by Kylee Sellnow, Certified Angus Beef

Feeding cattle is not for everyone. It’s an art and a science that comes with a need to overcome risk.

Wayne Carpenter fed his first pen of steers in 1980 and lost money. But he stuck with it. Today, with their sons’ families, he and wife Leisha run the 15,000-head-capacity Carpenter Cattle Co.

The Brewster, Kan., yard still has the same priorities it started with at 1,000 head: cattle care, facility management, profitability and a commitment to high-quality beef. Learning and adjusting over time serve to temper the risk.

“We have to be aware and listening to all segments of the industry, including chefs, retailers and the consumer. We have to know what they do and don’t want,” Wayne says.

This dedication to feeding the best beef earned Wayne and his family the 2024 Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Feedyard Commitment to Excellence Award. They received their award in Verona, N.Y., at the brand’s Annual Conference in September.

An art

Bunks are clean, waterers clear and cattle quiet. Not a day goes by that a pen isn’t fed within an hour’s deviation at the Carpenter yard.

You can find Wayne himself in the feedtruck most mornings.

“It’s more than dumping feed and calling it good,” he says. “The little things in the yard, the ones you don’t think about here and there, those add up to affect your bottom line.”

The challenge drives him.

“Wayne’s not a quitter,” Leisha says. “From getting cattle marketed right to adjusting for the weather we have, he’s not afraid to take a chance to grow and try something different.”

The Carpenters have positioned their yard for success with all team members Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)-certified and the business backed by Micro Technologies precision feed management.

“Animal health, feed inventory, feedtruck scales, GPS, billing, all of it is tracked through one system, which has made our life a lot easier,” Wayne says. “We can run any report we need for our veterinarian or nutritionist — you name it, we can analyze it. It’s made us better.”

His customers recognize that meticulous care.

“He’s not a manager that is 200 miles away and has somebody else running it,” says Wayne McKinney, a cow-calf producer near Weskan, Kan., who has retained ownership of calves through Carpenter Cattle Co. “He’s available at any time, and can tell me how my cattle are doing. He’s a progressive go-getter, always making improvements.”

The Carpenter approach to embracing innovation and technology to improve results wins many admirers.

“Not only does Wayne do a quality job with the animals and the economics of the business, but the relationship is top-shelf, as well,” Keith Bergkamp says.

The stocker and backgrounder at Cottonwood Feeders, Cunningham, Kan., tips his hat to the business ethics.

“I don’t know many people who work harder,” Bergkamp says. “I really appreciate his guidance. He’s always honest with me; he’s consistent; and his character is top-notch.”

A science

Carpenter commends the Angus breed for adding to the producer’s toolbox with genomics and data that point the way to CAB grid premiums.

Those tools cut down on guessing when cattle are finished and how long it will take to improve them.

“We used to eyeball it or maybe look at our grids and figure it will be two years before it gets better,” Wayne says. “Now, we’ve sped that up.”

Before joining U.S. Premium Beef (USPB), the Carpenters sold pens of finished cattle on the cash market, all for the same average price. Once they started to get individual carcass data back and saw the greater value of high-quality beef, they leaned into grid marketing. They haven’t looked back.

“If it wasn’t for grids improving carcass quality and putting that quality in front of the consumer, we wouldn’t have the demand for our product today,” Wayne says. “It’s made us better cattle feeders.”

He says it takes feeding the right kind of cattle to make the most out of the grid, and they’ve been lucky to have some great partners who have made it a successful business for all of them.

“You’ve got to have quality pounds,” Wayne says. “The whole industry is pushing over 80% Choice and Prime, and I’ve got to compliment the cow-calf side of this business. They don’t always get the recognition, but it all starts there with quality genetics. We’re just a piece of the chain here at the feedyard, and it all starts at the ranch and setting calves up right.”

Risk overcome

Wayne grew up in a family of dryland farmers and ran a few cow-calf pairs with his dad. After feeding out his first pen of steers, however, he was hooked.

“My dad told me one day, ‘You’re going to go broke feeding cattle,’” Wayne chuckles. “He was right. We’ve been broke three times. We always come back. Like I always told him, ‘When you were a wheat farmer and you got hailed out, did you quit? No, you kept going.’”

Success over the long term means learning from setbacks in a series of calculated risks.

“Businesses take time to grow and mature,” Wayne says. “Just make sure you enjoy what you’re doing.”

For he and Leisha, the risk has paid off.

Editor’s note: Kylee Sellnow is a senior content manager with Certified Angus Beef.