Welcome to Fink Beef Genetics. We appreciate the time you are taking to review our cattle program involving two breeds, Angus and Charolais. The copperhead bulls were started in 2017 which is the Charolais x Red Angus cross. Innovation, nontraditional, unique, and outside-the-box thinking has forged us on for over 40 years. In 2016, we marketed approximately 700 bulls. One of the largest embryo transplant programs in the United States, and a networking of all segments of the cattle industry, plus old-fashioned cow sense has driven this family-owned operation since 1977. We have never waited for things to happen. If we see a need, we do it only if we feel it is in the best interest of our customers. Fads are not part of our program… long-term results are.

Two low paying jobs (Lori was the part time secretary for the Kansas Angus Association and Galen was KSU Beef herdsman), $4000, one cow and no land was the start of Fink Beef Genetics in 1977. The cowherd grew to a “massive” 25 cows over the next 10 years, keeping daughters and adding a few cows as money allowed.

It was decided at the start that we would be total AI. We used the hot, new, unproven bulls. After five years of stumbling, all kinds of genetics and chasing fads, we decided that we needed a program!

1987 was the decision-making year, either run or walk. We had an opportunity to purchase our choice of 27 bred heifers from the proven pedigree stacked cowherd of Hyline Angus, Montana. Nevermind the stock market crashed that week and working on nearly all borrowed money, we did it. This group along, with our “Miss,” Vixon, Bonnie, and Formera cow families, set the base.

To have enough numbers to try to make it on cattle alone, an embryo program was put in place in 1988 by using commercial customer’s cows for recipients. In the next two years, the ET program was greatly expanded. Customer service programs, new ideas, more rented land, were all headquartered out of a 40 acre rented headquarters. This site turned out to be the location of female sales that set records throughout the 90’s and well into the new decade.

The program has now grown into one of the top 25 largest seedstock operations ranked by the NCBA since 2004. We market approximately 700 bulls each year nationwide. Females are sold through production sales and private treaty.

We still use nearly all AI and as many proven sires as possible. In 2012 and 2013, due to drought and pasture conditions, we have turned out a bull to breed a few cows.

We implant approximately 1000-1200 embryos each year. Many of these embryos are sexed male embryos, since the fall of 2011, in both breeds.

Charolais were added to the program in 1999 to give more options for customers. We believe there are several ways for customers to create profit, through straight breeding or crossbreeding.

Our breeding program is ideally made up of sires that have approximately 100 daughters in production. This gives us an opportunity to evaluate udders, feet, disposition and “kind.” We use this approach us much as possible. We have stacked many generations of this system through AI as possible.

The Charolais program, although not as old, was created the same way by using older proven sires. We now have 3-4 generations of lighter birth weight and calving ease built into our stacked pedigrees, still with outstanding growth.

We are a family run business and when you call you will talk to one of us! A few of our innovations are:

1977 – All salvage value kept on bulls by customers on any problems

1994 – Every bull sold we retain a semen interest in. When we started in 1994, we kept ⅓ – the past several years we have kept ½.

1998 – Genetic Credit started. Customers that get identifiable carcass data back on bulls, or groups of full brother bulls receive a per head credit back on bull purchases.

2007 – Started selling cattle by video using eight big-screen TV sets and not run cattle through the sale ring. We were not the 1st to do this, but among the first.

2008 – Email blasts for commercial customers to potential buyers for steers and females, regardless of age of the females. 
2010 – A 3-year guarantee on bulls, 1st in the industry to do this for commercial bull customers.
2011 – Mass use of sexed semen in embryo transplant program.

The numbers tell part of the story. The cattle tell the rest — visit Fink Beef Genetics to see the program firsthand.

The post Fink Beef Genetics: 40 Years of Firsts in the Seedstock Business appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.

By Eric Yates, National Sales Director, Nofence

Traditional fencing has one job, and we all know it doesn’t always get the job done.

Virtual fencing, however, does many things other than containing cattle. It can record animal movements, map grazing patterns, take the chore of fence building off your list and let you see and manage individuals within your herd. Plus, it keeps cattle safely within the boundaries you choose and lets you see where they are at all times.

If you’re exploring virtual fencing, keep an open mind and think about it as a tool to manage cattle and pastures differently. Here are two examples of livestock producers who experience benefits beyond containment from their virtual fencing system.

Manage individuals, not averages

When you look over a group of cattle within a fence, the only thing you can know about them is what you see while you’re there. You’re probably great at spotting cows who look “off,” but you have only so much time to watch them. And the only way you can know a cow is ready to calve is if you go looking for cows that have separated themselves from the herd.

