The synergy between these two tools ties land stewardship directly to profitability. “The primary return on investment comes from being better land stewards,” White says. “For years, we’ve used AUMs to estimate intake, but now we can measure the individual grazing cow.”

“This system has so many opportunities in it,” says Jim Strickland, sixth generation Florida rancher. “Not only can I save on capital improvement cost and maintenance cost, but there were so many other opportunities.”

Quail says, “Fertility is like a domino train. You are waiting for the last domino to fall but the train may have fallen off track a long time ago in a different room.”

“One temptation with profit is to avoid taxes, which results in purchasing equipment or cattle,” Berger says. “I encourage ranchers to take a step back and look at the bigger picture to see if that’s truly the best option.”

“If you want to be in the production realm, that’s a very different track than going into the industry or homesteading,” she says. “It’s a very labor-, financial- and time-intensive business to get into.”

“We wanted to get as much local food as possible in our school lunch program,” said Callie Barber, nutrition director for the Stegalls’ local school. “The initial stages involve learning the practices of the local ranchers to ensure nutrition and safety meet USDA guidelines.”

“Consumers are demanding a high-quality product,” Steiger says. “Customers may not understand marbling or grading systems, but when they get a disappointing steak, they remember it.”

“We can’t fix what’s behind us,” Jones said. “We want to manage for profit moving forward.”

“The first risk of bull selection is not clearly defining what you need in a bull,” says Marty Ropp, founder of Allied Genetic Resources (AGR). “The opportunity in bull selection comes in creating that definition and utilizing technology that allows you to precision mate your cows.”

Casey Fanta, seedstock manager at Wulf Cattle, has been hosting 100% online bull sales for five years. He says several key actions are necessary for seedstock suppliers to make this format successful.

“It’s important to know that the marketing of open cattle on the ranch level typically accounts for 10 to 20 percent of gross revenue for cow-calf operators,” said Jon Biermacher, Professor of Practice and Extension Livestock Development Specialist in the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University.

Tiller said, “The draw to virtual fencing is very individualistic, but the common draw is production efficiency.”

Since the early 90s, the Reeves family has been involved in the Wagyu breed on their family ranch near Pullman in eastern Washington. “My dad had the opportunity to go to Japan in the 80s to research the Japanese beef market and through that experience learned about Wagyu beef,” said Arlie Reeves. 

After being impressed by the quality of beef, the family decided to shift their genetics program and currently holds the oldest active member in the American Wagyu Association. 

As ranchers, we often carry the mindset of high-performing entrepreneurs—driven, resilient and relentless in our pursuit of progress. While these qualities fuel innovation and grit, they can also make it difficult to recognize just how far we’ve already come.

Johnson says, “Historically, when we looked at research data we did not find it cost effective when comparing cost of gain to the value of a weaned calf. Now, the current cattle market we are in is a game changer.”

“Matriarchs are the difference between success and failure in family and business continuity,” Specht said. “They are the story-keepers and shape how children view the operation. They are the most invested in family dynamics too. When people don’t make plans with the mothers fully involved, I’m skeptical it will work.”

“In agriculture, we are having the time of our lives, but we are also experiencing some of the highest risk of our lives,” says Jason.

The solution Jason and Candice decided on was Ambrook – an accounting software designed specifically for agriculture. Ambrook allows them to get a near-instant picture of the finances for each individual enterprise and make it easy to enter, designate and sort through all income and expenses.

“The only way to cash-flow the property is for us to utilize these additional revenue streams,” says Jason.

“It’s important to remember that the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem,” says Lauren.

One influential factor that is often unrecognized is how our ancestors processed their experiences which could have resulted in transferred trauma or generational trauma. Many immigrants started farming in the United Sates in state of survival mode where every decision was based on how to keep their family alive. Constant survival mode can result in overused resilience which can cost relationships.

Jennifer says, “A lot of the cell populations in the testicle are developed before the bull is 6 months of age.” Once these cells are developed, there is no going back to make up for lost nutrition.