Maybe someone has said something about it or maybe you’ve read it online or on Facebook, but Texas A&M is ranked #6 this week in the AP College Football Rankings.  Now, for all of you tu readers and TT heads out there, the Longhorns are #9 and the Red Raiders are #11.

So, I’m going to be honest with you when I tell you that I’m getting a little bit uncomfortable with A&M’s ranking merely because I’ve been here before…numerous times over the years when they were expected to have great seasons, but they didn’t.  In fact, I’ve been let down so many times by past A&M football teams and their players that it is actually difficult to stay encouraged by disappointment. Either the quarterback throws an interception, or the running back fumbles the ball on the goal line, a wide-open receiver doesn’t make the catch and once again we lose game. Then again, sometimes it’s the coaches. Why would anyone be stupid enough to call a play for the running back to try and score through a Longhorn defensive line that hadn’t allowed them to do so the entire game?

 Being a proud graduate of Texas A&M, I know that the 12^th Man are the best fans in college football. They are enthused and loyal. If you don’t believe me, then name another school that would have over 100,000 fans at the first game of the season against UTSA? It’s never been about the fan base; they are second to none. It is more likely that it’s the team that doesn’t know how to be the best and win. The other major schools that usually compete for national championships somehow know how to win. We shall see as the season progresses, and I hope that we will have a new expectation for many years to come.

Believe it or not, that last sentence is the next thing that I want to talk about…. new expectations for many years to come.  It appears to me, as I visit with many of you at sales I attend, that you don’t really know how to win with this market. I’ve heard numerous cattlemen say that they can’t believe that feeders are still able to pay this much for our cattle.  It’s like they are embarrassed about receiving the money they desperately need to make a profit in owning cattle. The next thing I hear them say is, “Well, it can’t last forever”. 

Maybe not, but what if it does last another five years or possibly ten years? Are you going to sit through the good times worried about losing? For that’s what we’ve been taught – that the market will be strong for a few years and then goes down for about ten years.

I think in the long run it’s all about our attitudes. We need to stay confident that things aren’t going to hell right away. What if producers don’t get greedy and this time and decide to keep only quality heifers that deserve to be possible replacements? What if the owners of potential lease land decide they don’t want to lease it for cattle grazing anymore? What if? What if another severe drought covers all of Texas or even worse — multiple southeastern states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia and more of our nation’s cow herd is killed off instead of increased?

Just like the Aggies, maybe we cattlemen need to accept the fact that maybe we are going to win for a change….and hopefully for many years to come!