Feedlot Talk for Ranchers
Shaye Koester 00:00
Hey, hey, it’s Shaye Koester and I’m your host for the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast where we connect you to ranchers and beef industry enthusiasts who can help you build a more profitable operation and improve your lifestyle. Are you looking for a community of ranchers who support and challenge you to be more profitable and proactive? Then sign-up for our monthly RancherMind events. RancherMinds are mastermind events for ranchers to come together once a month and find solutions for their own and the industry's challenges. Stay connected by following @cattleconvos on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and never miss an episode or event update by signing up for our newsletter on casualcattleconversations.com/newsletter. If you get value out of this episode or any episode drop a comment or tip me by using the link in the show notes. With that let’s see who our guest is today and connect you to a new resource to improve your own operation and lifestyle. I guess with that we can get started. So thank you for joining me today on the show. I know, you've been a part of the RancherMind Series, which was awesome to have you on the feedlot side. And so I'm excited to have you on this other end of Casual Cattle Conversations.
Cassie Lapaseotes 01:37
Absolutely. Thanks for having me.
Shaye Koester 01:40
So just to start off, would you please share what your background is within the beef industry? What's your beef story?
Cassie Lapaseotes 01:48
Um sure so my parents, so my dad's side of the family, their Greek family that came over immigrated from Greece and started working his way over on the railroads and then ended up in Bridgeport, Nebraska with buying some farm ground. We started as farmers back in the 70s and then my dad in 1988, decided to build a feedlot here west of Bridgeport. So he built a feedlot that I'm working at and managing today. So it's been, you know, 33-34 years now that that feedlot has been in operation. Then on my mom's side of the family, her dad raised registered Herefords and they'd have bull sales every year. They're just about 18 miles southwest of Bridgeport. And, oh, back in the 90s, my mom ended up buying that ranch from my grandpa and she turned the sale barn into a feedlot and built it up to about a 5000 head feed yard. Then she had a cow herd that they would run back in the hills. So my background would be growing up and working summers with my dad, or my mom, through you know, the fall run in the fall and winter time, weekends would be spent processing, riding pens, helping her out when she was kind of short handed. And so it's kind of a combination of the two, but a lot of it was out at my mom's and then a lot of my summer times were irrigating here in town with my dad. So it has just been a part of my life as far as I can remember and it's been good. It's been a good experience and a great way to grow up.
Shaye Koester 03:46
Awesome. So what does your involvement I mean, day to day, what does that look like today? On the feedlot.
Cassie Lapaseotes 03:54
Sure, so I manage one of our 5000 head feed yards, just west of Bridgeport. And currently we have four employees up there, which we kind of go from three to four. Then we run some grass cattle throughout the summertime. So our feedlot crew kind of shifts that way a little bit. And then we have a cow herd and I oversee the cow herd side of things. And so we all just kind of make it work. When we're calving we are calving and when you're in the feedlot you're in the feedlot and some of the feedlot guys and I we go to the cow stuff and then we just make it work. So we run a pretty tight crew and a very, very good crew. I'm blessed to have a good crew with us and so we just get it done at the end of the day.
Shaye Koester 04:46
Oh, that's awesome. And so I guess what's your education background? Were there steps in between high school and returning to the feedlot? What were those in between stages?
Cassie Lapaseotes 04:59
I went to school at Colorado State University. I got a degree in agricultural business. And then I'd say I graduated on a Saturday and I started working on a Monday. So that was kind of the steps in between was just being in Fort Collins for four years, which was fantastic. I learned a lot there and networked a lot there. It's been a really good path.
Shaye Koester 05:26
So for you did you ever think about going to a different segment of the beef industry other than feedlot or did you think about cow calf? Did you think about being on the business side are what really drove you to say "Yes, I want to stay in the feedlot side."
Cassie Lapaseotes 05:42
Um, you know, I enjoy the feedlot, I enjoy the pace of the feedlot. You know, it's kind of addicting, getting cattle in, getting cattle out, making andn filling pens. It's, you know, 365 day job, but the pace is a little bit quicker than on the cow calf side. But with us having the cow herd and the ability to be a part of that, that kind of helps. You know, once you get to about January, you're kind of ready to get out of the feedlot a little bit. So we're starting to shift out and move cows around and get some yearlings in and get out on the grass. So then you kind of get an opportunity to get out of the feedlot when those numbers get down quite a bit and then spend most of my days out doing other things. So I never really thought about going somewhere else and working. I did do some other experiences in college. I worked for a guy who had about eight ranches throughout Colorado and Wyoming. So I had a lot of experience there with him and then certified AI through college. So little stuff like that that I had the opportunity to take advantage of while I was there kind of helped broaden my experiences in the industry.
Shaye Koester 06:57
Well, awesome. So for those who aren't familiar with what the RancherMind call we mentioned earlier is, Cassie was on there as well as three other representatives from different feedlots. It really allowed ranchers to ask questions to feedlot owners and cattle buyers. But really, you know, Cassie brought up what I think is pretty neat. And other people experience it too. But that's where you have the cow calf side and the feedlot as well. So how has being involved in and having a stake in two segments made you think differently about each segment? Or maybe managed differently?
