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Where's the Beef?

written by

Dustin Schnabel

posted on

May 16, 2023

    A few years ago, a young Amish man (not much older than Sierrah) asked me if he could graze ten steers for me.  I talked with him extensively about grazing management and the importance of daily movement to fresh pastures.  He seemed to know a lot about pasture management and using cattle in symbiosis with grasslands.  The only kicker was that he didn't have a ton of real-world experience.  Nonetheless, I agreed to give it a shot.

    When it came time for butchering, I was very impressed.  The quality was just as good, if not better than I was producing on my own.  I agreed to double the number for the next season. I kept a very close watch on his management because we were now reliant on him for a significant percentage of our beef production.  He crushed it again. 

    It was then that I realized - "this young man is better at this than I am".   I welcome these situations with how I manage a business.  I love it when I can hire my replacement. It means I can focus my detailed attention in other areas knowing that an enterprise is being looked after properly.

    A few seasons later, I negotiated an exclusive partnership with this young man to manage our entire cattle operation.  We moved everything off of our land here in Canton and onto leased land in Holmes County.  I put him in charge of filling our program with new genetics and all aspects of production.   One of my smartest decisions in a long time. 

    I would love to show you videos and pictures of this young man, but he's Amish.  When the camera comes out, he disappears.  I asked him yesterday if I could write about him and use his name.  He took his straw hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. After a pause, he replied - "I'd rather not, if that's okay with you..."   

    Folks - your cattle whisperer is not me. It's a young man, and he's better than me!

✌️  - Dustin

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