As we close out 2025, I’m reflecting on the longevity and endurance of Ranching for Profit and Ranch Management Consultants which was started in 1983.
Stan Parsons started offering various versions of what would become the Ranching for Profit School in the early 80s, but the school as we know it today really got rolling around 1985. Stan led the charge for the first 20 years, then Dave Pratt picked up the reins and shaped, refined, and grew it over the next two decades. Now I get to work with an amazing team to carry it forward. I don’t take that lightly, standing on the shoulders of these two giants is both humbling and inspiring. We recently dug up an old VHS of Stan talking about the early days of Ranching for Profit. Watching it reminded me just how solid our foundation is.
After 42 years in business we’re closing in on 300 Ranching for Profit schools with thousands of alumni worldwide. We’ve got sister companies in Australia (RCS), Mexico (RFP-Mexico), and soon in the UK. Just last month we were teaching courses in the UK, Canada, and the US – all in the same week. Our mission hasn’t changed: helping ag businesses create Healthy Land, Happy Families, and Profitable Businesses.
What strikes me most about surpassing 40 years in business is how well the principles have held up. Much of the core content Stan was teaching in the 1980s is still in the school today. Sure, we’ve updated applications and refined delivery, but the principles themselves? They’re timeless. When something works across different enterprises, different environments, and different decades, you know you’re standing on bedrock truth.
Here’s something that’ll make you smile: In 1985, the school cost $950 per person. Steer calves were bringing about $365 per head. So it took roughly three steer calves to pay your tuition. Today, the first person from a business pays $3,000 to attend our Ranching for Profit School, and steer calves are worth around $2,500. That’s just over one steer calf. By that measure, Ranching for Profit has never been more affordable!
Speaking of those calf prices, if you’re one of the folks sitting on record-high income from this year’s cattle market, let me remind you of something important: More bad decisions get made in the name of tax avoidance, than just about anything else.
If you’re going to deploy capital back into your business, do it in ways that make your tax “problem” worse next year. In other words, invest in things that make you more profitable and more resilient going forward. And if you’re short on working capital, pay the tax and build reserves. We recently did a webinar with Dr. Dave Kohl on this exact topic, click here to watch it.
It has been over forty years since we started teaching these principles, with thousands of lives changed, but the work continues. To learn more about Dr. Stan Parsons, founder of Ranching Profit and hear him explain a few of the core principles we still teach today, watch this video:
