“Ranching and Running a Business Aren’t the Same Thing”
Cattleman U Member Abigail Albright shares her experience coming home to the family farm
Abigail grew up in rural Kansas working alongside her dad on their family farm. In the past her family ran cattle but they no longer had the facilities for them. In high school, Abigail competed in sports but her real passion was working on the farm. When she graduated high school all she wanted to do was return to the family operation and work with her father. She was faced with the same issue that many agriculturalists are: making a living solely on farming or ranching.
Many of us are able to but it seems like more often than not you need an off operation income to support your family. Like many of us, she was told “When you come back from college, you can do whatever you want, get a degree and you can come back and farm.”
She did just that, Abigail got her degree in nursing and returned to the family business.
Farming and ranching are a family operation
Their operation in Kansas is just that, a family business.
Abigail’s grandparents started the operation she has now purchased. Abigail is excited to continue the family legacy.
“It's a whole family affair, my dad and I are the full time farmers and then my siblings help out during harvest. And my mom's always there, you know, she's bringing the meals to the field and cooking, staying up late, helping us move equipment and stuff.”
Before this last year she was nursing three days a week and helping her dad the other four days a week. Abigail had very little time to rest but all that changed this last year. Abigail sees this as her dream year. She began taking traveling contracts during the off-seasons of farming. This has allowed her to stay full-time on the operation during the busy seasons such as harvest and planting.
Now 28 years old, she has been able to purchase her grandparents' operation from her uncle and begin plans of her own. On her new operation, she has the facilities for cattle and is excited to start this new journey as a cattle producer. This new opportunity led her to become a member of Cattleman U this year in June. After following some women who are prominent in the agricultural industry she heard about the program and it sparked interest. It came at the perfect time .
“It was just again where my focus is at, I thought this will be a great network to branch out into and, you know, bounce ideas off of people and see what other people have to offer.”
Cattleman U provides education for cattle business owners
Not only has Abigail enjoyed the content with Cattleman U but she also mentioned learning from the blogs and other materials she has found by being a member of Cattleman U. One of her favorite features was the fact that she could take the trainings with her while working in the tractor out in the field where you don’t always have the best cell service. Her favorite section so far has been the financial management section this month.
“One thing I really took away from it that hit home was knowing how to take care of cattle and knowing how to run a business taking care of cattle aren't the same thing. You can do both but it's just very true. I mean, it's the same way farming, ranching, you have to know the business side of it too, or you'll never make it.”
Community of cattlemen is just as important as education
It can be easy for many of us to get caught up in the lifestyle side of our operations and forget that at the end of the day they are business at their core. We face many challenges being producers and sometimes it can feel like we are alone in them. Abigail is no stranger to this feeling. When trying new things, especially in our industry it can feel like you are alone or don’t have the time to go to conferences and learn from others.
“Every day you guys have reminded me, there's lots of people out there that feel the way you do you know, because sometimes when you're on a farm, you don't necessarily see what other farmers or ranchers like you are doing or if they're going through what you're going through.”
About Cattleman U
Many of us can see ourselves in Abigail’s shoes and relate to her experience. If Cattleman U sounds like something your business could benefit from as well, now is the perfect time. Doors open again to new members on December 2nd - 6th!
Cattleman U is an online education program that offers monthly pre-recorded video presentations from experts all over the U.S. on the topics that are proving to bring producers results and are cutting edge in the industry.
Whether it's finding new and creative ways to address age-old problems on the ranch or sharing ways to make management practices applicable in your operation, Cattleman U gives you access to the most up-to-date information in the industry across multiple segments and niches in the cattle business.
New in December, we have added membership levels so you can decide what works best for you. The levels are Select, Choice, and Prime! Each level has opportunities for you to improve not only yourself but your entire operation.