Buying cattle in a high market can feel intimidating, but as Wally Olson reminds us, the price doesn’t matter nearly as much as the relationship. In this episode, John and Wally dig into how to buy cattle the right way, why you always need to sell before you buy, and how understanding the value of gain, weight classes, and local market culture helps you make confident, profitable decisions no matter where the market sits.

Wally draws on decades of experience as a rancher, marketer, and educator to break down practical buying strategies, from barn cards to understanding how geography, humidity, forage quality, and reputation all shape performance and price. John and Wally walk through real-world examples, common pitfalls, and why good marketing, not good luck, is what drives long-term profitability.

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In this episode, we cover:

• Why you should always sell before you buy, and how that drives cash flow and clarity
• How to evaluate cattle across weight classes, age classes, and pregnancy status using the value of gain
• Building a dependable barn card and running the numbers to know exactly what you can pay
• How geography, humidity, forage quality, and local culture affect buying decisions and animal performance
• When to use an order buyer, how to work well with one, and why reputation matters in both directions
• Smarter strategies for packaging cattle, contracting, and marketing in high-price environments

Connect with Wally:

• Check out his website

Connect with Ranch Right:

• Subscribe on YouTube 
• Follow on Instagram @ranchrightllc 
• Follow on Facebook 
• Check out the website
• Check out all of our past webinars here

Resources & Links:

• Value Of Gain
• Book a Free Discovery Call to Learn More 
• Ranching for Profit 
• Ranching.FYI 
• Wally Olson, Olson Ranch LLC

Mentioned in this episode:

At Ranch Right, we build financial systems that make sense for real ranch operations — bookkeeping, reporting, and strategy that actually work.

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