Visualize, if you will, an old cowpoke riding an old plug horse that stumbles along at a very slow pace with its head just a foot off the ground. I believe the cowpoke in this image represents a lot of today’s cow-calf producers – perhaps most of today’s cow-calf producers. The old horse represents an outdated paradigm that will not allow the producer to be profitable. If the producer doesn’t change horses, he will eventually go out of business, or be forced to subsidize his unprofitable business.
I don’t know how many cow-calf producers I have visited with in the past week – but it is a large number. I have been on the phone most of 10 to 12 hours every day. For the first time ever, over half of the producers I have visited with are in the process of changing horses. They see the light and they are very excited about the future. Most of these producers are age 30 to 50. They know that if they don’t change horses, they will eventually go broke – forcing their kids to get jobs in the city.
I really get pumped up visiting with these producers because they are pumped up. They are excited about taking the first few steps of the Ten Steps to Double Your Profits. They all wish they had started sooner. I assure them that in just a few years, they will be two to four times more profitable than all of their neighbors. It’s unfortunate that some of these producers had to leave the family farm or ranch to change horses. Change comes mighty slowly in agriculture – especially for the older generation.