2020 brought countless challenges for families all over the world and professionals across various industries. Everyone in the Agri-food industry felt the load of extra decisions to make and stress to manage. What has helped all of us navigate this uncertain time was the way we feel about our work: you might have acquired this passion, or perhaps the secret is how your parents brought you up, but you put heart and soul into everything you do.
In some ways, we were ready for the pandemic turbulence because one of the lessons the cattle industry teaches first is the concept of frugality. Growing up as a child on the farm, I heard the word “frugal” a lot but spent very little time thinking about its meaning. Now that I am an adult working in the industry, “frugal” is the word we live by. With the cost of feed, vaccines, land, and many other day-to-day expenses, we try to save as much as we can.
Another reason that makes saving money and balancing costs and expenses crucial is that we, the cattle farmers and ranchers, only receive a large check once a year – when we sell calves. This essential variable is hard to predict since it heavily depends on the current market situation. This makes it challenging to draw up your budget for any year because one year cattle prices skyrocket, the next one, you barely break even. Want it or not, you learn how to balance.
2020 also taught us to count our blessings – whatever happens, your family is always there for you. We want to show our kids that a strong agri-food community is ready to support us when the unexpected comes. But we also want to teach them to turn hard times into opportunities for growth. That’s why we took time to reflect on how we can better track and manage our business in volatile times. I realized that using pen and paper to track your expenses is no longer the best option for me (although it used to be for many years) and looked into other tools.
Instead of being intimidated by changing to software I tried to stay open-minded and I was pleased to learn that modern software programs are easy to use; you only need to choose the one that meets your needs. We needed a program that would work best for our operation, provide easy data input opportunities, and build necessary reports to help us make better business decisions. After all, the saying “We cannot manage what we don’t measure” applies to the ranching world as well!
I also know that to make money you have to spend it. The idea of investing a small amount to generate income, minimize expenses, and streamline business operations is exciting, right? There is very useable, affordable software that can help us achieve those results.
Feedlot Solutions is a flexible, easy-to-use program. It is a complete management system that allows you to improve feed efficiency, track and control your drug costs, yet is so flexible that you do not have to use it every day to keep everything updated. This program enables you to analyze your business with over 30 different reports. You can quickly understand the breakeven of each pen, close-outs, and more without the high price tag of some other systems on the market.
With the Feedlot team as part of my team the support I feel and having the right tools to manage my business, I’m ready to face any challenges.
Eager to learn more? Contact us today! We’re looking forward to talking to you via phone at (866) 456-2207 or (800) 475-4603, or via email at info@ViewTrak.com.
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