Reference Library

Bad Bull Creates Good Business
For Wisconsin Farm
by Carolyn Hunter

The old saying is that "it's an ill wind that blows nobody good", and Glen Idland, manager of Ner-Farms at Oconto, Wisconsin, can testify that it's true.

Like many Texas Longhorn breeders, Glen started out with Longhorn cattle to grow his own roping calves. The more he was around them, the better he liked them and within three months had a small herd. He started reading about the breed and felt that Texas Longhorns were going to be the breed of the future as far as the beef end of it went. That's when he decided to quit roping and he hasn't roped since. In 1994, Jim Nerenhausen, owner of Ner-Farms, asked Glen to manage his beef and dairy cattle as well as his growing herd of Texas Longhorns. The two men started with about 45 head of Texas Longhorns, and today that herd numbers about 200 head, along with some 400 head of Angus, Brown Swiss and crossbred cattle.

A few months after Idland's arrival, a little "gust of ill wind" blew into NerFarms. The farm had purchased a fairly high priced bull, which turned out to be a dud, and the seller wouldn't return the purchase price, so the farm had to find a way to recoup the money. And that's what started the Ner-Farms Longhorn beef business.

Idland commented that obtaining a USDA label and patent was the expensive part of the operation. The meat must all be inspected at a federal packing plant and then shipped to a federal plant to make the finished product. The farm does sell some quarters, halves and whole beeves as well as steaks and hamburger meat, but their best seller is Longhorn beef sticks, followed by hard tack and summer sausage.

Mr. Nerenhausen went to Burger Sausage in Oshkosh and sampled and selected the taste and texture of the sausage they wanted. However, when it was specified that it had to be 100% beef, the owner said that it couldn't be done without adding pork, but he would try it if the farm insisted. "He was really surprised when our sausage held together", laughs Idland. "We solved that problem by butchering a cow at the same time we butchered a steer," he says. He explains that even a Longhorn steer is too "wet" and when you dry the meat down you could lose half the meat. "We get all the steaks and as much hamburger as we need from the steer and then grind the rest up with the cow for our beef sticks," Idland says. "The meat is dried down about 40-50% for the beef sticks and 70% for the hard tack. We generally start out with about 350 lbs. of meat on the average, and end up with about 200 or 225 lbs. of beef sticks after it's dried."

Every bit of the cow is used. Idland figures that he gets $1400 to $1500 per cow, depending on what he does with the head and the hide, and has about $300-$500 in processing and packaging. "That sure beats taking a $1500 cow that's gone bad to a sale barn where you'd only get $200."

Ner-Farms feeds out its own cattle. All their steers are leased out at about 450 pounds for ropers at $150 a summer lease. When they come back, they are generally about one and half years old, and have gained an average of 150 pounds. They are then turned into the feedlot along with Ner-Farms' other beef steers on a ration of hay, corn, and silage. They leave the feedlot weighing about 1000 pounds.

At the present time, Ner-Farms beef products are marketed through gift shops, bars, and by word of mouth. Although Connie's shop, Backyard Country, is located some five miles from town, people drive that distance to purchase the Longhorn meat along with Longhorn memorabilia and her special candles. "Seeing the word "Longhorn" on the package is what's selling it right now," says Idland. "Everyone wants to try it. Once they do, they will continue to buy it because of the low fat content."

"I fully expect our beef sticks and meat to play a major part in Ner-Farms' future marketing," says Idland. 'And just think, we owe it all to one old bull."