Authenticity shines in this episode with veteran and rancher Steve Cook of Cook Beef Cattle located in central Texas. Steve shares about his military career, transitioning to civilian life, mental health, Farmer Veteran Coalition and future advice and goals. We're thankful to have Steve share real experiences with us and the importance of networking with others.
Connect and support Steve's ranch by checking out his website at cookbeefcattle.com. Learn more about the Farmer Veteran Coalition at farmvetco.org.
We appreciate the support from The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation on this episode of Farm, Food, Facts.
To learn more about PACT’s mission you can visit their website at https://ag-climate.org/.
Authenticity shines in this episode with veteran and rancher Steve Cook of Cook Beef Cattle located in central Texas. Steve shares about his military career, transitioning to civilian life, mental health, Farmer Veteran Coalition and future advice and goals. We're thankful to have Steve share real experiences with us and the importance of networking with others.
Connect and support Steve's ranch by checking out his website at cookbeefcattle.com. Learn more about the Farmer Veteran Coalition at farmvetco.org.
We appreciate the support from The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation on this episode of Farm, Food, Facts.
To learn more about PACT’s mission you can visit their website at https://ag-climate.org/.
Speaker 1:
A life of service and specifically focused on serving others. Today we are honored to be joined with a man that holds two important titles of veteran and Rancher. We're talking with Steve Cook, he's the owner of Cook Beef Cattle located in central Texas. We'll learn about his military career and then how he transitioned to his farming career. Any transition in life provides challenges, and we're thankful to have Steve share real authentic experiences with us. Well, Steve, if you could start our conversation just kind of sharing some of the specs of your farm, where it's located, number of cattle acres, and maybe something unique.
Speaker 2:
Howdy, I'm glad to be part of this. I got a ranch in central Texas, uh, in land Passes county. We're about a hour north of Austin, so I have a 730 acres that I, I currently ranch and, uh, I'm running eight mama cows a bull. I got 12 calves on the ground. Not too much unique things about it. Besides each, a typical hill country type ranch, I've been doing a lot of range improvement with the USDA, uh, national Resource Conservation Service to improve grazing. And I raised cattle from birth to, uh, uh, harvest. I have A-U-S-D-A plant just north of me, about 30 minutes north of me that I take my cattle to, to get 'em processed. So it, it, I'm really vertically integrated. So most operations are either a cow calf, a stalker or, or a feedlot. But I'm trying to do all three, you know, on my place so I can, uh, sell meat directly to, uh, uh, consumers.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, you definitely have your hands full with, from the raising all the way to the end of the, the supply chain. Now. Can you share a little bit more about your military experience, your role, years of service, and anything else you'd like to share?
Speaker 2:
I retired in 2014. After 25 years of service. I was commissioned a second lieutenant out of Texas a and m in College Station. And, uh, I was, uh, commissioned as a, uh, quartermaster officer. I spent my whole career in logistics. I, uh, been overseas several times, couple tours in Korea, Mogadishu, uh, and then three long tours in Iraq. And, um, Iraq was, well, I'm not gonna say it was fun, but it was professionally rewarding. 'cause I was at the beginning of, uh, OIF and then I was, I served my last duty. I served closing down Iraq. We started at the north. So yeah, talking about transition, you know, doing all types of different functions that you're not normally trained to do, but you have to learn on, on the job. And I also spend a lot of time mentoring and working with Iraqi officers as we were trying to rebuild their military and get them back, you know, functioning. So, you know, mentor, I've done a lot of that, not only, you know, in this country, but overseas.
Speaker 1:
And we're gonna dive into some of those, you know, skill sets and life lessons that you've learned from being, you know, in the military to now being a rancher. One thing, Steve, I'd like to get the years you were in the military and then when you started your ranch.
