Most people in America have some kind of idea of how ranching works and what ranchers do- the mama cows have babies, and the ranchers take care of their cows and have a lot of chores to do. The movies have captured this side of ranching really well. There is the typical scene where the wise, old rancher is sought out for advice and is found in the middle of fixing a tractor or directing the care of a cow. Or, in other instances in the cowboy cinema, the cowboys are always moving the cows from one place to the next, or they have to brand a herd near such and such area of the ranch. If you have ever read the “Little House on the Prairie Series,” you have an idea of how much work ranchers have to do, but what is the purpose of all this running around? Obviously to take care of the animals, but what is the main goal here?
Well, the short answer is money. (That seems to be the short answer to a lot of things.) A rancher is trying to make profit to live off of just like everyone else, but how exactly does a rancher go about making a profit? Obviously just having cows in the pasture does not mean a profit, in fact it’s the complete opposite. Just how you will be told by any financial advisor that you need your money to work for you, in the same manner, a rancher’s cows need to work for him. A rancher puts just as much thought and risk into buying livestock as a businessman does buying company stock on Wall Street. A rancher has to make wise business decisions in the type of cattle he buys, what kind of feed he buys for his cows to eat, and how to manage them. Just like trading stocks on Wall Street, the rancher risks a lot with finances.
But how exactly does a ranch make a profit? Well, cows. Ranching is similar to a manufacturing industry. In fact, we are called producers because we produce… cows! Most ranchers are what are called cow/calf producers. They breed their cows to bulls and sell the calves as a calf crop. When calves are old enough to be weaned (4-6 months old) they are sold. For cow/calf producers their world revolves around breeding and calving seasons. Other ranchers run feedlots, which is where cattle intended for slaughter are raised until they reach the desired weight for slaughter. These ranchers usually buy cattle from the cow/calf producers and when one herd reaches slaughter weight, they are sold to the slaughterhouse, and the process starts over. These are the two main ways money is made with cattle. Some ranches do a little bit of both, some ranches specialize in certain breeds of cattle, and some do everything in house.
What does this take from the rancher? Well, there is a reason why it is called animal husbandry. Ranching takes about as much dedication as being married, for better or worse. There is the planning of breeding seasons and grazing rotation so that grass will grow back properly. At least twice a year the cattle are gathered, and are castrated (when applicable), given vitamins and dewormer, and sorted when needed. This can seem like a pretty low input investment, but there is still the day-to-day maintenance that takes up a lot of time. There are fences to keep up and feed and hay to be bought for winter. There are pastures to be mowed and water pipes to be fixed. And just like your pets, cows get sick. There might be pink eye, foot rot, or even just a lingering cough that needs medicine. And there is also calving season where cows need to be checked more often than usual just in case a cow needs help giving birth. In the wintertime, depending on where you are, there may be fewer everyday chores because of the snow, but there will be plenty of feeding and haying.
How does a rancher get all of this done? Enter the rancher’s daughter (and her siblings). Like many family businesses, in ranching children learn to help out from a young age. What starts out as following dad around the pasture on your pony turns into being his main herding partner before you know what happened. What started out as going with mom to the grocery store because you knew she would probably buy you a coke, quickly turns into budgeting and couponing 101. (Imagine Pokemon Go combined with Monopoly and Twister). And no one with a driver’s license is safe from being sent to the feed store, auto part store, or hardware store on a Saturday morning. So, before you know it, my parents had an in-house ranch crew.
The cycle of raising cattle may seem like a lot, and it actually is, but when you are raised in it you don’t really know the difference. I always grew up thinking we had it easy – there was no rush to get out the door, we could take the day at our own pace, and it was just generally slower than the rest of the world.
