A Herd Owner's Manual

So many books on cattle farming have been written-you may ask why this one is needed. This is a short, easy-to-read, thought-provoking book about owning a cow-calf herd; about doing the basics, and about how so much of what industrial farming positions as best practice' is not best for the economics of the average herd owner. It serves as a guide for some of the basic decisions to be made when transitioning to a profitable, regenerative, low-input cow-calf herd. Over the years, the industrial model of farming has taken so much of the agency from farmers; in many ways, it has turned them into contractors' for other parts of the value chain. Many farming decisions, especially about expensive external inputs, are made by outside experts rather than by farmers. Parallel to this, the farmers' portion of total farm revenue has gotten smaller and smaller. There is a lot of talk about replacing the middleman, but step one must be to take back some of that total farm revenue. If you want to farm for yourself and be profitable, you need to reclaim your agency. The system is rigged against you, so the solution is to work your way out of the system. This manual is based on a philosophy of low-input veld farming. In truth, it is more about that philosophy than it is a manual in the typical sense. Farm management involves many aspects, but balance is a recurring theme throughout this book. Hopefully, this manual will spark thoughts, help farmers crystallise their plans, and assist them in implementing them.

What's in the box
1 x Book