A systems approach to beef farming is the best way I know to enable long-term success in managing land
Farm management is about much more than overseeing the day-to-day operations. It requires a strategic, long-term vision that balances productivity, profitability and sustainability. At Henry Pastures, we’ve found that raising beef cattle provides a perfect opportunity to manage our land using a systems approach, allowing us to maximize both time and resources for long-term success.
Our beef operation is designed to be highly intensive during short periods, demanding significant time investment during key moments of the year. Yet, when we manage effectively, we can maintain very low time investment for long stretches of time. This approach is a balancing act of investing time when needed while ensuring that the cattle are healthy and the land is recovering.
This system not only allows for effective time management but also enables us to import and export other livestock (pigs and chickens) according to the season, providing more management tools, diversity of product and diversifying impact on the land. While this system offers us the freedom to adjust to fluctuations, there are ways in which we are leaving money on the table.
For starters, we are not close to fully utilizing our cattle. This is first the case in terms of selling or consuming every part of the slaughtered animal. The organs are fed to the dogs, the bones are taken by the processor and we have rendered some tallow, but there are many ways we could get more out of these products.
We also have not reached our ideal carry capacity on our land, despite having access to more land through purchase and rental. Looking back, there’s pros and cons to this. Yes, I wish I would’ve bought 80 head three years ago… But I was nowhere near knowledgeable, skillful or financially secure enough to take on that risk.
I pushed one summer to find our capacity and got hit with a drought and lost my shirt on a group of cattle we bought in the spring and sold in the fall. The idea was a rotational grazing stocker operation — 500 pounders in the spring would turn into grass-fed fats in 18 months, and I would sell the poor performers away in the fall. But then hay jumped to $100 a bale, I sat on finished inventory, and I got slammed at the sales barn that fall while selling off the majority of my next round of fats. There are some poker references here that would make sense — I should’ve held my hand. I’d be sitting better now than trying to buy them all back. But we live and we learn.
This past year, my new excuse was that I’m intentionally allowing time for the land to rest and recover. This is true. But the biggest decision driver is that I’m a little gun shy about money-losing business propositions. The good thing is that we have turned a corner and I have a newly found perspective, watching the first couple groups of our own calves coming from a herd of cows that live on grass with very few inputs. These cows have given us calves with very little intervention.
I think we are settling in on a winning model that gives us the ability to scale up in the future without compromising the health of our land, or my pocketbook. I invested the initial $30,000 on this cattle business; now she needs to perform on her own — no more free handouts from me.
In the next three years, my goal is to triple our operation, though I will approach this growth with caution. In order for us to get 30 cows, 30 yearlings and 30 animals to market we will have to be nimble. A third of that growth will come from our own herd, but I will still have to buy smart. I’m thankful for the past couple of years and how they have forced me to be thoughtful in how we buy and sell.
Relying on a singular sale barn to handle all of our cattle transactions would be the dream. I love hanging out there, drinking coffee and talking to the good ole boys. I think someone could have real success there. It would minimize the constant human interaction and effort that all this alternative marketing requires… However, I don’t have that special eye for cattle (yet), I don’t enjoy doctoring them, and I don’t like handling a lot of money with small margins. I came to the conclusion that ignoring marketing and relinquishing control over the prices I set for my products would not be in the best interest of the farm’s long-term health.
That’s why ecological agriculture is the answer. I can focus on developing a superior meat product through our ecological practices. I can focus on developing the most productive herd — one we select for demeanor, grass efficiency and calving ease. I can focus on developing an ecosystem that maintains itself. We can develop a respectable brand in our community around those principles.
Building and maintaining a brand is not just about making sales — it’s about creating an identity that reflects our values and commitment to high quality, innovation and sustainability. Acquiring Acres U.S.A. has shown me firsthand the value of a strong brand. In the most challenging of times, we were able to breathe new life into the company due to the groundwork laid by Charles Walters, whose vision and management have sustained this organization. This has solidified my belief in the importance of establishing a lasting, impactful brand — one that can endure and thrive, even when the times get tough. The cool thing about being a forward-facing brand is it forces you to do uncomfortable things and to grow — not only as a business but as a person.
The vision I have for our farming operation is similar to what I’ve observed in the transition at Gabe Brown’s farm. Gabe’s ability to maintain his operation while keeping an open mind and adapting when things weren’t working is a model I strive to emulate. His decision to bring his son into the operation and step back when the time was right is a great example of the kind of legacy I hope to leave. Gabe’s willingness to shift with the times and his ability to pass on the reins to the next generation allowed his son to scale the operation beyond what he could have dreamed, creating a sustainable, profitable business. As Gabe would say, he handed it off and is now “on a need-to-know basis.”
Ultimately, my goal is to leave a legacy that allows the next generation to thrive in farming. Just as Charles Walters did with Acres U.S.A., I want to ensure that the next generation inherits not only the physical operation but also the values of innovation, resilience and sustainability. By continuing to make thoughtful decisions today, I am confident that we are laying the foundation for a prosperous future — one where farming is not just a livelihood but a rewarding entrepreneurial endeavor for the next generation. I am looking forward to sharing my progress in scaling our beef operation in the following issues of the magazine this year.
Taylor Henry is the owner and CEO of Acres U.S.A.
