Durning pregnancy checks last week, Dr. V. commented on the good body condition of the girls. He knows our stock is exclusively grass-fed, and his next comment was about the longevity of grass-fed operations compared to the longevity and profitability of high input grain-fed operations. Dr. V.’s compliment on the cattle was appreciated, however the unspoken encouragement was appreciated even more.

Oftentimes, Don and I find ourselves in the minority. Have you ever been there? You start talking cattle with some folks and they ask about your farm. “We practice rotational grazing and have grass-fed breeding stock”, you answer. At that point, you get the look. The one that says, “Oh, you’re one of them.” Some even follow up by saying, “That’s a lot of work.” That’s why Dr. V.’s casual comment was encouraging. He sees what we are doing and thinks we have a good thing going. He didn’t say that producers feeding grain to their cattle is bad, just more costly than our approach.

To gather with like-minded people and talk about raising cattle on grass or reading an industry-related publication dedicated to the grass farmer is business is usual. However, hearing positive words from a person, related to the industry but with no care other than the health of your animals, is encouragement that we’re doing the thing.