Our Story
Kalberer Ranch
Jesse Kalberer, with the support and help from his wife, Susan, and their three children, operate their family farm/ranch located near Hazelton, ND. Currently, they run a small herd of regis- tered Red Angus cows and commercial cows, plus occasional stockers to fill sum- mer pastures. After the downturn in cattle prices in 2016, Jesse started looking for ways to lower costs and be more efficient. He started reading more about rotational grazing and spoke with ranchers that were practicing it. He also started to think of ways to graze longer through the year in order to make and feed less hay. Before long, they had installed miles of cross fencing and pipelines. Jesse also started planting cover crops, etc. to extend grazing further into the winter. He was seeing improvements in the pastures but couldn’t seem to graze his cows very far into winter without feeding them.
At the time, he had been chasing wean- ing weights and trying to raise the biggest calves. The result of doing that for five-plus years was that his cows were way too big to do what he was asking of them. Being rather fond of red cattle, Jesse started looking for a local source of moder- ate-framed Red Angus. After about a year, he found the Stokka Ranch. he went to visit, liked what I saw and came home with a couple bred heifers. The kids named them Itty and Bitty because they were so much smaller than the cows. After seeing them perform through the year without losing any condition, he went back to Stokka’s. This time, he came home with a couple trailer loads of bulls, heifers and bred cows. Over the past 7 years, the Kalberer family has completely transitioned to a herd of moderate-framed, low-input cattle using Stokka and Ohlde genetics. These cattle are now capable of what Jesse is asking of them.
Jesse & Susan Kalberer Family
They grazed 10.5 months two years ago and grazed 12 months last year. They hold their condition all year without any pam- pering. They raise deep-bodied, feminine heifer calves and bull calves full of muscle.
Finally, cows that WORK!
From the Ground Up It all starts with the land. That’s why we’ve committed to regenerative grazing practices – extending the grazing season, improving soil health and raising cattle that thrive without extra feed. Our bulls are built in this system, and they’re designed to carry it forward. This is more than a sale – it’s a different way to think about raising cattle.
Cattle that Work – No Excuses, No Extra Inputs
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