About this episode
Everyone says America needs to rebuild the cow herd, but what does it actually take for a rancher to keep back heifers when the market won't give them confidence?
In this episode, Zach, Dan, and Derek dig into the cattle market volatility and political noise pressuring producers right now. They look at the latest cattle inventory numbers, why heifer retention isn't the same as herd expansion, and dive into the USDA's LRP program.
The conversation then moves past the headlines to the long-term threats to the U.S. beef supply including urban sprawl, the disappearing tallgrass prairie, generational land transitions, and the barriers beginning ranchers face in accessing land and capital.
In this episode
- The opportunity cost of keeping a heifer versus selling her and turning that capital faster
- What USDA's proposed LRP heifer retention insurance would cover, and what it wouldn't
- Why generational land transitions and access to capital keep young ranchers out of the business
- Why heifer retention isn't the same as herd expansion
- The one thing each host says would give him the confidence to grow his herd
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More episodes
- Episode 2 — Building a Profitable Ranch: How RFP Transformed Our Operations & Our Lives
- Episode 5 — How Profitable Ranchers Think Differently with John Haskell
- Episode 7 — The Profit Is in the Buyback: Sell/Buy Marketing
- Episode 10 — What 10 Years Away Taught a Fifth-Generation Rancher, with Logan Pribbeno
- Episode 11 — Owning Dirt vs. Building a Ranch: A Land Access Discussion
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