Pasture Walk Series #6: Full Circle Ranch

From April through October, SFA hosts a free pasture walk every fourth Thursday night of the month. *This one will be held on the second Thursday of the month, in conjunction with the Forage Council Grazing School!

Brett and Joni Dailey purchased their 330-acre ranch in 2005, which had previously been continuously grazed by 60 cow calf pair on 440 acres, and the operator purchased all the hay for the cattle. The land was overgrazed and undermanaged.

The Daileys started their conservation grazing journey by connecting with their county Soil and Water Conservation District and NRCS offices. Working with Ivan Reinke and others, they developed a grazing plan and water system. They started with 17 cow/calf pairs and have since grown to 50 with expectations of continual growth and increase of cow/calf numbers. They calve mid-to-late April and typically background the calves to 750-800 lbs. Management has allowed them to become a self-sufficient farm, harvesting hay from 120 acres and rotational graze through 12 paddocks on 160 acres. The cattle graze each paddock for 5-7 days before rotating to a new paddock, allowing about 2 months rest period. Winter out feeding is rotated between paddocks annually which adds organic matter and fertilization to the ground.

Brett and Joni were both raised on farms, so they naturally wanted to continue to have cattle. They originally purchased the farm as a hobby, as they both had off farm jobs, Brett being an Electrician, owning and operating Dailey Electric and Joni a nurse at Lakewood Heath System. Since then, it has turned into a passion for conservation and land utilization. “It has been amazing to see the difference in what good stewardship and management can do.” said the Daileys.

This pasture walk is hosted by the Forage Council.

Registration: Pre-registration is requested, though walkups are welcome. Free event.

Inherent Risks of Agritourism        Inherent Risks of Livestock Activity

SFA staff and volunteers occasionally take photos during our events for promotional purposes and to use as documentation to share with our funders.  If you do not wish to be photographed, please let our event host know — we’ll make every effort to make sure you are not photographed.