The Ranching Economy

[westbranch]

The Juicy Lucy: Two bars battling since 1950s over Minnesota’s famous burger

Two Minneapolis dive bars claim to have invented the Juicy Lucy, the legendary cheese-stuffed burger.

www.startribune.com

And the Blue Door Pub is better than both. I lived a short walking distance from the Blue Door in St. Paul about 10 years ago. Not good for my wallet or waist line as a recent college graduate.

 

[Hydrophilic]

To pad a business with personal costs, or to run at cost and bank on underlying deferred asset gains, or to know losses will be offsetting other gains, or to take losses now that will create greater income in a subsequent tax year are always logical (even if not always legal), but actually foregoing income to manufacture a loss actually destroys total economic value across a person's portfolio (absent some other weird govt incentives). Seems like either the guides lacked full info or the owner's need better tax advisors.

Maybe. Most other lodges in the area are booked solid months in advance, and this lodge is marketed fairly heavily. I was one of three people there - pretty sweet deal on my end.

 

[VikingsGuy]

And the Blue Door Pub is better than both. I lived a short walking distance from the Blue Door in St. Paul about 10 years ago. Not good for my wallet or waist line as a recent college graduate.

Pub 819 in Hopkins does a great "Drunken Lucky" where the cheese is mixed with a whisky reduction. It is outstanding.

 

[Bambistew]

Reminds me of when I used to build steel grain bins on local farm sites across ND. At some point during the day the farmer would drive over to say hi. They were always nice and some brought lemonade and cookies. But the 4 of us on the crew knew at 6am when we came on the jobsite how the following question was going to be answered, "so how's farming?". If we saw a new shiny current year 4x4 pickup in front of the house right next to the wife's caddy and a bunch of shiny new tractors/implements in a big aerospace sized pole barn we knew the answer was going to be 20 minutes on why the banks, and the politicians, and the government and the Arabs and the city folks all made it impossible for a decent man to earn a living farming any more. But if we saw a well maintained 5 yo pickup next to a 6 yo Oldsmobile in the yard, and obviously well used but well-maintained tractors/implements around the grounds we knew that anwer was going to be, "ya get good years and bad years, all things considered, we are doing ok, how about you, must be tough slinging steel all day in the hot summer". They never let us down. They all stayed to script. I gather not much has changed since I left ND.

Same true with ranchers. I always wonder what their accounts think, or if they're in on it.

 

[noharleyyet]

Same true with ranchers. I always wonder what their accounts think, or if they're in on it.

They're not in on it technically, and you will perfect an agreement statement saying so.

 

[antlerradar]

I must say that a group of non ranchers writing four pages about the ranching economy is fairly entertaining.

 

[Nemont]

I must say that a group of non ranchers writing four pages about the ranching economy is fairly entertaining.

I grew up on a ranch and my wife's family is still on the place their ancestors homesteaded in 1916, which she is part owner of. I live in a county where cattle out number people probably 10 to 1 or more and the vast majority of my clients are involved in farming and ranching. I still get cow shit on me enough to know about the business of running cows, Even public lands grazing including tribal grazing. So put that in your pipe and light it.

I have been on a combine crew, haying crew, fencing crew, branding crew, corral building crew and beer drinking crew enough to understand that old days of the family ranch are not the norm, still a few out there but the majority are no longer 150 cows and enough hay ground to get them through the winter.

Nemont

 

[MTTW]

I have followed shitting cows up a brushy trail in steep country where I couldn't get around them for a mile. I know a thing or 2 about ranching.

 

[noharleyyet]

I binge watched Yellowstone....so I've got that going for me.

John Dutton's daughter diagram

 

[Hydrophilic]

I must say that a group of non ranchers writing four pages about the ranching economy is fairly entertaining.

Excuse me, this is America.

 

[Hydrophilic]

I binge watched Yellowstone....so I've got that going for me.

