Headed the same way
Sorry George. It was just too good not to.
Meet George and Lorretta Epp, the righthand man (and woman) at Guggenmos River Ranch.
When I planned to visit the family ranching and feeding operation in the Nebraska Sandhills, Larry Guggenmos wanted to be sure the couple could make it to the interivew, too.
No wonder. They all sat around the kitchen table finishing each other’s sentances when talking cowherd goals.
“I never understood somebody who says, ‘I don’t care about the meat.’,” George said. Shaking her head, Loretta added, “Then where are your cattle going to end up?”
I don’t think their paycheck is directly tied to some grid payment or cattle performance goal. That’s when it became clear to me that having “good help” is about a whole lot more than finding hard workers or folks who pay attention to detail.
It’s about a shared vision.
The cowherd records–the pedigrees, the history, special notations–all 400-some of them are displayed on the office wall. But there’s hardly any need. George and Loretta know those cows like they’re their kids.
“George can remember their mothers and their grandmothers. Cows and pedigrees are his thing,” Larry says. Today Larry spends most of his time on the feeding end of the cattle equation. As I told you Monday, that combination of genetics and managment is producing loads that reach nearly 80% CAB and CAB Prime.
I heard, “We’re a good team,” two or three times during my visit.
We know that’s a good feeling. We’re glad folks out in the country share our passion for the end product, too.
May your bottom line be filled with black ink,
~Miranda
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