SUSTAINING FOR THE FUTURE

by

Director

In a livestock operation it is important to have a plan in place to best utilize the grazing potential and capability of a ranch. Participants of the Sustainable Ranch Management Planning Workshop, “Grazing to Improve your Land, Your Life and Your Bottom Line” held at the Marriott in Santa Clarita, April 21-22, learned proper grazing management practices and how to work towards implementing these practices into their own operation.

Held for the first time, the workshop served as a pilot program brought to life and spearheaded by the California Cattlemen’s Foundation and Los Angeles County rancher and chair-elect of the US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Mike Williams, Acton. Sponsorship from the California Cattle Council, Cargill, McDonalds and Merck made the weekend possible. The sponsors objective of providing funds for the workshop was to teach ranchers how to sustainably run their operations, and that they in turn would take away that knowledge to apply to their ranch. “A profitable ranch is a more sustainable ranch,” said Williams.

Workshop leader, David Pratt, CEO Emeritus, of Ranch Management Consultants, Inc. spent the two-day workshop educating, discussing and providing interactive scenarios to help the those in attendance visualize how implementing a grazing plan into their operation could further their success. Pratt shared how strategic planning and forward-thinking could lead participants to “Ranching for less loss, to ranching for breaking even to ranching for profit.”

Participating in the two-day event were 16 ranchers from central to southern California. The workshop covered topics including economics, finance, how to increase profit, problems in agriculture, grassman versus cattleman, overgrazing, overstocking, strategic grazing, property development, drought and annual plans. No ranch operates the same as one next, enabling participants to learn how fellow attendees run their operations, widening their scope of ranching in California and implementing these aspects to their sustainable ranching plans. The emphasis of taking care of the land is crucial to a profitable operation. “If the land is sick, how much does it work?” Pratt said.

What helped to make the workshop effective was how Pratt continuously prompted the group with questions, scenarios and examples for which they discussed with one another to create a solution to Pratt’s prompt. For example, Pratt asked the group, what they thought the meaning of “sustainability” was when taught in schools? Answers included global warming, hands on work and husbandry. These answers helped Pratt to articulate that when it comes to creating a sustainable ranch management plan, “no one size fits all.”

Pratt read to the group a sample grazing management plan that a past workshop attendee had sent him. The plan explained that based on the current cattle market and the price that a rancher could get per head of cattle, that the rancher felt it would be best to sell his livestock. In turn, the rancher could rent his grazing land for four months and calculated the cost per cow per month he could charge and receive for rent, all while sustainably practicing and implementing grazing strategies.

“Knowing how to RAISE livestock isn’t the same as knowing how to RUN a business that raises livestock,” Pratt said.

Pratt then asked the group based on this letter, if they thought the plan was a good one. Participant response was, based on money calculations, that yes it was a good plan. Pratt then asked, since the market is always changing when should said rancher sell his cows? Cody Eastman, Lancaster responded,

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“Now.” Dave nodded in agreement saying yes that now would be the best time to sell the cattle, giving the rancher a profit and enabling him to let his ground replenish before renting it out.

To wrap up the conversation and scenario provided, Pratt made note that with the money the rancher received, you don’t just want it sitting there, the best thing to do is reinvest, put away, pay taxes and make good decisions. When thinking about a ranch as a whole, it was recommended that ranchers should make a list of “what works” but also a list of “what doesn’t work.”

When talking about profit, attendees were asked:“In your definition, what is profit?” While everyone had similar yet different definitions, some key points when thinking about profit for an operation were to:

1. Be honest with your numbers (including rent, feed costs, water, ect.);

2. Include things you’re not inclined to;

3. And even if you own the land, you still rent it

The surplus of information provided to participants will allow them to assess what they learned and determine how they want to incorporate this knowledge into their ranch. A recommendation of making a list of “what works” and “what doesn’t work” for each individual ranch could help to identify where their efforts first need to go.

Aside from time in the workshop, participants went to dinner on Friday night to visit amongst one another. Laughter, smiles and great food was spread throughout the table.

As the workshop ended Saturday afternoon, participants had been provided all the key fundamentals to work towards creating a morse sustainable ranching operation.

“It’s eye opening, seeing how to create more pastures allowing more time to feed and how simple it is to use once done,” said Janet Pena a farm employee from Pierce College.

With no expectation for those in attendance to get home and completely flip their operation, Pratt encouraged the group to go home look at their operation and begin to think of ways in which they could improve and work towards a more sustainable ranch.

While each rancher runs their operation a certain way, opportunities to learn something new to take back to the ranch is also important. “I think others should come to this; you have to be curious,” said participant and rancher Jack Lavers Glennville.

SHOULD YOU ORDER THE ANAPLASMOSIS VACCINE?

Anaplasmosis is an infectious parasitic disease in cattle, spread primarily by ticks and blood sucking insects like mosquitoes. The killed anaplasmosis vaccine protects cows and bulls of any age from infection and requires a booster given 4 to 6 weeks after the initial vaccination. Find out below if you should order the vaccine!

Do you own cattle?

You don’t need it, but should still support the California Cattlemen’s Association

Do they graze in areas where Anaplasmosis is a problem?

Do you want to prevent the effects of the disease including severe anemia, weakness, fever lack of appetite, depression, constipation, decreased milk production, jaundice, abortion and possibly death?

You don’t need to

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