Cattle farm leads sustainable practices

Choctaw Cattle Company is more than just picturesque pastures — it’s a living laboratory of sustainable agriculture. Owned and operated by Dr. Angela Mayeux-Hebert, a retired orthopedic surgeon, and her husband, Roylee Hebert, a lifelong cattleman, the farm has become a model for progressive cattle farming practices and is partnering with the LSU AgCenter.

It was her love of horses the lead Mayeux-Hebert to cattle.

“I saw a small blurb in the Quarter Horse magazine. It was called Saving the Family Farm,” Mayeux-Hebert said. “It was about rotational grazing and how expensive feed was. If you could save your grass, extend your growing season, you could save money and keep the family farm going.”

She began rotational grazing in 1996, and when she married Hebert in 2002, the couple expanded the system by trenching water to smaller pastures.

“The more you rotate your cattle, the better things really are,” she said.

Hebert’s roots in cattle farming run deep.

“My family has been raising cattle since the 1930s,” he said.

His grandfather managed thousands of head of cattle for a New Orleans doctor, stretching from Pecan Island to the Sabine River. Hebert’s experience and ag degree complement his wife’s scientific background, setting them up to be mostly self-sustaining.

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“Vet bills are very rare around here because we doctor everything ourselves,” Mayeux-Hebert said.

The couple raise mainly Brahman and F1 Braford cattle, breeds well suited to Louisiana’s climate. They also have a few Angus Herefords.

“The best cattle are the cattle that fit your environment,” she said.

Their cattle thrive on forage-based diets, with minimal concentrate use. Cattle producers often supplement forage in the fall with a concentrate that includes high-energy and low-fiber ingredients.

“We want a ration that doesn’t have any sugar in it. No hard grains, no molasses,” she said.

Their feeding philosophy is backed by science. Working with LSU AgCenter cattle researcher Marcelo Vedovatto, they are exploring how gut microbiota in calves is shaped by their mothers’ diets.

“If a calf is born from a cow consuming a high-concentrate diet, it will develop a community of bacteria specialized in digesting this type of feed, and that microbial profile may last throughout its life,” Vedovatto said. “On the other hand, if a calf grows up in a forage-based system, it will likely become more efficient at digesting forage later in life.”

This research is now being tested at the Dean Lee Research Station with plans to monitor offspring performance from birth to slaughter.

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Recognizing the couple’s commitment to sustainable practices, the LSU AgCenter designated Choctaw Cattle Company as a model farm.

“We use the model farm mainly to train extension agents, producers, and establish nutritional and management practices that are profitable and proven by science,” Vedovatto said. “We want to show that it’s possible to have a good quality feed system without relying on concentrate.”

One of the farm’s key innovations is creating their own baleage, a method of preserving high-quality forage.

“Most people feed low-quality hay in the fall and winter, which forces them to buy concentrate,” Vedovatto said. “If you can produce high-quality feed, you don’t need to buy a lot of things.”

The couple is experimenting with native grasses and cutting techniques to optimize baleage.

“We’re topping the grass at 10 to 12 inches to leave enough for regrowth,” Hebert said. “That way, we increase the sugars that help with ensiling.” Ensiling is the fermentation process that preserves forage.

The pair also uses chickens for pasture restoration, which has had multiple benefits on the cattle farm.

“They break up cow patties, eat the bugs and reduce parasite loads,” Mayeux-Hebert said. “The eggs are just a side benefit.”

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The chickens even help control fire ants and invasive buttercup flowers. The couple moves the chickens daily.

Shade trees and rotational grazing also contribute to animal welfare.

“You choose a breed that’s adaptable to your system, or you adapt the system,” Vedovatto said. In their case, they do both.

The couple’s approach to cattle production is rare in Louisiana, where overstocking cattle on land and reliance on feed stores are common. Their philosophy is simple — observe, adapt and improve.

“Every year is a step forward in something bigger,” Mayeux-Hebert said. “We’ve sold some really expensive cattle, but if they won’t breed and they get skinny on grass, what are we doing with it?”

With their blend of science, tradition and innovation, the Choctaw Cattle Company is raising cattle while also raising the bar for sustainable agriculture in Louisiana.