I am a late arrival to YouTube and am amazed at some of the presentations. I am not about to question the motives of the folks who are doing these things, but I will question some of the stuff that they are putting out there.
I saw a guy the other day explaining just how to start a cattle operation and what he said just blew me away. This old boy was explaining just how a cattle auction worked and said, and I’m paraphrasing here, “if you are just starting in the cattle business one of the first places to start is learning how the auctions work.”
Another piece I saw on YouTube was trying to stress the fact that you should try to be a low cost producer. Then it went on to say this: fencing, water facilities, feed bunks, troughs or bale feeders are a priority above all other assets needed. A tractor, hay equipment, trailer, handling facilities and other buildings are also important. But that’s not what you need first.
This is not a chicken or egg question about what comes first. The grass comes first and the management of the grass is the foundation on which the outfit must be built. All of the equipment and buildings in the world will not make your operation profitable. As a matter of fact, the less spent on stuff the better it will be for your bottom line.
The cost of production is what will enable you to make money. The best insurance that you can have in this business is to produce a good product for the least cost possible.
Do you have some advice to share?
Beginners/New Farmers and Ranchers – do you have some questions you’d like answers for?
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