Pipestone Cattle News
Teamwork is key for Baustians
Commitment, cooperation and companionship. These traits mark the success of the Baustian family from Jasper, Minnesota. Mike and Cyndy began raising swine thirty-two years ago. When their son, Erik, wanted to give farming a try, he turned to cattle.
“I always had an interest,” Erik said, “but I wasn’t too fond of pigs.”
They purchased an abandoned site and spent time and effort ripping down dilapidated buildings and cleaning up the grounds before laying the foundation for Erik’s new endeavor.
The result of this thirty-month-long project is a modern facility that houses nearly 700 cattle.
According to Erik, the most difficult aspect of building a cattle business from scratch was getting everything right with the feed. “Everybody has their own products and you have to figure out what’s best for you.”
Mike stressed the need for a good vaccination schedule, something the family didn’t have in place when they first began operations. Cyndy attributes cattle loss to the harsh and variable weather of living on the ridge. “It stresses them out and without the vaccinations, it will bring them down. They need vaccinations from as little as a couple weeks on. Without a good program, you won’t have good cattle.”
But raising good cattle hinges on more than feed and vaccinations. Success has come with the effort each member brings to the project. Mike, with his tools and easy smile, just finished fixing a broken barn door. Maintenance is essential to the well-being of their cattle, and the farm is clean and well-kept despite the sheer volume of animals residing there.
With cattle comfort and health as a top priority, the Baustians use hoop confinement for housing their cattle. “These hoops,” Cyndy said, waving toward a barn with a slight resemblance to a large covered wagon, “are more comfortable for the animals. They have more air ventilation and constant shade.”
As well as flank to flank companionship. All three Baustians explained that cattle are social animals and do better when they are together. Confinement, they agreed, is only bad when not managed properly. An issue the Baustians do not have to worry about.
Preparing 700 head of cattle for market isn’t an easy job. It takes Erik at least one full day each week—sometimes two in the winter—just to keep the hoops clean. And that’s only the start of his chores. Yet, despite the commitment, Erik encourages new farmers to “get a plan of what you want to do and don’t give up. You’ll get there eventually.” Rather than giving up, the Buastians dug in and turned an abandoned yard and fifty-six cattle into the viable family farm it is today.
“It helps to have supportive parents.” Erik said. To which Mike replied, “We’re a team.”
