Livestock &
Grazing Enterprises
We embrace the flexibility of owned cattle and custom grazing to match the variation in forage each year.
Our Journey with Custom Grazing
Our approach to ranching is rooted in adaptability, stewardship, and thoughtful land management that meets target levels of animal performance. In 2023 we began a reimagined operation, to improve our land’s health and match the livestock to the land seasonally, requiring a shift toward more intensive, regenerative grazing practices.
We recognized that ranching success does not always have to be tied to owning your own cattle (or land) and we started with custom grazing—partnering with livestock owners to graze their cattle on our land—allowing us to focus on building soil health, improving forage quality and refining our grazing strategies without the immediate financial burden of purchasing our own herd. This approach not only gave us the flexibility to implement high-impact grazing management, but it also reinforced our belief that there are many ways to thrive in ranching beyond traditional ownership models.
Custom grazing has been a powerful first step for us, proving that strategic land and livestock management can create profitability and sustainability without massive upfront investment. Additionally, custom grazing will be a tool in our ranch tool box for the foreseeable future. We love the flexibility that it creates– with variability in precipitation each year, we can adapt our stocking rates to match each year. For example, if we get exceptional snow pack in our mountains and heavy monsoons all spring and early summer, we are excited about the potential to flex our operations and bring on custom cattle if it makes sense. As we continue to refine our grazing systems, we remain committed to this enterprise—not just as a business model, but as an example of how the next generation of ranchers can build resilient, profitable operations without needing to own every piece of the puzzle!
Expanding with a Joint Venture in Livestock Ownership & More
At the ranch, we are always looking for ways to refine our operations, improve land and livestock productivity and increase profitability. This year, we’re taking the next step by pursuing a joint venture in livestock ownership for growing season grazing. This thoughtful introduction to livestock ownership comes from the lens of a Sell-Buy framework. The owned cattle that we run on Redwing Ranch will be dictated by the market, rather than being tied to a specific class— ultimately we want to ensure we are making a good buy (trade) in relation to our last sale.
This summer, we will graze spayed heifers to take advantage of our high-quality forage, allowing them to gain weight efficiently during the peak growing season. In the fall, we plan to bring in another class of cattle (the market and our resources will determine the class that is a ‘good’ buy in relation to selling our heifers) that will graze our dormant forage and more remote acreage, thus utilizing our forage in a different stage of land production. We want to match this class of cattle to a resource base that will be dormant, and therefore lower in protein.
By incorporating our own livestock into the operation, we aim to increase gross margin per unit that ultimately generates additional gross product while maintaining the flexibility and land stewardship principles that define our approach. We see this as a natural evolution of our commitment to regenerative, profitable ranching—leveraging our resources to create a more resilient and sustainable business model.
