Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/542960
Leavingthebuffalo jump, we had lunch at the White Lake Hutterite Col- ony, near Nobleford. Pete Crow had met the leader Jerry Hofer fifteen years ago at a Hereford sale in New Mexico. A prayer was led by men and sixteen young women sang a hymn of thanks- giving before we enjoyed another delicious meal. Prime rib, tender with a slight smoke flavor; baked potato with sour cream, butter, bacon bits; as- paragus, baked beans, Caesar salad, and home made rolls with honey. A whipped cream with fruit dessert, plus sweet ice tea or water. There were 140 people including children in the colony, and they were de- veloping another colony since this one was getting too large. There is work for 60 to 70 men. This col- ony was started in 1978. To start a new colony, they split the assets, and want 25,000 farming acres. This one has ties to Austria, South Dakota and Alberta. The colony has 1,600 cows, Hereford and Red Angus, including a reg- istered Charolaise herd. Having built their cow numbers in the last ten years. They feed out their own cattle, in 7,000 head feedlot. Driving past a feedlot we saw the 1,500 lb steers that would be shipped next week to JBS. A round barn used for calving and training horses. They start calving for 45 days on March 20th. 600 sows, a million turkeys, a million broilers, which we didn't see due to biosecurity, and milk 300 dairy cows. They do their own veterinary work since someone had gone to vet school. There was a slaughter facility on the grounds. They have 15 mares, bred AI with American Quarter Horse semen. 50,000 acres is seeded, growing barley, peas, len- tils, and 90 day corn for the dairy and feedlot. 11,000 acres was in canola. 70 section quarters are ir- rigated. Canal had water from Oldman River. There were 35 quarter pivots in this area. We visited the manufac- turing shop where doors are made, walking past a huge garden with bloom- ing peas, garlic, carrots, rhubarb, onions, spinach, lettuce, asparagus, etc. They also have a gravel plant. The county pays three teachers since there is a school at the head- quarters. Everyone gasped when we learned the 12 combines are traded in each year, doing it by bids. We visited the new col- ony that will be opened in two years. The shop, houses, church, school are built already, and much equipment was already here. Still needed land- scaping. A heavy rain shower and then it was sunny. Next morning we visited the prairie, and no mat- ter where you looked there wasn't a tree, bush or wil- low. Just grass, with some wild flowers. We were vis- iting Deseret Ranches, and the ranch was 20 miles south of Raymond. Our host information read: "This 105,000 acre property is comprised of two ranches known as the Knight Ranch and Bar K2 Ranch. These historic ranches were purchased by Deseret Ranches in the late '40s and have been op- erated as working ranches since that time. "The ranch runs 6,800 pregnant cows and 1,500 stocker yearlings annually. Most cattle work is still completed by horseback. "The ranch is predom- inantly native grassland with a much smaller per- centage of tame forages for spring/summer graz- ing. Swath grazing is also a key part of the program with 3,000 acres of farm- land seeded to oats or trit- icale for winter grazing each winter." We were told the oats and triticale are cut in milk stage, and left. The cows dig through the snow to graze on the swathed hay. They use an electric fence with single wire for controlled grazing. Darren Berans is man- ager, and this was the first LDS ranch, while Florida is 2nd. Ken Jensen coordi- nates the ranch help and Jorey Henry was the fore- man. Each man was on a bus as we covered the ranch by bus for 3.5 or 4 hours. The Knight ranch of 90,000 acres was pur- chased in 1945, and Bar K2 was 16,000 acres in 1947. They purchased irri- gated land in 2003, where they raise sweet peas, po- tatoes, table corn on 3,000 acres by contractors. No government grazing. Average rainfall is 16 to 18 inches, but this year the grass is starting to turn already. They had 700 stocker steers here till three and half weeks ago, when they sold and shipped early to save the feed for winter. The steers were 750 lbs off grass. Usu- ally they get 6 inches of rain in June, and none this year. During the winter, before bloom, lupine is a good protein, but not this year. The creek we crossed over normally runs to July, and there were only a few pools. They calve in April and May for 60 days, and wean in October off the cow at 435 lbs. Nov. to Janu- ary can be much snow, and want no calves on the cows. This year the chinook warm wind melted the snow in Jan. The ranch is at 4,500 ft. They keep 20 days of hay, and supple- ment cows with half ration of alfalfa in storms. They produce their own bulls, using calving ease semen. The bulls aren't registered, but use Angus semen. The cows are half Angus, with Hereford and Gelvich. There are three calving camps, with a cabin avail- able nearby for shelter, since blizzards can come in May. They used to preg. test in May, and now do it in November as well as vaccinate with Bovi Shield Gold FP, and Ultrabac 8. No vibrio or lepto since it is a closed herd. They use ultrasound for pregnancy testing, since it gives re- sults 30 days sooner. Branding is done in a wire trap (corral) of six wires, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. branding 600 to 700 head at a time. They use a Northfork, a stake in ground that holds the calf down, and no need for muggers. They rope the hind legs, while Northfork holds the neck and head. The RFI button is applied at branding time. The ranch buys broke horses for staff and owns 23 horses, while the cow- boys have 40 personal horses for ranch work, weekend ropings. They use horses instead of 4 wheel- ers or dogs, so cattle are calmer. The ground squirrels and gophers (we call them prairie dogs) were thick, and the ranch encour- ages the numerous hawks we saw. They poison with grain. Deseret doesn't own the mineral rights to the land, but oil/gas companies pay access to the ground and they have a mineral con- sultant to work on the leases. Oil companies don't own the roads, but lease them. LDS is set up as an out- fitter and sell tags for mule and white tail deer. Now have 200 elk and none 15 years ago, so they encour- age hunting. JEANBARTON The Alberta Wild Rose Canadian Ranch Tour Call 877-4DAD411 or visit www.fatherhood.gov be a dad today. 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