cattle is a never wavering goal of Zane. He’s bought registered Angus cows from state industry leaders like Fred Penick of Way-View Cattle, John Grimes of Maplecrest Farms and Boyd Beef Cattle in Kentucky. “While I was in college for the first couple of years at ATI, I grew a passion for the genetics side and went through (artificial insemination) school,” he said. “Our goal from the beginning has been to improve every generation of our herd. Since the Angus association has been a long-time leader in EPDs and genetics, it made sense to get started with that breed to help jump start the operation. And having kids, I wanted to make sure I had a breed that was more calm and controlled.” One of the couple’s goals is to raise cattle that meet the qualifications of being Certified Angus Beef. They’ve been focusing on genetics that result in their animals being more efficient and uniform to meet the weight and ribeye size requirements of Certified Angus Beef. Environmental stewardship and sustainability go hand in hand at

YOUNG CATTLEMAN OF THE YEAR

Buckeye Creek Angus. The couple have fenced out waterways and do rotational grazing so their cattle can graze more efficiently and the grass recover more quickly. They’ve been interseeding red clover into the pastures, which has not only helped the soil but improved the weaning weight of calves. “We started fresh with our land and it’s really starting to take off now because of the red clover we’ve planted and manure we’ve spread,” Courtney said. The pastures are broken up into three sections and the animals moved every three to four days. The rule of thumb is to take only half of the pasture. “It’s a faith in process. We know that moving the cows every couple of days and not having them graze too much in one area will allow the land to become more productive,” Zane said. “The cows know, too. They’ll come and tell us when we’re out in the four wheeler. They’ll start bellowing and mooing and we know it’s time to move them.” A major improvement for Buckeye Creek Angus was investing in equipment that could bale high-moisture hay, which is especially useful in the winter for the cattle when they aren’t on pasture. “Because we don’t grow corn, we needed hay that’s higher in nutrition and provides protein and energy for the cows. This has helped make our operation more profitable because not as much hay is lost and the cows are getting more nutrition,” Zane said. “People make comments that my cows are fat but they’re only fed hay.” Zane and Courtney were recently recognized for their hard work in starting and growing Buckeye Creek Angus. Zane was named OCA’s Young Cattleman of the Year, which is given to those under age 40 who have “demonstrated the initial stages of a successful beef operation and exhibited leadership potential.” Zane is vice president of the Ashland County Cattlemen’s Association and a member of the Ohio and American Angus Associations. The couple also were recently featured on an episode of the show Chef’s Roll, which brings chefs to the farm and then the farmers to the restaurant. The video is part of a beef checkoff-funded series developed and released through a partnership between the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Chef’s Roll, Inc., a global network of chefs and hospitality professionals. “It was very cool to win the Young Cattleman award. It means the things we’re doing are starting to be recognized,” Zane said. “We’ll continue to grow our operation, but we need to make sure we don’t get ahead of ourselves. We need to slowly grow our herd numbers. We have two children and I work 50-60 hours a week.” Courtney said she’s been amazed at how far they’ve come and the cattle industry leaders that Zane has been introduced to through his work. “We were nobodies from a small town and to have a name in the industry is pretty amazing,” she said. “We recently went to an event and there

were so many people who knew Zane and when I asked how he knew them, he said he works with them. I had never gotten to see that side of things.” While being a first-generation cattle producer has its challenges, Zane and Courtney are committed to finding ways and partnerships to continue to make their operation sustainable. They can see how raising their children on the farm will result in life-long lessons for Nolan, 3 ½, and 1-year-old Sutton. “We see it in our oldest son who is so mature for being just 3 ½ years old. He understands that you’ve got to feed and water the cows every day, even though there are times you don’t want to,” Courtney said. “He got to watch a baby being born this year and is learning all about the life cycle.” After a hard day’s work, Zane likes to kick off his boots and reflect on what he and Courtney are building for themselves and their children. “We’re trying to do it right and set up the foundation for our kids if they want to do this,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll see all the hard work that goes into raising cattle and it will help mold who they are.”