How to Not go Broke Ranching

How to Not go Broke Ranching is the irreverent and sometimes humorous effort of a multi generation rancher to help people keep from making all of the mistakes that he made in fifty + years of ranching. It is drawn from real life though some names are changed or not given to protect the guilty.
The vast majority of ranches in the United States, whether commercial or life style, are neither profitable nor sustainable; the author explains why this is so and what must be done to improve the situation. The changes in philosophy and in management practices required to do this are spelled out in some detail by a man who used them to turn an almost bankrupt ranch into a consistently profitable and ecologically stable operation.
The book is not a how-to cookbook but rather is an attempt to get people to think of ranching, and agriculture in general, as the biological endeavors, run on sunshine and rainfall that they once were and should be again, rather than the industrial enterprises that are common today. The methods described have been proven effective by people all over the world and their results can be duplicated by anyone who is willing to think through the situation and is not afraid to be different. The management described is not yet universally accepted but it is successful by all standards: it is financially viable, ecologically sound and it is a good way to live and raise a family.
Anyone who is involved with land management or who wants to be involved in any way will find this book useful. Both the new, or would be, rancher just starting out and the established rancher will find information and advice in this book that can be used to make their operation more profitable, less dependent on purchased inputs and markets and a whole lot more fun.

How to Not go Broke Ranching starts with the ironic essay How to go Broke Ranching without Really Trying which the author wrote in 1999. This essay points out ( in a sarcastic manner) some of the more common mistakes made in ranching. The book proceeds to give a brief description of ranching in the past and in the present and touches on the strengths and weaknesses of the management used in the two eras.
The meat of the book is the authors€ opinion of what needs to be changed to make ranching financially viable, ecologically sound and sociologically rewarding. These changes are spelled out as both changes in philosophy and as changes in management techniques.
The book is non-fiction and technical with an attempt to present material in such a way that it can be understood and utilized by people without a technical background.


While the book is directed toward farmers and ranchers and would be farmers and ranchers, the information presented in the book would be useful to anyone involved in any way with land and water management or anyone who has an interest in a healthy environment or in improving the quality of life for all of society.
The general tone of the book is informative with some humor where it is appropriate; the author uses his own past mistakes in a self deprecating manner to illustrate faults in both philosophy and management. At times the author is harsh or sarcastic when describing what he feels are illogical positions but he is never mean spirited.
The book came about from the authors experiences in being forced to revise the management philosophy he was taught in college and graduate school in order to develop a ranching enterprise that was profitable, sustainable and enjoyable. As his knowledge and experience grew, the author began to teach schools and seminars and to consult with ranchers and land managers over much of the United States. The book is an attempt to share some of what the author learned both on his own land and by working with others.
From the authors€ standpoint, the ideal reaction to the book would be, €œThis is a fun read that leaves you with new knowledge acquired painlessly.€