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Cattle Rancher Finds Heads of Lettuce More Profitable Than Heads of Cattle
What began as a Greybull rancher’s desperate attempt to help feed his cattle by growing hydroponic lettuce has ballooned into a new business. Now his company produces tons of greens every year and distributes them to stores, restaurants and schools. “It’s typically delivered within 24 hours of being picked right here in Wyoming.”
Dwight Koehn transformed his struggling cattle ranch into a growing hydroponic produce business, Greybull Valley Produce, marking a shift from livestock to greens. This shift reflects Koehn’s response to market pressures in the beef industry by adopting hydroponic farming methods.
Koehn started by buying a hydroponic greenhouse in 2017 to supplement cattle feed during a beef price downturn. The operation evolved from feeding lettuce to cattle to wholesale distribution, eventually expanding with a fully automated, environmentally controlled greenhouse completed in 2021. The business now grows 5,000 to 6,000 heads of lettuce weekly, along with eleven varieties of herbs, and delivers fresh produce on Tuesdays and Fridays across Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin, the Wind River Range, and parts of Montana including Bozeman and Livingston. Koehn notes the short 24-hour delivery window helps maintain product freshness.
Koehn continues to expand market reach by engaging schools, restaurants, and grocery stores, while collaborating with other regional growers to balance supply and demand.
Montana businesses might consider Koehn’s pivot as an example of how hydroponic methods could potentially address some agricultural challenges. The proximity to Montana markets may offer opportunities for similar cross-border agricultural innovation and distribution.
Struggling Greybull Cattle Rancher’s Gamble On Hydroponic Lettuce Pays Off Big Time
By @daily_cowboy, Cowboy State Daily