Speaker 2:
And I was commissioned in 1989, and I retired in 2014. During that time, I was stationed stateside as well as overseas. And when I was a, uh, a captain and I was stationed at Fort Lewis Washington, I, I bought my ranch. It's close to where I grew up, and, you know, I spent years looking for the right piece of property. And I knew after my military service, you know, I just wanted to kind of, you know, live out on a ranch, you know, some cows, maybe some horses, you know, raise kids and that kind of stuff. So I bought my ranch in 1996, and I had it leased out for cow calf and hunting. I, and I, I knew the people that were leasing it for, for both the hunting. This guy I had, I had served with, actually my mom knew him from Fort Hood. And, um, so I wasn't actively ranching until about 2014 when I retired. I did have a couple cows before then. I, my son was, uh, interested in Schoen cattle, so I had a show cow, uh, a heifer that he raised from six months, and he showed herd, uh, in the county shows for a couple years. And that's kind of where I got my start with, with my own herd of cattle.
Speaker 1:
Steve, just from hearing that answer, I can see that you're really focused on the future and bettering the future. You were thinking about that while you were in your military career. What were you gonna be doing after that? Now? What skill sets or life lessons have you learned from being a veteran and a farmer?
Speaker 2:
The biggest thing you kind of deal with is like curve balls. Again, you know, I, I, I've talked with my kids, you know, as they graduate college, I said, well, what you learn in college, you might not be doing in your job or your profession or your, if you ever find out what you're, you're passionate about, but you learn skill sets through your military training, through education, and then that helps you adapt to an ever-changing, you know, environment. And of course, to military, you know, we drop you in places and expect you to, you know, we are, we are helping Iraqis build hoop houses, try to stand up some of their, their, uh, infrastructure. That's not something you learn in your, you know, basic military courses. And same with ranching. You know, a lot of it's, we call OJT on the job training. Some of it's a little bit of common sense, but just being able to adapt to changes and then evolve and grow your farm or ranch.
Speaker 2:
And a lot of the guys I work with, you know, they have an idea, Hey, I I want to have 300 acres, 500 cows. But when they start seeing the logistics of running that, how much you need and the work, and it says, well, maybe I'll just kind of, you know, tone it down a little. So being adaptable. And then, uh, you are always learning something. I I learn something, you know, all the time, whether it's cattle handling, working, uh, uh, herd health or maybe some facilities design, you know, my working pins to maintain low stress handling or, you know, some different marketing strategies using the internet, social media and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:
When it comes to, you know, the military and, and farming, it can be very mentally draining with a military pass. And now working in agriculture, how do you keep your mental health in check?
Speaker 2:
One of the biggest things when I transitioned outta the military that I kind of missed was my team. Um, wherever you go, you have a, you have a team, you know, you're part of a team when you separate, you know, you're kind of, you know, on your own. And that's a little bit of adjustment. It can be scary, it could be aggravating. You don't know who to talk to, turn to if you got some, you know, question help or advice. And I saw that I taught school briefly, uh, after I retired. And just the whole mindset going from the military, you're part of a team and you can plug and play in your team anywhere. But when I transitioned to the civilian world, it was not quite the same. And then you think about being a rancher or a farmer, you're normally a, a one or two person operation.
Speaker 2:
You might bring in some temporary help from time to time, but you know, you're on your own. And so who do you go to? Who do you talk to when you're, you have a question or a problem, or you're getting stressed out over maybe you thought you made a bad decision? So for me, networking is, I never thought of myself as a networker. Uh, but networking has been, you know, really important. So for the stress of the environment, what you're going through as far as working, you know, your ranch or your farm, the economics of it, that, that can be very stressful because I think one of our number one sources of stress is financial security. And then for some of my military, and I, I would say civilians have, you know, the same types of anxiety and issues. You know, there's a lot of that out there.
Speaker 2:
Uh, it's just nice to have somebody to talk to, to vent or, Hey, I'm frustrated. I said, yeah, I know what you're going through. I can, uh, a lot of cases I can totally empathize. And so just having somebody to talk to, and you don't necessarily have to talk to you about a specific problem, but just, you know, talking just kind of takes the stress level down. I'm, I had a call early this morning from a, a young captain I've been working with for a while. He's running an operation now, and he had some, you know, questions and advice and he was talking through the plan in his head that we're gonna work Monday at his place with some cattle. And just for him to be able to talk about, Hey, this is what I'm thinking about. It kind of lowers your stress level.
