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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.
One of the characteristics of a ruminant animal is that it can harvest large amounts of nutrients, store it, ruminate on it, endure short-term periods of deprivation and then go make a large harvest again.
For the industry to remain profitable, input costs must be reduced. This statement was shared by a cattleman at a conference I attended years ago. The source? A cattleman’s journal from the late 1800s.
Spring is on the horizon and will be here before we know it. There is talk of spring bull sales; calving is in full swing for many folks; and planning for the spring works has begun.
I once asked a group of my students how many enterprises the typical cow-calf ranch has. Almost without fail they all said only one, the ranch.
The answer in most cases is usually around four: the calf enterprise (selling calves at weaning); the replacement heifers (be it raising your own or for sale); the hay; and a land enterprise (this is where you analyze lease value of the property).
This year we had a lease deal fall apart, and it really upset the apple cart. It caused financial hardship, emotions were high, stress levels went through the roof, and we were faced with the question a lot of people have been faced with at one time or another: Is it over? Where do we go from here and what will we do if something else doesn’t work out?
Where I come from, most people feed hay during the winter. Lots and lots of hay. Feeding hay requires harvesting it or buying and increasing feed costs to the point of loss of profitability in many cases.
As I write this, most of my part of the world is in the midst of the fall gather. It’s a fun time of year as it always means lots of time on horseback, bugling elk providing a symphony as you pull cattle from the high country and lots of sorting.
Would you do the dishes by hand if you own a dishwasher? Or cut your firewood with a crosscut saw when you have a chain saw? Yeah, me neither. I like time- and labor-saving tools and information. Technology should make life easier.
