Committee Member
Wayne Rasmussen
I became interested in intensive rotational grazing when I attended a seminar that Terry Gompert sponsored in Creighton, NE where Joel Saliton spoke. That was I believe 1992. I decided to cross fence the pasture west of town and I was very impressed with the results. That was the beginning of my interest in how I would think about the land and how I would try to take care of it for hopefully the rest of my life.
I have always believed the best system to use would be one where we would be able to take a product we raise or produce from conception to the dinner plate. However this makes it hard for one to be really good at every area that is needed to make this work. This is one of the reasons that I have a strong belief that I do not need to know all the answers. I just need to know people who do. I have always felt I need to keep learning or I will get left behind.
I have known for a long time that it would be more healthy for me and for all I produce food for if I could do it more holistically. That is what I have been trying to do for the past 18 years, but it takes a long time to perfect the system, and we are still along way from perfect but we are also a long way from where we were 18 years ago.
I decided to change my genetics and try to do a better job of selling a finished grass fed product about 7 years ago. When I found a meat company that would be able to buy in larger quantities I began in earnest to change my cow herd. We have been finishing grass fed cattle on a larger scale now for the past five years. We continue to search for new feedstuffs that will enhance or compliment what we are trying to do. I feel as though we are an experiment farm, for we are always trying something new or different.
We have a farming and grass finishing farm in the Plainview, NE area and a ranch where we grow and raise our cattle in the Verdigre / Winnetoon area. We produce most of our own replacements now. However, to make the switch in genetics more quickly we did buy some of our replacements in the past.
I have a desire to see the grass fed industry move forward and I want to be able to share what I am doing. Hopefully it might help someone else avoid some of the mistakes I have made. It is my hope that I will be able to pass on what I have done to another generation so they can take it to the next level and not have to start out from the beginning all over again. This is the reason for the Grassfed Exchange to give producers an opportunity to interact with each other and with individuals that they otherwise may not have had the opportunity to meet and learn from.
