America's Heartland is made
possible by...
Farm Credit -
Financing agriculture and rural
America since 1916.
Farm Credit is
cooperatively owned by America's
farmers and ranchers.
Learn more at farmcredit.com
CropLife America -
Representing the companies whose
modern farming innovations help
America's farmers provide
nutritious food for communities
around the globe.
Hi I'm Jason Shoultz.
Do you like steak on the
grill at those summer barbecues?
Well, thank an
American rancher.
Let's head for the wide open
spaces on America's Heartland
this time for some
stories about better beef,
Texas longhorns, and stopping
modern day cattle rustlers.
Come along to California
where state officials
are taking a hard line on
cattle theft
using technology and old west
traditions.
If I said "longhorns" you'd
think Texas.
But we'll take you to a
longhorn cattle roundup in Ohio.
Then... a Kansas family traces
its ranching roots
back more than a century
and changes
the color of its cows to
market their beef.
And we'll introduce you to
an Idaho couple adding elk
to the ranching operation on
their land.
It's all coming up on
America's Heartland.
♪You can see it in the eyes
Of every woman and man♪
♪In America's Heartland
living close to the land♪
♪There's a love for the country
And a pride in the brand♪
♪In America's Heartland♪
♪Living close
Close to the land♪
♪♪
If beef is a regular item on
your dinner table,
well, you're not alone.
Americans will consume more
than 25 billion pounds
of beef each year.
And those numbers are just
one indication of how
important cattle ranching is
to our economy.
How many ranches?
Well, there are some 750
thousand ranching operations
in the United States raising
millions
of beef cattle for market.
And while "steak" is the
number one pick in choices,
ground beef is the big winner
when it comes to
beef being used in a whole
variety of recipes.
And don't forget millions of
burgers being sold at fast
food restaurants around the
world.
Midwesterners top the list
of beef consumers in the U.S.
followed by folks in the
south, west,
and then the northeast.
The average American will eat
more than 65 pounds of
beef a year.
There are hundreds of breeds
of cattle around the world.
Ranchers may choose to raise a
certain breed because of climate
landform, or a particular of
beef that's in demand.
And if you've ever spent time
watching Hollywood westerns,
you're probably
familiar with a certain
breed that once roamed wild
in the American West.
Our Sarah Gardner sets out
to find some "longhorn" cattle.
But not in Texas.
♪♪
Come on girls, come on
sweethearts... whooo.
Darol Dickinson and his wife
Linda started their longhorn
cattle career in Colorado.
But it's here in Ohio that
the family found its fortune
in beef with the Dickinson
Cattle Company.
Raising cattle is grass and
management and water, and
things like that; so, this is
great cattle country here.
We're in the Ohio River
Valley grasslands.
It's wonderful grass
country.
The family ranches on more
than four thousand acres and
welcomes visitors with farm
tours in the summer.
Buyers and visitors alike
come to see the Longhorns.
Do you think that's a pretty
cow there?
I think she's beautiful.
She's black and white
spackled;
she's got curly horns; she's
got a sweet disposition;
she raises beautiful calves.
[cow moos]
Darol, along with his wife
and children oversee the
"meat" of the business here:
raising and marketing
registered cattle.
We sell all natural Texas
longhorn beef.
We sell semen, frozen bull
semen from our very best bulls.
The "science of selection"
has also made it possible for
the Dickinson Company to clone
some of their prized cattle.
Well, this is the cow that
was used for the clones.
This is Shadow Jubilee.
And she'd be a little over 84
inches tip to tip, on her horns.
And she just had a new calf
here three weeks ago.
The other cow behind her is
Jester and she was
international champion last
year.
And she just had a new baby
calf about three weeks ago.
♪♪
The ranch also raises two
other unique breeds.
Buelingo cattle adapt well
to the open range
of the west and central plains.
You'll also find Watusi
cattle here.
Originally from Africa, this
breed is not as well known
in the United States.
Joel Dickinson is the
ranch's Herd Manager,
overseeing a cattle
operation that's grown from
40 head in 1989 to more than
a thousand head today.
Joel and his crew will round
up the newborn calves.
To check on their weight, give
them vaccinations, and tag them.
You just lift the skin up.
Put the needle under the
skin.
