Problem or Opportunity?

Most cow-calf producers get so focused on their problems they totally miss the opportunities that are staring them in the face. That’s why I get so excited and inspired by those who see opportunities in nearly every problem. They look at life differently! Most of the time, they are very well rewarded for their outside-the-box thinking.

I have visited with many cow-calf producers recently who are dealing with severe drought conditions. We all know drought is a normal part of ranching. It comes and it goes – and it will come back again. We just need to learn how to deal with it. It’s not complicated! Destocking is the first tool we should pull out of our tool box.

As Bud Williams once said, “You will never go broke having too much money or too much grass – but going broke is easy if you have too many cattle at the wrong time.” When confronted with a drought, we need to turn some of our cows into cash. That money can be put in the bank while we wait for grass conditions to improve.

Most of the cow-calf producers I have been visiting with see the current drought as an opportunity to get rid of their tall, hard-keeping, hard-to-get-bred cows. These cows have been costing more money to keep than they can return. No matter what the banker says, these cows are a liability – NOT an asset.

With no exceptions… these opportunistic ranchers plan to breed their remaining cows to ultra-low-maintenance Pharo Solar Bulls. Not only will they be creating a much more profitable cowherd, they will be producing replacement females with tremendous drought resistance.