Growing Cows Instead of Corn

For nearly three decades, Kipp Hinrichs followed the conventional playbook that dominates Nebraska agriculture. After graduating from Hastings College in 1991, he returned to the family farm and joined his father and brother in the corn and soybean operation that had been running since 1955. With 95% of their ground under pivot irrigation and high-yield silt loam soils, the operation represented everything that makes Nebraska agriculture successful by conventional standards.

Yet by 2020, Hinrichs found himself at an unexpected crossroads. When the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to disrupt his homeschooled children's basketball season that fall, he made what seemed like a simple decision: purchase 30-40 mama cows to give the kids something to look forward to during a potentially long, isolated winter. Little did he know that this decision would kick off a complete transformation of his farming operation.

Could a farmer in the heart of corn country, where nearly every acre is typically devoted to row crops, successfully transition to livestock-based grazing? Could prime irrigated ground that traditionally produces 200-bushel corn actually generate higher profits with cattle and sheep? And could he make this dramatic transition without risking financial disaster?

Starting with Self-Education

For answers to questions like these, Kipp turned to YouTube. After searching "grazing cover crops" to find summer forage for his new cattle, he discovered regenerative agriculture pioneer Gabe Brown. Kipp consumed everything he could find about regenerative systems, often continuing his research until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. "I just couldn't believe I'd never heard of this or this was even possible," Hinrichs recalls. He then began to continue his education by attending soil health conferences, including Green Cover events. He also consulted with pasture management experts like Dale Strickler from Regenerative Wisdom.

Hinrichs soon came to understand that he didn't just need to gain technical knowledge; he needed a new mindset. "Sometimes I get lost thinking it's about the cattle or the forage," he explains, "but it's really about soil health." This realization led Kipp to embrace more soil health principles than just integrating livestock: keeping the soil covered, maximizing plant diversity, keeping living roots growing year-round, and minimizing soil disturbance.

Rather than attempting an overnight transformation, Hinrichs decided to begin a gradual, multi-year transition to a livestock-based system. He would use cover crops as the bridge, to build soil biology and organic matter before establishing expensive perennial pastures. He would scale his herd to match forage production, avoiding the financial strain of having to destock during droughts or damage from overgrazing. And, critically, he would find creative ways to maintain some income during establishment years.

Implementation

Phase One: Cover Crops and Cattle

Hinrichs started conservatively, taking just 30 acres out of corn production to plant an oats and pea mix for his initial cattle herd. He used simple electric fencing and continuous grazing that first year while learning the basics. The following year, he expanded to 80 acres and began implementing rotational grazing with daily or twice-daily moves of the cattle. Within two years, he purchased an additional 70 heifers—a decision that was well-timed financially, given the subsequent surge in cattle prices. By 2025, Hinrichs was running approximately 120 head of cattle, all on cover crops and newly established pastures, with no native pasture

Phase Two: Strategic Genetics Selection

Understanding that conventional feedlot genetics wouldn't work for grass-finishing, Hinrichs partnered with ICE Cattle Company in Guide Rock, Nebraska. He sought moderate-frame cows (1,100-1,200 pounds) with high gut capacity, calving ease, and minimal input requirements. "They're not pampering their cattle at all," Hinrichs explained about ICE Cattle Company's approach. "The cow has to make the living, not the person."

Phase Three: Establishing Perennials

The most innovative part of Hinrichs' transition was finding a way to establish perennial grasses without sacrificing a full year of income. Working with Dale Strickler's guidance, he pioneered a companion cropping system: planting corn in 30-inch rows running east-west at reduced populations (17,000-18,000 plants per acre), then interseeding eastern gamma grass in 30-inch rows running north-south.

The east-west corn orientation maximized sunlight penetration to the establishing grass. While his first attempt yielded break-even corn results, he refined the system for future plantings, using 60-inch corn rows with higher populations to improve profitability while still establishing the perennials.

He used similar techniques with switchgrass and big bluestem, creating a foundation of warm-season perennial pastures. For cool-season pastures, he transitioned ground that had been in diverse cover crop mixes for nearly three years, no-tilling a complex mix of cool-season grasses, forbs, alfalfa, and clover directly into grazed cover crop residue.

