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| "Sustainability" certainly has become a buzzword over the past few years. In reality it was something many took for granted. Could you continue your operation year to year, but also generation to generation? Within that paradigm there are loosely at least three aspects, labor, finances and available natural resources. The hard part is that they are all interconnected. An example is having 10 million in the bank but have ruined your health in the process and the kids want nothing to do with the operation (but will eventually want their cut). Or a yard full of machinery but can't survive in a market downturn or natural disaster.
Had a very wise man tell me once, "Make the best use of what nature provides for free". It isn't how much moisture you get, but what your soils can capture and hold that matters. I spent years killing myself calving in winter because that was just how it was done. Letting go of a certain mindset might be the biggest step in moving towards a more sustainable operation and future.
Lastly "sustainability" has become not only a marketing ploy, but unfortuneately also a control opportunity. Nothing wrong with third party audits if you believe you are really getting paid for them. But that is a slippery slope and can become loss of market access even if someone else's idea of sustainability ends up putting you out of business. Ask the farmers in the Netherlans and Ireland how that is working out. Also find a You Tube video done by Wyoming rancher Tracy Hunt and his extensive investigation of the GRSB (Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef). | |
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Sustainability and Your Operation
