Herd Quitter® Blog
Bad Decisions
We all make poor decisions. Some are minor, like eating that second donut for breakfast. Some are major, like losing all your money in the stock market. Even worse, sometimes the fear of making the wrong decision paralyzes us and keeps us from making any decision....
Spring
It’s finally spring and our cows are just starting to calve. This is my favorite time of year. Yes, I know, summer calving would probably be much easier, but there is a high demand for spring PCC yearling bulls and we live in the nice part of Wyoming where the winters...
Overlooking the Obvious
I do not understand how so many intelligent people in the beef industry can continue to overlook the obvious. Perhaps, instead of overlooking the obvious, they are ignoring the obvious. Perhaps they are ignoring the obvious because the obvious is not a popular...
Where Have All the Family Farms Gone?
New census data released by the USDA in February provides reason for concern. The number of farms operating in the US and the number of farm acres have both fallen significantly. There were 141,733 fewer farms in 2022 than in 2017. The number of farm acres was reduced...
Professionals vs. Amateurs
A recent blog from Farnam Street on success caught my attention. The blog pointed out that the one thing that stands out when it comes to success is mindset. If you want results, you need to approach things like a professional, not an amateur. It all comes down to...
Bull to Cow Ratio
Recently, I have had several phone conversations with customers and potential customers about how many cows you should run with a bull during breeding season. As you might expect, there is a big difference between what status quo bull producers recommend and what...
Two Trucks
When I was putting together my presentation for the recent Holistic Management Canada conference, my wife Deanna said, “Don’t forget the two trucks.” It has been several years since I shared the Two Trucks slide in a presentation. Since it provides a great visual aid...
Are You Enjoying the BEST of TIMES?
Since God created the very first cow, we have never ever experienced cattle prices as high as they are right now! This should be the BEST of TIMES for cow-calf producers – but you will find very few who are doing the Happy Dance. Are you enjoying the BEST of TIMES?...
Retail Beef Demand
In our Winter 2024 Newsletter, I shared an article entitled “BEEF… How High is Too High.” As cattle prices increase, the cost of beef in the local grocery store also increases. How high can the cost of beef go before beef is replaced by cheaper forms of protein like...
Zero Tolerance
From the very beginning (40 years ago), Pharo Cattle Company has had Zero Tolerance for cows that do not live up to our expectations. Suffice it to say our expectations are much higher than anyone else’s in the registered business. Most cows, with enough inputs, can...