- Getting Into The Cattle Business -
“In 1915, at a meeting of the Kansas Improved Stock Breeders Association, E. L. Barrier, of Greenwood County, presented a program on the subject, “Getting into the Cattle Business.” His talk made the old timers sit up and take notice and in reviewing the speech the Kansas Farmer says; ‘Barrier comes from a section of Kansas which has long been famous for its bluestem pasture. The cattle business had for years been the most important business for this limestone pasture section of our state. There seems to be something about the character of the soil which produces a grass superior to that grown upon smoother and apparently richer soils.
In his talk Mr. Barrier called attention to the fact that year after year the cattle men of that section had been up against the constantly increasing prices demanded for feeding cattle. Valuations of the pasture have been steadily increasing and these circumstances, combined with the increased cost of purchased foods, has made it increasingly difficult for these cattle men to stay in business. The young man has apparently no chance to get started at all because of the large amount of capital required and the great risks to paying the high prices now demanded for stock and feeding cattle.
Mr. Barrier developed the idea that under the prevailing conditions there was only one safe way to get into the live stock business in this section, or any other section and that was to start in this same way one would start to build a barn, or other structure, namely begin at the foundation. In the cattle business that means starting with breeding cattle and starting in to raise calves. Mr. Barrier told of some of his own personal experiences. He started in some years ago with purebred cattle and, having a natural liking for the Angus breed, he purchased two registered cows of this breed. He kept these cows until they were seven years old and had at that time the original cows and ten of their descendants in his herd.
The young man starting in the cattle business should never forget the purpose for which he is raising cattle. He must produce the kind that will sell on the market for beef. In other words, no matter what breed he selects, he must be able to turn off stock that the packing houses want and are willing to pay good money to get. It seemed to be the opinion of the speaker that far too many of the breeders were selling cull cattle for breeding purposes. Many and many a time a beginner in making a purchase thought he had made the right start when as a matter of fact he had bought paper instead of beef: a pedigree with no individual to back it up. According to Mr. Barrier there are breeders in states such as Illinois and Iowa who are selling cull bulls to the people of the West. This policy is a short-sighted one for any breeder to follow. The selling of inferior animals for breeding purposes cannot do otherwise than have a tendency to injure the breed. The thing to look for is to raise better cattle and to gradually improve the type of cattle of whatever breed produced in any given community.
The young man starting out in the cattle business under conditions prevailing at the present time must start out with the idea of raising his own cattle instead of buying them, gradually building up a highclass herd on his own farm. Mr. Barrier said he did not know of a single man in Greenwood County who had ever gone to the wall who had followed the practice of feeding his own cattle. In other words, the man growing beef from the foundation up had apparently been playing a great deal safer than those who had been buying stock, running them on the pasture and perhaps later feeding them out for market. The latter procedure has too much of a speculative feature to be a safe proposition to follow at the present time.
In closing, this cattle man from Greenwood County made the statement that in his opinion the bluestem section of Kansas has before it one of the greatest opportunities in the whole world. All through these famous limestone pasture areas there seems to be no question as to the superior development of bone and muscle following the growing of cattle under these conditions. There is something about the grass produced on these limestone hills which tends to build stronger and better stock than the short grass of the western plains. All through these short grass areas of the great west comes the demand for breeding animals with greater size and better bone and muscle development. In Mr. Barrier’s mind the opportunity open to the cattle men of this section is along the line of making this one of the great cattle breeding sections of the country, a section to which those in need of the qualities made possible by the character of this country could come and buy. These pastures at the present time are largely given over to the grazing of steers, but with the increased demand for the production of more and better pure-bred animals for breeding purposes it certainly looks reasonable to expect that in the near future many of the leading herds of breeding cattle may be found on the farms and ranges of the limestone pasture stretching across the state of Kansas.
The bluegrass hills of Kentucky have long been famous for the high-class horses, and the time perhaps is coming, and is not far distant, when this stretch of limestone cattle land now largely used for the grazing of steers may become as famous as the horse breeding grounds for the best pure-bred cattle of the country.
E.L. “Bert” Barrier, farmer- stockman, also devoted time to public service as a Senator and member of the House of Representatives for the state of Kansas. He was also Kansas State Budget Director for a time and a member of the State Board of Administration. In 1904, he started one of the earliest herds of Angus cattle in the state, naming his farm, Dalebanks, (the farm name of his wife’s family) which is still in operation today.’
The Dalebanks herd, started in 1904 by Mr. Barrier, is one of the oldest continually operated Angus herds in the nation. Most of the cow families in the present herd trace to cows purchased by Mr. Barrier between 1908 and 1920. Bert laid the foundation and later generations have built on that foundation. The operation is managed by Bert’s grandson and wife, Tom & Carolyn Perrier, and the 4th and 5th generations, Matt & Amy Perrier and their children, Ava, Lyle, Hannah, Henry, and Hope. Tom & Carolyn’s other children, Michele & Mark, are also involved in the operation.”
