“We collectively have three objectives in our ranching business,” says South Dakota cattle producer Ken Odde. “No. 1 is to build a profitable business. The second objective is evaluating new technologies and incorporating new technologies when we deem those appropriate. And our last objective is educating young people.”
A DVM, Odde had a distinguished career in education and animal health before retiring to his ranch near Pollock in 2022.
With the goal of building a profitable commercial cow herd and ranch, Odde and his wife, Arlene, purchased land four miles from his homeplace in 1996. Since then, the ranch has grown and now includes 700 acres of owned land and 3,500 acres of leased land. Their commercial cow herd has grown from 150 cows in 2007 to approximately 500 cows today.
Odde credits his son, John, for playing the crucial role in managing the day-to-day operation. After John graduated from South Dakota State in 2008, he assumed the daily responsibilities of the ranch while also assisting his uncle and starting a seed corn business as the family added land and increased cow numbers.
As commercial cow-calf producers, the Odde family focuses on heterosis and believes in its correlation to fertility and longevity.
The Odde cow herd is Angus-based using Simmental and SimAngus bulls.
John says his goal is to produce the best cattle they can with the options available. These philosophies have led father and son to seek continuous improvement in their herd.
To improve the cow herd, they use available tools such as expected progeny differences (EPDs) and indexes to make genetic improvement.
“We’re very interested in genetics and its contribution to our herd profitability,” Odde says. “We are very much influenced by and appreciative of data.”
Using Technology to Build a Profitable Cow Herd
Odde’s experience in research and his willingness to try new technologies have been key to the ranch’s implementation of innovative strategies.
Realizing steer calves are worth more in the marketplace, Odde and John started using sexed semen to increase the steer calf percentage.
“When we first started using sexed semen, we were putting female semen into our heifers and 2-year-olds, and we were putting male semen into our mature cows,” Odde explains. “We decided that we would shift, and the last two years, we’ve been putting male semen into our heifers, because we get a little better fertility with our heifers.”
With the goal of producing approximately 65% male calves, the Oddes have been working with ST Genetics to improve fertility rates and optimize insemination techniques.
“We haven’t quite got there yet, but we’re moving in that direction,” he says. “The fertility with sexed semen is still somewhat less than it is with conventional semen, maybe in the neighborhood of 5% to 7% — though it’s been getting better.”
With heifers, they average 58% to 59% conception rate using artificial insemination (AI) and about 50% to 51% on cows using timed-AI breeding.
Another the Odde family is also looking into GPS ear tags.
“We will be doing a sizable project with 701X,” Odde says. “They have a GPS tag we will be using on all of our replacement heifers.”
He explains they have two objectives with the project. The first is evaluating the tag’s potential as a tool for heat detection. Then, next spring when those heifers are calving, they will be evaluating the tag for its potential to detect the onset of calving.
“Right now, those technologies are probably too costly for the average producer,” he admits. “But technology gets cheaper over time, and I would anticipate there will be a point in time where GPS tags in cattle, especially in large range environments, will be very common.”
John is excited about the opportunity to use his iPhone to check cattle that are 30 miles away and tell if they are in or outside the pasture without having to make a trip.
“We don’t want to be too optimistic, because these technologies have to work in cattle environments, and cattle environments are varied,” Odde summarizes.
Developing the Next Generation
Spending much of his career in education and understanding the importance of hands-on learning, Odde started an internship program for the ranch in 2014.
Through the years, the Odde family has hosted 42 interns. Interns typically spend two to four months on the ranch, with spring semester and summer intern options.
The goals of the internship program include: 1) provide practical agricultural experience with a comprehensive exposure to a commercial cow-calf operation; 2) expose students to ranch operations; 3) teach ranch-specific skills and technologies; 4) offer mentorship and professional development; and 5) help the interns learn about genetic selection, technologies and ranch management.
“It’s not just good for them; it’s good for all of us,” Odde explains. “It’s a life-changing experience for most of the students.”
John agrees, adding, “They learn a ton, and I’ve learned a ton. I’ve learned how to manage people and how to deal with different situations.”
Most interns have been pre-vet students with limited livestock experience. Odde says he takes pride in how the program helps develop young people into capable livestock producers.
In fact, one intern even returned to the ranch to work as a full-time employee. Haylee Leingang was an intern three years ago.
“An opportunity to get your feet wet is very important,” Leingang says about the internship. “It gave me the experience required as a prerequisite for other jobs.”
All About Family
John and his wife, Jaimie, and their three children recently moved to the ranch property. John says he appreciates having his family on the ranch and being able to involve them in ranch work and spend more time together.
Grandpa Ken and Grandma Arlene are excited to watch the next generation of Oddes on the ranch, learning about beef production and feeding the world.
Looking to the future, John says his primary goal is simply maintaining the ranch’s success. He recognizes technology and industry shifts might dramatically alter agriculture. His philosophy centers on remaining adaptable, staying informed about new technologies and avoiding falling into the habit of how things have always been done.
The Odde family’s traditional agricultural values with forward-thinking management strategies demonstrate how cow herds and the next generation can evolve.
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