Signs of spring are certainly here - grass greening up, buds on the
trees and birds singing. I've even seen several Canadian geese flying
north over South Dakota in their signature V pattern this past week. We
are fortunate to have another great poem from Steve Lucas this week.
Titled Spring, he captures what many of us are thinking.
This week's American Cowman Update, offers a little something for
everyone. There's pasture advice for horse owners - but small beef
producers can learn from it too. There's advice on having a "board of
directors" to bounce ideas off of, as well as lessons from the dairy
industry that bigger isn't always better. Cornell's Bill Henning refers
to it as "the sweet spot." Noel McNaughton's advice is also timely. He
talks about that difficult conversation in writing a will. Look for more
information for your beef operation in the next issue on April 11.
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I know that spring is comin' boys,
let me tell you what I've seen
The grass on the slopes north of the house
has started turning green.
The snowdrift out behind the barn is
Fast meltin' away,
The cows are keepin' their heads down,
nibbling a little more each day.
I know that spring is comin' boys,
let me tell you what I've heard.
The spring peepers calling from the sloughs
And today this little bird
Perched on a limb and filled the air
with a joyous spring time song
That seemed to loosen my old, cold bones
knowin' spring's comin' won't be long.
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The president of the United States consults his Cabinet. The
corporate CEO has his board of directors, the superintendent his school
board. A professional football team has coaches, trainers, publicists,
facilities managers and more.
Starting to feel a little lonely back at the ranch? Maybe it's just you
as the player-coach. You decide what gets done when. You know when it's
time to wean calves or put up hay. You develop your own game plan and
follow it. You also play the role of trainer and publicist, and you're
reminded of your facilities manager title every time you fix fence or
re-tin a shed.
With all of those responsibilities, you might welcome the idea of having
a cabinet or board to call on when you need them. Who is in your corner?
Where do you go for advice on your farm or ranch? To read the
complete article, click on the headline above.
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USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) recently released its latest
research regarding rural population trends. The Rural Population and
Migration Briefing Room encapsulates ERS research on population trends
in rural America, including a recent slowdown in growth, increasing
ethnic diversity, the challenges in serving an aging population, and the
benefits accruing to those areas featuring natural amenities. Visit www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Population/
for complete findings.
ERS also released a report regarding off-farm income, technology
adoption and farm economic performance. They found the economic
well-being of most U.S. farm households depends on income from both
on-farm and off-farm activities. Consequently, for many farm households,
economic decisions (including technology adoption and other production
decisions) are likely to be shaped by the allocation of managerial time
among such activities. The report finds that a farm operator's off-farm
employment and off-farm income vary inversely with the size of the farm.
According to the report, operators of smaller farm operations improve
their economic performance by compensating for the scale disadvantages
of their farm business with more off-farm involvement. Off-farm work
reduces farm-level technical efficiency, but increases household-level
technical efficiency. And adoption of agricultural innovations that save
managerial time is associated with higher off-farm income. Visit www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR36/
for further report details.
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Most good equipment operators soon identify an engine speed where
the engine is very resilient. At that speed the engine runs easy. It can
handle extra load without significant laboring and when engine speed
does drop it rebounds nicely. Truck drivers often refer to this as an
engine's "sweet spot."
Farms are far more complex than engines, but every farm also has a sweet
spot. It is that point where all of the pieces of the puzzle fit nicely
into place; where things tend to run smoothly and when difficulties are
encountered, it's not terribly difficult to make the necessary
adjustments. The sweet spot is also very close to the point of optimum
return. Whether farmers know it or not, they are forever searching for
their own elusive sweet spot.To read the complete article, click on
the headline above.
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What's one of the most common mistakes made with cowherd vaccination
programs? It is administering vaccines for protection against
reproductive diseases like IBR, BVD, Vibrio and Lepto at the wrong time,
according to veterinarians Daniel Scruggs and Dr. Robin Falkner, who
work with cow-calf and stocker producers in the Southeast as part of
Pfizer Animal Health's beef cattle veterinary team.
"We often see reproductive vaccinations given to cows at preg-check
time, which is four to six months before the next breeding season. For
these vaccines to be effective against reproductive diseases like IBR,
Vibrio and Lepto it is always best to administer them close to breeding
-- usually within 30 to 45 days of breeding," explains Scruggs.To
read the complete article, click on the headline above.
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There's more than one way to turn a buck off the land, and the folks
with the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Oklahoma Ag Department want
landowners to know how agritourism may fit their plans. A series of
workshops will explore tourism trends, landowner liability, funding
sources, marketing, pricing and more.
Dates and locations include: April 6 -- Vinita; April 13 -- Antlers;
April 26 -- Weatherford; May 4 -- Moore; May 10 -- Henryetta; May 15
--Medicine Park; and May 18 -- Ardmore.
Early registration is $15, $25 at the door. For more info, visit www.oklahomaagritourism.com
or call 405-522-5652.
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In his latest book, Allan Nation, editor of Stockman Grass
Farmer, argues that owning land is less important than having
control of the land to graze. Likewise, Nation says management of
livestock is more important than ownership.
Nation touts his principles in Land, Livestock and Life, A grazier's
guide to finance. Using successful grass farmers as examples, he
explains how leasing land adds up to greater profits faster with lower
risk and can be a means for young people to get into grassland
agriculture today.
While he doesn't rule out land ownership, he emphasizes, "First start a
business. Then you can choose to invest your after-tax surplus in deeded
farm and ranch real estate." To order a copy of the book visit www.stockmen-grassfarmer.net.
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My friend, Cal, was a lawyer who counseled hundreds of farm families
on legal matters. One of the issues he pushed hardest was the need for a
will.
"Here's a typical scenario," he once told me. "A son has been working
with his father on the home farm or ranch for a number of years. It's
understood he'll inherit the ranch when the old man dies, but they have
nothing on paper.
"At some point, the son's wife asks him what they have if his dad dies.
The son tells her he'll get the farm. She points out there's nothing on
paper, so legally they have nothing.
"The boy talks to the dad, who asks: 'What's the matter, don't you trust
me?' The boy assures the dad he trusts him, so the dad says: 'Oh, you
think I'm going to die.' The boy says, 'Oh, no, dad... you'll never
die.' He then goes home and climbs the walls. He's trapped. He can't get
his dad to put their agreement in writing, so he can't provide his
family with any real security."To read the complete article, click on
the headline above.
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 Gallagher has a field staff of 26 fencing professionals
willing to come to your farm or ranch to review your needs,
troubleshoot your problem or simply discuss your future plans.
Rotational grazing, predator problems, horse fencing or any fence
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Check out the Gallagher web site for the professional
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As the trend toward small ranchettes has grown, so too has the
number of people with a few horses on their acreages. Today, there are
about 6.9 million horses in the U.S., which makes a $12.1 billion
economic impact to the U.S. economy. But with this trend toward more
horses, there's an increasing need to help small acreage landowners
understand conservation and grazing management.To read the complete
article, click on the headline above.
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