Cassie Lapaseotes 07:39
Yeah, I mean that's a good question. We calve in the fall, so we just weaned all of our calves. And it's, you know, it's February and we wean everything, so we're kind of on and off, away from the fall run. You know, having your own cow herd you think of closed herds that the calves don't, you know, they don't travel more than 20 miles until they go to the packing plant. You know, we have our own health issues that we're trying to address, we take care of our cows pretty well and we keep them on mineral. We keep precondition the calves are fully vaccinated and you know, we still have health issues in the feedlot. You just have health issues coming to the feedlot and so that's really good to kind of understand that there's so many external environmental factors that you can't control. And so you just got to figure out a way to do the best you can and get through your day with it. But it has been beneficial, I guess, just to understand what the cow calf guys go through. And then it's been good to to be able to communicate back to the rancher, you know, I understand. You guys have a cow herd. I understand what you guys are going through as well. And kind of bridge that gap a little bit. It's been, it's been beneficial.
Shaye Koester 09:15
So when you talk about bridging that gap, you know, we talked about having relationships within different segments. So what would you say are some of those key steps or key points for ranchers to develop good relationships with feedlots or maybe a feedlot that their calves have been returning to?
Cassie Lapaseotes 09:32
Absolutely so yeah. So if you know if as a rancher, if you know where your calves are going to go. A. It's very helpful on our end to know the history of your calves and knowing what they were vaccinated with and when and a little bit of the mineral program but just understanding what these calves have already had prior to coming to the feedlot, not all feedlots can. Some just have a basic protocol and they follow that. And that's how they go. For me, if I have the information based off when they get to the feed yard, I might adjust my protocols here. So that's helpful. And then I would say to any rancher, if you know where your calves have gone, you know, come February March, go take a look at what your calves look like, after they've been on feed for quite a while and see how they've changed or understand, you know, what happened on the feedlot level and ask questions and understand the challenges that we had, or challenges we didn't have, maybe they were a great set of calves and, and try to just umm the transparency, I think is getting better as younger generations come about, and there's opportunity to transfer that data back and forth.
Shaye Koester 10:57
How can producers you know, find out which feedlot those calves go to, because there are different avenues to market calves, some are selling a little more direct, some are going through sale barns, like what does that look like? As far as figuring out which feedlot they're ending up at?
Cassie Lapaseotes 11:21
You know, that's not my territory to ask or to understand. But if I'm sure if the rancher asked, you know, the sale barn or video, you know what happened where those calves went, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to give that information out. I'm not going to speak for them by any means. But I don't see why it would be an issue to know where they went. You know, some of the guys just dump them at the sale barn and walk away and get a check and don't really care too. So just the communication with the sale barn, it would be my first would be the first step that I would say.
Shaye Koester 12:01
Awesome. So shifting gears a little bit. You know, you talked about how well you know, come look at your calves later because they change a lot. So there's a lot of change that those calves go through. So what did those first few weeks look like for a new set of calves in the feedlot.
Cassie Lapaseotes 12:18
So you know, depending on the time of year, but primarily most calves arrive October, November. A big thing that I think a lot of ranchers have to realize is yeah, you know, we get your calves in but at the same time, in that week, we might get 3000 calves from you know 10 other different ranches and so you're limited on your resources and you're limited on your staff and that fall run. I mean people at the feed loss they're, they're getting calves in throughout the entire night. They're receiving calves and so you've got weaned calves, you've got balling calves, you're starting to get some sickness going and so the weather can be a challenge too. And so just understanding what happens at the feedlot level, a lot of it is just these guys start to get pretty beat up and wore out, especially if you're short staffed on just what's happening in those 45 to 60 days. And once again to the feedlot. Every feedlot is different. Protocols are different. But for us, if it's a calf that just came off its mom, I like to let them settle down for about a week, get kind of comfortable, a little less stress on them to kind of make sure that vaccine works a little bit more efficiently in them. However, in a lot of feedlots, that's not the case. They don't have the manpower or the time or the opportunity to hold them back they have to get them processed to take home because they're running short on receiving pens or running short on people and they have a short amount of time to get those calves worked and processed. So typically the first couple of weeks as calves comes in they they get processed and taken home and after that you get typically about three weeks and that's when it's kind of make or break for a calf if they get up to that 21 days and they're still staying healthy then you're probably pretty good throughout the feeding period, but at about day 21 the odds of that calf or that pen of calves getting sick and it can vary but hopefully they don't but more times than not you'll see the sickness start to set in.
Shaye Koester 14:43
Okay, so really looking at that now. So you set up to like day 21, now you look at calves as some may finish quicker or faster. Are you splitting groups up depending on how they're finishing? What they're weighing? What does that kind of process look like up to the finishing period.
