I appreciate Ron allowing me to share his insightful thoughts. Thanks
Ron Torell, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Specialist
Those of us in the Ag Industry are generally “glass half full” type of people. Our optimism is now being tested. Expenses are gaining ground. In addition to rising fuel costs, our raw material items such as feed, fertilizer and parts have all skyrocketed to unbelievable levels. There appears to be no end in sight. On the income side, the market price for beef is declining. It looks like transportation cost of livestock has taken $10 /cwt off of our yearling cattle (negative basis to the mid-west). This has removed the eastern buyers from bidding on our western cattle, or at least lowered their bids by $10 / cwt. We are now back to selling our cattle regionally. Retail demand for our product has taken a hit due to the lagging economy and huge competing protein sources (pork and chicken).
Being a glass half full type of person, what are you to do? When you read about the most successful people in the world, the common characteristic is they don’t consider failure a possibility. That doesn’t mean the risks and downsides aren’t considered but merely that they are planned for, knowing and believing that challenges will be met and overcome. I love the old saying “He /she has a lot of heart.” What this means is the individual has a passion to succeed with a love of their life and work. An individual with a lot of heart will do whatever it takes to get the job done. When the going gets tough, individuals with heart get going. It shows in their positive attitude and actions. It is simply a pleasure to work and be around these individuals regardless of their profession, regardless if the times are good or bad.
What does this article have to do with livestock production and marketing of beef cows? Just like riding a horse without heart, if you have to peddle yourself all the time to get the bovine job done, perhaps you do not have the heart and passion to ride out these down times. Hold your head up, maintain a good attitude. Concentrate on the things you have control over, make sound management decisions. Follow the Boy Scout motto, “Be prepared.” It is times like these that good managers shine and poor managers pay the price for their lack of planning. Most of what we face in life is challenging. How we meet and handle those challenges determines our success or failure. Tough times make us appreciate the good times. Life is too short to spend it as a glass half empty type of person.
We live in a different world today than we did 20 to 50 years ago. Much of the current state of our industry has to do with factors beyond our control, be it political, environmental or a sign of the times. Historically, agriculture has had ups and downs. The next high will be even higher and the next low will be even lower. This we can count on. Bottom line, those with heart and with a strong will to survive do. All the stress and setbacks can lead us to take our eyes off the ball, to lose our focus, to make poor management decisions and lose our positive attitude. Remember: The glass is half FULL!
