Hope, faith and a whole lot of optimism!
CUSTER COUNTY - Agri-producers in and around Custer County are no strangers to challenges. They work through drought, fires and economic lows. And they keep working in the midst of a global pandemic.
Working right alongside farmers and ranchers are the businesses that support and supply them. 2020 brought unique challenges to the forefront for business like Arrow Seed of Broken Bow, Evans Feed of Broken Bow and Agri-Best of Callaway - challenges like keeping workforces healthy, keeping businesses open when employees were ill, getting inventory from manufacturers and then getting purchases into the hands of their customers. Keeping the faith and moving forward, those businesses are meeting challenges head-on and helping our local farmers and ranchers bring on success in 2021.
Evans Feed
BROKEN BOW - Did you ever think about how people not traveling could affect how farmers feed their cattle? When stay-at-home orders were issued across the country, the demand for gasoline decreased, and that meant a smaller market for ethanol.
As ethanol plants slowed production or shut down altogether, the production of distillers grain, a by-product of ethanol, also decreased.
“We came to a standstill,” Travis Sterner, distiller broker for Evans Feed in Broken Bow, said, of distiller production. Standstill or not, cattle need to be fed. The answer was changing what the cattle were eating.
“We changed the feed rations,” Mike Evans, owner of Evans Feed, said. “We fed less distillers grains and more products like soybean meal.”
Soybean meal is a really good feed for cattle, both Sterner and Evans explained.
‘We still have perseverance’
It’s high in protein. On the norm, however, distillers grains are more palatable, provide more energy and are usually priced cheaper. But right now, prices are high for both. “Soybean meal is not cheap right now and distillers grains have increased quite a bit,” Sterner said.
“There is a positive side to prices being up,” Evans added. “It’s good for farmers selling corn and beans.”
The timing of the shutdown last year worked in favor of cattle producers.“It was right about the time cattle were going to grass. It was close enough to spring, the producers made it work,” Sterner said.
A winter rally on soybeans really benefited some farmers, according to Sterner. “It hasn’t paid to store beans for about five years or so,” he said. “This year, if they stored beans, they’re starting the year out good.” Increased grain prices are helping producers capture more profits.
A show of optimism for 2021 is that yearling prices are decent and bred heifers are currently selling well. “That’s pretty positive,” Evans said. “Bred heifer prices have been fairly strong. Optimism drives the price.”
Though recent snow storms can cause temporary difficulties for travel and taking care of livestock, the snow brings much needed moisture. “The drought has people nervous. We need spring rains,” Evans said. And if there has to be a dry time, he noted, “Winter is a good time for drought.”
“If we can get some good rains into the ground, we’ll be well prepared for spring,” Sterner added.
One of the things the crew at Evans Feed is doing right now is helping producers gear up for calving. As a complete livestock feed business, they sell feed for all species including distillers grains and other distillers products. “We carry the full gamut when it come to livestock feed,” Evans said. “We even mixed rations for llamas in the past.”
In 2020, Evans Feed did not have to shut down and, other than the distillers grains shortage, they had no difficulty in getting inventory. “Our products are
made with ingredients from the midwest. Our suppliers never really shut down,” Evans said.
One of the biggest challenges was simply learning how to navigate a COVID-19 world. “Buying and selling wasn’t affected as much, but the retail store was really affected,” Evans said. Masks became mandatory, curbside pickup was offered and the crews for the elevator, warehouse and retail store were keep separate. When a few employees were out ill, Evans said the rest of the staff stepped up and were able to handle it.
Evans added that there should be no problems getting product this spring, with maybe one exception. “We sell twine and net wrap, and a lot of it is out
on a barge somewhere.” He was alluding to the fact that many cargo ships at sea haven’t been allowed to dock and unload for months. “When it comes in,” Evans said, “Come in and get it right away.”
Sterner said that he feels things may be getting back to some semblance of normal. “We can barrel ahead and buy product,” he said. “Whatever the year brings, we’re going to figure it out.”
As for the challenges that 2021 may have, Sterner is confident. “Farmers find a way,” he said.
“It’s the old pioneer spirit,” Evans added. “We had perseverance before the pandemic. We still have it.”