Four Lazy F Ranch
Fourth generation Wyoming rancher Dan Flitner and his wife and resident veterinarian Mary, have run their 500-acre parcel in the southeastern town of Terrebone, Oregon as a grassfed operation since 2006. Their 200-head herd of Angus and Red Angus mother cows have been genetically selected for their smaller, more moderate frame size, and suitability to Four Lazy F's desert environment.
The Four Lazy F herd grazes 400 irrigated acres using management intensive rotational grazing systems. Dan and Mary turn their cows out onto this pasture seven months of each year; summer in a desert region can present unique challenges. The cows' diets are supplemented with hay grown on the ranch, which also raised legumes and perennial crops like fescue, crested wheatgrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.
Vast expanses of the invasive weed Medusahead also thrive in the region. Dan has made eradicating—or at least controlling—the weed his goal, 10-acres at a time. By grazing plots where it is thick with 200 animals over 5 days, he is beginning to see a difference.