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Elizabeth Sage
Student at Colorado State University
Elizabeth Sage is a Junior at Colorado State University studying Animal Science with a minor in Agricultural Business. She has a diverse background in the agriculture industry, having interned with National High School Rodeo Association, Full Circle Dairy, and National Western Stock Show. Her experience varies from administrative tasks to calf care and cattle management. Elizabeth is an involved student who is dedicated to her studies and has been a member of several organizations, including CSU Ag-Ambassador, Collegiate Farm Bureau Chapter, and Kappa Kappa Gamma Epsilon Beta Chapter.
Highlights
One of the biggest decisions made on a ranch is the decision to operate as a business or as a hobby. This decision alone impacts the entire… yes, I truly mean the ENTIRE operation.
Often times individuals are in the ranching industry because they were born into it or they married into it. However, they stay because of one simple word, passion.
Acting off of passion is something that allows producers to ride the waves of a fairly volatile industry. It is what allows people to get up on the hard days and keep going. Passion is truly the glue that holds the industry together. But, it is also the thing that is a crippling the agricultural industry.
Imagine you worked for a business and were planning a work retreat for some folks. One day someone asks you what your break even point is on this event. In the context of any business, you should be able to not only answer this question, but show how you arrived at your answer by opening up the books and looking at the records right?
Then why are cattle operations any different? Often times ranches are operated as a hobby which somehow also means they also get a free pass on record keeping. This has always blown my mind due to the sure financial value most cattle ranches carry. By operating as a hobby and letting passion drive decisions, important information and value is falling through the cracks. If ranches are serious about being financially sustainable for the next generation, it is high time to take a deep dive into the operations data collection and record keeping systems and implement something that is usable and easy. The days of operating ranches have passed us by and it is time to treat every operation like a business.
One of my favorite says is “keep it simple, stupid”.
This saying originates from the KISS principle originated in the U.S Navy in 1960. This principle is thought to be coined by Kelly Johnson who was the lead engineer at the Lockheed Skunk. The basis of this principle is to ensure that the system being utilized is simple, straightforward, and easy to use. Is there any other principle more applicable to ranching? When it comes to cattle production and record keeping, simplicity can make all the difference
In today’s world, record-keeping practices can vary widely from keeping no records, and keeping handwritten records, to complex apps and web software. However, nothing really seems to be super effective. Pen and pencil record-keeping methods are also not the most effective. My biggest problem with paper records is, if grandpa Jo, who always carries the red book, has a heart attack and perishes, how many other people on the ranch will be able to read his shorthand? Outside of that point, these records are typically not complete and there is always room for human error (transposing numbers, writing things in the wrong place, etc). This method also makes it difficult to compare data from previous years or create different visualizations for the data. Which ultimately leads to the data not being utilized to guide decisions.
When it comes to electronic record keeping, there are so many new programs and apps out there to help producers keep accurate and complete records, however, often times they fall short of meeting the producer’s needs. One of the biggest challenges with these systems is they require reliable data or internet access. The other challenge with most of these new systems is that they are not user-friendly, in fact, they have been referred to as an epic fail. This leads to frustration and resentment toward record keeping. If pen and paper are out of the system, and fancy software doesn’t work then what?
I believe that a paper system is better than no system, but I do not think it is effective in today's day and age. As one of my favorite people says, something is better than nothing even if it is not great. The tech world has a long way to go before apps are the answer to ranch record keeping. Until there is a superior record-keeping system, I challenge producers to examine how they currently keep records.
If the system is not simple and easy to adapt, it is not worth using. If the system is not straightforward, it is time-intensive. People in agriculture do not have the time to waste to fiddle-fart around with a system that is not easy. If there are changes to be made (like converting your paper records to an Excel file) do not be afraid to ask those around you for help. Record keeping comes down to a simple system to enter the data, a process that does not take up a ton of time, and a system that allows you to compare your records all in one place. At the end of the day record keeping does NOT need to be hard.
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