CALF_News_June_July_2021

29 CALF News • June | July 2021 • www.calfnews.net young stockman R CALF NEWS PRESENTS R By Patti Wilson Contributing Editor Agriculture roots run deep in the Jorgensen family of Exeter, Neb. Kellen and Katie Jorgensen reside on the same section that Kellen’s great-great grandfather home- steaded upon arrival from Denmark in the early 1870s. Kellen is a fifth-generation American farmer. Circumstances like these don’t just magically happen; several lifetimes of commitment and sound judgement are always involved. Early Decisions After graduating from Kansas State University in 2010, Jorgensen returned to York County and leased his first 80 acres of farm ground. He met Katie in 2013 at an Ak-Sar-Ben coro- nation ball in Omaha; they married a year later. Katie came to the partnership with a 2013 degree from the University of Nebraska and a lifetime of cattle experience. Asked why he wanted to return home to farm, Jorgensen says, “I didn’t know how to do anything else.” Obviously, there was more to substantiate his decision; east- ern Nebraska’s Danish population can display an amazingly dry humor. Pretty Good Neighbors Seeing potential in a serious and dependable young man, established neighbors stepped in and offered opportunity to the couple. Helping them secure a homestead and lease of two irrigated quarters, the Jorgensens were on their way. Kellen now farms in partnership with another neighbor, raising row crops on 900 acres of land and providing custom hire for others. He appreciates the competitive advantage of farming with a partner; the purchasing power of a larger entity gives him an advantage when buying seed and fertilizer. He explains they are competitive in their costs per acre when an opportunity arises to lease farmground. Cow Herd Management In addition, the Jorgensens maintain a cow herd in coopera- tion with his parents, Kelvin and Marsha Jorgensen. Registered Angus, Hereford and Simmental, as well as commercial cows are run together as needed, with expenses divided as costs per unit. Ear tags are color coded for ownership. Fifty replacement females and registered cows are run close to home on owned grass, while commercial cows go southeast to Virginia, Neb. A sizeable amount of pasture is leased there annually. Cows are artificially inseminated (AI) to begin calving in January, with Kelvin making the matings. He and Katie do the groundwork, sorting and preparing for AI, while Kellen is the AI technician. Synchronization is used heavily, with four-times-per-day breeding sessions. Kellen describes it as very intensive but highly productive. Calving is scheduled from Christmas to Feb. 20, with cleanup calves trailing into March. This calving schedule enables the Jorgensens to spread their labor evenly throughout the year so cattle work generally does not interfere with the farming enterprise. Calving in eastern Nebraska presents special challenges, with farm ground being an expensive priority and grazing land in short supply. All Jorgensen cows are calved inside a 54-foot by 100-foot Morton building, which is cleaned and re-bedded weekly. About 30 cows can be housed at a given time. After calving, pairs are sent to paddocks, each holding 50 pairs. Calves are administered Multimin® and a clostridial vaccine at birth, and boostered before going to grass. Sandhills Calving Method is employed, adding an important health protocol to the system. After weaning, bull calves are sent to Griswold Cattle Company in Oklahoma for development and sale. Steers are backgrounded for 40 days and then shipped to Five Rivers Feedyard at Yuma, Colo. Heifers are handled at home; those not being kept for replacement are marketed privately. Continued on page 30  LEFT: Kellen and Katie Jorgensen of Exeter, Neb., are the fifth generation to farm and ranch in York County.