Some people have dumb luck. They continually make poor decisions, but the circumstances bail them out like: a rising market, great weather, lucky timing, or a paid off ranch. These anomalies set people up for failure.
The Dying Breed shared the following in their recent Sunday Firesides article:
“Many people judge the quality of a decision by how it turns out. In poker, this is called ‘resulting.’ Good result = good decision; bad result = bad decision. But outcomes are often shaped by unforeseen circumstances, uncontrollable variables, and dumb luck. That’s why the quality of a decision is better judged by the decision-making process itself.
“A decision is good when it’s based on gathered information, weighed options and managed risk – even if the outcome doesn’t go according to plan. Evaluating choices by their results teaches all the wrong lessons: that you should double-down on a foolish strategy because it got rewarded (rather than realizing the windfall was a fluke); that you should approach a moral decision with what’s-in-it-for-me mercenariness (rather than doing right because it’s right); that you should feel embarrassed when a reasonable decision backfires (rather than recognizing that even smart choices can lead to loss).”
I believe “resulting” is what is causing so many conventional ranchers to go out of business. They make decisions based on emotional pleas from the pharmaceutical lobby, the feeder and packer lobby and the chemical lobby. However, these emotional pleas are rarely rooted in sound reasoning. If they were, they would sell themselves!
There are people and organizations out there that truly care about farmers and ranchers and want to help. One thing all these organizations have in common is that they preach the need to think for yourself.
Don’t fall for the lies and manipulations. Break away from the status quo, do your own research, and when in doubt, follow the money! This is the only way we will be able to save the farming and ranching industry.