Here’s to the Mom’s out there trying to balance ranching, raising kids, and trying to be entrepreneurs on the side.
I had someone tell me recently that they weren’t sure how I did it, they could never be a stay-at-home mom. It was absolutely meant as an insult, and though the hair on the back of my neck bristled a bit, it wasn’t worth trying to explain what I really do. I know there are several women ranchers out there who have been labeled as stay at home wives or moms, when in reality that is so far from the truth. Let me be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being either of these, it’s just that I’m not. And most women ranchers are not.
In our operation, my job goes beyond the bookwork, paying bills, taking care of employee health insurance, communicating with the banker, ordering vaccine, planning and scheduling cow working days, doing the program cattle paperwork, etc. I do all the economic analysis for the ranch. This includes knowing market values, direct costs, overheads, and using them to calculate gross margins for each enterprise on the ranch. We run cattle, so our enterprises are currently cow/calf, heifer development, and stocker yearlings. I then present these values to the team to help us make decisions for the ranch. One of the most time-consuming jobs I do is exploring other options. This means calculating gross margins for other potential enterprises and enterprise mixes, as well as making changes to our current enterprises to improve gross margins. This is an ever-evolving process. My job recently has included developing our ranch’s mission and vision statement, position agreements and effectiveness areas, as well as designing a large pipeline system and fencing infrastructure. I am in the process of better learning grazing practices and marketing. Our team will soon be creating our 2023 grazing plan with drought contingencies.
On the side, I write this blog (my saving grace), have a small ranch bookkeeping business, and am next in line to help MDH on the ranch when needed (my other saving grace).
I do these jobs with a five-year-old and a three-year-old present the majority of the time. Balancing working from home with being present and intentional with my kiddos is tricky, and not for the faint of heart. I plan my schedule out very carefully each day.
I don’t write this to garner sympathy or brag about what I do. I write this because I know there are several of us out there doing something similar and regularly having others minimize us and what we do, simply because they don’t understand and don’t want to. I read a quote by @masteringlawofattraction recently that said, “If you understand how frequently people cope by projecting, you would learn to take absolutely nothing personally.” Such an accurate statement. Many women entirely run different enterprises on the ranch. Many women are out feeding and doing chores every day. Many women are working hard on the ranch. They deserve credit. So I salute each and every one of you. Keep on keeping the ranch and the family running. You are noticed and you are appreciated!
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