Douglas Lake Ranch

Farming Operations

The farming division of Douglas Lake Cattle Company produces a variety of forage crops from grass, alfalfa to barley, oats and corn. The ranches produce over 45,000 metric tonne of feed annually which consists mainly of silage but also includes large hay square bales, green feed and wrapped haylage bales.

The ranches farm on over 7,000 acres of irrigated crop land between all divisions. All feed produced during the summer months is consumed by the cattle in the winter. No additional feed is purchased except for some mineral and protein supplementation.

Depending on elevation, crop type and irrigation method the ranches are able to take between 1 and 3 crops off each field annually. The company has also invested heavily in pivot irrigation over the last decade in order to reduce water use, increase yields through uniform water application and streamline labour requirements. During the peak harvest season the farm division will employ around 30 people from farmers, equipment operators, truck drivers and irrigators.

Technology is playing an increasingly larger role in farm operations with new technologies and methods introduced each year in order to increase efficiencies, improve forage quantity and quality and lower costs of production.