“QLF saved our cowherd.”
Jon Roberts owns a beef cattle operation, Rail Line Ranch, located in Leeton, MO. The ranch earned its name because of the 3 mile abandoned rail road that extends across the property. “Being a cattle rancher in the Midwest is hard. On top of the long nights and early mornings, mother nature can present a challenge to us.”
After the drought in 2012, Jon had to make some very hard decisions which would impact the future of the ranch. Feedstuffs were in low supply and low in nutritional value. With 500 cows depending on him, he had to act fast before mother nature showed winter’s head. Jon was determined to find a solution to keep his cows.
“After some research, we decided that QLF was our most viable option. In the position we were in, our supplement needed to be effective yet economical if we were going to keep the herd.” – Jon Roberts
In the fall of 2012, Jon took a leap and installed tanks on his farm to hold QLF pasture product as well as lick wheel tanks in his pastures.
It was important to Jon that his cows wouldn’t miss a beat coming out of winter and into calving/breeding season. Efficiency and productivity of the farm depends on strong and healthy calves as well as quick breed backs for the following calving season. “We saw a 1 to 1.5 mark increase in body condition score by the end of winter. The thing of it was, we weren’t feeding any different of forages. QLF was helping supplement our cows to increase utilization of the forages we already had.”
Profitability on Jon’s farm depends upon heavy and healthy calves at weaning to go to market. “We also saw an increase of weaning weights and an increase in breed backs which decreased our calving interval. QLF was the only variable in that equation and it worked out for us. As a matter-a- fact, it saved our cow herd that year.”
“QLF has been a viable liquid supplement for our cows for many years. Throughout the year I ask them to perform at a high level like lactating and conceiving at the same time. During this time, the cows consume more QLF because of their demands. During the summer, intake of supplement goes down as the grass greens up and provides more nutrients.”
Jon has been a proud QLF customer since 2012 and plans on continuing to use QLF’s lick tank products into the future due to its distinct advantages it showed on his cowherd.