Speaker 2:
'cause it's like, okay, I got my buddies coming out to help me. The team's gonna be there, so it's gonna be okay. And it's just, you know, again, being able to talk to somebody, it just makes it easier. And then sometimes we talk about other things when you're sitting out there walking, you know, checking the pastures, looking at cows, you know, sometimes you can talk about other things, you know, maybe some memories or some, some, some things from the past. And it's just, you know, a little bit easier to talk to and relate. And especially in a, you know, outside environment. 'cause the sunshine <laugh>, when you have the, well, we have a lot of sunshine here in Texas, <laugh>, but just out there is nice, calm, quiet, and you can just kind of, you know, relax a little and talk about things. And that probably works the best for me.
Speaker 1:
Well, Steve, I definitely can relate to that, having that person to talk to. But maybe for someone that's not as outgoing when it comes to having that network and they're maybe thinking in the back of their mind, I don't wanna reach out to Steve. He's busy. He doesn't have the time to talk to me. You know? What would you say to someone that reaching out to someone and developing that network is, is a lot of work too?
Speaker 2:
Yeah. A lot of us in the military won't ask for help. And there's a lot of people out there like that. It's hard for me. But now that I've kind of built a network, it's, it's easier than I will contact some of my buddies. You know, I haven't heard from 'em in a while. Just, I, life gets busy, but, hey, you know, buddy, check, how's it going? And it kind of started out real small. I, I was inability Texas a and m gradability program battleground the breaking ground. That's where I met my local network. And, uh, it just expanded from there. And there's a lot of word of mouth, and you don't have to say, Hey, you know, I'm, I'm dumb. I need help. And sometimes we're a little embarrassed, but there's a lot of agencies out there you, you can reach out to and talk to my local NRCS office.
Speaker 2:
They know I'm a veteran. I've done equip programs and stuff with him, and they give my name out when, especially when they meet other veterans, you know, says, yeah, talk to Cook, you know, he's done this and you know, he's a veteran and he's, he'll be more than happy to talk to you. And so it's hard. And I, I seek out people, again, I'm kind of an introvert. I understand the importance and I, I know where they're coming from. So some, a lot of times I'll make the first move. And my network, they do the same. That's kind of funny. Where I'll, you know, you, you kind of get in the same mindset and they, they start thinking like, Hey, that guy's a veteran. You know, we start talking, you know, they'll talk him up and say, yeah, I know a guy out there who's, you know, does this, I know somebody who does hydroponics, or I know somebody interested in this.
Speaker 2:
And, uh, between the Texas A & M Bill, uh, battleground Breaking Ground, and then Farmer's Veteran Coalition, my name's out there, you can look up where people are located and you can reach out to 'em. And most everybody's pretty receptive. They might not, you know, do a whole bunch, but at least they know somebody. And so reach out and ask in the counties, you know, there's veteran service officers, if you know you're a veteran, the local feed store, you know, talk to, you know, Burke at the local feed store. Say, Hey, you know, anybody doing this, and they can point you in the direction. And again, the hardest part is taking that first step. Uh, so I encourage everybody in my network, hey, you know, hit 'em up because you know, they're not gonna always overtly ask for help. So for those of us that are doing it, I just say, Hey, ask that one question, or, you know, reach out to them, make the first move. Don't wait for somebody to come to you. And that's probably the, the best thing that we can do.
Speaker 1:
I think you gave examples of some of those veteran organizations that you're a part of, and then making sure you're staying connected to your, you know, local community and those agricultural aspects. And you also participated in the USFRA Honor the Harvest event. You were a panelist. Can you kind of speak to not being afraid to reach out to national groups and participating in some of the events and things that they offer?
