January always feels like a page turn from the old to the new. Many businesses use Dec 31 as the end of their fiscal year. If you’re a cattle rancher, there is a good chance you are thinking about turning the page as well. The new year brings bull sale season and a lot of thinking about the needs of the ranch moving into the future. What EPDs (expected progeny differences) do I need? Do I need more weaning and yearling weight, lower birth weights, more feed efficiency? Perhaps I need better carcass traits to improve my final product. Regardless of the needs, it’s always fun to go through bull catalogs and attend bull sales where you see neighbors from around the corner and around the nation and visit with them about trends in the beef industry, catch up on their families, and of course, evaluate good cattle. Bull sale season is one of my favorite times of year on the ranch as it is a time of hope as we look to the future in our beef herd.
Most Bull sales are done the old-fashioned way by auction. Certainly, there are modern twists with video and live internet sales, but the market is generally settled by supply and demand for a quality product as it has been for generations. While some years the market is high, and sometimes the market is low, the hope of new genetics and a more valuable calf crop seems to give everybody a lift in their spirits.
I think we all need a lift in our spirit from time to time, and while there aren’t equivalents to spring bull sales in the rest of the business world, your chamber sees this event as something to replicate. Factually, part of our goal here at the chamber is to keep you connected with neighbors, talk about the state of free enterprise, and think about how we can make business better. What we do may not be as quaint or time honored as neighbors standing on a fence at a bull sale, but our attempt to bring people together to talk about their wins losses and challenges and provide a helping hand when needed is the cornerstone of your chamber, and we are proud to be a part of the fabric that makes up business.
If you get a chance, go to a bull sale and watch Americana unfold as it truly a unique experience but if you can’t spare the time, here is a link to one of my favorite families that uphold this tradition. As you look through their catalog, take a minute and reflect on the fact that this is what America was founded on; friends, family, and free enterprise. All of these will be right in front of your eyes as the spring bull sale season rolls along and, in fact, you can find it right in front of your eyes in this wonderful federation of business, we call the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce.
