Hay and Family Ties

When 3-year-old Hattie Goehring leafs off a bit of hay for her horse, Fancy Nancy, it’s nearly as green as the day it was harvested. Only the best for “Naancy” as Hattie would pronounce it. Her affection for the mare is apparent in her voice. Horses are family, fun, business and a way of life for the St. Clair family of Kahoka, Missouri. Endless hours are spent together tending the remuda and reinforcing strong family bonds for three generations of horse enthusiasts.

Michael and Kim St. Clair were both raised with horses in their lives. They weren’t registered horses but great western horses that instilled a passion in their blood. The St. Clairs purchased their first American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA)-registered mare in 1980 as a young married couple. They’ve raised registered horses and kids and grandkids that love horses ever since.

“We could have 500 head of horses around here, and nobody minds if you bring another home, but don’t even think about bringing home another 50 cows,” Michael says. “We all have a passion for horses.”

Over the decades, the St. Clair’s built a herd and a reputation. St. Clair Performance Horses can be found throughout the United States and Canada working as highlevel team roping and reining horses, working ranch horses, trail horses and the occasional treasured pet.

Production sales held every other year attract many repeat customers for their reputation horses chosen as much for their minds and temperament as their pedigrees and confirmation. Some stay on the ranch not just to serve as breeding stock but because they were chosen. Each grandkid starts with a mare of their own.

“They pick their own horses. They just, sort of, latch onto one,” Michael says. Hattie was just 2 when she claimed Fancy Nancy. The 6-year-old mare was true to her name and proved to be an excellent roping horse at the time. She would have earned well if sold. “You can’t raise good babies without good mares and stallions. We probably would have kept her anyway, but I think I’ve officially lost her to Hattie.”

It’s a solid investment in the future. Each of the St. Clair’s daughters and their families are involved in the ranch, which is structured as a limited liability limited partnership (LLLP). Courtney and Chris Kirchner, Cody and Luke Goehring, Lacey St. Clair and Mark Boatman each have their roles in the operation. Most, including Michael, have full-time off-farm jobs.

“During foaling we’ll spend six to seven hours choring together on the weekend, or every daylight hour if the weather is bad,” he says. This spring, as foals began to make their appearance, the chore crew included five granddaughters ranging from 3 to 16 years old. “They have their own little wheelbarrows and help pick stalls.”

Quality feed

Excellent horses are the result of good breeding, training and nutrition. The St. Clairs pay keen attention to the body condition of their 350 horses, including the band of 120 mares.

“Hay quality is huge. We don’t feed the mares a lot of grain. We rely on hay when the horses aren’t on pasture. If we want to maintain body condition, we’ve got to make good hay,” Michael says.

A 50-acre alfalfa field yields three to five cuttings of high-quality hay annually. Another 600 acres of hay are harvested by taking one cutting from some of the mixed grass pastures before horses or the family’s 100 head of cow/calf pairs are rotated through. To ensure the highest quality forage is captured, the family carefully times harvest, monitors moisture and uses efficient, effective and, most importantly, reliable equipment.

Alfalfa is cut just as it’s coming into bloom but before full bloom. Grass hay is harvested right before it matures. Peak feed value and quality are achieved when hay is baled at 16-17% moisture, Michael says. They use baler moisture testers and confirm with handheld testers to hit the target.

The mower is only ever 50 acres ahead of the baler to keep hay from drying too much. Inoculants further preserve the high-moisture hay. A breakdown in this carefully choreographed procession would be costly. The quality of any hay left waiting in the field would burn away with every lost hour and moisture percentage point.

“It’s critical for us to get in and out of the field with no delays,” Mike says. There’s a window of just a few short days from the start of bloom to full bloom. Once the hay is cut, the clock really starts ticking. “We all have full-time jobs, too, so hours in the field are limited. Everything needs to work.”

When everything goes right as it usually does, the hay fed during foaling in April is as green as when it was cut the previous June.

“Using inoculant and putting hay up slightly above the desired moisture rate have made a big difference in hay quality. You have to pay attention to detail to make great hay. You can’t bale at 8% moisture and expect a good result,” Michael says. “Our equipment has also made a difference.”

