Randy Tkachyk is a beef producer in southeast Manitoba who wasn’t sure what to do when BSE shut the US border in May of 2003. He started selling beef from his own cattle to friends, neighbours, relatives. Today he’s part owner of ManitobaBeef.Com.
On top of BSE, 2004 and 2005 were wet years destroying much of his hay crops. This year, it looked real good, but then it didn’t rain in June and July, leaving him short again. However, this young chap, a strapping 6 ft 4, maybe 6-6, keeps on keeping on. Many could take a lesson from him. Here’s his latest email to me.
Randy Tkachyk – There are certain things in life that we can’t control. Weather is very important to my operation: Too much rain or not enough! I‘ve been faced with too much rain over the past few years. However, 2006 was a dry summer raising concerns on growing enough grass for cattle to extend them to graze into the winter months. When almost experiencing a drought, as producers we say when it is wet you get something and when it is dry you get nothing.
We were fortunate some rain recently. This rain helped change farmers moods and create hope to grow more grass. Each shower helps improve our pasture and of course our moods. As mentioned before there are things we can’t control. Weather, environmentalists, protestors, and other obstacles, that can often discourage a farmer. The weather, nobody can control. The environmentalists and protestors we can at least challenge and usually prove wrong with facts! We can also find markets by diversifying or changing normal marketing procedures. Overall, you often work out things, providing you want to. Any moisture we do get or not we will take as it comes and be grateful for the rain.