Networth Feeds and Feeding has grown in western Dent County over the past two years into a regional draw among Ozark’s ranchers. The operation sells custom-made mineral-added feeds sourced from local producers, as well as offering finishing or developing for steers and heifers at an onsite backgrounding lot.
Frank Barnitz launched the endeavor and says its goal is helping local farmers save money and get a better deal when selling their animals at auction.
“Our primary motivation is to be a resource, and help get producers more net worth, more money in their pocket at the end of the day,” Barnitz says. “It’s very difficult right now to get into ranching. It’s especially cost prohibitive for young people to start a career in agriculture. We want to help local producers stay in production, so we’re growing as the customer base desires us to grow.”
There are currently more than 700 cows either being developed or finished in Networth Feeds and Feeding’s backgrounding lot now, with dozens of different feeds and mixes available to order at its feed mixing facility, located at 5294 Highway O. The growth of the business has thus far come exclusively by word of mouth, with not a penny spent on adverting until this month.
“I think we’re attracting people because of the freshness of the product. They also like the choice of what mixes they can put into the feed, and knowing where it comes from,” Barnitz says.
Among the feeds currently available for sale are soy wholes, whole corn, corn gluten, dry distiller grains, cotton seed meal, wheat, oats and hominy. Additives such as molasses and glycerol are available. Networth Feeds and Feeding also sells feed made from non-GMO ingredients. That has attracted a customer base stretching from as far away as Vienna, St. James, Summersville and Cuba, Barnitz says
“It all started when we began backgrounding calves for ourselves, and buying custom feed in bulk to fulfill that need,” Barnitz says. “Well, then neighbors and other people saw what we were doing, and wanted us to start mixing custom feed for them, too. The initial model was to provide only for the cattle in our backgrounding yard, but with the extra feed we set up for some custom feed sales and the business has just grown and grown.”
More than simply making money, Barnitz says Networth Feeds and Feeding is dedicated to generating extra income for local ranchers by selling high quality feeds at a more affordable rate and getting cattle in peak condition before going to auction.
“By offering our backgrounding service we can get livestock in the best condition possible before they go to auction, potentially helping a rancher get a much better sale price,” Barnitz says. “We can also sell the feeds at a low price point because we buy direct from the supplier and cut out a lot of the middlemen who drive up the price of pre-bagged feeds.”
Among the local ranchers who’ve been won over by Networth Feeds and Feeding is Bryan Kemnitzer, who is now working at the feed store three days a week.
“I initially started coming because I like the mineral feeds, and they were the only place I could find selling non-GMO products,” Kemnitzer says. “I like knowing where these commodities come from. We will physically go get the corn we use ourselves, and pay the farmer direct. Frank has a strong dedication to make sure everything here is sourced as locally as possible.”
Barnitz says he buys local in the hopes of increasing local farmers’ income sources.
“One idea we like is to encourage local farmers to start producing grains for us to purchase,” Barnitz says. “A long time ago local producers used to farm those crops in their creek bottoms, but they lost to bigger markets because they weren’t selling on such a large scale and didn’t really have a place to sell their products.”
From his view at the store front, Kemnitzer has witnessed the business take off firsthand.
“We are seeing new customers daily,” he says. “One thing that has been popular is we will fill up sacks or whatever receptacle customers want to bring. People have brought wagons, barrels, dog food bags and we even have had someone bring a swimming pool, or the shell out of a hot tub, and asked us to fill that up in the back of his truck. That’s helpful for folks here in Dent County who are always mindful of pinching pennies.”
Justin Case is currently serving as the feed store’s manager.
“When we get an order in, we make it that day and make sure to remove any rotten DDGs before we bag anything,” he said. “The product we bring in is so fresh you can actually physically stick your arm into a pile of our feed and still feel the heat from the plant.”
Barnitz says the future of Networth Feeds and Feeding is likely to include continued expansion.
More bays are currently planned for the store and peanut meal is going to be added to the list of offered feeds. One local deal Networth Feeds and Feeding has recently landed is being the official supplier of deer and elk feed for Legacy Wildlife Products, LLC. The backgrounding service is also attracting attention from various cattle associations.
“This year I think we are really going to take off. More and more people are stopping in to see what we are all about,” Case says.
