Beef Producer Interview
Interview Questions that Tell Your Story
Farm: Kinderhook Farm, Ghent – Lee & Georgia Raney
Q1: How long have you been a farmer?
A: I’ve been a farmer since 1988. I started in West Virginia and came to New York in
2004. When we bought Kinderhook it was a contract dairy/heifer replacement farm; it was
actively used for crops/no fences.
Q2: How many generations have been part of your cattle operation?
A: Technically I’m a first generation. We started farming in West Virginia and moved our
cattle operation to New York due to the opportunity here at Kinderhook. We feel in NY
that our farming is more gratifying since we have the opportunity to finish the cattle and
receive feedback from the end user. This provides a connection with our end product that
we really enjoy. We love what we do, what we create and produce, and the feedback is a
bonus.
Q3: What’s the most unique thing about your operation?
A: We have direct interaction with the end user, we talk with people who cut our meat and
eat the meat we produce.
We also have a wide variety of proteins we produce, chickens, sheep/lamb, and we have
just started with pigs.
Q4: What does being a cattle farmer mean to you?
A: Being able to interact with all aspects of the environment, land, and animals with as
little external influence as possible.
Q5: As a producer, what role do you play in protecting the environment?
A: I feel we are the first line of defense with erosion and soil conservation. We protect
the land by managing our grasses and rotational grazing. Converting the farm to a grazing
operation necessitated creating an infrastructure of fences and water lines which were
not part of the previous operation.
Q6: What would you want consumers to know about how you help conserve natural
resources?
A: Much of the land we have is not conducive to crop farming and is better suited for
grazing. By managing the soil, land and livestock, we are able to make the land productive
and contribute to feeding others.
Q7: What’s the most important thing you do for the environment on your operation?
A: We manage grass. We try to keep a sod cover and keep growing material on the land as
much as possible. We don’t fertilize what we graze but we fertilize what we hay. If we are
taking nutrients off the land e.g. hay for winter feed, we need to add nutrients back in the
form of fertilizer. The pastures are naturally fertilized with the manure from the grazing
cattle and other livestock to replace nutrients. It needs to be a balance between taking
from the land and giving back. The fields that are not fenced eliminates them from grazing
so they are used for hay to provide winter feed for the cattle.
Q8: Have you made any changes recently to further address your operation’s
sustainability?
A: Our definition of sustainability is to bring in as few external inputs as possible while
maintaining or improving the land in addition to providing a living and sustenance. At
Kinderhook, we have access to a market for our product that enables us to do this with a
grass based operation. To ensure our sustainability, we have diversified our livestock base.
The sheep help with grazing and parasite management. Cattle and sheep eat differently
based on favorite grasses in the fields, parasites from cattle don’t survive in the stomach
of a sheep and vice versa, thus aiding the parasite control.
Q9: What will your legacy as a cattle producer be? What will it be to the
environment? What will it be for your family?
A: We enjoy and encourage interns to work with us on the farm in hopes that we can teach
them how to manage the land and livestock. As for the environment, I hope our legacy
would be that we have ensured retention of a little more top soil on our land. We have
approximately 1000 acres, 550 are pasture/hay the rest are woods.
Q10: What should consumers know about your daily life and how you are helping
to feed America?
A: My primary function is to manage livestock in a manner consistent with their animal
being and the natural resources available on the farm and maximize their value as a food
product.
Q11: How do you educate future generations about the cattle industry?
A: We consistently bring in interns in hopes to better educate the next generation. We
have a small retail store on the farm and our customers can come and observe how we raise
our product.
Q12: What actions do you take to ensure your animals are properly taken care of?
A: I look at them. 365 days of the year it’s the first and last thing I do in a day, if the
animal is out of sorts, I know it immediately. We bring in a vet 3 times/year for our
pregnancy management and have the vet come in 4-5 times/year to help us manage the
health of our cattle. Our farm has been awarded the Animal Welfare Approved seal for
excellence in animal husbandry. Animal Welfare Approved audits and certifies family
farms that raise animals with the highest animal welfare standards, on pasture or range.
Q13: What do you do to ensure beef safety?
A: We conform to BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) standards, judiciously use antibiotics
based on withdrawal time, etc. and use a reputable processor for our meat.
Q14: What are some challenges you feel are facing the beef industry?
A: The ever evolving story about animal agriculture, trying to keep the story straight
without being antagonistic or defensive about what we do.
Q15: What breed of cattle do you raise? Why did your family choose to raise
this breed of cattle?
A: Angus and Red Devons. We chose these breeds due to the familiarity of the Angus and
we wanted to diversify with the Devon. The Devon is a breed that is known to perform well
in grass finished operations.
Q16: What type of marketing programs do you use for your cattle? (e.g., natural
organic, conventional)
A: We market our meat as grass-finished or “pasture finished” to customers who are
looking for this type of product and want to know how the animals were raised. We have
an on-farm retail store as well as selling our beef to butchers in Brooklyn.
Q17: How do you see all of the steps in the production chain working together?
A: Our farm is fully integrated from conception to retail product. We are a seed-stock,
cow-calf, stocker and feed lot all rolled into one with the addition of a retail store to sell
our product. The only thing outside our control is processing and that is done by a small
processor and the meat is returned to us to market.
Q18: What’s the best part about being a beef producer? What’s not so great?
A: The best part is working the puzzle between the animal, environment and consumer. Our
job is to make it all fit together and make a small living at it. The not so great part…small
business strife, paper work, red tape of small business management/ownership.