Page 206 - The Welfare of Cattle

ranChInG WIth InteGrItY and IntentIonaLItY 183

COMPetING PreSSUreS

Building and sustaining a healthy ranch also requires that decision makers effectively manage
a set of broad trade-offs, competing interests, and multiple forces that pressure the ranch system.

Internal vs. external Pressures

Pressures from within and outside the ranch system must be recognized as they exert influence,
either directly or indirectly, on the choices available to managers. Some of these pressures are
within the circle of the manager’s influence while many are beyond their direct influence. Internal
pressures can be characterized as being related to the landscape and environment in which the ranch
is located while external pressures are related to markets, consumer demand and governmental
policies.

Short vs. Long-term Outcomes

All enterprises are driven by outcomes. For example, publically traded companies are driven
by the quarterly report and their mission to return value to investors; thus, leaders of these orga-
nizations are under substantial pressure to take a shorter term view. Family-owned businesses are
motivated to create wealth and to transfer it to the next generation—a longer term horizon. Ranch
managers must make choices that effectively balance the need to attain performance in the short
term—low mortality rates during calving season, annual profit or loss, or high pregnancy rates dur-
ing breeding season—with longer term measures—creating productive grasslands, healthy riparian
zones, productive herds, and strong organizational culture. Wyoming rancher Bob Budd captured
the essence of this dilemma when he stated that the key to ranching is “to think at the pace of rocks
and mountains while learning to act in our own lifetimes.”

Proactive vs. reactive Choices

Superior ranch management is founded on intentional choices made in accordance with the stra-
tegic vision of the business and in alignment with a set of deeply held core values. Proactive deci-
sions are most easily made when conditions are relatively stable, resources are available, and goals
are clearly defined. However, condition stability and resource availability are not always ideal in
landscape based enterprises. Weather events, variability of precipitation volume and timing, disease
occurrence, market disruptions, disruptive government policies, or shifting economic conditions
may force managers into reacting to unexpected changes. Long-term success requires that managers
be able to maintain a proactive perspective in the midst of chaos without ignoring the realities of
the short term. As Ayn Rand once wrote, “you can ignore reality but you cannot ignore the conse-
quences of ignoring reality.”

Known vs. Unknown

While ranching is steeped in tradition and lore, the enterprise can ill afford to fall into the trap of
“knowing.” Franchised, recipe-style management is poorly suited to ranching; while core principles
provide a foundation for decision-making the most successful ranches are characterized as adapt-
able, curious, continuous learning environments where asking the right questions is highly valued
across all levels of the enterprise.
Extensive ranching is faced with the challenge of dealing with a series of unknown variables
that lie beyond the influence of management. For example, the extent and timing of precipitation
has a substantial impact on managerial flexibility—the availability of forage is a key variable that