Aaron and Teresa Johnson find what works for their farm

meet yourneighbors

Doing What Works

By Julie Turner-Crawford Aaron and Teresa Johnson go from a dairy operation to feeder cattle

After decades in the dairy industry, Aaron and Teresa Johnson decided in 1993 that it was time to make a change, but they still wanted to remain in the cattle industry. Taking advantage of the facilities they had in place for the dairy cows, they began a feeder operation.

ATS Farms, named for Aaron, Teresa, and their daughters Shayna and Shyann, now has close to 1,000 head of contracted and owned cattle on feed.

“My land isn’t set up for a cow/calf operation,” Aaron explained. “We don’t have much pasture ground. Our farm is river bottom, so we are a little different than anyone else around here because we can grow a lot of feed, but we don’t have the pasture.”

Because they don’t produce their own calves, the Johnsons seek out cattle from reputable Missouri farms for their finishing operation.

“I like to buy my calves between 750 and 900 pounds,” Aaron explained. “I buy my cattle from someone who has some history behind them and background. I don’t try to put together calves; I’ve done that in the past, and it doesn’t work.”

He buys calves only from reputable producers who can verify birth dates, health and origin.

“I want the track record of those calves,” Aaron said. “I want to know if they had their shots, the last time they were wormed, and anything they might need. That way, we have the whole history of the calves.”

“He’s very picky about the quality of the cattle we bring in,” Teresa said.

The Johnsons typically purchase 200 to 300 head at a time and feed them until they reach 1,500 to 1,600 pounds. Thirty to 45 finished animals are sent Missouri Prime Beef Packers at a time.

“It would be fantastic to do a load every month, but with our pens and barn, it’s not realistic,” Aaron said. 22

Aaron and Teresa Johnson utilize facilities once used to house and feed dairy cattle for their cattle feeding operation.

Photo by Julie Turner-Crawford

Previously, the Johnsons purchased cattle at about 550 to 600 pounds, feeding them until they hit the 850- to 900-pound mark.

“We were leaving a lot of money on the table,” Aaron said. “That 750 to 850 mark is the easiest time to have the cattle. Back then, we bought Draxxin by the case. Now, it’s the exact opposite; I don’t even know where the bottle of Draxxin even is. There are 255 head that have been here since October, others that came in January, and there’s not one single calf that has had a shot, and we have had zero death loss. Those fats we are getting ready to sell will likely make us more money than any cattle we have Pleasant ever had on this farm.” Hope, Mo.

Brangus and crossbreeds are the Johnsons’ preference for their feeder cattle. “They out gain a straight Angus two to one,” he said, adding he prefers steers over heifers. “We feed pretty hard, too. It’s like milking; you can starve the milk out of your cow or feed the milk out of her. The calves will only perform how you make them perform.” Calves finished at the farm are housed in a large pen pack barn, about 147-feet wide and147-feet long. “They are all on concrete,” Aaron said. “There is zero runoff because we clean the feed alleys every day and haul that manure down to the cropland. With fertilizer prices, that’s a plus. The cattle lay on cornstalks, and those also get spread back onto the fields.” The use of manure on cropland, he added, is a critical component of healthy, fertile soil.

“We ran a soil test in front of the planter a couple of years ago,” he recalled. “With no fertilizer, we have 110 pounds of nitrogen per acre for the corn, all from cow manure. We grew up hauling manure every day. My dad and grandpa never unhooked the manure spreader from the tractor it was on.”

Bedding, which is also produced on the farm, is only cleaned from the barn once a year, but additional stocks are added as needed.

“I wouldn’t feed calves outside again,” Aaron said. “The health of the cattle is much better. When we have that wet, cold, drizzling rain, and it’s 32 degrees, the cattle are inside smiling. In the summer, it’s 20 degrees cooler in the barn than outside. We built the barn in 1993, and people had the concept that confining cattle was hard on them. When we run cattle out to clean the feed alley, it takes two to three people to get them out, and then when you get the alley clean, you just have to open the gate and jump on the fence; they fly back in there. You can open a gate, and they won’t walk out.”

The Johnsons grow the corn and silage fed to cattle at ATS Farm.

“I mainly feed corn and distillers,” Aaron said, adding that cattle also receive about 1.5 percent Feedlot Balancer vitamin and mineral in their ration, with each calf receiving 30 to 50 pounds per day. “We plant a little over 1,000 acres of corn, milo and beans, and some of that is custom and crop shared. For us, it’s huge to be able to grow our feed because it fits our niche. Is it right for everyone? No, but it works for us.”

