Each day across cattle country tens of thousands of cows change hands at livestock markets.  The size and the quality of the venues differ, but most facilities contain a holding area to view the animals, a sale ring that the animals enter and exit, and an amplified auctioneer rhythmically chanting the upward march of the … Continue reading Your (Live)Stock Market Is Turning Your Brain Mushy →

Mary Poppins is one of those Disney movies that I vaguely remember watching as a child.  It wasn't one of my favorites, but I probably watched it a dozen times.  The movie was revisited in a sequel of sorts as "Mary Poppins Returns" this month and I had the opportunity to watch it on a … Continue reading Compounding: Perfect In Every Way →

Every town has a handful of barbershops, each with their own brand, rituals, and cultural mores.  Due to the heavy integration of the customer into the service model, there are readily observable operational and economic principles at play and perhaps more so than in other businesses. There are 2-3 chairs with female barbers and the … Continue reading The Barbershop Service Model →

One of the things on many soon to be retiree's minds is how much money can I spend in retirement and is it enough?  I'd like to take a diversion to a cattle operation to show how we can think about a similar scenario. From about November to March most farmers in my area feed … Continue reading The Winter Safe Withdrawal Rate →

I had a very productive day recently that was the perfect mix of farming and investment focus that I wanted to share in more of a journal format to document this great day.  I took the day off work to focus some individual attention on some personal goals.  I thought this might be an appropriate … Continue reading Thursday On The Farm →