Profitability on Dreams
At V8 Ranch, our story has always been simple: we’re cattle people who make our living in the cattle industry.
That’s not just a tagline — it’s our truth. I’ve heard my dad say it over and over: “We don’t have doctors or lawyers in the family paying the bills. We don’t have oil wells. We make our living on the cattle.”
Because of that, every single decision we make — every breeding, every show, every sale — has to be rooted in profitability. The Brahman herd isn’t a side project for us. It’s our lifeblood. It’s how we pay for the groceries, the electricity, the vet bills — and, yes, even our dreams.
But today I want to tell you a different kind of story. One that doesn’t start with spreadsheets or balance sheets. One that starts with hope. With longing. With something a little wild and a little wonderful.
This is the story of Margie — our family’s first Shorthorn heifer.
CF PC Margie 476 EV x ET – our family’s first Shorthorn heifer.
Some People Buy Boats. We Bought a Heifer.
If you’ve followed our Made for Magic sales, you’ve seen the moments. The high bids. The National Champions. The people who step in and buy something truly special.
And many of those buyers? They don’t work in agriculture.
They’re wildly successful in their day jobs — lawyers, oil executives, surgeons, entrepreneurs. People with the means to buy something that lights them up inside. People who are already successful in life and now want to invest in legacy, land, and something real.
They aren’t buying cattle because they need to. They’re buying cattle because they want to.
They’re buying their version of the boat.
And that kind of buyer? That kind of dreamer? Has become the heartbeat of some of our most magical moments at V8.
Miss V8 799/9 “Evelyn” sold in the Made for Magic VIII sale, in the purple at the 2024 International Brahman Show for the Barnes family of 76 Ranch.
Miss V8 532/9 “Josie” sold in the Made for Magic V sale, went on to be the 2024 National Champion Brahman Female for GKB Cattle.
Luke’s Family Sold Their Boat for a Heifer
My husband Luke didn’t grow up the way I did, on a working cattle ranch. His dad worked in insurance with ag clients. His mom worked in marketing for a popcorn company — not the kind you buy at the movies, but the kind where the popcorn is actually grown. Their free time and spare income went into boating and lake life. That was their dream.
But one day, Luke wanted a horse. Then, a show heifer. So they sold the boat. Sold the lake house. And just like that, they were in the cattle business.
Not as career ranchers. But as a family chasing something real together.
And I’m grateful every day that they did — because that decision led Luke to the show ring, where I met him. And now here we are, raising our own son, Knox, in the cattle world.
So don’t tell me hobby cattle don’t matter. They matter deeply.
THE BOAT THEY SOLD FOR A HEIFER
This boat was part of the dream — until Luke wanted a show heifer. So they sold it and never looked back. That choice changed all of our lives.
FULL CIRCLE ON THE WATER
Before cattle, there were lake weekends and boat rides. Now it’s ranch life — but every once in a while, we come back to the water that started it all.
From Bald Head Island to the Shorthorn Ring
For the first few years of Knox’s school-aged life, our family vacations were the “treat.” We went to Bald Head Island in North Carolina. We went to Disney. Luke and Knox went to Alaska — twice. (I sat that one out — long flights aren’t my favorite.)
We spent our extra money on the kind of memories you make on vacation.
But in 2024, everything changed.
We decided that instead of a beach house, a Disney trip, or a lake day… we were going to buy a Shorthorn heifer.
That was our boat.
That was Margie.
Family Memories by the Sea
We used to spend our summers chasing sunsets and seashells. Now, we chase show dreams.
Trading Mouse Ears for Show Halters
One year it was theme parks and souvenirs. The next? The Shorthorn ring. Both brought big smiles.
Adventure Up North
Alaska gave us stories. But Margie gave us something more — a new chapter to write together.
Our Bread and Butter Still Has a Hump
Let me be clear: Brahman cattle are our life. V8 Ranch runs on Brahmans. They pay the bills. They fund the dreams. They are the reason we have the flexibility to chase anything else.
So when I say we bought a Shorthorn, I don’t mean we’re leaving the Brahman breed. I mean we’re adding to the dream.
For some, that’s hard to understand. I’ve been criticized — that maybe I’m not “loyal enough” to Brahmans. That maybe I’m spreading myself too thin.
But here’s what I know: the only way we’re able to chase a new dream like Margie is by staying deeply committed to the Brahman herd. The business pays for the dream.
And if I had chosen to buy a boat or a beach house instead of a heifer, no one would have blinked. But because I bought another breed of cattle — well, that ruffles feathers.
What they don’t see is that it comes from a place of love. A love for this lifestyle. A love for agriculture. A love for the barn and the shavings and the banners and the moments you remember for the rest of your life.
The Yellow Brick Road to Margie
If you’ve ever chased a cattle dream, you know what I mean when I say: it feels like you’re off to see the wizard.
You start scouting the “real estate.” Who do you want to work with? Who do you trust? In the cattle business, who you buy from matters as much as what you buy. That one decision can shape your entire trajectory.
And though I’ve shown cattle from nearly every major Shorthorn program in the country — and I’ve loved them all — when it came time to buy our “boat,” I chose the Cates family. For our son’s first Shorthorn heifer, it just felt right.
We had that date circled on our calendar — Labor Day Weekend. That was go-time.
And if you came to V8 anytime between January and August, and offered to buy something with a C or a K brand — well, let’s just say you probably got a better deal than you should have.
Because I was selling to fund a dream. I was making room for Margie.
When You Don’t Need It to Pencil
Here’s the heart of this story.
When we buy Brahman cattle, we buy with a microscope. Every dollar counts. Every heifer has to earn her keep. The margins are tight, and we survive by making smart, calculated decisions.
But when I bought Margie?
It wasn’t about the spreadsheet.
It was about the spark.
And I realized something: not every decision in life has to be judged by its profit-and-loss potential.
Some people go to Disneyland.
Some people buy boats.
Some people buy cattle.
And if you’re fortunate enough to have built a life where you can take that leap — to fund a dream that brings you joy — don’t let the spreadsheet be the only voice at the table.
Because dreams matter too.
To the Ones Who Fund Their Dreams with Their Day Jobs
This article is for the dreamers. The ones who work hard all week — in offices, in courtrooms, in operating rooms — and come home at night thinking about cattle.
You may not need your herd to make money.
You may not even need it to make sense.
But you need it.
And maybe, just maybe, you’ve reached a place in life where you can afford to take that leap. To buy the cow. To chase the dream. To sit in the stands on sale day and say, “That one. She’s mine.”
If that’s you — I want to be your friend.
I want to meet you. I want to walk this road with you.
Because I get it.
And I’d be honored to help you find your version of Margie.
I love this! I don’t like my job. But I love the cattle it funds!