Speaker 2:
I was thinking about that when I was, you know, working fence this morning. You know, the things you think about. Sometimes locally, some of these organizations, you know, they have a, a real local focus and they might get a little tunnel vision and you might not be, uh, you know, looking at that. I seem to like working better with either state level, national level because they have a wider optic. And sometimes when you're too local, you'll get a very narrow optic. So participating in the national, I'm also a member of a couple, like the Texas Farm Bureau, uh, Southwest Texas Cattle Ridge Association. You see a, a bigger picture of what's going on and it's opens your aperture for the network and you might see somebody in a different part that's doing something you are, and you can reach out and, uh, talk with, you know, talk to them as well.
Speaker 2:
Being part of the panel, just listening and talking and meet and other people, it was just, you know, reassuring and it was real eye-opening. Okay. We're all kind of, you know, seeing the same type stuff and we're all trying to, you know, get to the same results. And it's just reassuring knowing that there's a lot of people who kind of have the same idea as you have, trying to go to the same direction and you're not out there doing it alone. And so reaching out national state and not just staying local would really help open your aperture.
Speaker 1:
Definitely. Yeah. Making sure that people know that they're not alone. Now I'd like to kind of talk about one of those specific veteran organizations that you're a part of, the Farmer Veteran Coalition. Can you tell us more about your involvement and the support you've received?
When I was first starting out with my, uh, cattle business, you know, I was looking at everything and, um, I think one of my buddies turned me onto it when we were in Battleground, you get flooded with, oh, here's all these agencies, all these different groups, and there's a million out there. And so as you're figuring out these groups, you know, trying to find one that kind of fits what you're looking for, because there are so many and they cater to different things. And, uh, the farmers' veteran coalitions looking at helping military transition into, uh, agricultural enterprises. And you can just be a hobbyist or I'm gonna do, you know, small things to a full up business. So I had, you know, joined them and got connected with some of the, the local folks. And the first thing I looked at, and I'm not gonna lie, is like, uh, they, they do grants.
Speaker 2:
And so, oh, funding to help buy some stuff for your operation. Because some of the operations are very capital intensive and a lot of us are very, uh, averse to getting loans. We, you know, if we can't pay for it or it finance itself, we, we, we kind of back off. But they do, they do grants, but that's just a small portion of what they do. And I've received a, um, a grant from 'EM to help, you know, with my operation. They give out tractors and they're also doing a lot of training programs now that they're working with for transition now too. They partner a lot with Kubota, so they have a, a partnership with them. So working with Farmer's Veteran Coalition, yes, I've got some stuff from them, but what I really, you know, value getting out of them is the networking.
BecauseI'll be working out on the fence and some guy will call me, he says, Hey, I got your name from, you know, John, the Texas chapter guy, you know, you know about cattle, I'm thinking about cattle. And so, uh, I've met six or seven guys that way and helped them figure out what they want to do. That's the best thing I, I got out of them and they're continuing to grow and there's opportunities, you know, for some grants and stuff like that. But for me, the networking and just being out there so you can look for somebody in your area is probably the best, uh, support that I've received. Because then I'm able to either meet other people and then more importantly try to, you know, help steer other folks in the right direction so they don't feel like they're out there flapping by themselves.
Speaker 1:
Right. I feel like the common theme I'm hearing is that network is, is really important. Now, the transition from military to civilian life as a big adjustment. Can you share some of the challenges a person might experience and maybe you experience and how you overcame them?
Speaker 2:
The military's pretty structured. A lot of things are taken care of. Well, I say taken care of, you know. Okay. A lot of the medical paperwork, finance, pay, you don't really have to think about it. I mean, I really not never thought about healthcare until i's retiring. 'cause it's not automatic anymore. A, a paycheck every month. That's pretty, uh, pretty much guaranteed I can go to training the military. Oh, you need something, we'll send you the training, we'll help with your education, your professional education. So all that's kind of, you know, mapped out for you. And there's a definite path when you go to civilian life. There's not a definite path unless you know, oh, I'm gonna be a firefighter for the rest of my life. I'm gonna do that. And a lot of folks, you know, struggle with, I don't know what I wanna do.