Where, here?
Yep.
And then we're giving it
just a half a CC.
A little more, a little
more.
Right there, that's pretty
good.
After vaccinations, Joel
takes a picture
of each new calf on his iPhone.
Those digital photos are
transmitted to the ranch office
where Joel's mom enters the data
on the company website.
So, it's red and white
heifer 5409.
We have the largest Internet
presence of any breed of
cattle or breed association
in the United States.
We sell about 90 percent of
the cattle online.
What are people looking for
in a longhorn?
They've got to have beef
quality;
they've got to have pretty
conformation, pretty color,
a good disposition, raise a
large calf.
And longhorn cattle, they gotta
have pretty, twisty horns.
[cow mooing]
Darol says economics and
consumer demands have
changed his industry over
the past 40 years.
When we first started, it
was really important
for cattle to be very fat.
And fat was important, and
fat wasn't a bad thing.
Today, people talk lean.
So, Texas longhorns were
criticized years ago
because they weren't fat enough.
Now they're complimented because
of their high protein,
low cholesterol, low carb,
low fat content.
And he expects even bigger
changes in the future.
Well, in the future, we're
going to see less grain
available to feed all
livestock.
So, it's being used for Ethanol
and export and other things.
So, the cattle of the future
are going to be cattle that
eat cactus and grass and
briars and low quality fiber.
So, that's where the Texas
longhorns really excel.
[cow mooing]
Do you expect that one day,
the kids will take over
and continue the ranch?
Well, the 13-year-old grandson,
I asked him the other day.
I said, 'What do you think
you'll do in life.'
And he said,
'Well, grandpa, I don't know.'
But he said 'I may have to take
over the ranch.'
And I said, 'Why do you say
that?'
And he said, 'Well, have you
noticed how old my dad is?'
Well, you met him today.
He's about 36.
So, he's already
thinking about
booting his dad out and
taking over.
With young folks pushing their
way into the family business,
the Dickinson's see continuity
to their life on the land.
Something to be handed down
to the next generation.
You do well what you like to
do,
and you like to do what you
do well.
So, our family enjoys this
kind of a business.
Despite the longhorn cattle
stampedes that you've seen
in Hollywood westerns,
ranchers say that Texas
longhorns are usually quite
gentle and easily worked
on foot as well as horseback.
They do say, however, stay
out of the way of those
horns when the cattle turn
to look at you!
I mentioned earlier that
ranchers may choose to raise
a certain breed of cattle
for many reasons.
Climate and consumer demand
are just two of them.
And ranchers have been cross-
breeding cattle for a long
time working to get the best
attributes of separate breeds.
Our John Lobertini takes us
to a cattle ranching
operation in Kansas where
one historic farm family did
some "color changes" in their
efforts to deliver better beef.
♪♪
The flint hills are the last
remnant of the tall grass
prairie in North America.
You have to go to the Serengeti
in Africa
to find grass like this.
Joe Hoagland's white hat
makes him stand out even in
the wide open spaces of
eastern Kansas.
Hoagland and his family have
been trailblazers in the
ranching business since the
late 1800's;
and flint hills grass is just
the beginning of this story.
This is very nutritious
grass.
There's a lot of calcium in
this grass which is good for
growing bones and a lot of
protein for developing
the meat in the steers.
But Hoagland doesn't raise
cattle like everyone else.
He herds them with Honda's
instead of horses
and this is livestock of a
different color.
Black Herefords to be exact.
This British breed of cattle
is traditionally red.
There is this perception in
America,
that a black hided beef
animal is the superior one.
We see that in the sale barn.
Time after time the red
hided animals are discounted.
So the Hoagland's did what
people in agriculture do;
they tried something new.
John, you got a good count
of 'em didn't you?
Breeding Red-Hided Herefords
with the wildly popular
Black Angus breed.
After several generations of
genetic work,
ranchers learned how to
capture that coveted black
hair but end up with a cow
that's still a Hereford.
You get ten cents a pound,
if it's a 500-pound calf,
why that's 50-dollars.
So, you know that doesn't
take long to add up if you
got a hundred cows, you've
produced a lot more income.
You know Black Herefords are
new to cattle ranching;
the first were bred back in
1994.
But today there are breeders
in more than 25-states.
