Blackshirt Feeders
Long on innovation, this southwest Nebraska cattle feeding operation is making its presence felt.
By Clint Peck
One of the newest feedyards in the U.S., Blackshirt Feeders, is poised to set the standard in the nation's cattle feeding sector. After breaking ground in May 2023, southwest Nebraska's Blackshirt Feeders is already feeding 50,000 calves, well on its way to an anticipated one-time capacity of up to 200,000 head. But there's more to the story than size and scale.
Blackshirt Feeder's story starts with its founding partners—Kee Jim, Calvin Booker and Eric Behlke, all veterinarians associated with Feedlot Health Management Services, based in Okotoks, Alberta. While all three partners grew up in production agriculture in the U.S. and Canada, they made their mark via three decades of managing feedlots across North America.
Through their leadership, Feedlot Health Management Services, now owned by TELUS Group, has grown to a team of over 80 individuals stationed at various places around the continent. Now their focus is largely on building and managing Blackshirt Feeders northwest of Haigler, Nebraska.
Blackshirt Feeders gets its name from the black practice jerseys worn by University of Nebraska Cornhusker defensive football players. This is a nod from Behlke, a Nebraska native who grew up near Benkelman on a cow-calf operation. He earned a doctoral degree in ruminant nutrition from Nebraska and his veterinary medicine degree from Iowa State University.
The featured speaker at Husker Harvest Days, held recently in Grand Island, Behlke didn't hesitate to make the claim that southwest Nebraska is the best place on Earth to feed cattle.
"We checked all the boxes in finding the ideal location for a feedlot," he said. "We're close to the feed, close to harvest facilities—and you can't beat southwest Nebraska's weather for feeding cattle."
The concrete setup Blackshirt Feeders is being built from "scratch" on previously irrigated farmland, where construction began by moving literally millions of yards of topsoil to provide a level site for the feedlot.
Then came the concrete, which is where Blackshirt Feeders begins to separate from the rest. All 1,000 acres of feeding is done on an impermeable base of roller-compacted concrete. The pens are constructed to provide a slight and even slope, allowing liquids to run off but leaving solids behind.
Other innovations include construction of the pens, bunks and waterers, where the receiving pens are built smaller to accommodate younger cattle. As the calves grow, they are moved to 400-head pens designed all around to suit larger animals.
Roller-compacted concrete, a method once used to build air strips during World War II, makes a solid 6-inch base without the need for steel reinforcement. The slightly textured surface allows cattle to move around the pens without slipping and eliminates the mud problems associated with dirt-floor feedyards. The concrete floors also aid in reducing fly, dust, and odor problems, according to Behlke.
The pens are bedded with corn stalks and wheat straw to provide a cushioned surface so the cattle aren't standing directly on concrete. Along with making pens easier to clean, the concrete flooring and drainage design protects the site from groundwater and surface water contamination.
"What we end up with is 100% manure as opposed to a mix of manure and soil," he explained. "Our number-two product is manure that we make available to local farmers."
Feedlot runoff will go to high-density, polyethylene lined catch basins and will subsequently flow into anaerobic digesters. There, natural gas will be produced and used to fuel steam boilers for the corn flaking operation. The digestate will also be returned to farm fields as fertilizer.
"We have built as near to a 'closed loop' system as you're going to get," added Behlke. "It not only makes economic sense, it's environmentally friendly. We've tried to cover every base in minimizing our impact on our surroundings."
The feedlot will use water from existing irrigation wells. So while the aim is to minimize water usage, there will be no net difference in groundwater depletion. One impact that will not be minimized is Blackshirt Feeders' effect on the local economy.
Behlke projects an annual payroll of $25 million—enough to have a major influence on the region's economy. There are even plans for the company to build employee housing in nearby Wray, Colorado.
"I'm sure there are people out there who have concerns about what we're doing," Behlke said. "But honestly, I think it will prove to be nothing but positive for the area."
Cattle coming and going Blackshirt Feeders cattle are fully owned by the company. While there are no plans to custom feed, Behlke said they have not drawn a boundary on sourcing feeder cattle.
"Our cattle can come from virtually anywhere in North America," Behlke said. "But obviously we're starting with the closest cattle first—it just makes sense." He added that Blackshirt Feeders also sources dairy-cross cattle from areas where there's an abundance of dairy operations.
Over time, beef-on-dairy raised steers will comprise a significant share of Blackshirt Feeders cattle supply, according to Behlke. The beef-on-dairy feeder calf flow will be aided through an agreement on genetic services with Leachman Cattle Company, now part of URUS Group.
Finally, Blackshirt Feeders is relatively near and almost equidistant to several major meat packers. Plants located in Fort Morgan, Greeley, Lexington, Grand Island, Omaha, Garden City and Dodge City are all easy hauls for the finished cattle.
Data is the driverOne of the hallmarks of Feedlot Health Management Services has been providing chute-side data collection and analysis to provide a better understanding of the biology of the cattle being fed. Behlke and his partners have long held the notion that data is the driver in feeder cattle performance, and they will apply that experience to Blackshirt Feeders' day-to-day operations.
Each time an animal goes through a chute—from receiving to shipping—treatment and performance data is entered. That data is melded into millions of other feedlot treatments and analyzed through proprietary software systems—systems that have been fine-tuned over 30-plus years of data.
"We literally know everything that happens to an animal, when it happened, and how it happened," Behlke explained. "It is the epitome of traceability and transparency."
Behlke said this state-of-the-industry management approach didn't come by accident.
"Our ownership group represents more than 300 years of experience in feedlot management," Behlke concluded. "We're dedicated to using our knowledge and expertise in making Blackshirt Feeders a major supplier of beef throughout America and across the globe."
As Blackshirt Feeders grows its footprint, Behlke said the company promises to continually utilize the latest in sustainable cattle feeding practices. And in doing so, it may pave the way for a reshaping of the American cattle feeding business.
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A former senior editor of BEEF Magazine, Peck recently returned to the Farm Progress Livestock team and focuses on global markets, beef demand and production expertise. Cover photo courtesy of Blackshirt Feeders.
