SUSTAINING FOR THE FUTURE by CCA Associate Director of Communications Maureen LaGrande
In a livestock operation it is important to and forward-thinking could lead participants to have a plan in place to best utilize the grazing “Ranching for less loss, to ranching for breaking potential and capability of a ranch. Participants even to ranching for profit.” of the Sustainable Ranch Management Planning Participating in the two-day event were 16 Workshop, “Grazing to Improve your Land, Your ranchers from central to southern California. The Life and Your Bottom Line” held at the Marriott in workshop covered topics including economics, Santa Clarita, April 21-22, learned proper grazing finance, how to increase profit, problems management practices and how to work towards in agriculture, grassman versus cattleman, implementing these practices into their own overgrazing, overstocking, strategic grazing, operation. property development, drought and annual plans. Held for the first time, the workshop served as No ranch operates the same as one next, enabling a pilot program brought to life and spearheaded participants to learn how fellow attendees by the California Cattlemen’s Foundation and Los run their operations, widening their scope of Angeles County rancher and chair-elect of the US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Mike Williams, Acton. Sponsorship from the California Cattle Council, Cargill, McDonalds and Merck made the weekend possible. The sponsors objective of providing funds for the workshop was to teach ranchers how to sustainably run their operations, and that they in turn would take away that knowledge to apply to their ranch. “A profitable ranch is a more sustainable ranch,” said Williams. Workshop leader, David Pratt, CEO Emeritus, of Ranch Management Consultants, Inc. spent the two-day workshop educating, discussing and providing interactive scenarios to help the those in attendance visualize how implementing a grazing plan into their Sustainable Ranch Management Workshop Attendees operation could further their success. and workshop leader Dave Pratt. Pratt shared how strategic planning
34 California Cattleman July 2023