Virtual fencing gives you around-the-clock visibility into cattle location and behavior. The Nofence system uses GPS-enabled collars to train cattle using sound cues to stay within boundaries producers create with an app on their phone. A virtual fencing system such as Nofence can alert you to changes in an animal’s behavior that indicates she needs attention. For example, Oklahoma producer Canda Mueller could see in her Nofence app that a first-calf heifer had separated herself from the herd and was no longer grazing.

The heifer had managed to wedge herself into a “thick mess of cedar, locust and whatever else,” Mueller said. “And of course she was across a creek in a spot that was really tough to get to.”

Because the heifer was wearing a collar, Mueller could find her in the brush, move her to a better location and help with the calf.

“We would have lost her and her calf without Nofence,” Mueller said.

“I was already maxed out”

Managing livestock is physically demanding work.

Without virtual fencing, Meg Greske would never have been able to start grazing goats to manage her pastures in western Oklahoma the way she wants to. Using goats, she can turn brush into a resource and start improving pastures for grazing cattle.

“There’s no way I would have small ruminants without virtual fending,” says Greske. “Without virtual fencing, my only option would have been to run multiple strands of polywire, which is prohibitively labor intensive. I was already maxed out on having single-wire fences for my cows.”

Greske plans to transition her cattle to virtual fencing this year, and the move will save her 2 to 3 hours a day of hard, physical labor, says Greske, who is a soil health educator with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. That time matters personally and for her business.

“That time savings is the difference between having a life and not having one,” Greske says. “If I can rise above the chores and have time where I can work on my business instead of doing chores, that will help pay for the business.”

Plus, the virtual fencing actually keeps the goats where she wants them, which was not always the case with physical fencing.

“Nofence has really made goat grazing possible,” Greske says. “I’ve never had a goat where I don’t want it. It’s been effortless. And you never hear the word “effortless” in the same sentence as goats.”

Virtual fencing can be so much more than fencing. It is a solution for producers to manage their land, their cattle and their operations in a totally new way. In addition to containing cattle, virtual fencing helps producers save time, prioritize tasks and improve grazing management.

See how other U.S. producers are using the Nofence system to manage cattle and forage and connect with a Nofence representative in your area at nofence.com.

The post Virtual Fencing: Producers see benefits beyond containment appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.

By James Clement, Senior VP of Range and Grassland, EarthOptics, in partnership with
Working Ranch Magazine

For generations, successful ranching has depended on a rancher’s or farmer’s ability to
understand the land: where it is productive, where it is struggling, and how it responds to
management over time. That knowledge has traditionally been built through years of
observation, experience, and trial and error. What has changed is our ability to measure and
quantify those signals with precision and speed.

Today, tools like EarthOptics soil measurement and mapping can accelerate that learning curve
by turning soil health, productivity, and resilience into measurable, field-level data. That gives
ranchers greater confidence in management decisions while improving operational efficiency,
strengthening conversations with lenders and insurers, supporting participation in USDA
programs, and creating access to emerging environmental markets.

That shift matters because the organizations investing in stewardship practices, whether
through EQIP, CSP, voluntary carbon markets, or other incentive programs, are increasingly
expecting measurable results. Anecdotal observations alone are no longer sufficient in
programs built around measurable outcomes. They want defensible data demonstrating how
management decisions affect soil health, productivity, water infiltration, and long-term resilience.

Operations that can measure and document outcomes are increasingly better positioned to
compete for funding, strengthen financial relationships, and capture additional value from the
stewardship work they are already doing.

Biology that tells you what’s happening underground

Soil biology influences nutrient cycling, water infiltration, forage productivity, and overall
resilience. EarthOptics TruBiomaps the biological activity in your soil, including beneficial
microbes, pathogens, pests, and overall soil function.

That data helps ranchers make better decisions around grazing management, forage
productivity, fertility, and drought resilience while also providing the documentation increasingly
required for conservation and incentive programs. Through the NRCS Regenerative Pilot
Program alone, USDA is investing $700 million into regenerative agriculture, including $400
million through EQIP and $300 million through CSP. Operations that can measure and
document outcomes are increasingly better positioned to access those opportunities.

Carbon you can measure — and monetize

Carbon markets are no longer a future concept. Major companies are committing significant
capital to producers who can demonstrate measurable environmental outcomes, including
carbon sequestration. The limiting factor has been verification.

EarthOptics TruCarbon is designed to provide that proof. We measure soil carbon stocks and
produce documentation that meets the verification standards required by carbon buyers and
project developers.

The carbon market remains fragmented, with significant variation in contract structures,
permanence obligations, and revenue-sharing arrangements. The wrong agreement can lock
producers into terms that do not fit their operation. EarthOptics works with trusted carbon project
developers across the country to help ranchers evaluate opportunities while staying in control of
their operation and long-term goals.

