I have a major bone to pick with the American blue jean industry. Seriously, have you gone shopping for jeans lately? It’s not uncommon to find price tags ranging from $29.99 all the way up past the century mark, all on the same shelf. I fail to see any reason for a 300% markup from one to the next. The most noticeable difference appears to be the number of belt loops. Five-belt-loop jeans tend to be on the lower end of the price spectrum, while those with six (and seven, if you’re lucky enough to find such a treasure) are much more prolific wallet-drainers.

Marchant tyrell
Editor / Progressive Cattle

All of which presents me with a bit of a dilemma. You see, I’ve attained an age and physique where the decision of whether to wear a belt – and that belt’s synergy with the pants it’s paired with – has real-world consequences. So those extra belt loops really do matter. However, I’m a notorious cheapskate, and justifying the expense of those couple extra square inches of denim is tough. Does an extra belt loop or two really cost Wrangler or Cinch or Levi’s or Carhartt an additional $35? Or $50? I find that hard to believe.

Alas, cost and worth are two different things, and on some days, they might indeed be worth the cost to me. When shopping for a pair of britches, I have to balance my cautious frugality (read: inherent cheapness) with an ever-so-fervent desire to keep the sun from shining where it was never meant to shine. I just want a decent pair of jeans that will stack a little over my boots, keep the old derriere covered and cost less than a truck payment.

My wardrobe-induced neuroses notwithstanding, there is a point to my little rant. In early February, at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) convention, I was able to sit in on a talk given by Cargill Animal nutritionist Dusty Abney titled “The Hundred-Dollar Difference.” The gist of the presentation was that a ranch’s profitability often comes down to seemingly small decisions made on the margins – dozens of “hundred-dollar” investments or savings that along the way can make a big difference. I like to think of these choices – feed, equipment, bull and semen purchases, day help (or lack thereof), supplements, vaccines, calls to the vet, grazing patterns, attorneys – as the proverbial belt loops of any beef cattle business.

Abney, a self-proclaimed “purveyor of hard truths,” cautioned producers against both keeping up with the Joneses and saving for the sake of saving.

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“Just because your cattle will put up with something doesn’t mean that’s what you should do from now on,” he said. “You don’t get your optimum by seeing how little you can do.”

Learning what works best for a particular operation is a delicate balance that takes careful consideration, a little risk, and healthy dose of trial and error. But attention to details around the edges, he said, is what makes profitable producers profitable. It could make all the (hundred-dollar) difference in the world.

Just like a sturdy set of well-placed belt loops.