The Positives of pooling

摘要

A group of Kentucky cattle producers are finding success by pooling cattle, labor and resources. Kentucky is the largest cow-calf producing state east of the Mississippi River. Despite boasting 1.1 million beef cows, Kentucky's average herd size is just 29 head. As a result, calves typically sell in smaller groups. But the 13 members of the Barren Beef Group have given up their independence for the bigger payouts that come with pooling their calves to build bigger, more uniform lots. "It's just makesfinancial sense," says Robert Wilcoxson, group member and feeder for the group. "Even with 170 head of cows, I can't put uniform groups together like I can through this program." Wilcoxson, of Center, KY, says, on average, he's seeing a 5-7