Quote Worth Requoting: In 30 years of crop production I’ve rarely been complimented on what we’ve produced. I completely get that. My corn isn’t measurably different than anyone else’s corn at the elevator. I might get a “great test weight” or a “congratulations” on a yield. When you produce a non-differentiated commodity you shouldn’t expect to be complimented by your customers. In contrast, the beef and seedstock we’ve produced has generated many comments of positive feedback. These comments hit differently, especially when you’ve been in a business that doesn’t produce many. Following is a customer testimonial that my wife said nearly made her cry (the good kind!). We produce bulls for many reasons. High profits, to this point anyway, have NOT been one of them. Growing a reputation in the seedstock business is akin to growing an oak from an acorn…it is slow. We think products and services should provide value to customers and improve their lives. We want/expect that when we buy things, seems only right.
Generous Words: “ICE Cattle, where do I begin? I have personally never met Lanny, but I have been following this operation for the last four or five years and have personally bought a bull online from him that was considered a “no sale bull”, and a good friend used a different bull he purchased from Lanny that went in with a group of 25 heifers that were pretty conventional to say the least.
To start, I’ll say that the no sale bull that I purchased was anything other than a “no sale bull”. I was incredibly shocked to see what kind of condition he was in stepping off the trailer despite being in his “work clothes”, not to mention the bulls docility was incredible. When this bull got on green grass, things only got better and all he had was green grass, water, and sunshine.
During breeding season he did his job and never melted away like the competitor’s bulls and cows got bred and not a single cow needed assistance during calving season.
The 25 heifers my friend exposed with a different bull had a 98% conception rate and he was the only bull in with those heifers. We had never experienced that type of conception on Virgin heifers and we had never only put one bull in with his heifers. I think my buddy took a gamble, but that gamble paid dividends with conception rates and calving ease.
Oddly enough this bull also did not melt away or have health issues like the competitors’ bulls that were still breeding his cows.
The direction of my cattle operation changed with a growing family, and we went into a custom grazing program during the spring and summer months to allow for fall and winters off as my wife and I both work full-time off the farm and this allowed for more family time during the “off-season”.
The reason I say this is because if it weren’t for the change in my operation, there would not ever be another seed stock operation that I would introduce onto my farm based on what I have observed with my own very eyes.
Rest assured, Lord willing, we will be back to having our own cows and breeding program someday, and we will be seeking these genetics exclusively on our farm.
Why do I say all of this? Because if you are on the fence or a skeptic of what these bulls will do, I’m here to tell you this is one of best kept secrets out there due to the conventional cattle industry continuing to fool people into thinking they need giant birthweights and weaning weights, which require massive inputs and more money out of your pockets.
Lastly, when you open the sale catalog on the first page is the picture I have attached and is the most important.
Anyone who prioritizes the word of the Lord before the pages that follow, which contains the information to the animals that this operation is selling, which is ultimately their livelihood speaks volumes to the type of family that they are, and as I said earlier, I’ve never even met them, but I’m extremely confident of the high integrity that is present on their farm.
This is not a paid advertisement, rather just a guy down the road who believes in what these folks are doing and wants to see other people be profitable and sustainable in their operations.
Tyler Logan
Tyler: I should pay you! Knowing someone is out there who thinks that highly of what we do is outrageously encouraging and deeply humbling. Thank you for these kind words and the effort to share them. Grace to you and your family. Lanny
[Also attached is a pic of Tyler’s bull.]