Feeding cattle instead of grazing may seem more expensive, but it is the best option for Aaron and Teresa’s operation.

“For my bigger calves, it’s costing me $5 a day, but they are putting on between 4 and 5 pounds a day. It’s not what it costs to feed them; it’s what it costs per pound to gain. Some guys say corn is too high

meet your neighbors

to feed; it isn’t. For the return on your investment, nothing replaces corn. Where’s that line at? I can’t answer that, but the nutritionist has backed the corn off on my growing calves but increased the distillers. Our corn silage is also pretty hot because we were chopping 180-bushel corn. If we had just fescue hay, it would be a big difference.”

ATS Farms is part of the Missouri Prime Show Me Beef program, which the Johnsons believe adds value to their cattle and offered consumers a locally-produced product.

“Our picture is at Price Cutters and so is our meat,” Aaron said with a smile. “Missouri beef is at places like the Metropolitan Grill and others; it’s nice to know that.”

Aaron and Teresa admitted they were skeptical about Missouri Prime before it came to Pleasant Hope, but they are proud to be partners with the packer.

“They contacted me about a year before them ever coming around,” Aaron said. “I wanted something that would be here for the long hall. There were a lot of people in and out of (the facility) before they came in. Missouri Prime is here to stay. There used to be this mindset that you couldn’t feed cattle in Southwest Missouri. Well, that’s not true. There’s more corn grown down here that there used to be, too, and you have the demand.”

Additionally, ATS Farms houses cattle, short-term, for Missouri Prime Beef Packers, which is only a couple of miles away from their Pleasant Hope, Mo., farm.

Aaron is the fourth generation of his family on his farm and feels there needs to be more to keep the agriculture industry moving forward in the area.

“We have to get something sustained for the next generation,” Aaron said, adding that Missouri Prime and NextGen Beef Company, which owns Missouri Prime, have similar goals. “Missouri Prime has given this part of the country a huge opportunity and another avenue, not just for fat cattle, but they kill cows too. It’s amazing the money that has been taken out of here for years.”

“Promoting Missouri beef is keeping our product and money here,” Teresa said. “People want to support local, and this has afforded us this opportunity.”

Specializing In SW Mo. Farms & Ranches!

“A Cattleman Who Knows Real Estate” BRIGHTON - Hwy 13, 15 Ac., Open & wooded mix, great visibility from both directions of Hwy 13, conveniently located between Springfi eld & Bolivar ............................ $97,500 ASH GROVE - 34 Ac., Hwy 160, located just east of Ash Grove w/frontage on 160. All open, great visability ...........................$159,000 BILLINGS - Hwy M, 30 Ac., Great private setting, open/wooded combo, new well, new fence, road on two sides ...............$225,000 CRANE - Farm Road 2027, 20 Ac., Road on 3 sides, new 1 BR open fl oor plan home, cross fence, pond, great excessibility ......$275,000 AURORA - 3.5 Ac., Law. 2145, really cute farm house on 3 1/2 acres, long drive, shop, outbuildings, nice setting ..............$280,000 CLEVER - Smart Road, 40 Ac., nice and open property with great views ..............$295,000 HALFWAY - 445th Rd., 9 Ac., 6 BR home, horse barn, 10,000 sq. ft. shop & offi ce, 3 phase power ......................................$425,000 MARIONVILLE- - 10 Ac Hwy 413. Recently remodeled home, 40 x 60 shop, 40 x 80 hay barn and detached garage....................$485,000 AURORA - Hwy K, 6 Ac., Beautiful all brick full walkout basement home, open fl oor plan, 60x120 red iron shop w/7 14 ft. tall overhead doors, great views in all directions ............. ..............................................$498,500 LA RUSSELL - 53 Ac., Hwy YY, Great Country Estate in private setting, open/wooded combination, 7 BR home, 40x52 shop, 40x80 iron equipment shed, 36x36 livestock barn, pipe fence, great for hunting & livestock, Nice! .... ..............................................$512,500 MT VERNON - 21 Ac Law 2100. Great horse farm set up and ready to go. Nice home, Indoor & Outdoor arena. Stall barn, Multiple Paddocks with run-in sheds,. ..............$549,000 MT. VERNON - 80 Ac. Law. 2160 Historic “Meyer Farms Vineyard” w/32 Acres of productive grapevines w/6 varieties, 2 irrigation well, century old barn w/60x40 pole barn ..$575,000 SARCOXIE - 95 Ac. on State Hwy 37, Nice open ground fenced & cross-fenced, 6 Ac. Lake, great development potential ......................$585,000 ASH GROVE - 121 Ac., Farm Road 74, great open property located just West of Ash Grove in Greene County, ponds, spring, nice ................$600,000 STOCKTON - 200 Ac Waggoner Rd. Great hunting and recreational property, Fenced for cattle, creek, nice balance of open and wooded ground. .........................$630,000

