Tag: Ranch Management

6 steps to strengthen your ranch for the new year

6 steps to strengthen your ranch for the new yearAs the new year approaches, it’s an excellent time to take a step back and look at where we are in the cattle industry. Sure, this past year brought its share of challenges—like the ups and downs of the market—but there’s always room for hope. Opportunities don’t just disappear; they shift, and sometimes it takes a fresh perspective to find them. Even in an industry as unpredictable as ours, there are always positives to uncover if you know where to look.

The journey can be challenging for small cattle producers, but it’s important to remember your resilience. Smaller operations may face unexpected costs or struggle to negotiate better sales prices, but this doesn’t mean you’re at the mercy of the market. There are steps you can take to strengthen your operation and make it more resilient, even when it seems like things are out of your control. Your resilience is your strength.

The new year is the perfect time to focus on what you can do to make a difference in your operation. Managing herds with limited resources is no small task. Still, it’s important to remember that real improvements are within reach with intelligent planning and a proactive mindset. From keeping better records to improving grazing plans, small changes can lead to big results. So, let’s dive into a few practical ways you can set yourself up for a better, more successful year ahead.

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Actually surprising successful weaning strategies for ranchers

Actually surprising successful weaning strategies for ranchersAs a rancher, your role in the weaning process is not just crucial, it’s the linchpin of success. This is the time of year when you start to see the tangible results of your hard work, such as your breeding programs. The success of the weaning process, however, is still a question that lingers, and it’s in your hands to answer it.

What does success or failure mean when it comes to weaning? It’s a question that can only be answered by you, the rancher because success is defined by your individual production goals. This empowers you to determine what a successful weaning looks like in your operation.

There may be different ideas on how to wean your calves, but the goal is still the same. You want to wean every calf you have with the minimum loss to your crop. Getting your calves started on the right foot would be best to accomplish this.

Starting your calves off right is one of the most important things that you can do. Doing so will ensure the success of the calf’s lifelong production. The first 30-45 days after weaning are the most stressful in that calf’s life. In order to make their transition as smooth as possible, you will need to avoid three common problems: nutritional deficiencies, health issues, and social stress.

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