The St. Clairs have used New Holland mowers and rakes for as long as they can remember. Currently, a Discbine® 313 center-pivot disc mower-conditioner and a 16-wheel 428 DuraVee™ rake get the job done. They had always used another baler brand but will never return after switching to a New Holland Roll-Belt™ 560 round baler in 2018.

“The New Holland baler does such a better job. The density of the bales this baler can produce is incredible,” Michael says.

While their old balers produced 1,600-pound bales, the New Holland balers make 1,850 to 1,900-pound grass bales or more, if they want the adjustable density system. When Zach Carlson, their Quincy Tractor New Holland dealer, told Michael he could make a 2,300-pound grass bale, Michael had his doubts until he tried it.

“I baled some really, really, big bales. It’s incredible. They’re so dense I can’t even push a finger into the bales,” Michael says.

Dense is good on several fronts in his book. The denser the bale, the fewer bales need to be made, reducing time in the field. They’re able to put about 12% more forage in each bale, dropping total bales produced from 1,600-1,850 bales per year down to 1,000-1,200 bales. Less time is spent wrapping, less wrap is used, and there are fewer bales to pick up, resulting in less field traffic.

Tightly packed bales retain their round shape, minimizing the amount of hay in contact with the ground. “I see other people’s bales, and they’ll have a big flat spot within a week. Our bales don’t sag, and the rain runs right off them. There’s no rot. I bet we save 8-10% of the hay others lose to rot by having a tight bale,” he says.

Ready to work

The St. Clairs brought home their first New Holland tractor before their first registered horse. In 1978, they bought a brand new 7700 and their first cab tractor, a 7710, in 1984. Both have been restored from top to bottom. Reliability, affordability and top-notch service keep them coming back to New Holland time and again.

“It’s not just the quality of the equipment, it’s the fantastic service we get from our New Holland rep,” Michael says. Once, he called Carlson at 1 p.m. on a Sunday during peak haying season. By 2 p.m., Carlson personally delivered a battery to his field. “I could give a hundred examples just like this.”

This spring, Zach delivered not a part but the most recent addition to their New Holland fleet: a T5.140 Dynamic Command™ tractor with the SideWinder™ II armrest. As someone who likes to multitask in the field, Michael is excited to put the SideWinder to work.
“We can program the SideWinder so all the controls we use can be managed from the armrest,” he says. A click of a programmed button will have the tractor gear down and raise the mower before a turn, then just as quickly put the mower down and automatically increase the RPM. This reduces fatigue and frees his hands to multitask.

“I’ve worked for Amsted Rail for 46 years,” he says. “I manage operations for the division that makes train wheels, so I’m often on the phone. We also have a couple of family businesses to run. Every minute of time I can use helps.”  

Having equipment that works yields time, too. The mower, rakes and baler are traded out every three years. This keeps them under warranty, not that they end up using it much. “We haven’t touched anything on the mower, rake or baler in three years. We just grease and go,” Tanner says. 

Less time fussing with equipment leaves the family more time to work with horses. As breeders, there’s plenty of technical work. Luke is one of several full-time trainers. Courtney, a vet tech, tracks breeding reports, vaccinations, registrations and other paperwork. Lacey – a dental hygienist when not on the farm – and Mark works with registrations, social media and keeps the website up to date. Cody, a respiratory therapist, also helps with social media and the website and manages magazine ads and articles. Their grandson, Tanner St. Clair, trains horses and takes care of the cows. Granddaughter Dakota Kirchner trains horses and helps with the breeding program. The younger granddaughters Fynlee Boatman, Layne Hannah Goehring, Emyt Boatman and Hattie Sue Goehring are busy with their ponies and learning how to be cowgirls. 

The youngest grandkids have it the best, though. Kim watches the girls while their parents work. It’s not uncommon to have three or four ponies saddled all day or for a pony to be hitched to a cart. They spend hours upon hours outside bonding with the horses.

“This is a family operation. We all have jobs, love the animals and love the land,” Michael says. “Even if our lives are busy, we’re not going to give that up. Watching our kids and grandkids learn to rope, ride and be horsemen is fulfilling. The horses are something everybody loves and are involved in. They keep us together.”