A while back I happened to catch an interview with USDA secretary of Ag in a Fox news interview. He said that corn was not part of the rising food issue because it is used as feed and not eaten? Last time I checked the vast majority of animals that produce the beef, pork, poultry, eggs, milk that we sell had used some corn.
I think we need some common sense applied as food increases in price. The exciting thing is that meat protein is continued to be sought after by economically developing countries. I am proud to be a part of an industry that provides an excellent choice…BEEF it’s what for dinner!
I wrote this in responce to a request about a NM study that showed no difference when PIs were in a feedlot pen. I thought it was worth sharing.
We (Animal Profiling) have always focused on finding and eliminating BVD PIs at the ranch. I have seen the study and others that do not support testing at feedlot arrival. I have also worked with yards that have data to support testing. We have seen that there are a lot of dynamics that are difficult to repeat in a study and do a large enough study to determine significance. All PIs are not equal and they do shed at varying levels. