Many who are self-employed falsely think they own a business. The reality is that most of us simply own a job. There’s nothing wrong with that, but owning a job has no longevity and isn’t really anything that can be passed to future generations in a fashion that is sustainable.

Big data, said Ken Odde, is hard work. It takes time, organization and consistency. But the empirical evidence that comes from cattle sale data reveals an accurate picture valuable to ranchers nationwide.

Whether you subscribe to culling females using the Four O’s Cow Culling Program (culling open, old, ornery and oddball cows) or not, culled females have a profit potential you’ll want to maximize, just like when you sell your calf crop. Published resources indicate up to 20 percent of an operation’s income is generated from the sale of culled animals. All of us are striving to keep culling to a minimum; however, creating management plans that will both increase income and net positive returns on investments from culls should be implemented. All too often, cattlemen have not taken advantage of management programs that can turn a profit. Let’s consider some factors producers should consider when managing for extra profit.