January 31, 2025

In 2008, Brett and Lori Nix faced a crisis. “Our lives were chaotic,” Brett says. “We were farming and ranching, and our workload crisis was as great as our financial crisis.”
As the third generation on their family operation near Murdo, S.D., they were in a 50/50 partnership with Brett’s parents, both generations had debt, and their income wasn’t covering the interest on their loans.
They recognized change was needed. “We wanted to make our lifestyle a top priority on our ranch,” Brett says.
Through tough decisions, innovative thinking and family collaboration, they turned their ranch around, offering valuable insights for others facing similar challenges and creating opportunity for the fourth generation to return.
Prioritize grass and soil health
The family shifted from farming back to grassland, selling machinery to invest in grass seed, fencing and water systems. In six years, they converted 3,000 acres of farmland into pastures and built 19 miles of fence. This focus on grass and soil health not only reduced expenses but also improved the land’s long-term resilience.
Their approach to grazing evolved too. During the drought in 2012, a Natural Resources Conservation Service specialist advised them to combine their 50-head herds into one large herd and move them every two days. This intensive rotational grazing revitalized their pastures and reduced the workload.
Today, with cross-fencing, they use about 100 pastures across 8,000 acres. Additionally, the ranch is stocked with different cattle, including dry cows, stockers and cow-calf pairs. If drought conditions begin to affect pastures, dry cows or stockers can be sold without reducing the cowherd.

TEACH OTHERS: Brett Nix says that education and connection with other producers played a major role in his family’s transition to sustainable ranch management. (Kindra Gordon)
Additionally, Brett has recognized that the most critical herd is the one beneath the grass: the soil microbes. “If you don’t take care of them, you won’t pay the bills,” he says. “You will wear the grasses out.”
Cut, don’t just trim, expenses
Instead of making minor cuts across the board, Brett and Lori eliminated entire line-item expenses. Fertilizer was one of the first to go. The family’s philosophy became “the easiest money you make is the money you don’t spend.”
They stopped calving heifers in February snowstorms, opting instead for late May and June calving. This change reduced stress and labor and aligned calving with natural forage growth.
Strategic planning also was key to this process, Brett shares. The family regularly asked, “What do we want life to look like in five, 10 or 20 years?” And with that, every decision was evaluated by asking, “Is this taking us closer to our goals or further away?”
Brett credits education and learning from others with playing a major role in their transition. He says attending conferences and holistic management schools where he was able to network and build relationships with like-minded people provided new ideas and support.
“Rub shoulders at these events. Visit with people, and you learn from these experiences,” Brett advises. The Nix families also relied on bankers, friends, lawyers and accountants to restructure debt and land ownership.
Most importantly, Brett and Lori also worked closely with the preceding generation to involve them in decisions and allow them time to come to a shared vision. Brett says he often would have coffee with his dad to discuss ideas.
Although moving to a mentor role took Brett’s dad a couple of years to embrace, Brett says his parents are now debt free and, of the changes on the ranch, his dad’s favorite saying is: “We should have done this years ago.”
Of this entire process, Brett says deciding to make changes is probably the toughest part. “If you can’t change your mind, you can’t change anything else,” he says.
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