“This is how we’ve always done it” is not a management strategy.

Labor is one of the most consistent (and costly) challenges in ranch management. Good help is hard to find, but even harder to keep if your ranch housing is sub-par. In today’s ranching world, housing is often the deciding factor between a “Yes, I’ll take the job!” and “No, absolutely not.”

For many landowners, the dream of wide-open spaces and generational stewardship can quickly turn into a burden if the ranch isn’t set up to run efficiently. The difference between a legacy operation and a liability almost always comes down to mindset, systems, and people.

For generations, the cattle business ran on trust and tradition—your word was your bond, and that was enough. And, that’s still true in a lot of ways, but the industry could use an update to employment practices, including employment and housing agreements. 

Owning a ranch you don’t live on is a balancing act.

You want visibility, not micromanagement. You want trust, but verified. And you need professionals who can operate autonomously without ever leaving you in the dark.

You won’t see “Poor Management” as a line item on a balance sheet, but you’ll sure see its effects: lower revenue, higher costs, more unplanned-for expenses and issues, and opportunities missed.

The conversation around “good” and “bad” ranch jobs has been lively lately, and for good reason—it’s an important topic that deserves real discussion. At JRC Ranch Management & Consulting, this is one area where we believe the ranching industry has tremendous opportunity for improvement.

One of the most common mistakes we see in ranch management is the misunderstanding of the difference between a ranch manager and a cowboy.

Ranching has changed. The economics are tighter. The margins are smaller. The complexity has multiplied. And the truth is, the difference between a ranch that barely keeps up and one that sets the standard almost always comes down to people and how they’re led.

More than 90 percent of farms and ranches in the United States are family-owned. Does this matter?

Lots of ranches function just fine. Fences are okay, cattle are fed, employees are working. And for some, that’s good enough.