Page 18 - MWC 9-10-20s

The Bonacker Gateway
to Charolais
By Brenda Black
Charolais cattle may not right next to urbanites has
be the first thing to pop into stretched the Bonackers to
one's mind at the mention of stay industrious. Being first
St. Louis, Missouri. The city adopters to technology and
is better known for its histo- pioneering the strategies it
ry as the crossroads of west- takes to protect and perpet-
ward expansion in the United uate their beloved way of life
States where it served as an are handed-down character-
outfitting point for exploring istics.
parties, fur-trading expedi- “Grandpa Bonacker
tions and traveling pioneers. was the guy I would go to for
However, a scant 40 minutes advice,” said David Bonacker,
from the infamous St. Louis “because he was never afraid
Arch, The Gateway to the of change. He saw that we
West, the Bonacker family would need to automate and
staked their claim on land was one of the first in the
that has remained in the fam- area to buy a tractor. He put
ily since the late 1800s. For up a six-stall milking parlor
the past 50 years, Windy Hill when Dad was young. I’m not
Charolais Farms has been all certain, but I’d bet he was one
about exploring and advanc- of the first to do that too.”
ing one breed. Stanley Bonacker, David’s
The Bonacker outfit is father, is the bridge between
on the 7th generation of generations that have tran-
their farming family. Their sitioned from horse drawn
expedition, as penned by plows to combines with GPS
Leah Thorsen in a St. Louis navigation systems. Like his
Post-Dispatch article in 2011, father, he employed new-fan-
is “an effort to preserve a way gled concepts. Stanley was in
of life that is disappearing the dairy business in partner-
from the county, where subdi- ship with his dad and uncle.
visions have gobbled up fields As early as 1964, he was using
and pastures.” artificial insemination on
Truth be told, the Bonack- Holstein cows using Charo-
ers have lost the lease on two lais bulls. In 1966, he bought
30-acre plots just recently. his first purebred Charolais,
Hobby farms with chickens, a and by 1970, Stanley had left
couple of horses and a hand- the partnership with family
ful of goats now nibble once and had begun charting his
critical grassland for the Bo- own course, with Charolais
nacker's 100-cow Charolais the guiding force.
herd. The challenge to turn David and his older broth-
a profit in the cattle business er Jeff grew up amid the new
The Midwest Cattleman · September 10, 2020 · P18
venture. “Dad starting AI’ing Hill Charolais focused on per-
the year I was born,” David formance and feed efficiency.
said. “I was six years old when That has not changed. David
he and mom started farming understood the need to keep
on their own. This is all I’ve those priorities, but package
ever known.” it for contemporary times.
According to David, strik- “Annette and I saw the
ing out to discover new things need to change the package
was part and parcel for the our cattle was in,” David said.
Bonacker family in general. “We straightened up struc-
“The Bonackers were always ture and top lines. Our chang-
willing to sample and try es were on a visual basis, but
something new,” he said. In- the cattle still had those im-
cluding a brand new breed of portant qualities in them for
cattle. feed efficiency, which is a big
“Charolais were new to the driving factor. We feed a lot
country at that time” David of corn and forage. I feed out
said. My mom thought they cattle I deem not good enough
were pretty; she liked their to go out for breeding. They
curly heads. My dad knew we have to convert to beef. Av-
needed performance in cattle erage daily gain is where the
to survive. Charolais provid- money is made. It’s not how
ed feed efficiency and carcass pretty they look. Sure, I need
quality, both proven to be im- somebody to like what they
portant.” see, but those cows and bulls
Though Stanley’s health need to make him money
has waned at 84 years of age, when it’s all said and done.”
he remains a critical source On a family farm where
of wisdom and perspective. ideas slightly differ and each
“When we need a little generation brings a new
input,” David said. “we still go perspective, along with new
to him. There’s a lot of knowl- strategies, it would be easy
edge, and his mind is sharp for relationships to get side-
enough to whittle out some of ways. The secret to success
it from time to time.” at Windy Hill Charolais, ac-
David’s wife Annette elabo- cording to Annette, is “stub-
rated on the benefits of Stan- bornness,” she offered with a
ley’s years of experience with chuckle. “No, really it is the
Charolais in particular. ability to agree to disagree.”
“Going to Dad, you get the On the serious side, it
old school background,” she comes down to input verses
said. “And some of that tra- income.
dition, when talking about “Success is sticking to the
cows, some of those changes basics,” David said. “It’s rais-
are coming back – the styles, ing a cow big enough to raise
those genetics. Those quali- a calf and put a little extra
ties we seek today, it’s kind of in your pocket. My dad and
nice to hear about how they I sat down 10 years ago and
were built up from ground determined that it costs $500
zero.” per year to raise a cow from a
From the beginning, Windy purebred standpoint, by cal-