1. Larson Farms Partnership
Beef Feedlot and Crop Internship
Peter Schultz
May 22, 2007 to August 1, 2007
Maple Park, Illinois

2. Larson Farms Partnership
Mike and Lynn Martz were my employers and part owners of the family partnership
The farm feeds out cattle and grows crops
They are the largest beef feedlot in Illinois with the capacity of 14,000 head
Major crops are 5,400 acres of corn, beans, and wheat

3. Major Competitors Other large beef feedlots in the mid-west
Books, Illinois
Other large row-crop producers
Rosenwinkle, Illinois

4. Major Buyers Most of the beef is sold to Smithfield Foods
Most of the crops are sold to Central Grain and Barge
Location near Chicago is an advantage because there are many major markets to choose from and transportation costs are low

5. Farm History
The farm was started by Ray Larson, Lynn’s Dad, in the late 1960’s/early 70’s
They originally fed 500 head of cattle and planted 800 acres of crops
Major Partners are Lynn, her brothers, and their parents
The farm downsized in the early 1990’s for the ease of management
Two family members and two full time employee’s run the farm with some part-time help

6. Business Environment
Current feed prices are high, but they manage costs very well
DDGs are an important feed stuff
Slaughter prices are managed with contracts
Land prices and rents are high
Manure management is regulated by law

7. Job Description/Cattle
Walked pens
Fed Cattle
Processed Cattle
Prepared cattle pens for new cattle
Repaired cattle facilities
Built over 2 miles of oil-pipe fence
And at the end of every day that we worked cattle, one or two of us would clean the processing barn

8. Job Description/Crops
Worked ground
Hauled seed and fertilizer
Maintained equipment
Sprayed crops
Drove tender truck
Scouted crops
Put up crop variety signs

9. Immediate Supervisor Mike Martz was my main boss
Dave and John Deihl are full-time employees that also directed me
Dave is the feedlot manager
John is the crop and shop manager
For this summer, there were also 3 other part-time employees

10. Obtaining Internship Position
I know the Larson’s and Martz’s because my Dad grew up showing cattle with them
We went to a cattle show that Mike was judging, and after it was over we were talking to him and that’s when he offered me a job at the farm

11. Initial Expectations I thought I would work with both crops and cattle
I wanted to learn more about feedlots, implement maintenance, and crops
Gain new skills for working with crops, cattle and people

12. Things I Learned/Cattle
How to better identify sick cattle
How to treat certain cattle symptoms
How to build a oil-pipe fence/increase my welding skills
What feed rations to use depending on the age of the cattle
How to ultrasound cattle for back-fat thickness
How to process cattle before, during, and after they are in the feedlot

13. Things I Learned/Crops
What varieties to plant depending on the environment
How to identify different crop diseases
What stages the crops should be at for certain chemicals to be sprayed
How to get better uses/micromanagement of one field
What cropping systems work best

14. Internship Benefits
It is a great place to help me see what I would like to do after college because I am interested in a career with production agriculture
I gained valuable skills when working with cattle, crops, and people
I was able to see how things were done on another farm, which helped me make improvements on my family farm
Since I was still close to Iowa and Martz’s were still flexible with my time, I could still be involved with my cattle at home

15. Larson Farms Partnership
I enjoyed my internship and would recommend it to others
Thanks for listening
Are there any questions?