#206 – Working for a Living
As Americans we respect those who can take care of themselves by working for a living. We should expect the same from our cows. Click to read the full transcript As Americans, we respect those who work for a living. Shouldn’t we demand the same from our cows? This past week we got a foot of snow...
#206 – Working for a Living
As Americans we respect those who can take care of themselves by working for a living. We should expect the same from our cows. Click to read the full transcript As Americans, we respect those who work for a living. Shouldn’t we demand the same from our cows? This past week we got a foot of snow...
#200 – Bull EPDs
When buying your next herd bull, you will be bombarded with more information than you can use. What data do you look at first? What traits will give you the biggest bang for your buck? Here's a couple ideas that translate into $$ to your bottom line....
#199 – Capturing Profit
The recent high cattle market has given ranchers a welcome reprieve from rising expenses. While our focus has been on increasing income, reducing expenses is much more important if we want to capture more profit in the future. NOTE: We misquoted the OSU study in the...
#198 – Expanding Markets
Describe a profitable ranch: They don't follow the herd They work with nature instead of against it They use grazing as a tool to build soil health They use low-maintenance, moderate-framed genetics They find value-added markets for their products...
#197 – Compare Cow $ize
Why does the status quo beef industry continue to select for more growth when the only thing increasing is cow size? They believe that bigger weaning weights mean bigger profits. Here's a challenge for you: run the numbers on your own herd and compare them to a herd...
#196 – Retirement Questions
Today we had a visit from some vacationing PCC® customers, the Unruhs. We're about the same age, so we had a good time getting to know one another, as well as a great discussion about retirement. This raised many questions, especially how to manage the cow herd as the...
#195 – Preconditioning Calves
This past week I made a trip to the mountains to precondition our bull calves in preparation for weaning. It was good to see them prospering, even in a pretty harsh environment....
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The Long Haul
If you plan to be in the cow-calf business for the long haul, you must be willing to change with the times. Nothing stays the same. The present is different from the past and the future will be different from the present. Today’s beef industry is not the same as it was just 20 years ago. The cost of inputs doubled from 2010 to 2024 – and it is still increasing. To survive the upcoming fall in cattle prices will require a transition from high-input genetics and...