7 cattle producers share tips on drought, communication, and leadership

By Gene Johnston and Courtney Love

Drought and snow are at the top of many cattle producers' minds, along with what the future holds for the next generation of the beef industry.

Attendees at the Cattlemen's Cattle Convention in New Orleans spoke with Successful Farming staff about the one piece of advice they would give young beef producers, surviving the drought, and what their plans are for springtime grazing.

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Susan Cochrane of San Luis Obispo, California

Cochrane, a stocker cattle farmer, reflected on the drought and recent substantial rainfall effect on the area. When drought first hit the San Luis Obispo area 10 years ago, conditions forced Cochrane to change the dynamic of her operation from a cow-calf herd to a stocker unit.

"Stockers made it easier for us to adjust numbers, so we've switched to all stocker cattle now. If we get into a dry spell, we sell them," she says.

Most of the time, Cochrane could see an average of 9 inches of rain a year to green up her southern California pastures. For the last two years, she has only seen half that amount, but things are turning around with the recent rainfall. The area has had about 12 inches of rain, Cochrane says.

"We're always growing grass a year ahead. What grows this year will be grazed next year. My advice is always to have some forage covering the ground. That helps to conserve the moisture when it comes," Cochrane says.

Brent Mannix of Mannix Brothers Ranch and Mannix Family Grass Fed Beef in Helmville, Montana

A fourth generation rancher, Mannix, his wife, and his brothers, including Minnix's two adult children, nieces, and nephews, manage a cow-calf herd, stocker cattle, timber organization, and a direct-to-consumer beef program.

With decades of experience working with his family, Minnax offered tips to younger generations on working with family and community leaders. Farming and ranching activities are often independent, but that doesn't mean a farmer or rancher can forget their relationship and communication skills, says Minnax.

Being humble can be the key to getting along with others, especially family members.

"You have to be unselfish to make the teamwork work," Minnax says.

Minnax also offered advice to farmers and ranchers who are learning to transition leadership roles to their children or a younger generation.

"I'd much rather have them on the ranch than be a bitter man with no family," he says. "You need to allow them to make mistakes, and you might learn something from them."

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Jerry Musser of Lebanon, Pennsylvania

As a younger cattleman, Musser, 32, has a small cow-calf herd and works off the farm at his family's feed mill business. Musser has learned that building and maintaining relationships is vital to being successful, especially in the cattle industry.

"Having someone to call is important. Being able to give a hand and have someone give you a hand is paramount," he says.

Musser operates Triple M Farms, a feed mill with his family. The drought in southeastern Pennsylvania has led to reduced crop yields. "We got a lesser amount per bushel, about 25% less in our area," Musser says.

Steve Koester of Steele, North Dakota

Koester, a Red Angus seed stock producer, has made adjustments to his operation to account for the drought on the Plains. He liquidated his cow herd two years ago, but sold more cows last year than ever before. Koester had some irrigated crop land, a silver lining for his operation this year.

"We were able to grow crops that we rolled up into cow feed, and we were able to keep our cow herd together despite the drought. But it meant we didn't have the crops to sell," Koester says.

This year looks promising for grazing as the area's ground reservoirs have been replenished by the 70 inches of snow blanketed across central North Dakota. "When it melts this spring, we're going to have green grass for a change," Koester says.

Debbie Lyons-Blythe of Blythe Angus in White City, Kansas

With her husband and adult children, Blythe ranches about a 400-head registered Angus and cross-breed cow herd. Her eldest son operates a pheasant-hunting outfit as an addition to the ranch.

Blythe believes attending conferences and networking events makes her a better beef farmer. She says that when you leave your farm, there is a wealth of knowledge to be acquired from experts or farmers not from your area.

"You gotta get off the farm," Blythe says, "It's vital to me to sit down at dinner with people I don't know just to talk."

Kevin Kester of the San Francisco Bay Area, California

Living south of the San Francisco Bay Area, Kester is a cattle rancher who has survived drought conditions for three years. Rainfall has always been variable across Kester's ranch, but he estimates he would usually get 20 inches of rain near his homestead. Unfortunately, he has been getting a lot less in the last two years.

"We've had 10 and 11 inches in the last two years, and their timing was not when we needed it. In some places, we just had zero grass. We have about 100 stock ponds, and they all went completely dry. That was the first time that has ever happened," Kester says.

A decade ago, when drought had severely parched Kester's ground, he sought help from his local NRCS and built water infrastructure, such as wells and water troughs, in pasture for his cattle. "That didn't grow the grass, but it kept the cows watered," he says.

Drought caused Kester to reduce his herd by 40%, only retaining the yearlings and younger stock. Kester hopes to rebuild his herd back to its full potential shortly.

"Selling impacts a business for a long time. We sometimes bought yearling cattle to graze. We didn't buy any last year because of the drought, but we'll do that as we build back numbers on our ranch," he says.

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Dennis Keeton of Ivanhoe, Texas

Keeton, along with his son, Gibbs, and daughter, Kristie, operate about a 500-head stocker cattle ranch in east Texas. Keeton says he has enjoyed watching both his children come into their own with leadership roles on the farm and running it with him.

Keeton says that the life of a cattleman and cattle woman requires devotion that younger generations need to be prepared for when they decide to return to the family operation.

"You have to love it. You need to be committed. It's a long life of hard work with few rewards," he says. "It's very rewarding when it works, and you need to be in it for the long haul."