And that numbers is expected
to multiply in the years ahead.
The Hoaglands say, this
isn't just a black Hereford;
it's a better Hereford.
You can see his father or
his sire,
his grand sire and his great
grand sire.
The best are registered and
their genealogy
documented in detail.
The Angus bloodlines add
some kick to a meat that's
already a popular choice for
many consumers.
And ranchers say the hybrids
produce bigger offspring
while consuming less feed.
We're seeing longevity in
our cows that I find remarkable.
A cow that's 10 years old that
has an udder like a young cow.
We produce more meat because
the cattle are more productive,
bigger framed and production
techniques are improved.
More meat from
fewer cattle.
28-year old Dirck Hoagland
knew from an early age he'd
probably take over the
family business.
But instead of getting a
degree in animal science,
he mastered in business.
You need to have backgrounds
in marketing.
You need to understand
finance,
you need to understand how
to manage people.
Really in a lot of ways a
cattle ranch is a factory.
A factory the family runs
like a well-oiled machine.
♪♪
The heartland grasses of the
flint hills provide a rich
pasture land for the Hoagland's
unique cattle operation.
It's land that's served the
family for more than a century.
Land the Hoagland's view as
a window to their past
and America's heritage.
The views and the vista's you
see here are
exactly what they saw in covered
wagons
moving west and traveling across
the prairie.
This is pretty much a
pre-Columbian view of America.
♪♪
Hereford cattle were brought
to America in the early
1800's from their place of
origin in Herefordshire, England
And consider this: a thousand
pound cow
can produce 4 tons of manure in
a year.
♪♪
Hi I'm Paul Robins and
here's something you may not
have known about
agriculture.
When it comes to beneficial
livestock you can't do much
better than cows.
The cud-chewing bovine
provides everything
from food to fertilizer.
Are you up for some ice
cream?
Cheese? Maybe some yogurt?
Thank a farmer and a cow.
But when did this
partnership all begin?
Well, let's head across the
Atlantic.
All modern domesticated
breeds of cattle descended
from wild ox-like animals
called Aurochs that once
roamed over large areas in
Asia, Europe, and North Africa.
We're talking 30 thousand
years ago.
The Aurochs were a favorite
animal for hunters since
they provided food and hides
for clothing and shoes.
Fast forward to 6,000 BC and
early man started luring
wild cattle into communities
and domesticated them.
Scientist says the herding
instincts of the cattle made
that easier, along with the
natural curiosity
of the big bovines.
The fertile crescent of the
Middle East was one of the
first regions to benefit
from domesticated animals
both for food and as beasts
of burden.
And from there the good
news,
or should that be "good
moo's" thank you,
spread across Asia, Europe,
and Africa.
Africa is still home to a
large number
of cattle about 230 million
animals.
The U.S. has about 100 million
cattle.
But it's India that leads
the cattle count worldwide
with about 280 million head.
That's a lot of methane.
♪♪
There's good money in cattle
ranching and, as you
might expect, there are some
folks who would like to benefit
from great beef prices without
having to do the work.
Now you might have thought
cattle rustling was a thing
of Wild West days gone by.
But it's alive and well in many
parts of the country and today
stopping the thieves requires
some old and new skills.
Back in Chicago, I never
thought that I would be
punching cattle, mostly
belonging to other guys.
Yeah, using trucks for
rustling is the latest thing.
In the 1939 western "Code of
the Cactus" cattle rustlers
are using trucks to menace
California ranchers.
And when the sheriff tries
to track down the rustlers, the
first thing he does is check the
paperwork on the cattle.
Who did you say them cattle
belonged to?
I didn't say.
Oh, a smart aleck, huh?
Fast forward 70 years, not
far from the Oregon border,
just like the sheriff did in
"Code of the Cactus," a cowboy
hat wearing investigator is
doing the exact same thing.
Pasture to pasture movement
out of that county has to be
inspected before they leave.
Truck driver Jeff Giessner
was delivering a load of
cattle when he got stopped
at a weigh-station checkpoint.
He's not getting questioned
by the long arm of the law.
These guys actually work for the
California Department of
Food and Agriculture.
And today they're checking
brands and paperwork
on trailers of cattle.
