A step toward the next step
To that guy it seemed like a logical step, building relationships and gathering information.
But then we brought up all the reasons why making the leap to retained ownership is hard. The flow of capital and tax reasons. The unknowns and risk versus the comfort of the familiar and a sure thing.
That got me thinking about one time when I was chatting with a rancher and he said, “You know, I wouldn’t mind trying to work with a feedlot, but I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Myth: There is no information out there for folks who want to try feeding cattle for the first time.
Fact: There are resources and you don’t even have to look that far to find them.
Dozens of land-grant universities have fact sheets like this and this. For a fee, Cattle-Fax offers a wealth of information on the subject.
We think it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into. You might want to test the waters with a university-sponsored feedout program. (Get a pretty comprehensive list of those here.)
On our website we offer tips and a printable checklist to help navigate the feeding waters the first time around.
But if that’s not your research style, you could take on the role of the reporter: ask.
I’ve found every feeder I’ve ever dealt with to be one of the “good guys.” They’ll help you understand the options, the risk, and ultimately the possible reward.
If you want a little one-on-one coaching contact somebody on our team, because as you probably know by now, we’re all about building relationships.
How’s that for some information?
May your bottom line be filled with black ink,
~Miranda
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