John Dutton's daughter diagram
View attachment 174524

The sweet spot is a 5 crazy, 5 hot, and a lot of alcohol

 

[Walkalot]

My uncle owns a small ranch. 300 cows. 10 horses. He and his wife run it. Me and my brothers have helped once in a while, fencing, branding, moving cows. For the most part seems like smaller ranches come together, helping each other out with alot. He is broken man, tough as hell and has worked his ass off. I think the newest thing he has is latest back surgery. He guided in the side along time ago, extra cash. Those are not the type of ranches to target in my opinion. Or bigger ones that actually contribute to mt. The dude ranches, tax write ones, millionaire play grounds, do nothing for the public or the state. Those are the ones we should target to buy out.

 

[stevejfarms]

The national security points falls apart when you realize most of the corn, soy, and grains grown aren’t for human consumption or require process to make them fit for consumption. I’ve worked on dairy and beef operations and had some fail. We producing more food with less land. Farms need to fail for the sake of the greater good so that those farmers that are actually well managed can make real money and not skimp by on some government controlled price setting or participation trophy subsidy.

Like it or not the national security concerns are valid. Corn and soybeans feed all the protein, eg. cattle, hogs, and poultry. If you’re not self sufficient in food production you’re at the mercy of your supplier. It’s one of the main reasons Soviet communism failed, they just couldn’t consistently feed themselves.

 

[Irrelevant]

The sweet spot is a 5 crazy, 5 hot, and a lot of alcohol

I certainly always gravitated towards walking that crazy line. It keeps you one your toes.

 

[Oak]

I binge watched Yellowstone....so I've got that going for me.

John Dutton's daughter diagram
View attachment 174524

Can't help but notice the y axis starts at 4....

 

[ZMT588]

Can't help but notice the y axis starts at 4....

They're all a little crazy

 

[noharleyyet]

Can't help but notice the y axis starts at 4....

Yep, thought that was a little on the low side too.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

American meat production for chicken was about 43 billion pounds, while beef was about 25 million pounds.

The top 5 states for beef cattle accounting for a total of 40% of beef cattle are
Texas (4.6 million), Oklahoma (2.2 million), Missouri (2.1 million), Nebraska (1.9 million),South Dakota (1.8 million)

 

[antlerradar]

American meat production for chicken was about 43 billion pounds, while beef was about 25 million pounds.

The top 5 states for beef cattle accounting for a total of 40% of beef cattle are
Texas (4.6 million), Oklahoma (2.2 million), Missouri (2.1 million), Nebraska (1.9 million),South Dakota (1.8 million)

I don't know where you got those numbers, but it wasn't that long ago that the US cattle herd was close to 100 million. That would be some very light cows.

 

[antlerradar]

I grew up on a ranch and my wife's family is still on the place their ancestors homesteaded in 1916, which she is part owner of. I live in a county where cattle out number people probably 10 to 1 or more and the vast majority of my clients are involved in farming and ranching. I still get cow shit on me enough to know about the business of running cows, Even public lands grazing including tribal grazing. So put that in your pipe and light it.

I have been on a combine crew, haying crew, fencing crew, branding crew, corral building crew and beer drinking crew enough to understand that old days of the family ranch are not the norm, still a few out there but the majority are no longer 150 cows and enough hay ground to get them through the winter.

Nemont

The way you do it is take a few million dollars and buy a ranch. Then you hire a ranch manager and a helper or two. You will need good new equipment because the manager can't fix anything, and miss matched equipment looks ...... well, you know how it looks. You run just enough cows so you have something to talk about, and so you can have a branding for the photo op. Grow just enough crop to keep your employees somewhat busy so they aren't drinking and smokin weed on the job. Good luck with that. Put in a pivot because that high spot in the field always turns brown and is embarrassing. Keep the place looking "just right". New attractive fences, nice roads, and one metric shit ton of custom NO TRESPASSING signs. These will be the only way you will know where your boundaries are and can save you from bitching about the neighbor's cows being on your place.

The manager will need unlimited diesel to patrol the place and make sure nobody crosses a corner. If done right you can lose 6 figures a year. You never even get dirty.

You still get to bitch at the manager because the place is losing more than you expected to lose.

It is called losing money ranching on purpose.

I mean no offense to real ranchers, you know who you are.

easy there guys, I didn't say I disagree, there are plenty of posts that hit far to close to the truth for many of todays "Ranchers". Other s not so much. Entertaining it is.