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Big Wreck Coming, according to Kit Pharo

Faster horses

Well-known member
The current beef production model was built on cheap grain and cheap fuel. As corn and fossil
fuel prices continue to increase, calf prices are on the decrease. Most ranchers are headed for a
BIG WRECK -- and don't know it!

Within a couple of years, most cow-calf producers will NOT have enough income to cover their
ever-increasing expenses. If you don't change the direction of your travel, you will end up in a
BIG WRECK with everyone else.

Two Options:
You can either make the necessary changes to keep your ranch profitable -- or you can join the whiners and complainers.

Are You Ready to Meet the Most Opinionated Rancher in North America?








Pharo Cattle Company will be featured on RFD-TV's American Rancher program on Saturday, April 7, at 2:30 pm (Mountain Time), and on Sunday, April 8, at 8:00 pm (Mountain Time). If you have DirecTV, it will be on channel 379. If you have Dish Network, it will be on Channel 231.



Some Very Opinionated Articles:
$6 Corn
Not Sexy Enough
Head in the Sand
Paradigm Shift
Ranching...
Cow Efficiency

Pharo Grass-Based Genetics:
Herd Sires on Parade
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WB

Well-known member
Kit Pharo has a point but I don't think he is the only one who has the genetics to provide the answers. I feel that he is overstating his point to sell bulls but that is what most salesmen do.

As a commercial cattle producer I feel we have to focus on efficiency rather than maximum production. The bigger is better theory has created problems for sure.

Since RFD tv switched channels I won't be watching but oh well I guess I will live.
 

RRoss

Well-known member
PURE PROMOTION............Let us not forget he has TWO bull sales coming up. He has a softer bull market to contend with. :wink:
 

jigs

Well-known member
weeding out of the non efficient is just part of the game..... I say this now, once broke and working at Wal Mart I reserve the right to change my tune
 

Jason

Well-known member
The cattle industry is changing.

Consolidation will occur at a faster rate in the cow calf sector.

With more and more land being taken for hunting, recreation etc. Leasing pasture ground will be the most effective way to manage acres.

Feed by-products from ethanol and bio-diesel are suited well to suppliment cow herds, those that can position themselves to feed cheaper rations will actually see some of their costs decline.

There might be value in aligning with dirt farmers to harvest crop residues to a greater extent.

Whatever happens we need to supply the consumer with what they want. Getting genetics so small they are not economical to harvest, or they have such a small ribeye surrounded by fat is not the way to survive.
 

Cowpuncher

Well-known member
Kit Pharo sells a lot of bulls, some they raise and others raised by ranchers following his theory.

His operation is near ours - maybe 50 miles away. He once visited our ranch with a realator when it was for sale. He ridiculed about everything we do. Calf in March and April, etc.

When the big drought hit in 2002, they had to sell a lot of stock. We held on to our herd (at some expense). Today, we are doing quite well, still expanding.

The corn price will affect the price of all land. Since we own the land, I guess our shop will rise as well. I can't say where we are going with all this, but my guess we will get through it.

Chicken Little wasn't right either.
 

Denny

Well-known member
Richard Doolittle said:
Hey Cowpuncher--how did the Pharo cattle get along grubbing around for short grass this winter with the deep snow?

With his 2 Bi-Directional New Hollands and a Payloader I was wondering did he need those just for plowing snow :wink:
 

Cowpuncher

Well-known member
They had a bunch of snow where Kit operates. I pretty sure they didn't get by on winter grazing!!.

We were spared most of the storm and our pastures were open for all but a few days this winter. We lost a bunch of cows that walked onto a pond duribg a ground blizzard.

Kit hasn't talked about what they did as far as I know.
 

Richard Doolittle

Well-known member
I'm not condemning Pharos for producing cattle that can get out and hustle and survive with little supplementation, but when the snow gets deep and it's impossible for them girls to eat, the rancher does need to take care of them. If they can dig through two feet of snow to find some buffalo grass, they are amazing critters indeed :)
 

Doug Thorson

Well-known member
Pharo's style of persuading seems to be follow me or you are an idiot. That rubs me the wrong way even though I strive for function first also. I just don't have a big enough ego to say that there isn't more than one way to do things right.
 

backhoeboogie

Well-known member
Doug Thorson said:
Pharo's style of persuading seems to be follow me or you are an idiot. That rubs me the wrong way even though I strive for function first also. I just don't have a big enough ego to say that there isn't more than one way to do things right.

He couldn't survive in this climate. He looks like a complete idiot every time he opens his mouth. He would have to completely reverse his way of thinking if he raised cattle in continuous 100 degree heat. Those cows of his would be panting away and their milk production would suffer tremendously. When he makes all those across the board statements, we laugh at him. Sad part is he doesn't even realize how stupid he seems.
 

Kato

Well-known member
Anyone who says he knows it all is proving that he doesn't. :shock: :shock:

There seems to be a lot of extreme viewpoints around regarding the management of a cattle herd these days, but I think the best thing to do is pick and choose whichever ideas anyone comes up with that work in your own situation.

