Knowledge Rich Ranching

by Allan Nation

Knowledge Rich Ranching is not a how-to book on raising cattle. It is a book on how the cattle business works. It has not been sanitized nor edited by Ms. Rosy Scenario. It is about the way things really are. It is about fear and greed, and how the commodity business eats alive the naive and unaware. In today’s market, it is knowledge that separates the rich from the rest. Knowledge Rich Ranching is packed with guidelines for how to read and profit from the upside-down swings of the cattle cycle. It describes various bookkeeping methods and tax tips; covers cost cutting to eliminate profit leaks; reveals the secrets of high profit grass farms and ranches; details strategies for using Management-intensive Grazing in humid and arid climates as well as during adverse weather conditions. And it explains family and business structure with suggestions for estate planning to keep today’s ranch or grass farm viable and profitable for future generations. While focused on raising cattle, the principles in Knowledge Rich Ranching apply equally to producers of other livestock enterprises―sheep, in particular, which run backwards to the cattle cycle and can add a complementary enterprise to an existing cattle operation. Anyone who has profit as his or her goal will benefit from this book. It is the first to cover the business management principles of grassland farming and ranching.

Genres: Agriculture

316 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[Brad Belschner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great advice here on ranching, from some of the most successful guys doing it. This isn't a Joel Salatin type book. This is a "How can I start a corporation and a huge ranch and do some buying-and-selling to take advantage of the commodity market?" sort of book. You'll find realistic business strategies, primarily applicable on a large scale. I found this book very useful, and I hope to return to it again and again.

[Adam Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book on business I’ve read so far from a ranching standpoint. It would be a great companion to read with The Turn Around by Dave Pratt.