I think I know where Soapweed was coming from in he earlier post about spending the time and money at home where you benefit from it, but I respectfully disagree with that as a blanket statement.

I was on the local NRCS board until recently, and we had an award and field tour every year, and they stll do BTW. I never had one stop that I didn't learn something useful, or a new idea I thought might be worth giving a try. I know we all can't always spare the time to take in all there is to offer, or we might never get our work done, and I bet we all know a producer just like that.

I also went to a seminar sponsored by Farm Credit Services years ago, that was done by a Tom Hogan. He specialized in low input ranching ideas, and had taken several ranches from the brink of failure and brought them back to prosperity. IMO a lot of ranchers don't think about options that they have available, and just do the same program year after year. Like for instance they might have a smaller cattle herd than their machinery lineup will cash flow, but they never consider any other possibilities of changing their operation. Tom Hogan said if you didn't run 1000 cows, you shouldn't own a tractor. That was a little further then I would agree with. Maybe way down south you could get away with that.

I read Kit Pharo's newsletter, and if nothing else he provokes thought. We fenceline weaned several years before it got popular, and it can work well.

I think change is here to stay whether we like it or not, and most times I do not. :wink: