Russel Ranch OK

We make every effort to finish out our animals on native pastures. However, we do feed purchased feed if the forage is deficient because of drought, ice storms, etc. We have a smaller place (50 acres) in NE Oklahoma and keep a small herd of around 25 grown cows. Although we have excellent pastures, we feed hay and COB (corn, oats, and barley) when the weather is bad to help keep their energy levels up. When we feed COB, we only feed a few days and only while the weather is severe. We feed in troughs and the cows and bull get approximately 25 pounds (half a sack) of feed every 2–3 days. Our cattle never see a feedlot. Steroids and artificial growth hormones are not used on our cattle. We keep a health record on each animal and if a steer needs antibiotics, they are pulled from our program.

Rose, Oklahoma