Today in our pubcast, we are taking a deeper dive into Mosida Farms after a fascinating virtual farm tour at World Dairy Expo. The Bateman family operation includes 20,000 animals and over 5,000 crop acres in Cita, Utah. Wayne Bateman started Mosida Farms and once said, “We didn’t have it all together, but together we had it all.”
The Batemans decided to diversify and added beef to their offering. Kaleb Bateman, joined the podcast via video, and says that Mosida Farms produces 40 to 100 beef calves a week. Those calves are fed and eventually sold in one of three Mosida Market locations. Mosida Market once was just the Bateman family selling beef to their neighbors before it evolved to where it is today. (15:03)
The Bateman family breeds their own beef and dairy crosses, including a Jersey x Charolais cross. Steve Bateman said the Jersey x Charolais crosses gain just as well as an Angus x Holstein cross. They are running trials with all different crosses and so far the Wagyu crosses are the flagship meat in the market. (27:30)
A labor shortage has helped push the Bateman family to put in a robotic milking system. Brad Bateman said the family traveled to look at different systems before finding one that will work. The stress level of cows has decreased in the robotic barn and it has allowed them the option to grow at a different rate. (29:25)
Brad Bateman says the family has a philosophy that if you take care of the cow, they will take care of you. To implement that idea there is weekly employee training. The desire of the Bateman family is to do what is best for the cow. (39:00)
Laun Hall, nutritionist for Mosida Farms, says there are two different diets, one is acidifying rations and the other is more basic. While they want to meet the nutritional needs of the cow, they also want as few ration changes as possible. (42:31)
Jason Bateman mentioned the robot barn is a controlled environment to test different feeds like specific hybrids of corn and the digestibility of different starches. By drilling down on this information, it will impact their bottom line. (52:30)
Steve Bateman wrapped up the podcast by commenting that a lot of dairies don’t have family to succeed them. Steve says you have to work to make it possible for your kids to continue the business, and get them involved early to keep them there. (1:02:10)
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