Speaker 2:
I think I wanna do this. It's kind of hard to take a test drive in some of these things because as you're transitioning out, it's financial security. I gotta support, I gotta support a family and I'm going from guaranteed income to not guaranteed income. And then again, like I mentioned earlier, you're kind of by yourself. I mean, you talk to other people that are transitioning. All the military services offer transition services, but it's just like, okay, here's a million things. Uh, what do you want to do? And it can kind of be a little bit overwhelming figuring out what you want to do. I just wanna relax and get paid for doing nothing. <laugh>. Well that doesn't work, <laugh>. Yeah, well I was in the middle of a divorce as I was transitioning out too. So, you know, you throw, you throw that on there.
<laugh> and I laughed because the military consumes a lot of your time, your personal adjustment, you know, your personal life is a big change. Okay? I'm not gonna be deployed around the world. I'm not on a a, a short notice recall. So spending more time with your family could be a stressful thing, especially when you're in the, I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing, period. So I, uh, I became a hermit that's probably not the best choice at, while I was on my transition leave and I was trying to figure out what I was gonna do, it was a little stressful. And I had some friends that were going through, you know, retiring about the same time going through a divorce because all your military time and then once you start spending time together, you realize. So, uh, I had a buddy that, that I, I would talk to, but I had a very small network and most of 'em were some of my civilian college buddies.
Speaker 2:
And they didn't go through everything I went through. So a again, I, I'm beating a dead horse on this networking thing. A lot of times I felt like I was by myself trying to figure this out. 'cause I had not met anybody. I had a couple Army buddies, but nobody local. And it's scary. I worked with a Marine this past January for six months, skill Bridge. His transition was learning about ranching on my ranch. So his last five months in the Marine was working with me. And he had kids transitioning out, moving to Texas for the very first time. It's a lot of stress. And so he had good family support, but still, you know, the next professional move weighs heavily. And so I gave him some advice, you know, he bounced ideas off me and then I brought him into the network and so he met other guys that were similar.
Just knowing again, that you have somebody to talk to that shares the same type of experiences with you, um, is, is very, very helpful. And I, I'm an in-person kind of guy, you know, calling some hotline. And don't get me wrong, those are good resources, but sometimes it's just like, well, I don't, I don't think I'm that bad where I need to call, uh, hotline, but I would just like to, you know, talk to somebody locally. And so Farmers Veteran Coalition, hey, yeah, I just went through the same thing six months ago as I was transitioning. I was trying to start a beef farm or whatever. Yeah. You know, this is some of the challenge I had. Just meeting with different people. I, I, I think is probably the best way. And I used to joke with the kids that, you know, life is not a spectator sport.
Speaker 2:
You know, you kind of gotta get involved and it goes against some of our nature. But once you start, you know, doing it and meeting people that make, make the journey easier, I got guys will call me, you know, one of my buddies calls me, I can tell he is driving home from school 'cause he always calls me and we talk cows for about 45 minutes or his business plan, his personal stuff. Uh, but it took a while to get there, but seek out and look for those. And a lot of the veterans are being plopped out of the military and they go somewhere to settle and they're the new people. And especially going into rural communities, you know, you're kind of like an outsider and it's just like, wait, who's this? You know, new guy. You're not, you're not born and raised here. So that's even another alienating challenge you gotta overcome. And I tell the guys, well, local VFW, American Legion, some of the veterans organizations to meet local folks and start meeting local folks. So you don't have that, you know, you're the new kid in class and nobody talks to you type syndrome. And that can be a little frustrating too.
Speaker 2:
And so I volunteer in town with, at CEB Scouts Museum and so it's a little bit of work, but you meet connections and it just makes transitions so much easier. You can't just, you know, be on your little island by yourself thinking you can, you know, tough it through. That's hard for us sometimes to know. And, uh, just that interactions can do a lot. And so that's what I just say, get involved in your community. I mean, you don't have to be the town mayor, but start meeting folks through church, through volunteering. And it's easier when you have kids. 'cause oh, my kid was a Cub Scout, so I got, you know, involved with the Cub Scouts, my kids at school, I meet teachers, other kids. So it's just you, you gotta actively, you know, engage. Which is kind of funny 'cause military, you know, you figure we'd be a little bit more aggressive and assertive, but, you know, sometimes, you know, not so much or we're, you know, maybe a little shy or, uh, I don't know enough about what I'm doing and I don't want to ask a guy a question about cattle raising or something like that 'cause I don't wanna sound stupid,
Speaker 1:
Right?
