Editor's Note: The following is a paid article featuring a Lee County Farm Bureau member, and is the first in a series of stories Pen City Current will be doing looking deeper at area agriculture issues.
LEE COUNTY - A foggy day on a farmstead west of Donnellson was the back drop for a 45 minute education on the cattle industry. The ¾ of an hour wasn’t close to the years of education that Hannah Lupkes put in at Iowa State in Agronomy and Environmental Studies. Lupkes with her husband Jared and their two children help on their multi-generational family farm where they produce row crops and cattle.
The science that goes into their farm is based on several generations of her family farming the land, their careers and their ongoing education and experience. It’s a world that many, even in what is considered rural Iowa where farming is rich in tradition and economics, don’t have a good understanding.
Lupkes said raising cattle can be very scientific depending on how detailed you want it to be.
“There is a lot to it depending on how deep you want to go,” she said. “Our herd is strictly spring calfers, with heifers beginning around February 1st and cows starting around March 1st. The colder (sometimes muddy) weather can be tricky from year to year. Fall calving can be a bit easier mainly based on the weather.
She said diet and feeding is a big part of controlling the gestation period, so the cows have an easier time birthing in the spring. But the weather, to include harsh winters, can have an impact.
“Cold stress in cattle happens when their body temperature drops because their bodies natural metabolic processes plus their insulation provided by their heavy winter coats are not enough to keep them warm," she said.
Cattle have a core body temperature around 101 degrees Fahrenheit, much higher than humans. They do not start to feel stress from the cold temps until around 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit. These cold temps require extra feed and shelter to help them maintain their core temperature.
“During these colder months it’s important to up their feed intake and offer them plenty of dry shelter and or windbreaks," Lupkes said.
“Although extremely hard winters can be difficult on the cattle, they are very hardy animals, and they can deal with quite a bit.”
Although people who live inside the communities of Lee County do not always see the work being done, Lupkes said there is a lot going on.
“Most days we are outside all day long, scraping lots, hauling manure, checking waters, putting hay out, etc. Even in the summer months we are still busy, maybe not directly working with the cattle but, more so building fences, baling hay, chopping silage and preparing for the winter months to come.”
Summer time is also time to complete bigger projects. This past summer they put in around 900 feet of new water lines for drinkers in pastures, this helps rotate the cattle in different paddocks and helps reassure that they have fresh clean water wherever they may be.
“Although the cattle are not considered pets on the business side of things, Hannah said they work to make the animals as comfortable as possible through their life cycle. They have even gone to using liquid nitrogen for freeze branding the animals, this is less humane than using hot irons.
The industry is very strong right now but that changes from year to year. The cattle market is outstanding right now but how the price is determined can be complex. It is driven by a number of different things. Supply and demand, feed costs, interest rates, weather, disease just to name a few.
Her father Leon Schau farmed the last generation and his family farmed it before then. Lupkes said her mother and father are still heavily involved and likes to help out in any way possible.
“Everything we do always comes back to the cattle and it can be very exhausting somedays but also extremely rewarding and uplifting. It is a lifestyle I am blessed to be part of and raise our children in," she said.
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