Cattle Service Offers Clipping All Winter
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Ryan Nichols of Veteran, Wyo., manages Nichols Cattle Service, a traveling bull clipping operation. Bulls grow lots of hair in northern climates, and clipping lets customers see each bull’s overall shape better. While most of his work is in Eastern Montana, Nichols also ventures to North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and even Minnesota and Oregon.
Nichols grew up around the industry. “My first job out of high school was sitting in a show barn, halter-breaking cattle. That line of work was really interesting to me.” He soon started a mentorship with an esteemed bull clipper. “My mentor got in a jam with a big order. He needed help filling it and took me on board,” says Nichols. “I got addicted to the work and loved working for him during college breaks. It was rewarding to work with all those knowledgeable people; I gained experience for setting up my own farm operation.”
Today, Nicols runs a two-man operation. He clips full-time from the 1st of December to the beginning of March. That aligns with bull-selling season, which runs from the 1st of January through April. At the season’s end, Nichols heads home to calve his own herd. “This job has helped me develop an ‘off-farm’ income source still closely tied to agriculture. Many farmers have second jobs in town, so I consider this mine.”
He prices per head, but the rate varies based on factors like the size of the herd and travel distance. “Sometimes I’m traveling 13 hours for a job and spending the night in a hotel,” Nichols says. “I can’t charge that rancher the same rate as someone who lives an hour from me.”
The trimming process starts with a quick visual analysis of each animal as it enters the trimming chute. Nichols clips from the shoulders forward, cleaning up the animal’s top line, neck, brisket, knees and hocks. As a final step, he’ll torch the long hairs to better blend them with the clipped areas. The goal is what’s known as a “ranch clip,” where the bulls look well-presented but natural two months later.
Nichols can handle about 50 head a day in the middle of winter. “You’re on your feet the whole workday,” he says. “There’s lots of shifting around these giant animals. We have to be on edge at all times.” His favorite part of the business remains the connections with customers. Many of the ranchers he works with are some of the best in the industry, meaning he gets to use their knowledge for his operation.
Nichols believes clipping gives a stronger first impression. When bull buyers see a catalog with trimmed and cleaned-up bulls, they know that the rancher invested in them. “There’s a lot of misconception that we’re changing the image of cattle, but in reality, the image we’re creating is the one people are familiar with anyways,” he says. “A good image will sell the bull, and one animal goes for an average of $8,000. Think of it like selling a car. You wouldn’t leave McDonald’s wrappers all over the trunk.”
Finding a mentor early on was key for Nichols, and he suggests others interested in bull clipping do the same. He believes potential mentors will be more than willing, as finding good help remains challenging in the industry. “There can be a scarcity of people excited to perform farm work. The weather conditions can be brutal. It gets really cold. But the job is always rewarding.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ryan Nichols Cattle Service, Veteran, Wyo. (ph 970-768-8338; Ryannicholscattle@gmail.com).
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Cattle Service Offers Clipping All Winter Ryan Nichols of Veteran Wyo manages Nichols Cattle Service a traveling bull clipping operation Bulls grow lots of hair in northern climates and clipping lets customers see each bull’s overall shape better While most of his work is in Eastern Montana Nichols also ventures to North Dakota Wyoming Colorado and even Minnesota and Oregon Nichols grew up around the industry “My first job out of high school was sitting in a show barn halter-breaking cattle That line of work was really interesting to me ” He soon started a mentorship with an esteemed bull clipper “My mentor got in a jam with a big order He needed help filling it and took me on board ” says Nichols “I got addicted to the work and loved working for him during college breaks It was rewarding to work with all those knowledgeable people; I gained experience for setting up my own farm operation ” Today Nicols runs a two-man operation He clips full-time from the 1st of December to the beginning of March That aligns with bull-selling season which runs from the 1st of January through April At the season’s end Nichols heads home to calve his own herd “This job has helped me develop an ‘off-farm’ income source still closely tied to agriculture Many farmers have second jobs in town so I consider this mine ” He prices per head but the rate varies based on factors like the size of the herd and travel distance “Sometimes I’m traveling 13 hours for a job and spending the night in a hotel ” Nichols says “I can’t charge that rancher the same rate as someone who lives an hour from me ” The trimming process starts with a quick visual analysis of each animal as it enters the trimming chute Nichols clips from the shoulders forward cleaning up the animal’s top line neck brisket knees and hocks As a final step he’ll torch the long hairs to better blend them with the clipped areas The goal is what’s known as a “ranch clip ” where the bulls look well-presented but natural two months later Nichols can handle about 50 head a day in the middle of winter “You’re on your feet the whole workday ” he says “There’s lots of shifting around these giant animals We have to be on edge at all times ” His favorite part of the business remains the connections with customers Many of the ranchers he works with are some of the best in the industry meaning he gets to use their knowledge for his operation Nichols believes clipping gives a stronger first impression When bull buyers see a catalog with trimmed and cleaned-up bulls they know that the rancher invested in them “There’s a lot of misconception that we’re changing the image of cattle but in reality the image we’re creating is the one people are familiar with anyways ” he says “A good image will sell the bull and one animal goes for an average of $8 000 Think of it like selling a car You wouldn’t leave McDonald’s wrappers all over the trunk ” Finding a mentor early on was key for Nichols and he suggests others interested in bull clipping do the same He believes potential mentors will be more than willing as finding good help remains challenging in the industry “There can be a scarcity of people excited to perform farm work The weather conditions can be brutal It gets really cold But the job is always rewarding ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ryan Nichols Cattle Service Veteran Wyo ph 970-768-8338; Ryannicholscattle@gmail com
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