And Giessner's paperwork
is not quite in order.
Now Jeff Giessner is NOT a
cattle thief.
But for not carrying the
correct slip of paper
the ranch he works for will pay
a fine.
So why so strict?
We lose probably around
1,200 - 1,300
head of cattle every
year due to theft.
This equates out to about a
million
and a half dollars' worth of
cattle.
Cattle theft's alive and
well in California and
probably throughout the western
United States, still today.
From sprawling ranches where
beef cattle graze to dairy
operations where cattle are
lined up by the hundreds.
Cattle are a valuable
commodity.
And it's impossible to keep
them under lock and key.
So as long as people have
been raising cattle,
thieves have been rustling
them.
I'd say the cost was around
300 to 400,000 dollars.
Dairy farmer Margo Souza
knows all too well what kind
of impact cattle theft can
have on the bottom line.
In 2006 nearly 200 dairy
cows were stolen from her farm.
The fact of the matter is,
my dear fellow,
they're planning on raiding
your lower pasture tonight.
How do you know that we have
cattle in our lower pasture?
Because they get information
from your own outfit.
And just like in the movie,
the theft at the
Circle H Dairy Ranch was an
inside job.
The herdsman responsible for
overseeing the cattle was
actually stealing and
selling them.
What had he been doing?
He was selling the cattle to
people he knew.
They were stealing cows and
selling them,
trading the animals.
You know he'd have people in
here making deals.
At night or during the day?
Well even during the day and
when I was gone.
So it was going on right
under your nose
and you didn't even know.
Right.
Margo's surprise at the betrayal
was no surprise to John Suther.
95 percent of the time it's
either an employee,
a neighbor or a friend of an
employee
that's participating in the
theft.
Stopping rustlers these days
isn't done with shootouts.
Some things have changed.
It happens at places like
auctions where cattle are
bought and sold by the
hundreds.
It turns out it's not
DNA testing,
satellite tracking,
or infrared cameras
that are the best way to combat
cattle rustling.
In fact, these days the way
they do it is really the way
they've been doing it since
folks have been trading cattle:
by using branding.
Brands are the marks burned
onto the side
of cattle using a hot iron.
Every ranch has a specific
brand for identification.
In fact, there are 23 thousand
brands
recorded in California alone.
At the auction yard state
inspectors take a close look
at the cattle coming in for
sale.
So if somebody came in with
their truck and they didn't
have the right paperwork,
what do you do?
Basically we impound the
cattle.
You impound the cattle?
We impound the cattle.
They are not goin' into the
auction.
They don't go to the
auction and they can't leave
the sale yard until we figure
out who actually owns them.
Wouldn't be hard for
somebody to go rustle up a
cow, throw it in the back of
a trailer,
and try to claim it as their
own?
Not at all.
Not hard at all.
If they don't have a brand
inspection, a brand on them,
it's not hard to claim one
for your own at all.
So it would seem like a sure
thing that all cattle get
branded but surprisingly
they don't.
I would say probably, only
about 50 percent of the people
that own livestock in California
or cattle in California brand.
More so in beef cattle than
probably in dairy cattle.
Because dairy cattle aren't
left alone in vast pastures,
often dairy owners believe
that branding isn't necessary.
They're betting that they won't
end up as theft victims.
But Margo Sousa's experience
is a lesson for all cattle
owners to keep close track
of your animals.
Fortunately for Margo the
thief was caught after
John Suther's investigation.
But brand inspectors continue to
warn livestock owners,
if your cattle get
stolen and aren't branded -
don't expect a happy
Hollywood ending!
If you ever need any help!
Send me a wire!
[laughter]
♪♪
You may associate cattle
rustling with the American west,
but the problem goes
far beyond U.S. borders.
Australian ranchers battle
cattle rustlers down under
and some parts of central
Africa have had a problem
with cattle rustling for
more than a century.
Head for the high country in
Idaho and you're bound to
find sheep ranches and
plenty of cattle as well.
But staying profitable in
the ranching business these
days demands that you look
to diversify your operation
and create additional
sources of income.
Our Rob Stewart says, for
one family that's been
ranching in Idaho for more
than a century that meant
running other animals
besides cattle on their land.
