Building a Dream Cowherd at Rafter 4R Ranch
Management : Cow & Calf
Management : Weaned Calf
Nutrition : Minerals
Buddy Raney has extensive experience building from a strong foundation, having framed houses for 35 years. He also put the same kind of thought and effort into starting and growing his cowherd at the Rafter 4R Ranch in Groveland, Florida.
In 1985, Raney started framing houses. Two years later, he met his wife, Connie, and they began putting together their dreams.
“My dream was always to be a cowboy,” says Raney. “But I don’t know that I ever [thought] my dream was as big as what it ended up being.”
First came two children, and then their own framing business was established in 1997 with “just a pickup truck and two guys.” The business eventually framed 3,000 houses per year by the time it was sold in 2019.
During the buildup of the framing business, Raney began pursuing his lifelong dream of being a cowboy by purchasing a ranch in 2005.
“Connie and I didn’t really have any idea of what we were doing,” says Raney of establishing the Rafter 4R Ranch.
They started as a Beefmaster seedstock operation and implemented an embryo transfer program to begin expanding their business. Over the years, more property was added to Rafter 4R Ranch, which reached a size of 3,000 acres.
“These are places that I never even dreamed of being able to buy because they were owned by somebody that I didn’t think would ever sell them,” adds Raney of the acquired land.
Today, Rafter 4R Ranch is home to 600 commercial cows and 200 Beefmaster cows.
“The Lord just really blessed us in getting us to a place that we can do this with our whole family,” says Raney.
“To be a good cowman, you’ve got to be a good grass farmer,” says Raney. “And so, I’m always trying to improve our grasses.”
While regular moisture might be welcomed in some parts of the country, it can be challenging in Florida because of the abundance of rain. To help get the most out of forage, Rafter 4R Ranch does soil sampling on a total grid system for every three acres. From there, the data is used with a rate control technology on the fertilizer spreader to determine precisely how much fertilizer to apply.
Raney is currently planting Gibtuck, a variety of limpograss cultivars (Hemarthria altissima) developed at the University of Florida, with the aim of having it in all the low-lying pastures.
“Limpograss is one of the only grasses we can grow here in Florida that sustains nutrient values even after it quits growing,” says Raney.
TifQuik bahiagrass can be found on the hillier pastures at Rafter 4R Ranch. TifQuik is a variety of bahiagrass developed at the University of Georgia that is known for its ability to green up quickly in the spring.
“In my construction business, it was all about performance,” says Raney. “We built a lot of houses, and that’s the way that I always think, ‘How can I get more out of what I have?’”
When Rafter 4R Ranch began putting metrics behind cow performance, pregnancy rates ran around 80%, and the calving season had stretched to 120 days. Because of that extended calving season, calves had to be marketed two or three different times per year.
At the time, Raney says he was raising cattle “just on the grass, the cheapest mineral that we could get and putting out salt; there was no real science behind what we were doing.”
He knew there had to be a better way.
“The typical answer I got was, ‘Well, this is just the best you can have here in Florida, and it costs too much to do some of these programs.’ That was not a good answer for me,” says Raney.
Following what Raney describes as a breeding “wreck” in 2020, he and his veterinarian determined that the nutrition program needed to change.
“Along the way, we tried some other products, and they were cheaper products, but they were not products that would give us the results I was looking for,” says Raney. “That’s when we came across the Purina® Wind and Rain® mineral program, and it has really helped us get to where we’re at today.”
“Whenever we wean our calves, we put a mineral tub along the fence, and as they travel around, they stop, and they get a snack of that,” says Raney.
It has helped calves find the bulk feeders containing Purina® Accuration® Starter complete feed more easily.
“After we saw the results of the mineral tubs, we switched and started putting out loose Purina® Wind and Rain® mineral to all our mature cows and our bulls,” says Raney.
This year, pregnancy rates improved across 700 cows and replacement heifers. The calving season is reduced, with half of the calves being born within the first 45 days.
“Ranching is hard work,” adds Raney. “Putting out Wind and Rain® mineral is probably one of the easiest things that we do.”
