Larry Sutton developed his own supplements and Pro-Energy Feed

meet your neighbors

Developing a Brand

By Terry Ropp A love for livestock and the feed industry prompted Larry Sutton to start his own company

Like so many ranchers, Larry Sutton was born into a ranching fam-

ily. As a young boy, he accompanied his father Dallas to the local feed store. The smell and his love of cattle and horses stayed with him through the years.

First, Larry purchased a feed store in 1976 and then extensively traveled when working for a major feed company.

While he enjoyed his job, by 1995 he decided the best feed he could sell to retailers would be a liquid feed he developed. Larry’s years in the corporate industry served him well as did his years on the ranch near Lipscomb, Texas, where his dad had worked and where processed cottonseed cake was the preferred feed.

“Cottonseed cake proved to be an excellent balance between protein and energy,” Larry said. “Then they began to take the oil out, leaving good protein source but with only minimal energy. I wanted to develop a liquid feed that returned to that cottonseed cake performance profile.”

Wanting his feed to be natural, Larry started Pro Energy Feeds and came up with a corn byproduct feed that was 20 percent protein and 5 percent fat. The protein comes from sources other than urea and energy from corn oil and soybean oil. The blend yields the same digestible energy Larry remembers from his childhood. Next, he added an extremely the probiotic Aqua-Zyme Plus, which enhances digestion in addition to strengthening cattle immune systems.

While the original formula, most often referred to as “cow feed,” works well for beef cattle, Dairymen wanted higher consumption for their milking herds. Larry decreased the protein level and added molasses. The dairymen were pleased with Dairy Blend 16-5 because they could lower grain intake while maintaining energy and milk production, as well as improving herd health and longevity. Aware of the benefits of Aqua Zyme Plus, the dairymen then requested a similar feed for bottle calves. The result was Initiator, a highly-palat-

Photo by Terry Ropp

Larry Sutton, pictured with his wife Peggy, has been in the cattle and feed business most of his life. Today he owns Pro-Energy Feeds and raises all-natural beef.

able free-choice feed. Now, highly stressed calves start on Initiator and progress to Calf Booster with Dairy Blend 16-5 used for milking herds.

While Larry and his first wife Beverly were developing and building their family business, they also ran a cow/calf operation, a favorite with Beverly. When a nearby ranch on the highway came up for sale, Larry bought it because it offered excellent access in addition to a big barn for the business and good land for their cattle.

Beverly was by Larry’s side for 45 years and active in developing the business, with oldest son Garrett eventually overseeing production, and youngest son Grayson in charge of semis and deliveries. The business grew and consumed all of his time from fall to spring. After Beverly was taken by cancer, Larry lost interest in the cow/calf operation and sold the herd. Several years passed with no cattle before Larry added backgrounding steers.

The Sutton ranch is a melding of an agricultural business with cattle using an annual cycle that supports both. Larry buys all-natural steer calves in with the steers being sold at 1,000 pounds in November just as his business demands more attention.

A Colorado rancher and president of the Mesa County Cattlemen’s Association, invited the Sutton family to honor Pro Energy-Feeds at their 1998 annual banquet. Next, the cattleman invited them to lunch at his ranch. The beef was delicious and extremely tender. After Larry ad-

Vinita, Okla. mitted the steaks were easily the best he’d ever had, the rancher explained the Angus steer was raised solely on Colorado grass and Pro-Energy Feed. Larry immediately wondered if he could get the same results with Oklahoma grass. The Suttons have enjoyed raising and eating all-natural beef ever since, using high-grade, natural free-choice mineral and fresh water in livestock tanks.

Larry’s beef is highly sought after and sold by private treaty.

Due to business growth now encroaching on the summer months, the ranch is on the cusp of modifying again. Larry plans to switch most of his land to hay production with neighbor and friend Randy Henry baling and purchasing the hay and with Larry raising only 15 calves per year on three rotational paddocks.

Larry cares for his land as carefully as everything else in his life. After applying a natural soil supplement called N-Zyme for many years, Larry combined N-Zyme with a molasses-based soil enhancer product called N-Forcer. The Bermuda, fescue, clover and bluestem fields are sprayed annually with the combination which feeds the microbes in the soil bringing “life, health and vitality.” Earthworm production is up, the soil absorbs and holds moisture better and the grass and hay remain all natural. As the move toward fewer cattle progresses, the balance of business and agricultural production will level once again.

“Neighbor Jim Petty has been my mentor through the years,” Larry said. “Whenever he speaks, I listen because he knows more about cattle and soil than anyone I have ever known. When I used to talk about never marrying again, Jim always said I would know if the situation changed because I would feel peace, and he was right.”

When Larry’s son Garrett introduced him to Facebook, Larry saw Peggy who had attended the same high school although he hadn’t known her. They married three years ago.

“The Lord has been with me every step of the way as he was for Peggy,” Larry confided. “We are happy and thriving both personally and in business. Most of all, we are very grateful for what we have been given and where we have been led.”

7