Big River Grain and Cattle
At Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Missouri, farmer Daniel Bonacker integrates innovative practices by using milo as a winter stockpile forage and cover crop for his South Poll and Charolais cattle. Grazing cattle on milo helps Bonacker sustain his herd cost-effectively through mild Missouri winters while improving soil health and nutrient cycling. The process involves opening 30-foot strips of milo daily using single-wire electric fences, allowing cattle to graze the nutrient-rich grain heads and stalks. This practice reduces dependency on synthetic fertilizers, enhances soil biology, and prepares the land for subsequent cash crops like corn and soybeans. Although the benefits take several years to manifest, Bonacker is committed to maintaining living roots in the ground year-round, promoting sustainable farming and soil regeneration.
A Charolais cow takes a bite of the protein rich head of milo on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. Using milo as a winter stockpile forage and cover crop, Daniel Bonacker is able to graze his cattle on the same ground he’ll grow the commodity crops corn and soybeans.
Farmer Daniel Bonacker, stops his truck outside a cow pasture for a portrait on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. “My goal is to having a living root in the ground as many days out of the year as possible,” Bonacker said of his cover crop efforts.
Cows walk over and trample milo stalks planted in spring and grazed through fall and winter on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. “You definitely don't see it the first year. It's year four, year five and on before you really start to notice the differences,” Daniel Bonacker said of the benefits of having cattle on row crop land for nutrient cycling and soil health improvements.
Farmer Daniel Bonacker rolls up a single wire electric fence opening another 30 feet of milo for his cattle to graze on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. Bonacker integrates livestock into row crop operations to make use of the land year-round.
Farmer Daniel Bonacker walks through his herd of South Poll and Charolais cattle after removing a single wire electric fence to give them a new 30-foot strip of milo to graze on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. This is Bonacker’s second year growing milo as a winter stockpiled forage as an alternative, though not complete replacement, to feeding hay.
A cow grazes its way through a newly opened section of milo towards the next single-strand electric fence on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. “The cows and calves both are eating the grain heads, and it'll take them about a half hour to an hour to clean up all the grain heads, and then they'll work on all the rest of the stalk,” farmer Daniel Bonacker said.
Cattle move to a newly opened section of milo to graze and leave behind sections already eaten and trampled on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. Cattle hooves break down the milo stalks, mix in nutrient rich dung, and gently till the soil, which invigorates plant breakdown.
Protein rich heads of milo outside a single wire electric fence are safe for another day until farmer Daniel Bonacker allows his cattle another strip of grazing area on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. “We're pretty fortunate in Missouri to have fairly mild winters with grazing management to be able to go all the way through a lot of times,” said Bonacker of the ability to sustain his cattle on the cover crop.
A close look at cover crop ground with incorporated cattle grazing reveals broken corn stalks, cow dung, cereal rye and clover on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. “The goal is to add more diversity to feed the soil biology and reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizers,” farmer Daniel Bonacker explained.
![After opening new milo pasture to his cattle, farmer Daniel Bonacker returns to his home on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. “I need to feed my cattle in the winter,” Bonacker said, “and [milo] is very cost e](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61815e52784dfa1e45da656c/128506b6-0553-46d8-925a-4f8a2101f6ed/20241103-2403.jpg)
After opening new milo pasture to his cattle, farmer Daniel Bonacker returns to his home on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Big River Grain and Cattle in Cedar Hill, Mo. “I need to feed my cattle in the winter,” Bonacker said, “and [milo] is very cost effective compared to feeding hay, and all the nutrients stay right in the field here, and then I'll grow another cash crop like corn or soybeans after this.”