The year 2020 will definitely be one to remember! With the arrival of Rona (co-Rona-virus), life as we knew it was hijacked (unlawfully seized, appropriated, stolen, commandeered). Although Rona was not the first influenza pandemic to hit the world, she was treated as the first and the worst.
Many people in politics and the news media did their best to take advantage of this crisis – and they succeeded. It became okay to riot in the streets and destroy private and public property – but it was not okay to enjoy a meal out with your family. Rather than allow people to use their own common sense, the government thought it best to enact unconstitutional laws to protect us from ourselves.
It is difficult to come up with exact figures – but I think it is safe to say Rona has put several million more people out of business and out of work than it put in the hospital. The government’s response to the collapsed economy it created was to throw more and more money at it. Where is all this money coming from? The government has been broke and heavily in debt for several decades! It has no money!
Those of us in agriculture and rural America were least affected by Rona. We were not forced to close down our businesses. Social distancing has always been a way of life for us. Wearing a face mask is not necessary when you’re only around your family and your livestock. Ironically, several ag producers were able to take advantage of Rona. For example, those who sell food products, like beef, directly to the end consumer had a record year for sales and profit. It’s interesting how some people are always able to make the best of a bad situation.
The year 2020 will be remembered as a good year for me and for Pharo Cattle Company. I was unable to do a few things I wanted to do – like attend our Australia Bull Sale and the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) finals – but, all in all, we had a very good year. We sold close to 500 bulls last spring – without having any actual sales. Altogether, we sold over 1000 bulls to commercial cow-calf producers this year. Best of all… we saw more cow-calf producers than ever before begin the transition from no-profit ranching to high-profit ranching. This is beyond exciting!