For most ranches, carbon income is not replacing cattle revenue; it is adding another layer of
income on top of a productive operation. On our own ranch, improved grazing management and
stewardship practices have increased stocking rate, improved wildlife and hunting quality,
strengthened natural resources, and added additional cash flow through carbon credits. Carbon
revenue should complement productive ranching, not drive it. The goal is to build a more
productive, resilient, and profitable ranch that also benefits from emerging environmental
markets.

Fertility that pays you back

Residual soil fertility is often an overlooked component of ranch value. EarthOptics
TruNutrientprovides field-level nutrient and fertility data that helps producers make better
amendment decisions, reduce unnecessary input costs, and document stewardship practices.

One opportunity many ranchers remain unfamiliar with concerns residual soil fertility associated
with agricultural land transactions. Under certain IRS provisions, existing soil nutrients and
fertility may qualify for significant tax deductions when supported by proper soil testing and
defensible analysis.

For operations that have recently changed ownership, the financial impact can be substantial.
Accurate soil measurement and documentation are becoming increasingly important not only for
management decisions, but also for financial, lending, and tax-related conversations tied to the
land itself.

The bigger picture

Long-term stewardship depends on economic durability. The future of ranching will belong to
producers who combine good management with measurable data that strengthen
decision-making, improve profitability, and create access to new opportunities.

Soil measurement and mapping are not about generating reports. They help ranchers make
more confident decisions around grazing, fertility, forage production, drought resilience, and
carrying capacity while also positioning operations for carbon markets, conservation programs,
ecosystem service opportunities, and potential tax advantages tied to the land itself.

Your soil is one of the most valuable assets on your ranch. The operations that can measure,
document, and manage it with precision will be the best positioned ones to lead the next
generation of profitable and resilient ranching.

Protect your ranch. Protect your legacy. Let your soil work for you.

To learn more about our landowner programs, go to www.earthoptics.com/landowner-programs

The post Your Soil is Working as Hard as You Are — Here’s How to Get Paid for It appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.

Seventy miles. That’s how far Lloyd Calvert’s cattle can be from home base at The High Lonesome Ranch in western Colorado. For years, finding them meant days on horseback, multiple cowboys, and a lot of guesswork. Now he pulls out his phone.

The High Lonesome Ranch spans 225,000 acres of complex terrain, including varying elevations, climates, and vast stretches of rangeland that no cell tower has ever reached. It’s exactly the kind of operation that virtual fencing was built for, but until recently couldn’t fully use it.

Halter’s direct-to-satellite connectivity has changed that, significantly expanding access to virtual fencing across the United States. By enabling smart cattle collars to communicate directly with satellites in partnership with T-Mobile and powered by Starlink, ranchers can now manage cattle anywhere.

The impact of direct-to-satellite virtual fencing 

Before Halter, much of The High Lonesome Ranch’s land was simply out of reach. Physical fences could only go so far across thousands of acres of complex terrain, leaving large stretches ungrazed and unmanaged. Some pastures spanned up to 17,000 acres, and locating cattle within them could take days on horseback, with no guarantee of success.

Now, every cow is visible. “We can see the cattle no matter where they are, all across the ranch. No matter where I am, I can see what they’re doing,” says Lloyd, the ranch’s livestock and agricultural manager.

The difference goes beyond knowing where the herd is. Virtual fencing gives ranchers a tool to better manage their land, making it possible to rotate pastures with intention, rest overgrazed areas, and protect sensitive terrain that physical fencing could never reach. For a ranch like The High Lonesome, that means land that has been unused for years is now actively managed and contributing to the operation.

The impact is felt throughout every aspect of the ranch — from gathering cattle to land regeneration. “It gives us the ability to manage them more tightly with less labor and ensure better animal health and better land health simultaneously with less resources,” Lloyd explains.

Because they’re able to manage their land better, ranchers are also spending less on feed, labor, and permanent fencing while running more cattle on the same acres. Better grazing means better nutrition and more weight gain. And with GPS tracking from a smartphone, ranchers get time back for family and the parts of the business that matter most.

The next era of virtual fencing 

The High Lonesome Ranch is one example of what becomes possible when connectivity is no longer the barrier. Across the American West, millions of acres of remote rangeland have historically sat outside the reach of virtual fencing — too vast, too rugged, or too far from a cell tower for the technology to be practical.

Direct-to-satellite connectivity changes that equation entirely. For ranchers navigating labor shortages, rising costs, and the demands of managing land in an era of intensifying drought and wildfire risk, virtual fencing is no longer a tool reserved for certain operations. It’s now within reach for virtually any ranch that can see the sky.

