Fall is a time of peace and happiness for many people, signifying a season of letting things go. Waving goodbye to the sunny warm days, and hello to the cool brisk ones. Where the birds quit chirping and trees shed their summer coat. However, cattle ranchers' lives are just starting to get ramped up.
BUSY SEASON FOR CATTLE PRODUCERS
Harvest season has officially ended, and calves have been sold and shipped away. Yet the ranchers are still running around all crazed. Why are they doing so? Because fall does not always mark the end of sunny days or always start the holiday feelings for ranchers. It marks the four long grueling months of every rancher’s "vacation" or what some may call downtime or off-season.
Downtime or the off-season for most of the industry is the period of time from late fall to early spring when ranchers get their “break” every year. Many would assume that during this time, ranchers kick back their feet and wait until the snow melts and calves start waltzing in the fields before they get back out and do anything. However, this is not the case. In reality, this time is far from a usual vacation. Ranchers scramble to make the most of these months. Typically, a lot of their time is spent fixing things around the ranch as well as planning for the coming winter and upcoming new year.
PLANNING AHEAD
Often during calving season and harvest season, ranchers neglect to fix and repair most things unless it is a major issue, especially things like fences and equipment. When ranchers are moving through their pastures in the spring and summer, they have other dire things to worry about than fixing a damaged fence, chances are they are going to simply patch it. So, because the normal busyness of working the cattle and land has subsided, the rancher is now able to properly rebuild that section of fence and any others. The same thing goes for equipment. For example, say your stock trailer needs to get the floor rewelded but you cannot take it in to get worked on because you need it to move your cattle. During downtime, the cows are moved to winter pasture and there are no calves that need loading up, so the trailer sits. What better time to take it in and get worked on instead of waiting until right before you need it next spring?
On a ranch, there is always something that needs to be done, and even though four months seems like a long time, ranchers know it is not. Planning well in advance for anything is always a great idea. When it comes to ranching, planning during “downtime” is a no-brainer. Plenty of ranchers will collect all their data for the year and then set it aside till spring before they give it a look-through.
If they were to immediately compare that data with years prior, they could get an exceptionally good understanding of what went well and what needs improvement. By getting that knowledge now, you would have a better chance of creating that change because you would have more time to do so. Likewise, with a stronger knowledge of your herd’s data, there is an endless opportunity to make them successful. The biggest part of planning is figuring out solutions now to problems that are going to arise next spring. This means putting in the time and work now instead of putting it off; which can be easier said than done for most people.
WHY DOES THIS TRULY MATTER?
A rancher wakes up every morning with some sort of plan in his head for the day. Chances are the day is not going to go how they initially thought. For example, you thought you were going to check cows after you finished building the new feed bunks for the pens. The feed bunks end up taking longer than expected to complete and made you late to check the cowherd.
During the downtime period, this happens a lot because ranchers are trying to accomplish as much as they can. Had the rancher adopted technology that could help them in this situation, they could have rest assured knowing that their herd was good to go. Unfortunately, by not having a cattle management system, the rancher must now extend their day longer into the evening hours and miss the precious time they could be spending with family or doing other activities which they surely have missed enough already.
The 701x Autonomous Rancher® Cattle Management Solution, including cattle management software and smart cattle tags, guarantees a simplified work schedule for the rancher. Ranchers can stress less about day-to-day little things and focus more on tasks that are going to better their production. Relying on our solutions, they can set themselves and their herd up for success. An operation can only exist if the rancher can afford it and the only way a rancher can afford it is if their cattle are doing their job. That is exactly what happens when 701x is paired with your herd. The system makes sure your herd is operating to its maximum potential with or without your presence. It truly is state-of-the-art and first-of-its-kind technology bringing you, the rancher, an experience never seen before in the ranching industry.
BENEFITS OF GETTING AHEAD AND STARTING NOW:
Time is a scarce resource. Probably the scarcest resource as you cannot manufacture it or grow it in a field. Yet, time is an essential component in everything we do.
With every decision, we can choose not only what to do but when to do it. With the addition of a couple of extra hours and not the most ideal weather conditions, downtime becomes a perfect candidate for a chance to do just that. Not to mention all the information and data will be complete and accessible, prior to spring.
Here are 10 reasons why right now is better than ever to get started:
More time to become familiar with the software
Improves your herd’s data organization and accessibility
See where your cattle are before going out, maximizing your time saved
Allows for information to be easily transferred to new owners or buyers and breed registries
Track your cow’s activity optimizing pregnancy retention
Reports show all relevant data compiled together in specific categories, allowing ranchers to easily understand their herd statistics and plan accordingly
Ensure the safety of your animals 24/7
Lowers transportation and management costs for the coming year
An unlimited number of authorized users can log and store data, notes, or reports
Software is secured and protected via the cloud; ensuring the safety of your records
MAXIMIZE YOUR EFFORTS
701x is a system designed for ranchers, by ranchers. No one knows the effort it takes to be a rancher other than a rancher. Why not put the effort into improving your herd like the innovative ranchers who have already taken the leap?
Time is money in this industry, you cannot afford to waste it. Slow days are few and far between. Think back to that question of wondering how you solve future problems, well here is the answer you were looking for. With 701x Autonomous Rancher in your pocket, planning is made simple. Something we know is unheard of in the unpredictable industry of Agriculture and especially livestock. Maximizing how your time is spent is the best way to get through the offseason and just in time to set your operation up for success in the coming year.
The time spent during these next few months completely dictates what the year to come will look like. Knowing most of that time is already booked, why not open some of that up to get more things accomplished? 701x Autonomous Rancher® simplifies doing all the work for you, so you can focus on producing your best stock. Less stress and more time create a productive operation. The way you spend your extra time is up to you, but we would recommend taking a vacation, a real vacation at that. Every rancher has earned their fair share of them!
For more information about our software or ear tags, set up a call or contact us. We'd love to chat with you!
To purchase xTpro™ tags, simply create a 701x Autonomous Rancher® account and visit the app's marketplace.