A DVR for the beef business
One of the last times I was “home” at my parents’, my dad and I watched the 10 o’clock news, at 11 p.m.
My own family doesn’t have a DVR (or cable or dish or anything beyond the good ole antenna) but I quickly saw the efficiency in setting the DVR and then skipping commercials. We could watch more than one show in the same half-hour slot.
Dad claims he can view an entire NFL football game in two hours now, compared to the all-afternoon event it once was.
That got me thinking: imagine if we could have that same kind of efficiency in the cattle business — especially as it relates to genetics — cutting the time it takes us to see end results by half?
In a business where every improvement moves at a slower pace than our other protein-producing competitors, that would be a dream.
Or maybe it’s reality.
Previously, if you wanted to use a young bull, you either had to take a chance that it really did what it was predicted to do or wait around until there was enough data to strengthen the accuracy. Genomics can fast-forward that timetable, and a simple blood test improves accuracy that is equivalent to having 10 to 20 progeny records.
If you’re in a herd rebuilding phase, stop to think of the value of a replacement heifer. What is the cost of making a bad decision?
DNA genomic tests are a simple tool that can help you characterize, sort and be more certain of which females belong in your herd and which ones don’t.
It allows you to speed up the game, which is good if you’re headed in the right direction. It’s also good if you can find out sooner that your herd is veering off track and you need a course correction.
If you’re aiming to improve quality and performance measures, to draw in rewards from the next segment in the beef chain, to create more consistency from your ranch all the way to the consumer, you might want to think of employing a little of this technology.
“Just DVR it!” Dodge variation rapidly, that is.
May your bottom line be filled with black ink,
Miranda
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Nebraska Ranch Receives Certified Angus Beef Commercial Award
Troy Anderson, managing a Nebraska ranch, focuses on breeding thriving maternal cows that will grade premium Choice and Prime, while respecting livestock, people and land. Anderson Cattle receives the 2023 CAB Commitment to Excellence Award. Their journey includes improving genetics, feeding home-raised and purchased calves and using data for better breeding decisions, all with a bottom-line approach.
Everything They Have
Progress is a necessity on the Guide Rock, Nebraska, ranch where Troy Anderson manages a commercial Angus herd, small grower yard, his 10-year-old son, and a testing environment. Troy’s approach includes respect for his livestock, people and land. For that, Anderson Cattle was honored with the CAB 2023 Commercial Commitment to Excellence Award.
Progress, Not Perfection
It’s a labor of love, obvious in the way she lights up explaining their family’s 33-year effort to proactively adapt Angus cows to their land. A lifetime of telling stories from the pasture or kitchen has resonated with nonfarm consumers as much as fellow ranchers. “Everything we do is about cattle, but it’s also about family and connecting our kids to the land and to the cattle,” Debbie Lyons-Blythe says.