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Rural O'Neill family making good on ranching dream
O'NEILL, Neb. (AP)--The American dream, Nebraska-style, is alive and well. For proof of that, meet the Calvo family.
Several years ago, Rick and Susan, and their children, Joe and Rachel, had a pretty good life going for them. Rick Calvo had a great job with a large feedlot near Ord.
The benefits and pay justified the long hours, but the dream of having their own ranching operation was never far from the Calvos' minds.
Then, five years ago, they decided to take the plunge and see whether they could fulfill that dream. Calvo gave up the feedlot job and moved his family to a scenic ranch they found in the wooded hills of northeastern Holt County.
The rural O'Neill family hasn't looked back since.
In a country where corn-fed beef has been king "forever," Calvo has recognized and embraced the growing popularity of grass-fed meat products in America.
Calvo has adapted his Angus-based cow herd to match the environment and produce uniform, grass-fed beef that routinely scores high for tenderness and cut-out value.
Calvo breeds his cows in August through artificial insemination, and calves in May and early June. The calves are sold the following spring to the Thousand Hills Cattle Co., a grass-fed beef supplier in Cannon Falls, Minn. The firm contracts with other operators across the country to finish the calves on grass.
Eventually, the Calvos hope to retain ownership of some of the calves. But, for now, they're concentrating their resources toward paying off their cow herd.
Word has quickly spread about the genetics that Calvo has put together, which has resulted in an unexpected sideline of selling breeding bulls.
Calvo and his wife have also jumped into sheep production in a big way.
After extensive research to find the right breed to suit their operation, the Calvos decided on Katahdins. The breed is a "hair sheep" variety that self-sheds in the spring, is very hardy and low maintenance.
The flock of more than 400 ewes is in the middle of its first lambing season on the Calvo ranch.
Date: 6/20/05
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