Ranching runs deep is Garrett’s blood, his family has been ranching the same property since 1894. Garrett joined the Marines after high school and served for 4 years, including a deployment in support of OIF. After Garrett’s military service, he enrolled in the University of Nebraska, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA). Garrett graduated from the program with a degree in Agricultural Production. With his degree, Garrett felt that he was prepared to begin to take over the ranch from his father.
During Garrett’s first year, he experienced some bumps in the road and had to sell off some of his herd. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it forced him to start smaller and slowly increase the size of his herd. Currently, Garrett runs 130-140 head of cattle (Hereford Heifers), which he breeds with Angus bulls. Garrett raises the calves and then sells them on the cattle market. During the grazing season (May-October), the heifers and calves graze in the fenced pasture. During the winter, Garrett feeds his cattle hay, which he cuts from a 700 acre parcel of irrigated pasture.
As a Bob Woodruff Farming Fellow through the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund, Garrett used his grant to purchase a truck load of alfalfa. Garrett is on his way to becoming a successful Farmer Veteran and hopes that once alfalfa price fall again he can work towards buying parcels from his father to preserve the his ranch.