[whistling]
Some six thousand feet above
sea level,
the Teton Mountain Ranch is
close to the sounds of
nature in the scenery of
this majestic valley.
And you've had people from
all over the world.
From India, from Europe,
everywhere.
Everywhere, we have.
Almost every place in the
world.
Kent and Pauline Bagley are
farmers here in eastern Idaho.
And while the family has been
working this land for decades,
the "wildness" of the region is
still evident today.
We gotta watch out for the
bears and the elk and the
wild grouse that might jump
out of the trees.
But these horses do pretty
good.
Crops and cattle have long been
a part of this farming operation
But the family decided to
diversify,
adding saddleback vacations
for visitors and expanding
their livestock herds to
include Bison and Elk.
♪♪
It's really tough to farm
and ranch in Teton Valley
because of the winters.
And we figured we can bring
in the elk,
and we are looking at the
recreation,
looking into the trail rides
and pack trips.
And we figured that this would
be a way
we can share this with
people.
They seem to be very curious
animals.
They're very curious.
They probably like your blue
shirt.
They'll come and
investigate.
They're wonderful watchdogs.
Anything that comes onto the
place that's different,
we know it, because we can
tell by the way they act.
But these animals are more
than just something to "see."
Wild game consumption in the
U.S. and abroad provides
a ready market for the lean meat
of animals like the elk.
For beef cattle, we can put
a lot of weight on them,
and that's what put the fat
or the marbling in the meat.
The elk aren't designed that
way.
We can't force feed them so much
to put a lot of weight on them.
In addition to elk meat,
ranchers also sell the
antlers which the animals
shed naturally each year.
Even the furry "velvet" of
the antlers
provides a valuable commodity.
We'll sell the antler. We have a
lot of market for the antler.
What is it used for?
A lot of it is ornamental.
It's used for chandeliers,
for furniture.
This whole piece is
considered the velvet antler
until it- until it calcifies.
So the whole thing is
considered the velvet antler.
And it is used for a dietary
supplement all over the world
and also it's in the US.
♪♪
Well, it's going to be a
nice day for us today.
The herds of bison, elk, and
cattle along with the
natural beauty of the region
have provided a significant
draw to city dwellers
looking to have a different
kind of vacation experience.
It was amazing.
We couldn't believe it when
we got to the very top.
And we went to our second
location,
and we saw how far we have
traveled.
It was mind-blowing to know that
we did that much on our horse.
I mean, it's great to get
away from the rough,
fast lifestyle with the
city.
When you just come out here,
you know, you can go like
four hours by, and it feels like
it's been 20 minutes.
You know, you don't waste
your time-
you just take your time and
slow down.
And it doesn't matter
whether they are attorneys,
or doctors, or whatever
their way of life is.
To get them on a horse and
get out and share this,
show them the elk that we
have.
And to have a school group
come out and listen to the
elk bugle and see the sparkle in
these little kids' eyes,
"That's an elk. I've never seen
an elk before."
That just gives you that
inner joy.
Continuing an agricultural
tradition is important to
this multi-generational farm
family.
Making a difference in the
lives of their visitors and
in protecting the land
they've been given.
We want it to be taken
care of.
We take joy in seeing it
looking good.
We love it. It's our life.
♪♪
And that's going to do it
for us this time.
We thank you for traveling
the country with us
on this edition of
America's Heartland.
We're always so pleased that
you can join us.
Have you checked out our
America's Heartland website yet?
We got video from all
of our programs
and lots of other
information as well.
You'll find us at
AmericasHeartland.org
And look for us too on some of
your favorite social media sites
Thanks for being with us and
we'll see you next time,
right here,
on America's Heartland.
You can purchase a DVD or
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Here's the cost:
To order, just visit us
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♪You can see it in the eyes
of every woman and man♪
♪In America's Heartland
living close to the land♪
♪There's a love for the country
And a pride in the brand♪
♪In America's Heartland♪
♪Living close
Close to the land♪
♪♪
America's Heartland is made
possible by...
Farm Credit -
Financing agriculture and rural
America since 1916.
Farm Credit is
cooperatively owned by America's
farmers and ranchers.
Learn more at farmcredit.com
CropLife America -
Representing the companies whose
modern farming innovations help
America's farmers provide
nutritious food for communities
around the globe.