A recent article in Drover's titled "Boosting Profits in Ranching: Implementing Bale Grazing with Arron Nerbas" highlights how Nerbas has used bale grazing to not only decrease feed and labor costs, but also improve land productivity to help build even more profit from his cattle enterprise.
The Nerbas run 550 mostly commercial cows and have had a closed herd for 20 years, using artificial insemination to bring new genetics into the herd. They sell bulls, replacement heifers and meat directly to consumers. They took their Holistic Management training in 2005, which prompted them over time to increase the number of paddocks they have to 120. They also began bale grazing to remove as much mechanization as possible and are calving with Nature in May and weaning the beginning of December. With grazing on stock-piled grass and the bale grazing the Nerbas can extend their 120-day growing season to 240-days of grazing, with all the attendant ecosystem and animal health benefits it brings.
Arron says that if he had to do it over again he would have started sooner on land and soil health because these practices have really helped improve the Nerbas' profitability.
Click here to listen to Arron Nerbas on the Casual Cattle Conversations Podcast. Read more about the Nerbas in this IN PRACTICE article.
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