Don’t Screw Up the Windfall Profits
2023 is shaping up to be a record profit year for many in the cattle business. I know not everyone is participating as there are regional droughts and specific situations for some, that will take you out of this opportunity. Nevertheless, for some the stars have aligned. The last time we saw record profits in […]
Read MoreSome Ideas Should Fail
How many of the new ideas that you implement work? I hope not 100%. If 100% of the new ideas you implement in your business work then you are probably being too cautious. There is a healthy portion of new ideas that should fail. I spent a year riding pens in a feedlot. I really […]
Read MoreRepairs Save Money?
Preventative maintenance on the ranch is easy to overlook, and it can be costly. Costly in dollars to actually fix whatever needs fixed whether it is fence and corrals, water tanks, or the farm machinery. As well as costly in finding the time which is nearly impossible; but why hire someone to do something that […]
Read MoreDangers of Free Time
Free time is dangerous to those who have been raised to believe that one must always be physically busy in the ranch. A business in our Executive Link (EL) program recently eliminated a major enterprise that wasn’t working economically and hadn’t been for some time. They were able to make this brave decision, with the […]
Read MoreThink Outside the Office
In the Ranching for Profit School we challenge you to separate your life from your business. Too many ranchers identify as their work and never develop a sense of who they are outside of the ranch. Not only does the business suffer as a result, so does the rancher’s family. There are many ways to […]
Read MoreHow to Communicate with Your Team
I think it is safe to say that most ranchers love ranching because they are surrounded by animals more often than people. However, it is critical that ranchers aka business owners know how to communicate with their human team effectively. Before we start, let’s remember two important elements: one is to treat your ranch/farm like […]
Read MoreFinancial Record-Keeping, A Rancher’s Favorite Chore
Mentioning that records are a waste of time can usually start an argument, or at least get someone questioning all the hours they have spent keeping detailed records over the years. Honestly though, most records are a waste of time unless they follow Dave’s rules. It is easy to pick on the little red calving […]
Read MoreRanchers Need Vacations Too
Mention the word vacation to a group of ranchers and someone will proudly state “I haven’t left this place for longer than 2 days in 25 years!”. Really? Is the business in such bad shape that it can’t survive for longer than 2 days without your presence? A healthy business should be able to continue […]
Read MoreImpressionable Years
I remember those post high school years before settling into my roles as husband and father. I was fortunate to find ranchers willing to give a young man with little experience an opportunity to learn on their dime. Actually, they paid me to break their stuff. I wonder if they saw it that way? I […]
Read MoreRanch Records
Calving season is in full swing across most of cow country and so are ranchers armed with a red book or smart phone app taking notes about birth dates, weights, calving ease, and a host of other things we were told we need to record to be good cattlemen and women. At the end of […]
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