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Oklahoma producer develops creative partnership model to help bring the next generation into cattle production

An Oklahoma cow/calf producer says it’s critical for the ag sector to invest in the next generation of farmers and ranchers. Kelli Payne says it’s time to stop just talking about it. “We just need to figure out how we can bring this next generation on,” she says.  “We can talk about it all we want to, but we’ve got to do it.”

Payne wanted to expand her herd, but drought conditions in her area made it difficult.  So, she got creative.

“I was able to identify some producers in different parts of Oklahoma, or they wanted to be producers,” she says.  “Maybe they had just bought a place with 30 acres, or they had a small cow herd.”

She tells Brownfield the next step was a simple contract. “I ship them cattle, and now they have income coming in from the care of those cattle,” she says. 

Payne says it’s worked well. “This has been relatively short, six months is probably how long we’ve been doing this,” she says. “And now some of those producers are already coming back and saying, hey, I like these cows. I want to buy them now. And so now we’re entering into a different phase, but now they’re going to be able to buy those cows. They have a calf in their belly, and then they’re going to be able to get a check from that.”

She says sustaining the industry may require producers to think differently — and explore new approaches to preserving their legacy.

AUDIO: Kelli Payne, Oklahoma cow/calf producer