Leachman To Discuss Profitability During Bovine Connection Proceedings

Profitability allows us to stay in business; while no profits mean the potential of losing the farm and ranch. To address the issues surrounding profits and loss, the Bovine Connection committee has invited Lee Leachman, Leachman Cattle Company of Colorado, to discuss the keys involved in remaining profitable. He will present his “Five Keys to Long Term Profitability” during a 2:15 p.m. presentation scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 1 at the new Extension/EARC facility, 1499 N. Central Ave., Sidney.

“Markets are increasingly volatile,” Leachman points out. “Costs are skyrocketing. I will take a 50,000-foot view of our changing industry and suggest five key strategies that can help you stay profitable. These strategies can make the difference between having to sell your family ranch versus buying your neighbor’s ranch.”

Leachman will discuss his five keys in detail. These keys include hybrid vigor, efficiency, cow size, terminal cross bulls, and selecting for profit. He also will urge the audience to think long term. “The decisions we make in ranching have long term ramifications but most ranchers mainly worry about today’s management problems and marketing challenges,” he notes. “We tend not to look far enough into the future.”

Leachman Cattle Company, Colorado, annually markets over 1200 bulls. “We raise Angus, Red Angus, Charolais and our composite line Stabilizer,” Leachman remarks. “Our bulls are selected based on our $Profit index. This single number predicts the genetic impact that a bull will have on a commercial producer’s bottom line.”

Leachman graduated from Harvard University with an Honors BA in economics in 1988. He also completed graduate level work in animal breeding at Colorado State in 1992. From 1992-2003, he served as the CEO of Leachman Cattle Company, Billings. In 2003, he formed Leachman Cattle Company of Colorado, a seedstock marketing company. His duties include determining genetic selection objectives, financial planning and overall company management.

Leachman Cattle Company has gained worldwide respect as a leader in objective selection criteria and composite cattle production. In 2008, he published one of the industry’s first feed efficiency EPDs.