If you would like to learn more, visit halterhq.com

The post Direct-to-Satellite Virtual Fencing is Unlocking Access for Ranches Everywhere appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.

What’s working and what needs to change now for the best possible grazing season?

By Alayna Gerhardt-Crile, PhD and PAS, Nofence grazing specialist & internal sales

What is your primary goal for pasture management this season? Do you want to optimize forage quality or quantity?

Those are the first questions I ask when producers want to know how to improve their grazing strategies. First, we identify what they want to accomplish, and then we determine what to do to get there.

Managing pastures to benefit cattle requires balancing forage availability and forage quality to make the most of the point where they intersect. All forages have a trade off: As plants mature and quantity increases, quality starts to decrease. A good grazing plan helps you identify which you’re trying to maximize – quality or quantity – and helps you map out how to get there.

Tips for the early season

Forage management is a year-long effort. The priority in April is to set pastures up for a
successful growing season. Greg Brann, a grazing consultant from Adolphus, Kentucky
recommends giving grass a head start before turning out cattle.

“We’re setting ourselves up for the whole year, so it’s important not to graze too soon or let forage get too short,” says Brann. “I wait to start grazing until the grass is at least six inches tall. Six inches is the perfect height for the animal if we have consistent growing conditions.”

The tops of grasses are the most tender and nutritious part of the plant because grass grows at the tip. When grass is growing quickly, as it tends to do in April and May, Brann uses a “top-third” grazing strategy. He lets cattle graze the top third of the available forage and then moves them to the next paddock.

Increasing stocking rates might be necessary early in the season when forage is in its fastest growth phase and quality is high. If you have a pasture full of high-quality forage, but it takes cattle six months to graze it, that’s wasted quality. In that situation, it would be better to graze more cattle for less time in a smaller space to maximize the nutritional value of the forage.

Brann uses virtual fencing to keep cattle moving at the right pace across pastures with fresh and fast-growing early season forage. Virtual fencing uses GPS collars to train cattle using sound cues to stay within boundaries producers create with an app on their phone or a platform on their computer. Virtual fencing is gaining interest and adoption by livestock producers across the U.S. because it eliminates the time and labor needed to move physical fencing.

“Strip grazing is the easiest way to graze cattle at higher densities to manage forage height,” says Brann. “Give cattle a narrow strip, let them eat it down, then move them before they over-graze. It’s one of the most common and effective ways to manage pasture, and virtual fencing has changed the game for the better.”

Observing cattle behavior is a good way to learn the ideal pace to move cattle and how much space they need as conditions change during the season, says Brann.

“The best way to use pasture is to allocate it like you would a feed bunk,” Brann said. “Let the animals line up and graze, not trample or leave manure all over the paddock. It’s time for another allocation when cattle stop grazing or lie down. Keep an eye on the rumen, which you can see directly in front of the left hip bone. “The ideal state is level or slightly bulging. If it looks sunken, that means cattle are not getting enough feed and need bigger paddocks.”

Meet individual needs within the herd

Early season forage is higher in protein, which is ideal for putting muscle on growing calves. Virtual fencing works well to make the most of forage quality when grazing cow/calf pairs. The cow wears the collar, and the calf stays nearby, grazing slightly ahead of her to reach the best quality forage.

As forage matures, it increases in quantity but typically declines in quality. Plants get bigger, and fiber increases while protein decreases. On a pasture with lower-quality forage, reducing stocking density can maintain calf gains by allowing each calf to access more of the quality forage available. Even on pastures with reduced quality, it’s possible to get more pounds at weaning by reducing the stocking rate.

Virtual fencing empowers producers to move cattle based on the growth phase of forage and the herd’s nutritional needs, as opposed to moving cattle when it fits a producer’s busy schedule. Eliminating the task of building physical fences creates time producers can use to work on other, more productive tasks or thinking strategically about their business.

For example, producers with more time might adjust the timing of herd health protocols to increase time on pasture or change protocols to support cow longevity. They might make plans to diversify their herd genetics or incorporate artificial insemination for greater profitability. These strategies might feel impossible to implement when producers are forced to spend hours searching for cattle within a large pasture, as opposed to finding them instantly with their phone.

Using virtual fencing gives you the ability to graze in a way that meets or exceeds cattle
nutritional needs while supporting forage quality. It is a tool that can change how you work. You can become a better forage manager or a better herd manager by using your time differently and paying attention to things you couldn’t stop to focus on before.

See virtual fencing in action on other operations and find details about the Nofence system at nofence.com.

The post Find Grazing Success at the Intersection of Forage Quality and Quantity appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.