The Sims Cattle Company in southeast Wyoming annually produces up to 4,000 tons of hay. They leave approximately one-fourth to one- third on the ground in windrows and store the rest loosely in wooden "cribs" scattered across meadows.

"Putting up hay loose is cheap, as long as you don't have to move it," says Olin Sims. "We sell our extra hay, but other ranchers have to bring their cattle to our hay. We've been doing that with one nearby ranch for 25 years, and it works perfectly for both of us."

Leaving hay in windrows instead of baling started as an experiment about 10 years ago but is now part of the ranch's management scheme. They learned the technique from a ranch in Utah and confirmed it would work for them after a University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Cooperative Extension Service study revealed the nutritional value of the windrowed hay was actually higher than baled hay, a finding that surprised the family.

UW researchers determined rows of hay left on the ground held moisture from rain and snow, and this contributed to new grass growth under the windrows well into late fall and early winter.

"Despite the awful winds," Don Sims says, "the windrowed hay stays put once it settles down."

The Sims use electric fence to create 20-acre paddocks, and cows are turned loose for approximately five days in each one throughout the winter. "If you just turn them into a big pasture, they will waste a lot of the hay," Scott Sims says.

There's an added bonus. "We want the manure; that makes our hay crop," Olin says. "With the paddock system, we get a very even distribution of manure across hundreds of acres of pasture. We know we're getting the benefit of the nitrogen and the organic matter."

There are labor costs associated with the electric fence, says Olin, but the ranch still saves approximately 25 cents per-head per-day by feeding windrowed hay.

"Since fuel and commercial fertilizer are going out the roof, we are going to try a three-year rotation on the hay meadows starting this year in an effort to maintain costs," Olin says. "It is an experiment, something we call 'adaptive management.'"

Loose hay was stacked in cribs this summer, and commercial fertilizer will be applied to the meadows this fall. Next summer, the hay will be left in windrows and fed to cows the following winter using the paddock system. In year three of this process, intensive, short-term grazing will take lace in the meadows during the summer, and grass will be allowed to grow in the fall.

"Hay production will obviously fall, but we believe the protein content of the grass will increase in the fall," says Scott's son, Shanon Sims, a fifth generation on the ranch. "Years of commercial fertilizer applications have led to a monoculture of Garrison creeping meadow foxtail, and we believe this three-year rotation will help bring some of the native species back. That, in turn, will help increase the quality of the forage."

For more on Sims, see the October issue of the Western Farmer-Stockman. Waggener writes from Laramie, Wyo.

THEY SAID IT

"The Sims family is innovative, hard working, down to earth and always looking at ways to improve their operation. They have shown how it can be done in a harsh environment, and other folks can take what they've done and see how it could apply to their own ranches."

Jim Waggoner, range, livestock and nutrition management specialist,
University of Wyoming

"One major thing we're doing this year is not baling hay. We're leaving all of it in windrows, and this winter we'll use portable electric fences to create a paddock system so we can feed that hay. We're saving a significant amount on fuel costs alone, and it should save some on labor. We're trying this after visiting with the Sims family, attending workshops and reading articles."

Dave Whitman, manager, Flying Y Cattle Co.,
Laramie, Wyo.

Record Detail Key to Success for Sims Cattle

Concerning their 650-head cow herd, the Sims Cattle Company of southeast Wyoming maintains detailed records spanning 25 years and, like many operations, have bred for bigger calves.

"We have found that hasn't worked for this harsh environment, and we're trying to move toward a smaller cow that can perform more efficiently on this short-grass prairie," says Shanon Sims, who notes that over the next several years, they will breed down the size of the cows from an average of 1,185 pounds to 1,050.

"We're now weaning 550-pound calves, but even if we lose 15 pounds, we'll still realize more profits because our feed costs will go down," says Shanon Sims, a fifth-generation rancher. "We believe the lighter cows will stay healthier and wean easier, and we have found they finish and grade better."

Calves were previously half Angus and half Gelbvieh, but Simmental was added through a three-way composite for extra hybrid vigor, Sims notes.

The ranch is retaining ownership of calves, which, according to the Sims, returns profits seven out of 10 years. "We're trying to take advantage of our genetics all the way through the feedlot to the rail. We want to make sure our cattle will feed well and grade well," Olin says.

His father, Shanon's father, Scott Sims, adds: "The last three years, we made anywhere from $75 to $200 per head profit through the feeding phase. Without retained ownership, we would have forfeited that."

Retained ownership especially pays off in a year like this, when the ranch shipped calves to the feedlot July 28 because of the drought. "That's only the second time in the history of the ranch we've weaned that early," says Scott, who notes his family homesteaded in the 1920s. "We did the same thing in 2002 so we wouldn't have to liquidate our cow herd. That gave us enough forage to put weight on the cows before winter."

The ranch minimizes risks by using Chicago Mercantile Exchange futures options and federal livestock insurance plans. "We try to capture the value of the calf when it goes to the feedlot so we know we won't lose money during that phase," Scott says. "Being in a world market today, there are so many things that can affect prices. The insurance just allows you to sleep better at night."