The Rafter 4R Ranch also feeds Purina® Wind and Rain® Fly Control mineral year-round to the cowherd to help with horn fly control.
“With it being free-choice, the dominant cow is not hoarding it,” says Raney. “They consume it at the rates they need to be consuming it.”
“At the end of the day, our desire is to sell calves,” says Raney.
This year, Rafter 4R Ranch enrolled and marketed its first set of calves through the Purina® Wind and Rain® Mineral Value-Added Program. To be eligible to participate in the program, you must do the following:
The 530 calves Rafter 4R Ranch sold this spring on video with Superior Livestock Auction featuring the Purina® Wind and Rain® Mineral Value-Added Program badge brought $344 per cwt.
“That was $1,900 a piece, and that’s stuff we never hear about here in Florida. We hear about that stuff out west,” says Raney. “Without the Wind and Rain® Mineral Value-Added Program, we could possibly be leaving money on the table.
“Being part of the Wind and Rain® Mineral Value-Added Program on Superior, the buyer has the confidence the calves have had sufficient nutritional support when they get them there,” adds Raney.
Raney has his eyes set on Rafter 4R Ranch moving forward to the next generation with his children and grandchildren advancing the dream he and Connie had.
“As we continue to go, Wind and Rain® mineral has earned a spot in the future of our ranch,” says Raney.
Watch Buddy Raney and Rafter 4R Ranch’s full story on their episode of The American Rancher. Does your cattle nutrition program stack up? Find out with a Proof Pays trial.
In 1985, Raney started framing houses. Two years later, he met his wife, Connie, and they began putting together their dreams.
“My dream was always to be a cowboy,” says Raney. “But I don’t know that I ever [thought] my dream was as big as what it ended up being.”
First came two children, and then their own framing business was established in 1997 with “just a pickup truck and two guys.” The business eventually framed 3,000 houses per year by the time it was sold in 2019.
During the buildup of the framing business, Raney began pursuing his lifelong dream of being a cowboy by purchasing a ranch in 2005.
“Connie and I didn’t really have any idea of what we were doing,” says Raney of establishing the Rafter 4R Ranch.
They started as a Beefmaster seedstock operation and implemented an embryo transfer program to begin expanding their business. Over the years, more property was added to Rafter 4R Ranch, which reached a size of 3,000 acres.
“These are places that I never even dreamed of being able to buy because they were owned by somebody that I didn’t think would ever sell them,” adds Raney of the acquired land.
Today, Rafter 4R Ranch is home to 600 commercial cows and 200 Beefmaster cows.
“The Lord just really blessed us in getting us to a place that we can do this with our whole family,” says Raney.
Focus on forage
At Rafter 4R Ranch, a significant emphasis is placed on growing quality forage year-round for grazing and haying. Baleage is wrapped in late spring. In the early spring and fall, dry hay is baled for additional stored forage. Tifton 44 and Tifton 85 bermudagrasses are grown on the hay fields.“To be a good cowman, you’ve got to be a good grass farmer,” says Raney. “And so, I’m always trying to improve our grasses.”
While regular moisture might be welcomed in some parts of the country, it can be challenging in Florida because of the abundance of rain. To help get the most out of forage, Rafter 4R Ranch does soil sampling on a total grid system for every three acres. From there, the data is used with a rate control technology on the fertilizer spreader to determine precisely how much fertilizer to apply.
Raney is currently planting Gibtuck, a variety of limpograss cultivars (Hemarthria altissima) developed at the University of Florida, with the aim of having it in all the low-lying pastures.
“Limpograss is one of the only grasses we can grow here in Florida that sustains nutrient values even after it quits growing,” says Raney.
TifQuik bahiagrass can be found on the hillier pastures at Rafter 4R Ranch. TifQuik is a variety of bahiagrass developed at the University of Georgia that is known for its ability to green up quickly in the spring.
