426: The Cattle Industry Needs to Have Some Hard Conversations with Seth Pratt

Today, Seth Pratt joins Lauren on the Cattle USA Daily Podcast to talk about what it really takes to build a ranch that can survive for generations. From working off the ranch and understanding opportunity cost to creating more stable revenue, using genomic and carcass data, and thinking differently about how we measure cattle, Seth challenges some of the traditional ways of doing business in agriculture. The conversation also gets into some of the harder questions facing the next generation, including access to capital, succession planning, profitability and what it actually takes to build a sustainable ranching business. Links: Connect with Seth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-pratt-84403440/ CattleUSA Insurance - https://info.cattleusainsurance.com/l/1102253/2025-06-04/288f5m⁠CattleUSA Website - https://www.cattleusa.com/CattleUSA App IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cattleusa/id1673147759CattleUSA App Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edgarmcbee.cusamobile&pcampaignid=web_shareFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/cattleusamediaInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/cattleusa.media/Subscribe to our newsletter - https://www.cattleusa.shop/products/cattleusa-drive-premium-daily-newsletter?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&brid=YWdncwFNXt0EmdzFy5cJJBp84J9gCattleUSA Media - https://www.cattleusamedia.com/Lauren’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_laurenmoylan/Lauren’s Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ShowboatmediacoThe Next Generation Podcast Website - https://www.thenextgenag.com/Key Takeaways:Stable revenue can matter more than chasing the highs of the cattle marketOpportunity cost should be part of every decision about time and laborCountry Natural Beef offers a way to reduce some market timing riskRed meat per acre can change how producers think about cattle performanceGenomic and carcass data can help make better herd decisionsCattle need to fit the environment and resources of the ranchThe path into agriculture is not always as accessible as the industry makes it seemSuccession and long-term planning require conversations before there is a crisisProducers need to question practices simply being done because they have always been doneAgriculture needs honest conversations about what the next 100 years should look likeChapters:03:24 – What Working Off the Ranch Taught Him08:22 – Building a Multigenerational Ranch10:30 – Making Revenue More Stable13:00 – The Opportunity Cost of Your Time15:30 – How Country Natural Beef Works19:15 – Managing Market Volatility23:30 – Using Data to Make Better Cow Herd Decisions26:00 – Red Meat Per Acre27:40 – Building a Cow Herd You Want to Work Around28:32 – The Hard Conversations Agriculture Needs32:00 – Is Ranching Accessible to the Next Generation?34:35 – Who Does Agriculture Need to Welcome?37:27 – Challenging the Status QuoSeth Pratt, Cattle USA Daily, Country Natural Beef, cattle market, cattle prices, ranch profitability, ranch management, family ranch, multigenerational ranch, cattle genetics, genomic testing, carcass data, red meat per acre, cattle marketing, market volatility, beef production, ranch economics, opportunity cost, succession planning, beginning ranchers, next generation agriculture, agriculture workforce, natural resource management, Idaho ranching, cattle industry, future of ranching, branded beef, cattle cycle