There's got to be some common sense used. I talked to a local cutting edge expert one spring, and he told me "Cattle don't need bedding and fancy shelters this time of year. My cows are expected to calve on their own, and it's the only way to go. They've got trees for shelter, and they don't need any straw. Anyone who calves in the winter is crazy." It was early May. A week later, I read in the paper how he had lost a whole bunch of calves in a spring snowstorm. We backwards types who calved on straw with shelter available, and had calves mostly three months old by then didn't even blink at that snow. I guess he showed us eh??

Then there are guys who go so wholeheartedly into the so called nature will take care of things attitude that they do themselves (and their cows) unnecessary harm. OK, so you want a herd of cows that can calve alone in the pasture, and never need help. That's an admirable goal. However, acheiving that goal by "letting nature take it's course" is a pretty expensive way to get it. The way we see it, if a cow needs a hand, just walking away after feeding and caring for a cow for the past year is a total waste of your winter's feed. There are guys around who will do it too. They say she shouldn't need help, and if she does, then tough luck. We think it would be better to give her a hand, and if you don't want to do it again, put her on a list and sell her in the fall. At least you've got this calf to pay you back for your trouble.

It's been really trendy in these parts to go low input, but the problem with that is that not everyone is doing it the right way. It's fine to leave cows out to bale graze, and hustle in the snow rather than give them water, but there are guys out there who are doing it with cows that are nursing pretty big calves. That's a lot to ask of a cow in 30 below weather in my opinion. No bedding, trying to nurse a calf that would be better off weaned, and yet keep some body condition to stay warm. I don't think I could stand to watch my cows losing weight in the cold.

One advantage I guess is that we put in an order for 3 to 4 weights last week, and they are coming in so fast we can hardly keep up. We'll be finished buying next week at this rate. 8) I know for a fact that low input or not, the guys who are selling those same calves did not make money.
 

CattleCo

Well-known member
Kit is a great guy and his management practices work well in his part of the world. In the Midwest you had better calve in Feb, Mar and early April or the grass situation will go away in July -Aug if you do not get a lot of rain.....I like his theory, but it is not for all regions of the country. Winter calving is a challenge and with feed cost going up....we may have to change our deal in the Midwest. I am not sure what the answer is, but it is not June Calving!
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
Mostly, at least from the times I have talked to Kit, his ideas that some are calling over generalizations are just that. When you talk to him he talks about tailoring what you do, and your cows, to your environment. That includes calving dates, breeds and other things. There are parts of his talks and philo's that I really can agree with and there are others that I just can't but that is okay, I personally found him to be a nice guy to talk to but I can get along with just about anyone... Even some liberals :wink: :lol:

I have calved, depending on the year and what we did that year for breeding, anywhere from January 15th all the way to June 15th and have also done fall calves. January is just to darn cold for me. Not saying you can't do it, not saying that with a lot of planning and set up we couldn't do it, just saying I don't want to do it. Feb has about the same results for me but towards the end of the month it starts getting ab it better but the mud can be a problem for me at that time.. March tends to be to wet and muddy for me and too many March storms for me to want to deal with personally. April. Well, April is about perfect for me. Warmer (Not this year mind you, see an exception for the rule), good for my pasture set ups/rotations. Once the frost is all the way out of the ground my hills drain off water very well. .. good news is they drain to low swamp ground that grows good grass a little longer in dry spells..
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
The man does make you think!!!! I know that's a novel concept for some but it's fun to try once in awhile. I found things go alot better if you don't worry much about what the neighbors or the coffeeshop think.
 

Texan

Well-known member
Northern Rancher said:
I found things go alot better if you don't worry much about what the neighbors or the coffeeshop think.
You can say that again - it's the same way here. I guess coffee shops must be the same everywhere. Full of guys with not enough work to do, who let their own business go all to hell so they can tend to everybody else's.
 

PPRM

Well-known member
Texan said:
Northern Rancher said:
I found things go alot better if you don't worry much about what the neighbors or the coffeeshop think.
You can say that again - it's the same way here. I guess coffee shops must be the same everywhere. Full of guys with not enough work to do, who let their own business go all to hell so they can tend to everybody else's.

LOL....My partner in Cattle feeding is a QA Manager at a Potato Dehydration Plant.....He gets it all the time from people there telling him all that we are doing wrong....Hmmm...Let's see, our cost of gain from 600 pounds to 1000 pounds is at $15/lb....Yeah, we'll be broke soon,

He finally just started saying to them, "I dunno, PPRM's been doing this for awhile, so I just listen to him"

Funny thng....The guy we bought the property from is a cattlefeeder.....As soon as he found about what we were doing, he told my Partner "Yo could sell your hat and make $15.00 a ton on it, forget calves they are crashing"...Yet, he wants to buy this feed from us, LOL....

Still takes work,

PPRM
 
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