Throughout history, the most ambitious and adventurous of people have constantly yearned to leave old, overcrowded territories in search of new frontiers. These are trailblazers, frontiersmen, pioneers and innovators. They quickly tire of the status quo. They are anxious to make things happen.
If you are paying attention, you will find old territories everywhere you look. For example, when an industry stops being innovative, it reaches a point of stagnation and becomes an old, overcrowded territory. Everyone in that industry is essentially doing the same thing – and has been doing the same thing for many years. The productivity of that industry has peaked and is declining. There is no room for advancement and no chance to get ahead.
Today’s status quo beef industry is a perfect example of an old, stagnant and overcrowded territory. The status quo beef industry is a result of a time when land was unbelievably cheap – at least by today’s standards. It is also a result of cheap feed and cheap fuel. Labor was cheap – and equipment was cheap. The status quo way of doing things made sense 50 years ago. Unfortunately, that era is over – and it isn’t coming back.
For many reasons… it is becoming more and more difficult to make a decent living in the status quo beef industry. Most cow-calf producers do good just to break even. There are no chances for advancement. Consequently, many family farms and ranches will not be passed on to the next generation. That’s a tragedy – but that’s the way it has always been. The only beef producers who will advance and prosper will be those who are not afraid to venture into new frontiers.
Entering the New Frontier in Beef Production is not as scary or as risky as most producers think it is. Yes, it will be different and yes, it will require some change – but it is not totally uncharted territory. Many PCC customers are already there. They are two to four times more profitable than the average status quo producer. They have substantially improved their lifestyle. Consequently, they have an operation the next generation is excited to become involved in.