Money Matters

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by bad news, especially if it seems the problem is so large that an individual has little ability to make a difference. That’s why I’m balancing information about the challenges we’re facing as the climate continues to change, with examples of ways we can mitigate or improve the situation. In […]

  To graze or not to graze? The newly debuted Heifer Grazing Compass can help Dairy Farmers answer that question. This spreadsheet tool helps farmers predict and understand the cash flow and long-term financial outcomes of deciding to raise heifers on pasture. It can be used to help dairy farmers assess their options for raising […]

Sometimes we need a little laugh when it comes to money. Thanks for these stories, Don! There have been, and I suppose there will continue to be, many seminars and workshops dedicated to helping folks with the improvement of their marketing strategy – all about how to present your products or ideas so that your […]

The economic impacts of Medusahead rye can be extreme. Dense infestations can reduce rangeland livestock carrying capacity by 50-80%. The resulting impact on wildlife habitat, and the increase in wildfire frequency and severity causes additional losses to ranchers and rural communities. Meanwhile, it is so resilient, that controlling it with herbicides can cost as much […]

When I started teaching cows to eat weeds, I thought everyone would see what I saw: an economical alternative for weed management.  If cows or other livestock eat weeds, you don’t have to spend money on herbicide or buy fuel for spray rigs or mowers. You don’t have to rent goats (sorry goat producers).  And […]

If you’re in the half of the country that is anticipating continuing drought this summer, you’ve likely begun looking closely at your drought plan and considering your culling options. It’s common for folks to have a plan for culling about 20% of the herd, but in times like this, when drought threatens grazing resources, it’s […]

This month’s focus is on record keeping, and we’re providing different examples of what is and isn’t helpful. Don Ashford started us off with this month’s Grazier’s Focus, and adds some more ideas here. There have been, over the years, many discussions of the importance of records in the livestock business. There are production records. […]

In 2012 my wife and I, and our two young daughters, embarked on a new and exciting side venture in the cattle industry with the help of a friend who had many years of experience. I outlined several lessons learned in my first article for On Pasture. In a follow-up, I shared more details on […]

Our March article on calving on grass talked about the monetary, health and stress reduction benefits of ranchers discovered. Here’s another way to improve birthing season that ensures more sleep, and less stress. Feed your pregnant stock every evening, right around dusk. They’ll spend the night ruminating and wait to give birth until morning. That’s […]

Since January, I’ve been encouraging you to think about your business, starting with a vision and goals that will help you as you plan for this grazing season. (If you’ve missed any in that series, you can find everything here.) With that in mind, I thought this past article by Kit Pharo was appropriate as […]

It’s basically two local land owners, neither of which wanted to expand their operation, or couldn’t expand their operation on their own. They just didn’t have the human resources or the facilities to pull it off and so in order to expand their ranch capacity, they partnered together. They pooled their resources and it’s working […]

Last week, with February’s Thinking Grazier and Notes from Kathy, we looked at the idea of sizing our operations to fit our vision and goals. Both John Marble and Troy Bishopp shared their personal thoughts behind why they had expanded their operations with leased pastures, and then whey they chose to let those leases go […]

Talking about risks means accepting that there are things we can’t control, and some of us have a kind of superstition that says “If I don’t talk about it, it can’t happen.” Unfortunately, that’s not true. So here’s a tool to help you get your head around potential risks, and even better, to get some […]

There isn’t one single recipe for a profitable ranch. Not every profitable ranch calves in May and June. Not every profitable ranch has sold all their hay equipment. Not every profitable ranch uses some form of intensive grazing. It’s time to start looking beyond the production practices of some ranches and start looking deeper at […]

Since we’re beginning the year by focusing on goals, here’s another avenue: business planning. Yes, business plans are tedious. Yes, they can make you feel like you got stuck on an elevator with the most boring person in the universe while on the way to really great party. But if you work through the pain, […]