The most gratifying part of my job is hearing from people who made the transition from high-input, break-even ranching to low-input, high-profit ranching. I receive emails on a weekly basis from those who are so glad they made the transition when they did. Most wonder why it took so long to see the light. I can remember having the same thoughts over 30 years ago. Making a paradigm shift of this magnitude is not easy.
I visited with many PCC customers at the Texas and Missouri bull sales. Most long-term customers have operations that are much more profitable, enjoyable and sustainable than they ever thought possible prior to making the transition. I also visited with people who were very enthusiastic about taking the first steps in making the transition. They saw the light, and they are extremely excited about the future of their family and their business.
One new customer admitted he was a little nervous about making the transition. It required going against what his neighbors and family believed to be right. He had finally seen the light – but he was reluctant to enter what we call the New Frontier in beef production. I reminded him that the New Frontier is not totally uncharted territory. Well over 2000 PCC customers and others are already there. Those who are part of the New Frontier are two to five times more profitable than their status quo neighbors. Their lifestyle is also substantially better than their neighbors.
Status quo ranching may have made sense 40 to 50 years ago – but it is making less and less sense every year. As cattle prices continue to go up and down, up and down, the cost of land and inputs continues to increase – sometimes at unprecedented rates. Most status quo producers are slowly but surely going broke. Some status quo producers see the futility in what they are doing – but it seems as though they would rather fail conventionally than succeed unconventionally. That’s just the way human nature is.
The fact that most status quo producers will not change until they are forced to change gives the rest of us HUGE opportunities. Throughout history, the first to enter new territories and new frontiers have always had HUGE advantages over the late-comers. I continue to believe the next ten years will be remembered as the best of times for some – and the worst of times for others.
Seems appropriate to share my experience. I purchased my first Pharo bull in the spring of 2015 and planned to use him in August of the same year. Just into the breeding season, he fell victim to a prolapsed prepuce. It was pretty ugly and my veterinarian prognosis was not good. Desperate, I called PCC and found there were no replacements available. Visiting with Tammy, she suggested a classified ad. In the meantime, Kit suggested calling Robert Arntz in Missouri. I contacted Bob and he had one long yearling left. Bobs herd is heavily PCC influenced and we struck a deal. My son in law and I hooked up the trailer and made the long drive from SW Minnesota to Bobs somewhere in Missouri. Since my cows were diesel genetics, the bull looked really small, but we brought him home and he went right to work. He bred 20 some cows in 60 days. We calved on pasture the following May and I think one had the front legs down and we lost the calf. Using the same bull the following August (2017) we bred 30 some cows. Here’s the fun part, we calved on pasture, again in May and June. We didn’t lose a calf and a set of twins, do we had 31 calves and 30 cows. Unfortunately, we lost 2 cows to a lightning strike (first time in 45 years). So we ended wit 31 calves and 28 cows. We purchased our second full Pharo bull at the Valentine NE bull sale in the fall of 2017 and used him in August of 2018. We’re very excited to see his calves! Though there’s been a few set backs, we’re committed to the Pharo “plan”. We saved back about 35 heifers over the last 3 years, simultaneously building the cow herd, this year we’ll calve 39, and converting to all Pharo genetics.
Thanks
Gordy Kopperud
SW Minnesota