SOLD REED’S SPRING - 145 Ac. Dogwood Tree Rd. off Hwy 160 rolling nice clear Ozark pasture land w/beautiful scenic views & outstanding building site, over 1/2 mile road frontage w/easy access points ............................$696,000 SOLD LOCKWOOD - 160 Ac CR 41. Open and level pasture ground just north of Lockwood, fenced, rural water. ...............................$720,000 LOCKWOOD - 138 Ac CR 72. Road frontage on 2 sides, mostly all tillable, great Location ......... ............................................... $759,000 GREENFIELD - Dade 125, 181 Ac., Great grass farm, new fencing & waterers, multiple pastures, new pipe corral, ponds, Nice! .. $771,375 UNDER CONTRACT LAMAR - 160 Ac Hwy 160 & 100th Ln. Nice open farm, Fenced and live water, Tillable acres. .... ............................................... $800,000 SOLD POTTERSVILLE - 504 Ac. CR 7040. Great grass farm, 9 ponds, well, 2 big pipe corrals, working barn, mostly open, new fence w/pipe SOLD corners ................................. $1,257,480 MORRISVILLE - 207 AC 127th Rd. Nice open farm ground with 3-bed home and barns, Lake, fenced & Cross-fenced, open tillable ground. UNDER CONTRACT ........................................... $1,300,000 MT. VERNON - 27 Ac. Hwy M, World Class SOLD Equestrian and Event Center, 135x200 indoor arena, 110 event stalls, 80x120 training indoor arena w/58 training stalls, full service restauSOLD rant, RV hookups & so much more .............. ........................................... $1,350,000 MT. VERNON - 306 Ac., Law. 2150, Great Farm SOLD land just south of I-44, Retired Dairy, Multiple outbuildings + barns, 4 BR home, High quality SOLD tillable soil. ........................... $1,600,000 LEBANON - 414 Ac. Just off Hwy 64, great grass farm, over 200 acres of bottom ground, home, SOLD equipment/hay building, fence & cross fence, NICE ..................................... $1,904,400 EVERTON - 522 Ac., Dade 184, all contiguous w/road frontage throughout, great open SOLD pasture w/views all around, 14 ponds, 2 barns, pipe/corral, really nice ............. $2,583,900 BOLIVAR - 2140 Ac Hwy 83. One of the great grass farms in SW MO. The Blue Bottom Ranch offers 4 wells, Corrals, Equipment & Hay barns, 20+ ponds and live Creek, Bottom UNDER CONTRACT Ground, 400 acres of mature timber and the UNDER CONTRACT UNDER CONTRACT rest is open. ........................... $6,634,000 NORWOOD - 2,590 Ac. Hwy 76 CR 137, Exceptional cattle ranch in heart of cow/calf country, mostly open w/fence, 3 acres of bottom ground, many buildings, 30 plus ponds & pipe water, 2 nice homes, too much to list .... ........................................... $7,888,200 SOLD tomkisseerealestate.com 417.882.5531

Mark Your Calendars!

To Better Serve You, Now Holding Two Special Dairy Sales Per Month, 2nd & 4th Tuesday of Each Month Feeder Wean-Vac Special Sale

Wednesday • May 4th Special Dairy Sale

Tuesday • May 10th Reg. Feeder & Holstein Steer Special

Wednesday • May 11th Feeder Wean-Vac Special Sale

Wednesday • May 18th Special Cow Sale

Saturday • May 21st • 4 p.m. Special Dairy Sale

Tuesday • May 24th Stock Cow & Bull Sale

Starts 9 a.m. Every Monday Feeder Cattle Sale

Starts 7 a.m. Every Wednesday Dairy Sale

Sale starts at 11 a.m. every 2nd & 4th Tues.

Josh Ford Tonto Kissee Jake Ford

839-3610

Steve Hawk

224-5047 788-2240 838-4638

Kelly Crain

376-2878 839-0613 225-8929

Tye Stokes

316-3435

Cowboy Church Every Thursday Night at 7 p.m.

Visit Us Online At

Springfi eldLivestockMarketingCenter.com

facebook.com/Springfi eldLivestockMarketingCenter

Exit 70 • I-44 & Hwy. MM, Approx. 3 Mi. W. of Springfi eld & 1 Mi. E of James River Hwy.

417.869.9500

23