Ignorance may be bliss – but it is a very poor management strategy. Ignoring your problems may be easier than dealing with them, but it will not make them go away. Eventually, you will have to face reality – and deal with it. Sooner is almost always better than later.

As a cow/calf producer, your farm or ranch is your business and you are most likely the manager of that business. You, no doubt, have many jobs to tend to, but no job is as important as the job of management. Most farmers and ranchers are intelligent, hard-working individuals, but they spend very little time on management. They keep themselves so busy with day-to-day chores they often take the “stick your head in the sand” approach to management.

What does the future of your business look like? Are calf prices going up or down? Is the cost of inputs going up or down? We all know cattle prices are on their way down. We also know the cost of producing a calf, at least for status quo producers, has more than doubled in just the last 15 years. Without proper management this is the makings of a BIG financial wreck. What is your management strategy? What kind of management decisions should you be making to avert this wreck?

As silly as it sounds… many cow-calf producers are taking the “ignorance is bliss” approach to this situation. They are doing their best to ignore the fact that calf prices are falling while the cost of input is rising. Their plan, so it seems, is to continue to do what they have always done – until they run out of money. They are so afraid of change that failure seems like the best option. I suspect they find it comforting to know they aren’t alone.

If you have not already started transitioning to a low-input program with efficient, low-maintenance cows, NOW is the best time to get started. Why wait? He who hesitates may lose all he has! Pharo Cattle Company has the philosophies and the low-input genetics you will need to prosper in the 21st Century. Our mission has always been to: “Help ranchers put more fun and profit into their business.” This is what excites us and keeps us going.

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