Well Cowman and the like

[oxbow]

Cowman, yes there have been failures, but some business plans are obviously flawed. Future beef, which is now Creekstone got too beholding to Safeway - bad plan. Good management and good cattle have a reasonable chance of prosperity.

I say for a plant to open against the majors it needs to be producer owned and supplied - otherwise the majors will bid up the area with the upstart and subsidize with other plants.

Whoever had the idea to open a cow plant is looking at some real opportunity. A shorrt feeding period before slaughter really improves cow value.

[oxbow]

US cow herd is smallest in 40 years, but genetics have allowed production to expand. 02 was record production year.

[cswilson]

There is a good article in'Stockman Grass Farmer' this month on why buying co-ops succeed and marketing co-ops often fail.

[grassfarmer]

cs, guess I should have read this thread before posting a new one.

[cswilson]

wellgrassfarmer think we'll forgive you-isn't the 'grassfarmer' a great magazine-i quit lending mine out never got them back.

[cowman]

Whiteface and Linda: I always consider everything before I commit any money! Maybe my cheap Scotch nature(sorry grassfarmer, but I'm Scotch!) or something. Seriously though, I was always taught to believe the old saying"A fool and his money are soon parted"?
BSE has not been good to me. It in fact has pretty well ruined a whole lot of my beliefs! Frankly I've been fumbling the ball the whole way, which has me second guessing everything I do! Not a good thing.
This is a totally weird thing for me as I suspect it has been for just about every other cattle producer in Canada?
It hit me at a very bad time. I had vague plans of getting out anyway and BSE just complicated the whole darned thing! Now I have basically come to the conclusion that I'm going to take a bath, no matter what, and I need to get the hell out!
But, be that as it may, I certainly don't want to see the industry that I loved more than life, go up in smoke! I hope some of these young guys can survive and I hope like hell they can make a go of it!