A Gift for Learning

Marty Lueck was once described as the sort of cattleman who could look at a picture of one of his Hereford cows and tell you where she came from, her age and, more times than not, who her parents were.

"Marty's the best in the cattle business I have ever seen," Leo Journagan said.

Those words, from a man lost last year, are just part of what he leaves as a legacy intended to encourage people. Journagan was especially anxious to build up young people.

In 2010, Leo and his family, wife, Jean, son, Allen, and daughter, Jill, gave Missouri State University (MSU), in Springfield, a wonderful gift: a 3,300-acre cattle operation in Douglas County, complete with buildings, equipment and a top-notch 1,000-head herd, including some 475 purebred Hereford cows. The gift also came with Lueck, who seems as much a part of the herd as one of the cows, having been with the Journagan family since 1981 as ranch manager.

Lueck developed the Journagans' Hereford bloodline, which is considered one of the best in the country and currently includes 26 Dam of Distinction cows, a coveted title in Hereford circles. Being known as a breeder of Dams of Distinction is largely about emphasizing maternal traits, Lueck said. And even with top-notch genetics, it can be hard to make the cut.

"Some herds never produce one Dam of Distinction," he said. "I've had cows miss it by one day, or by 1% on weaning weight. But for me, the things that go into a Dam of Distinction are the things that go into any good cow, so that is the criteria we focus on."

FOCUS ON FERTILITY

The No. 1 thing Lueck looks for is fertility. He doesn't like to overemphasize milk production but said teat and udder quality are important on cows. Bulls are chosen with an eye toward producing daughters that will hit puberty earlier.

"We want them to calve as 2-year-olds, so they need to cycle early," he said. He also does pelvic measurements to be sure they can calve without issue, explaining that everything ties together.

"What we want are balanced EPDs," he added. "We are seedstock producers, and we produce cattle commercial cattlemen buy. I believe we have a duty to provide better genetics for that side of the business. Weaning weights and calving ease are traits they seem to want, but even then, I'd say we seek a balanced approach."

At Journagan Ranch, Dams of Distinction are sometimes marketed as part of the annual sale. Some ranches seldom turn these cows loose, but Lueck said once they've produced a calf, he will sometimes pass them on to let others use the genetics.

That same desire to make a positive contribution to the cattle industry is the mindset behind using the herd to help students at the MSU William H. Darr School of Agriculture. Students are able to learn about genetics, cattle-handling and animal care. Intern programs at the ranch, which is about 60 miles outside of Springfield, range from a weekend to a full summer. There is also opportunity for university students to work with the school's show herd.

"That's what Leo Journagan wanted. He wanted these kids to have a hands-on experience, and I get as much out of it as they do," Lueck said.

Senior Michaela Haley was part of the 2015 group that took two bulls and a cow/calf pair to the National Western Stock Show in January, at Denver, Colo. The animal science major said the 2-year-old bulls placed 4th and 5th in their division. And the group brought home the Reserve National Hereford Cow/Calf Pair on the other entry.

Haley, a Missouri native from Sedgewickville, will graduate in December. She said there is nothing better than the kind of hands-on experience the Journagan Ranch offers students.

"We learn a lot in the classroom, but it doesn't really compare to working one-on-one with cattle," she said. Haley grew up showing her family's Charolais cattle from the time she was 8 years old.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Giving young people a bridge from the classroom to the real world has been a major focus as Journagan Ranch was integrated into the agriculture program at the university.

Anson Elliott, department head of the William H. Darr School of Agriculture since 1980, noted that since the 2010 donation of Journagan Ranch to the school, enrollment has been climbing by about 10% each year. Today, 650 students are in the program, which includes units in agribusiness, agricultural education, communications, animal science, environmental plant science and natural resources.

"I can't say all the growth is due to the ranch, but it has had an impact on all of our other programs. I would say it is a linchpin, a game-changer," Elliott said. He added there have been other large donations since, including a 250-acre farm and a 150-acre farm.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

True to the spirit of being a demonstration farm, Elliott said some of Journagan's steers, normally sold as feeders, are now held back and moved to grass where they are finished out at about 22 months of age and processed locally for sale at the Springfield Hy-Vee grocery store. The meat is dry-aged 10 to 14 days and then frozen. As this article went to press, the beef sold for $5.99 to $21.38 per pound, depending on the cut. The hamburger, which is all muscle meat with some fat mixed in, sold for $5.99 per pound.

"We've always sent steers from the ranch to feeders at about 500 or 600 pounds. We continue to do that, but now we hold back about 50 head and bring them to an area we call Sheely Farm, where they are put on grass and given just enough grain to finish them," Elliott explained. Students have helped create a marketing plan for the beef. The product is so popular, the store can't keep it in stock.

Asked why they don't finish out more of the Journagan cattle in this way, Elliott explained it's not the university's desire to compete with other cattle producers in the area interested in niche beef sales. Rather, he wants to be an example of how such a program might work, hopefully opening the way to new business opportunities for all cattlemen in the state.

NEW HORIZONS

The next step Elliott wants to take is tied to conservation practices on the ranch. He said they are working with the Missouri Department of Conservation to implement cost-share programs here, showing landowners practices that make good economic sense and, at the same time, benefit the environment.

"It all can work together, that's what I want to show people. It doesn't have to be 'this is all timber, or this is all cattle.' We can integrate concepts and demonstrate they can make sense, both economically and environmentally."

(VM/CZ)

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