Cassie Lapaseotes 15:04
Um, we don't typically especially if they're ranch direct. If they come in off of a video they should or off an auction barn they should be weight sorted up pretty good at the auction barn so we try to get a more consistent weight group of calves coming through. Now if we come in and there is high volatility in the weight, and enough calves to sort into a group or two, we definitely will. It really helps on you know that especially on that lighter end to take that competition away from the bunk with a bigger calf, you know, where they're a little more aggressive and able to get to the bunk a little harder. So, if the opportunity is there, we definitely will sort them. But we, like I said, trying to get a more consistent group of calves and that narrows that marketing window up for that group, and we keep them together through the entire feeding period.
Shaye Koester 15:59
Well, awesome. So kind of going into some more big picture questions to pick your brain about is there any one thing or multiple things you wish ranchers would do a little bit differently from your side and perspective on the feedlot.
Cassie Lapaseotes 16:18
Um, you know, as long as they they have a good vaccination program, um, try not to skimp on those on your mineral program, especially I think people and in different years, they try to skimp on that on mineral, especially to their cows. I think that can hurt us. In the end, as we kind of talked on the RancherMind. You know, reputation can get pretty big in a sale barn and coming to us, we really just want a healthy calf that's, you know, consistent, even set of calves and the calves that stay healthy and feed well through the feeding period. If you start to get that and build that one year to the next, then it adds value to the calves that you guys are raising on the ranch side. You know, most people do a pretty good job of raising their calves and so I I hope that answers what you're kind of looking for.
Shaye Koester 17:23
So you brought this up twice in the past 10 minutes or so, you talked about the mineral program. So why do you care about the mineral program? What are the impacts of skimping on a mineral program on the cow calf side? How is that impacting you?
Cassie Lapaseotes 17:36
It's health in the feedlot. If the cows didn't get the health, the mineral throughout the gestation period, that calf is already starting out behind just in the minerals that they need themselves. Then once they're born, and you take that away from them, they're, they're licking in the tubs just as much as a cow is. If you start the calf off already behind them catching up as they go along usually isn't the case. They're just always a step behind the healthier calves that have had access to full mineral.
Shaye Koester 18:21
Okay, so looking at the next five to 10 years, what's one thing you are excited to see in the beef industry? Whether that's technology wise, relationship wise, like what are you excited about for the future of our industry?
Cassie Lapaseotes 18:37
I think, with COVID, the Holcomb fire with Tyson and I think, you know, as feedlot people have understood that there are a lot of issues on that end. I think people realize that it's time to stand up and change. We need to find a way to come together and change. I mean, this truly impacted a lot of ranchers, and a lot of cattle feeders, and I think we're trying to figure out ways to be in more control about where our product goes next. I think that it's created a lot of opportunity for that. I also think with the technology and the transparency, you know, consumers I know, it's been said for a while they want to know where their food comes from. But I think we're starting to find the technologies and the opportunities to start at a ranch level and promote those ranchers and showcase what they do. I think we're starting to actually push forward with that a lot more. I think in the next 5 to 10 years, we're going to be able to come back and identify, you know, a piece of steak and say, Oh, it was born on this ranch by this person and their picture comes up. So a lot of opportunity there. People get pretty bleak on the next generations coming back. But my experience here in the western part of Nebraska is there are a lot of kids and families wanting to come back and raise their kids in agriculture. And so we have to create opportunities to be able to make sure that they can make a living and feed their families at the end of the day in this industry, because it's a fantastic way to grow up.
Shaye Koester 20:27
Well, I'd agree with that on two fronts, one, the traceability side, and that there are a lot of opportunities in agriculture for the next generation to come back, me being that generation and seeing my friends and myself want to do that, you know, we want to come back.
Cassie Lapaseotes 20:41
Perfect.
Shaye Koester 20:41
So with that, you know, you talked about how people are recognizing that there needs to be a shift for change, you know, with COVID, and all that arose there. What mindset Do you think ranchers and feedlots need to develop to start making those changes, start adapting those technologies and moving forward?
Cassie Lapaseotes 21:06
I think like, for us, what we've been talking about a lot is just the like an EID and individual animal identification system. There's so many different programs out there, but we're specifically as a family trying to sit down and figure out whether it be on a blockchain model, just a software program that transfers data back into the feedlot automatically. But I think starting to individually identify those animals from the ranch is a big deal. Um, and it changed for a lot of the ranchers, there. And then I think just the value of transferring the data back to the rancher is immense. I mean, if they start to understand, you know, where they can do better and if they can do better. That just makes the industry as a whole and the quality of these animals better moving forward. I think people want to do good, everybody's proud of the quality of calves that they pass along to the feedlot. And so if there's an area of opportunity to get better I think they want to at the end of the day and it's just communicating that back and forth to one another.
Shaye Koester 22:21
Well, that's awesome. Cassie, do you have any parting thoughts you'd like to share as we wrap up today?
Cassie Lapaseotes 22:27
You know, I I really don't I think what you're doing Shaye is great, I think helping on both levels on understanding, you know, for us, maybe there's something we're not doing to help the ranchers out and if they want to reach out ever and if we can help them in any way, and bridging this gap is just a great, great thing. I think this program is great. So thank you very much.
