Ozarks Farm & Neighbor Newspaper – written for, by & about farmers

Jared and Anita Munyon are do-it-yourselfers when it comes to their farm. The couple, along with Jared’s parents, John and Linda, run Tri M Valley Farm – a dairy and beef operation near Canehill, Ark.

Much of the Midwest has, for the most part, been blessed with good weather this year for pasture and hay growth. If favorable climate conditions continue, producers should consider grazing weaned calves this fall as an option to add weight to feeder calves before marketing. Autumn is quickly approaching and we are getting closer to weaning spring-born calves, so now is the time to make decisions regarding the fall calf crop. 

As a cow herd operator, you can produce a quality calf. The feedlot manager knows what it takes to finish that calf on feed so it can earn carcass premiums.

Retaining ownership of cattle through the finishing stage can be a financial risk for a lot of producers, but gathering knowledge about how cattle will perform in the feedlot and on the rail will help when it comes time to take feeder cattle to the sale barn or send them to the feedlot.

Cattle producers can improve their returns at the sale barn by maximizing their advantages, minimizing their disadvantages… and, maybe, by doing the unexpected.

A tax case, Mullins v. United States, decided in the United States District Court in Knoxville, Tenn., considered an individual who owned and operated a cattle-raising operation who claimed he was entitled to deduct losses over a period of years. The court issued an opinion which focused on the fact that the taxpayer had consulted industry and legal experts, and that the land used for the cattle operation had appreciated in value. The court held that these factors indicated the individual's profit motive.