Customer Success Story: Y Lazy Y Shorthorns
Deep in the Bitterroot Valley in western
Montana, Ralph Larson oversees his 25 cow herd of
registered Shorthorn cattle. Larson grew up on a
ranch, and has spent his lifetime enjoying this
western way of life.
"Life was too easy, and things were becoming
too prosperous, so I decided I'd better get back in
the cow business a few years ago," he said.
Larson retains most of his heifers, and says
his operation and quality of cattle is steadily
growing through the use of the best AI genetics
available. His bulls are sold as far away as
Florida. He has been managing his herd using
CattleMax for the past three years, and has found
the program's marketing features beneficial.
"One major plus for the operation has been the
easy to use sale catalog creator for putting
together attractive sale brochures for mailing," he
said.
Larson said that CattleMax enables him to keep
organized information that is easy to access.
"You can collect all data, from weights to
frame scores to scrotal circumference within a few
minutes without digging through things," he said,
"The information is at your fingertips."
He said that before CattleMax, his records
were kept in a loose-leaf binder, and it was
difficult to find the information he was looking
for.
"I am still entering historical data on cattle
that have an impact on the genetics of my herd, but
I appreciate that CattleMax allows you to do this,"
Larson said.
He learned about CattleMax through research on
the internet, and has recommended the program to
others.
He said that his operation benefits from the
use of CattleMax by simply being able to access so
many different sets of data.
"I rent several different pastures, and I
can't remember where every cow is," Larson said,
"CattleMax remembers which groups are in which
pasture, and I don't have to look for them."
He said the most helpful aspect of CattleMax
is the cow records, which allow ranchers to check an
animal's productivity to assist in deciding which
cows will become embryo donors.
"I like CattleMax for the detailed
information," he said, "You can get as much
information as you want to put in there. It's a good
program because today's market requires detailed
information."
He said he also enjoys the convenience of
having all of his records in front of him.
Larson said, "If you're going to be
successful, you have got to collect data. Detailed
records are a necessity in today's industry.
CattleMax 2006 helps me achieve the results a small
operation like mine requires in order to compete."
For more information on Y Lazy Y Shorthorns,
contact Ralph Larson in Corvallis, Montana at
406-360-3793 or ralph@y-lazy-y.com
