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Tax time portraying profits for beef

The start of the spring calving season was more cold and muddy than Kevin Gould would have liked.  Gould, a commercial cow/calf producer in Ionia County, Michigan tells Brownfield a farmer’s success or failure can happen at calving.

“Those calves are pretty vulnerable that first seven to 14 days of age and if we do end up having death/loss often times, that’s when it really occurs in that first couple weeks of life, so you really have to pay attention.”

At tax time, Gould, a Michigan State University Extension Beef Educator, says 2014’s lower beef supplies and higher cattle prices weren’t such a bad thing.

“Most of our producers in the beef cattle business, and myself included, had to pay some tax from 2014.”  Gould tells Brownfield, “That’s not a bad thing, it really tells us that we’re profitable in the industry right now.”

Gould says being more profitable has made his business more focused.

“If we miss something, the economic or potential loss as a result can be more catastrophic, there’s a lot more risk in it now because the value of the animal is much, much higher.”

Gould’s advice for farmers is to fine-tune their management strategies for continued success and longevity.

AUDIO: Interview with Kevin Gould (3:51 mp3):