Are You Leaving Money in the Field? How To Capture a Few Extra Bucks

Drive through the countryside right now and you'll see a lot of clipped clean fields that are going to sit empty until planting. I started wondering if we're leaving money on the table by doing nothing with them for five or six months.

That came from hearing the Barn Talk guys talk about grazing cornstalks. I think there's opportunity there, but there's a lot to think through before you jump in. So I walk through the numbers from three sides: the guy who owns the cows, the farmer taking them in and the landowner with the stalks.

I also share where I got it wrong. I called trucking cows 485 miles expensive without ever comparing it to what it costs to feed them back home. A buddy pushed back and he was right.

We also get into fence, water, chopping ice when it's seven degrees and what it means to sign up for livestock seven days a week. It's not black or white. But if you're wondering whether this fits your operation, run the real math, not the farmer math.

Key takeaways from this week's episode:

• Expensive compared to what? Compare the number to the alternative
• $8,000 gross is not $8,000 profit
• Every yes to the cows is a no to something else
• You're managing people as much as cattle
• Landowners get something out of it too: nutrients back on the ground and less volunteer corn.....

  Click Here to Listen to This Episode








Welcome to Pioneer Mindset! A podcast for rural ag business owners who want to challenge their mindset and address the discomfort in their business and personal lives by finding clarity resulting in bold conviction. Your host, Garrett Ruskamp, is a 5th generation farmer, husband and father from rural Nebraska. In the last 10 years of farming, he has experienced many challenges that business owners face on a day to day basis that stem from disorganization and being financially unaware. He understands the weight of uncertainty that comes from operating in a state of mind triggered by these struggles. Join Garrett as he shares his journey of the struggles he's faced in agriculture as a farmer and family man. He will dive into honest conversations to tackle the mindsets surrounding these issues, that will ultimately help you gain control leading to a profitable and sustainable business.

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