There are many cattle ranchers throughout the country that country that have made the commitment to become more sustainable over the years. They’ve stood the test of time, with multiple generations of the same family running the same ranch for years. But there are also roughly 200,000 fewer beef producers in 2019 than there were at the turn of the century whose operations were not sustainable for various reasons. This shows that cattle ranchers need more than just a storied history to be sustainable. Here are some ways you can make sustainability a bigger priority for your cattle ranch.
Commit to running a more sustainable operation.
Far too often, cattle ranchers that have been around for a long time take sustainability for granted. They assume that they’re going to continue to enjoy the same success they always have by taking the same approach that they have for years. Instead of doing this, you should commit to doing whatever it takes to run a sustainable cattle ranch, even if it means tinkering with the tried-and-true formula that you’ve used for years. Explore proven concepts like crossbreeding, rotational grazing, recreational income, reducing fed feed costs, etc. Remember that controlling costs is much more effective than increasing income to improve profitability. Doing both while getting more efficient is better yet.
Figure out what factors could hurt the sustainability of your cattle ranch.
There are unique factors that threaten to ruin cattle ranchers’ operations in every part of the country and some you can’t control. From sage grouse in the Western Plains to droughts in California, your ranch is likely facing an uphill battle against something at this point. It’s your job to figure out which factors pose the biggest threat to your ranch so that you can address them accordingly.
Put a plan into place that’s designed to improve your chances of sustainability.
Once you’ve committed to becoming more sustainable and figured out what factors could threaten your sustainability, come up with a plan for your ranch. This plan should lay out improvements that you’re going to make in the coming years to make your ranch more sustainable as a whole. Putting this kind of plan into place will keep your eyes on the prize and make sustainability a more important issue for you.
Adjust your plan over time to face new challenges head-on.
After you’ve created a sustainability plan and started to use it, you should track your progress over time to see if the plan is helping or hurting your business. You should also adjust the plan if you believe that you could be doing certain things better. By taking notes and photos that show your progress or the lack thereof, you can continue to change your approach to ranching and make sustainability more of a possibility.
Flying H Genetics can help you become more sustainable and profitable by offering you the cattle you need to run your ranch. Together, we can make your operation as sustainable as it can be and improve your chances of passing your ranch to the next generation. Whether it’s better genetics, ranch management or marketing, Flying H Genetics is here for the long haul so you can be too. Contact us today for more information on how we can help you.
