Many people have a distinct strategy for purchasing a new pickup. They want certain features, they’re willing to pay more for this, but not that. They figure value and how much it’ll be worth for resale X-number years down the road. But when those same ranchers go to buy a bull, it’s hard to follow such a plan. Action at the auction can lead to price “opportunities” and buying less than they really wanted. Jim McGrann, emeritus ranch management economist at Texas A&M, says bull-buying should be more like a vehicle purchase and less like shopping the bargain bin on an after-Christmas sale.
Change doesn’t have to be dramatic and sweeping to make an impact. Bill Rishel, a registered Angus breeder from North Platte, Neb., says little gains in efficiency, functionality and carcass merit all add up.
This is an era where you can customize virtually anything imaginable, from license plates and jewelry to M&Ms and burgers. As the beef industry moves forward, will customized breeding plans become more common?
Breeding for high quality and retaining heifers over generations, Mike Kasten sees results. The Millersville, Mo., rancher has used artificial insemination (AI) for decades, finishing the progeny and collecting data.
If you’ve ever tossed leftovers or overripe fruit without considering tomorrow’s lunch or creative baking, you’re part of the problem. “We throw away 242 pounds of food per person per year,” said Brad Morgan, senior food safety and production efficiency specialist with Pfizer Animal Health.
Getting cattle bought right. That’s normally a feeder’s first challenge, but today it’s just plain getting cattle.
“The total size of the cattle industry has been shrinking, and shrinking rather abruptly for the last couple of years,” said Mike Sands, Informa Economics vice president.
Some cattle grow like weeds; some hit the high-grade targets. Some do both, some neither. That’s the way it goes in the world of commodity cattle. But cattle can be so much more, adding profit throughout the supply chain.
Every auction barn study says the larger the group and the more uniform the cattle, the higher the premiums. Work from Arkansas to North Dakota proves it’s true on individual lots, but what of that logic when it’s applied to the nation’s cowherd?
Cattle feeders don’t like $7 or $8 corn, but they know what to do at those higher prices. Most of them feed cattle longer to heavier weights and sort them to market on a grid.
Maybe not all cattle feeders see it that way, but in the big picture, that’s what is happening, says Shawn Walter, president of Professional Cattle Consultants (PCC). He presented “How big can we go?” at last month’s Feeding Quality Forum in Grand Island, Neb., and Amarillo, Texas.
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