Matt Marriott

New venture brings feeding stress

Matt’s family owns a commercial hunting lodge just north into Idaho. His uncle Randy managed the lodge and had always relied on outside suppliers for their bulls, but in 2010, Randy saw an opportunity to take matters into their own hands. 

Matt began a new venture at his uncle’s urging – raising and growing elk to age 6, when they’d transport them to his family’s hunting lodge. Today, he uses both artificial insemination and natural bull service on 200 to 400 elk cows. 

While cattle and elk are both ruminants, their feeding and management differ. Elk are higher-stress animals. Diet also depends on the time of year whether maintaining body condition or pushing for seasonal horn growth.

“We feed all our elk with a TMR year-round,” Matt says. “I know some others have tried to do the same at a smaller scale, but I don’t know if anyone has done it like we do.” 

Ranch management, feeding and record-keeping for both animal species used to consist of batch sheets, which often confused hired workers. It was a constant cycle of questioning whether feed batches were hitting the proper levels, whether the ration was being mixed correctly or if the right amounts were being delivered. 

Data availability makes feeding simpler

To improve management and reduce feeding mix-ups, Matt’s Texas-based nutritionist recommended he try Performance Beef. No matter the location, everyone could access the program with their phones and iPads. Nightly emails broke down exactly what was fed to each pen, what was loaded in the feed truck plus precise ingredient formulations. 

“I love that it's all online and I can look at it anytime and anywhere I want," Matt says. "Even when I'm on vacation I quickly click on my email and go through the notes. It's made our feed rations much more accurate. "

If he ever has questions or concerns about a new elk ration not being consumed as it should or seeming too wet or too dry, it's easy for his nutritionist to access the program and make changes if necessary or offer suggestions.