Pushing performance
Despite all the attention placed on forage growing, Raney still wants to ensure his cattle are getting what they need nutritionally to give them a solid foundation for performance.“In my construction business, it was all about performance,” says Raney. “We built a lot of houses, and that’s the way that I always think, ‘How can I get more out of what I have?’”
When Rafter 4R Ranch began putting metrics behind cow performance, pregnancy rates ran around 80%, and the calving season had stretched to 120 days. Because of that extended calving season, calves had to be marketed two or three different times per year.
At the time, Raney says he was raising cattle “just on the grass, the cheapest mineral that we could get and putting out salt; there was no real science behind what we were doing.”
He knew there had to be a better way.
“The typical answer I got was, ‘Well, this is just the best you can have here in Florida, and it costs too much to do some of these programs.’ That was not a good answer for me,” says Raney.
Following what Raney describes as a breeding “wreck” in 2020, he and his veterinarian determined that the nutrition program needed to change.
“Along the way, we tried some other products, and they were cheaper products, but they were not products that would give us the results I was looking for,” says Raney. “That’s when we came across the Purina® Wind and Rain® mineral program, and it has really helped us get to where we’re at today.”
Making the change
Weaning was the first place Rafter 4R Ranch made a change, by providing calves a Purina® Wind and Rain® mineral tub with Zinpro® Availa® 4.1“Whenever we wean our calves, we put a mineral tub along the fence, and as they travel around, they stop, and they get a snack of that,” says Raney.
It has helped calves find the bulk feeders containing Purina® Accuration® Starter complete feed more easily.
“After we saw the results of the mineral tubs, we switched and started putting out loose Purina® Wind and Rain® mineral to all our mature cows and our bulls,” says Raney.
This year, pregnancy rates improved across 700 cows and replacement heifers. The calving season is reduced, with half of the calves being born within the first 45 days.
“Ranching is hard work,” adds Raney. “Putting out Wind and Rain® mineral is probably one of the easiest things that we do.”
The Rafter 4R Ranch also feeds Purina® Wind and Rain® Fly Control mineral year-round to the cowherd to help with horn fly control.
“With it being free-choice, the dominant cow is not hoarding it,” says Raney. “They consume it at the rates they need to be consuming it.”
Getting more
While striving for better performance, Rafter 4R Ranch also aims to get more value from their calves.“At the end of the day, our desire is to sell calves,” says Raney.
This year, Rafter 4R Ranch enrolled and marketed its first set of calves through the Purina® Wind and Rain® Mineral Value-Added Program. To be eligible to participate in the program, you must do the following:
- Raise calves born from cows fed Purina® Wind and Rain® or Purina® RangeLand® Pro mineral on a year-round program prior to breeding and through weaning.
- Feed calves a Wind and Rain® mineral, RangeLand® Pro mineral, or a Purina® Stress Tub product through sale delivery date.
- OR Feed stocker calves any combination of Purina® Stress Tub, RangeLand® Pro mineral, and Wind and Rain® tub or bagged mineral product for a minimum of 60 days prior to sale delivery date.
The 530 calves Rafter 4R Ranch sold this spring on video with Superior Livestock Auction featuring the Purina® Wind and Rain® Mineral Value-Added Program badge brought $344 per cwt.
“That was $1,900 a piece, and that’s stuff we never hear about here in Florida. We hear about that stuff out west,” says Raney. “Without the Wind and Rain® Mineral Value-Added Program, we could possibly be leaving money on the table.
“Being part of the Wind and Rain® Mineral Value-Added Program on Superior, the buyer has the confidence the calves have had sufficient nutritional support when they get them there,” adds Raney.
Raney has his eyes set on Rafter 4R Ranch moving forward to the next generation with his children and grandchildren advancing the dream he and Connie had.
“As we continue to go, Wind and Rain® mineral has earned a spot in the future of our ranch,” says Raney.
Watch Buddy Raney and Rafter 4R Ranch’s full story on their episode of The American Rancher. Does your cattle nutrition program stack up? Find out with a Proof Pays trial.
1 Availa® 4 is a registered trademark of Zinpro Corp.
