Livestock Can Be Tough

A couple of things that have been top of mind lately.

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1.  Life Is So Fragile

2.  A Livestock Business Can Be Tough

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We are in the midst of fall calving right now and sometimes it just doesn't go your way.  We had a new calf a few days ago, from one of our top notch cows.  She had it no problem, attentive, typical South Poll activities.  Day 4 comes along and all of a sudden the calf is super lethargic and just not doing well.  

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We roust up a bottle of milk to see if that does the trick.  Maybe it wasn't nursing?  Who knows.  Anyway, it takes a good amount of milk with some encouragement and we give it some time to see if it perks up.  I go back that evening with some more and the kids tag along because they love little calves.  Well... we arrive at the end of it's life unfortunately and it dies right as the kids and myself are attempting to care to it.  

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It leads to a valuable lesson for our kiddos on how fragile life can be and a conversation about life, death, and the like.  Part of being a farm kid is you get those lessons pretty hands on.  But it still hurts.  Months of work to get that calf to the ground and gone in a few days.  Try what you can but sometimes there just isn't anything to be done.

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It brings another point of the difficulties of livestock.  This isn't like a typical business.  Mortality plays a real role in the bottom line.  One calf, chickens from a predator, a pig, losing them loses all that investment and future revenue.  Not only can it be tough to witness and deal with, it can be tough financially as well.

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This is no pity party though, it's part of the business.  It's just a part that you as the consumer is so often shielded from.  Those things aren't reflected in that burger or the packaging or the delivery.  It's just the nature of the business.  But that can be fragile as well.  That's why our decision-making and management is so important.

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By managing in a way that removes the props that conventional agriculture has implemented over time we must select animals that give us the highest chance of success.  South Polls are a great answer to that.  They handle our environment so well, calving ease is there, and the mothering ability is great.  With fertility they set us up year after year to have a successful calf crop which means a successful business.  The grazing management is another key.  By giving them the best forage and a lot of volume with it we set them up with their health that are much more resilient animals.

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For us, this isn't just for marketing or a label.  It's a managment practice that creates a better business.  It's important we do that because that affects the price of your food and the ability of farms to hang around in these quickly changing times.  We just hope you enjoy that next burger and it nourishes your family.