Pioneers in cattle feeding
On an early fall morning, a sparsely populated stretch of the Nebraska prairie is already buzzing with activity. Here in the southwest corner of the state, construction crews are putting the finishing touches on what is expected to become one of the largest – and most advanced – cattle feeding operations in the nation.
Blackshirt Feeders broke ground on the company’s sprawling facilities near Haigler, Nebraska, in May 2023. Less than a year later, the operation began phase two by installing the pens and processing barns needed to support around 50,000 head of cattle.
When completed, phases three and four in the project are expected to add another 50,000 head of cattle over the next several years. In total, Blackshirt Feeders is targeting 150,000 head of cattle at full capacity, which would easily make it the largest cattle feeding operation in Nebraska and one of the largest in the world.
The ambitious venture has three founding partners: Kee Jim, Calvin Booker, and Eric Behlke. All three founders are veterinarians who grew up in production agriculture and later became managers at Feedlot Health Management Services, a feedlot consulting company based in Alberta, Canada.
Dr. Calvin Booker grew up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan, where he came to understand and appreciate the broad set of skills required to run a successful business in agriculture.
“Our goal is to take all the things that we’ve learned and put them together in one place, giving us the scope and scale to produce a large volume of high-quality, grain-fed beef,” said Calvin.
Amy Hodgson, corporate banking officer at American AgCredit, has worked closely with the team at Blackshirt Feeders for about three years as they developed the project. She said the relationship started with a land loan and has since transitioned into construction financing to build out the operation, with multiple parties and a commercial bank involved.
“In our group, we work on these types of projects quite often, but it’s unique in that there are so many shareholders who have known each other for a really long time,” said Amy. “The fact that they are coming together for a project of this magnitude is exciting.”
Going beyond sustainability in cattle feeding
An aerial view of Blackshirt Feeders reveals one aspect of the operation that is both innovative and unusual in the world of cattle feeding – concrete flooring for cattle pens.
“The floors put us in a different category than most other feedlots in the United States,” said Calvin. “In this case, we’re using roller-compacted concrete to create a more stable, environmentally friendly footprint for the pens. While it’s more expensive to set that base or foundation, the cost to maintain an impermeable barrier are substantially lower than they are when we use dirt pens.”
This novel design fits more animals comfortably into a smaller footprint, with about 50 percent less space needed per animal. It’s also a waste-conscious design that reduces the operation’s impact on downstream water supplies and makes it easier to remove manure in pens without dirt contamination. Animal waste may be collected to fuel a biodigester in the future, which will break down the manure into biogas and digestate fertilizer.
Dr. Eric Behlke is a founding partner who grew up in nearby Benkelman, Nebraska. He said the operation’s sustainability practices go beyond the standard level of planning to consider how the facility will be used by future generations.
“Sustainability is a very common term in agriculture these days,” said Eric. “When you look at our facility, we have built this with generational transfer in mind. This operation might not look like it does now in 50 years. However, we have built the foundation for the next generations to build on, and to me that is the epitome of sustainability.
Uniting behind a shared vision
Another key figure in cattle ranching and the Blackshirt Feeders project is Doug Price. He and his wife Helga founded Rimrock Cattle Company and Echo Sand Ranching in Alberta. Doug said the Blackshirt Feeders model combines his lifelong passion for cattle ranching with the excitement of building out a new team.
“One thing that I really enjoy the most is working with the people and watching the people grow,” said Doug. “It doesn’t have to just be family, we’ve got some tremendous people around us, and I’m looking forward to doing the same thing here as we’ve done in Canada. Our people are excited about their jobs, and they have the opportunity to move up in a growing company.”
Blackshirt Feeders expects to employ about 130 people once the feedlot is fully operational. That figure represents a substantial boost to the local economy in Dundy County, which has about 1,500 residents.
This story was originally published by American AgCredit.
