OUR PRACTICES

Caribou Mountain Ranch

Calving In Sync with Nature
At Caribou Mountain Ranch, our calving window mimics the calving cycle of wildlife. For our area, our spring green up starts around May. We typically calve May 1 – June 30. Grazing in common with a portion of our mature cows limits our ability to always calve in our desired calving window. Cows bred to calve before May 1 are sold to another producer, where we have the first right of purchase on those calves the following fall. This keeps our genetics progressing without the strain of calving during colder/wetter seasons.

Raising Low-Maintenance Cattle
An 1,100-pound cow weaning a 500-pound calf is what we are after. Regardless of breed and color, that’s the goal. We want a cow to work through snow to access grass if she can without losing body condition. The cows work for us, we don’t work for the cows.

Bale Grazing

  • Increases organic matter

  • Improves soil fertility

  • Cuts labor costs (time, diesel, tractor use)

  • Promotes Uniform manure distribution

  • Retains water in the soil longer, especially during drought conditions

MAKING SOIL THE #1 PRIORITY

Grazing Management

The key to our grazing management program is not based on a specific grazing term (rotational, rapid rotation, intensive grazing, deferred grazing, rest rotation, etc). Although we use all these methods to some degree, we want to be as adaptable as possible. Weather, wildlife, drought (just to name a few) can all play a major role in how we graze day to day, week to week, or month to month during any given year. What we do know, and we believe most agree on, is that once a plant has been grazed, it needs rest before a second grazing session to support the long term viability of the plant and the soil.

Supplementation

Redmond salt and conditioner

  • All-natural ancient sea deposits

  • No chemical processing

  • Binds to Toxins

  • Buffers acid in the rumen, keeping the gut settled and comfortable

Apple Cider Vinegar

  • Helps resist disease and internal /external parasites

  • Promotes digestion, resulting in less forage needed

A small weathered metal bucket filled with pink Himalayan salt, placed on hay or grass, with a bag of Diamond brand mineral salt in the background.
Bottled apple cider vinegar, a bag of Redmond mineral salt, and a metal bucket on a hay-filled surface.
A close-up of a bag of premium mineral salt with the text '4 MEDIUM' and 'Nurture has it right' visible, surrounded by dried grass.