The Cattle Farm
The Garst Farm
Lodge is the center of a 1,000 head cattle breeding operation, which
monitors each animal to increase the herd's performance. Although cows spend much of their
time on the farm's several thousand acres of pasture, most are brought to the
Garst Farm at
some point for vaccinations, tagging or weighing.
Cattle need several types of feed - and a lot of
it! - to survive. Their basic diet includes ground corn for energy, silage for roughage
and bulk, and concentrates and supplements (soybean meal, vitamins and minerals) to
balance their diet. Both feeding equipment and feed are stored in a long building
called Cottonwood, which was built out of native lumber in the 1950's, as were most of the
corral and lot fences on the farm.
The type of ration for each lot depends on the group of cattle being fed. For example,
cows are fed mostly silage, while cattle being fattened for slaughter are fed high protein
and energy rations with more grains and concentrates.
The Calving
Barn houses cows having their first calves, which often need help. Mature
cows regularly give birth to their calves in closely monitored pastures. The lots behind
the Calving Barn are full of cows and new calves in March and April.
As you explore the Garst Farm, you'll notice the
four large silage
bunkers. Chopped corn stalks and other inexpensive foodstuffs are
placed in the bunkers during the harvest season and allowed to ferment. The resulting silage is then mixed with feed concentrates and
supplements and fed to the cattle. The largest bunker holds 15,000 tons, more than a
year's supply.
The Garst buffalo herd
was started in 1983 with one herd bull and a cow from the Swan Lake Park herd near
Carroll, Iowa. A few years later, another female was purchased. Today's herd of
about 10 buffaloes - are all descended from those first purchases. The
buffalo are usually in the well pasture southwest of Hollyhock Cottage.
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