For each perennial planting, Hinrichs inoculated the seed with mycorrhizal fungi. He notes that he learned from people who say that's the absolute key to getting a healthy pasture established.

Phase Four: Diversification Through Sheep

In his quest for both biological and financial diversity, Hinrichs added hair sheep to his operation. Why add sheep? The math was compelling: while he might wean 500 pounds of calf per acre annually, he could consistently wean 1,000 pounds of lamb on the same ground—double the production. With a typical stocking ratio of five to six sheep per cow, sheep offered superior returns per acre. Additionally, they provided ecological benefits: different grazing preferences (favoring forbs and weeds that cattle avoid) and complementary parasite management (cattle graze out sheep parasites and vice versa). Finally, sheep and cattle price cycles tend to run opposite each other, providing a natural hedge against market volatility.

Results and Outcomes

By 2025, Hinrichs achieved what few in his community thought possible: he eliminated row crop production entirely. His overhead dropped dramatically as he sold planters, tractors, and equipment. His goal is to own no equipment except perhaps renting a tractor for 20 hours annually to run a drill—and even that may become unnecessary once perennials are fully established.

Water use has decreased dramatically. While he hasn't completed multi-year comparisons, Hinrichs estimates his perennial systems use less than half the irrigation water of corn, with expectations for further reductions as root systems mature.

The biological response has been remarkable. While drilling cover crops, Hinrichs observed coveys of quail, multiple pheasant pairs, burrowing owls, cottontails, field mice, and abundant earthworms—a stark contrast to neighboring disked fields.

His 40-year plan calls for converting 40 to 70 acres annually to perennials, building hay reserves through annual forage mixes, and expanding his sheep flock faster than his cattle herd. He's experimenting with direct marketing of grass-finished lamb and beef, learning the nuances of finishing on high-quality forage rather than grain.

The financial picture remains compelling. His input costs are minimal: seed, modest irrigation, and labor. He eliminated herbicides, insecticides, and dewormers from his cattle. When asked about profitability, Hinrichs simply responded "How could that not be profitable?"

Lessons Learned

• Start Small, But Start: Hinrichs began with 30 acres and 30-40 cows. This allowed him to learn without catastrophic risk. He didn't bet the farm in year one, but that didn't mean he didn't move quickly—he eliminated row crops in just five years' time.
• Education is Non-Negotiable: Hinrichs invested countless hours in self-education through YouTube, conferences, and consultations with experts. "If there's something you want to do and you're passionate about it but don't know a lot about it, the resources are there."
• Build Soil Before You Plant: Use diverse cover crops for two to three years before establishing expensive perennials. This builds soil biology, organic matter, and reduces establishment failures.
• Match Genetics to Goals: Conventional feedlot genetics won't perform on grass. Hinrichs specifically sought out genetics proven in forage-based systems.
• Creative Establishment Pays: Rather than losing a full year of income, intercropping perennials with cash crops can ease the financial transition, though refinement is necessary for optimal returns.
• Social Resilience Required: Neighbors will question your sanity. Coffee shop conversations will wonder why you don't have a tractor. "My skin's pretty tough," Hinrichs noted. But increasingly, he fields genuine questions from curious farmers observing his sheep and thriving pastures.

Looking Forward

Hinrichs sees significant opportunities ahead, particularly in broiler chickens, which could produce $22,000 profit on just 14 acres of pivot corners using 100 sheep-equivalent units. He's expanding direct marketing for grass-finished lamb and beef and potentially breeding stock sales.

He has also positioned his operation for an uncertain water future. As the Ogallala Aquifer continues to decline, his perennial-based system requires a fraction of the irrigation water of corn while maintaining profitability—perhaps the most compelling argument for his transition in the long run.

"There are countless opportunities out there in this world," Hinrichs reflected. "We just have to look through a different lens, and just because you were told something doesn't mean one way is the only way."

For farmers in the heart of corn country wondering if there's a viable alternative to the conventional row-crop system, Kipp Hinrichs is proving there is—and it may be more profitable and sustainable than conventional wisdom suggests. His transformation from corn and soybeans to cattle and sheep demonstrates that even in Nebraska's prime irrigated farmland, livestock-based regenerative systems can thrive. One cow, one sheep, one converted acre at a time, he's not just changing his farm—he's reimagining what's possible in modern agriculture.