Speaker 2:
But do it
Speaker 1:
Right. And you're gonna have, like, when you're going in and developing that network and going through that transition, you're gonna feel uncomfortable, but hopefully at the end of the line it does gives you some sort of re reward that you kind of put yourself out there. Well Steve, you kind of just gave me a whole pile of advice. Is there any other advice that you have for veteran ranchers or farmers.
Speaker 2:
Finding somebody who does what you're interested in before you start investing and, oh, I'm gonna do all this, but if you don't understand what it means, I'm working with a couple now retiring and we're working cows and it's a lot of physical work and, uh, they're like, yeah, I don't know if I wanna work that hard. I said, well, you don't have to work that hard. You can, here's some other options for you to enjoy your property. 'cause working yourself to death is not, you know, necessarily the best plan. So get out there and you don't know unless you ask, but hitting some of the maybe your county extension agent, Hey, I'm, I'm thinking about, you know, raising Alpaca. Does anybody around here do that? Well, no. So you might have to go a little bit further, but a, a lot of people in agriculture don't, you know, don't have a, you know, problem with, you know, telling their story or you spending some time with you and, and talk about what they're doing.
Speaker 2:
You know, I probably wouldn't be asking a rancher in the middle of a calving season or something because that's a busy time for them. Uh, or in the middle of harvesting crops, that's probably not the best time to go out and ask a bunch of questions, but go out there and, and meet some. And then Farmer's Veteran Coalition makes it easier because they have a, a directory. You can go out there and reach folks and talk to some of the chapter folks, but just go out there and, and see, and then maybe go back out and, you know, do a little hands-on stuff to see if that's what you really wanna do, because it sounds all nice and glamorous, but it can be challenging. But I guarantee you, a lot of people you talk to, they know some of the challenges that have been through it. And if they're still doing it, they'd have a lot of good insight. So ask questions, don't be shy. Uh, most everybody's happy to talk about what they're doing. I've never had anybody say, no, I don't wanna talk to you about that.
Speaker 1:
Exactly. There's, there's so many resources that are out there. And last question for you, Steve, as we wrap up this episode. What future goals do you have for your farm?
Speaker 2:
I'm trying to stay drought proof, which is really a full-time job. So I'm trying to size how many animals I'm gonna process a year. After five years, I've kind of got it figured out. So I plan on harvesting a, a steer every other month servicing all the folks, all my local customers. And probably the, the biggest thing is a educational platform using my ranch as a educational platform. And that's been one of my visions, goals of my business, is to explain and educate about agricultural practices, specifically ranching. So improving my environment out here, brush management, get better grasses, and so just continue to maintain what I got, get a little bit more efficient in it, and then continue, you know, a lot of outreach and get customers buying beef. I said, yeah, come on out, I'll show you how the cows are raised. You can see the cows and see how they're living and understand, you know, what it takes to produce, you know, a safe quality product. So just continuing engagement and education and sharing the stories. Probably my biggest, my my biggest goal. 'cause I've, I've about got the, the economics of it kind of figured out.
Speaker 1:
And Steve, you're good at talking. So we highly recommend that you get into that educational piece. And thank you for sharing your message to your local community and then being here on Farm Food Facts. I wanna congratulate you on all of your success. Then most importantly, thank you and your family for the sacrifices that you've made for others. Just know that we really, really appreciate you. If you wanna stay connected and support Steve's ranch, you can check out their website at cookbeefcattle.com. Also, you can learn more about the Farmer Veteran coalition at farmvetco.org. We appreciate your precious time for listening in. If you enjoyed this topic, please rate and subscribe us on your favorite podcast app. Tune in again. I'm Joanna Guza for Farm Food Facts.