Brothers grow cattle operation to 6,500-head capacity in rural Luverne LUVERNE — Brothers Grant and Eric Binford began farming together when they were in junior high, getting their start with a few cows and some pigs and working alongside their dad. “We used dad’s equipment and provided labor to him,” shared Grant, “but we were never part of his operation.”
Holsteins were the cattle breed of choice for the Binfords in the early 2000s, and now they raise a mix of both Holsteins and native cattle. Julie Buntjer / The Globe
When the elder Binfords, Lowell and his wife, Mary Beth, retired in the 1990s, Grant and Eric took over the home farm and expanded both the cattle and hog operations. They remained in hogs until seven years ago, and now focus on corn production and cattle — Holstein and western (native) breeds.
“Eric takes care of crop production and the book work, and my role is running the feedlot and managing the labor,” Grant shared. Their cattle feedlot includes several monoslope bedding barns, the first of which was built in 2000, just before they began feeding out Holstein calves. CONTINUED ON PAGE 51
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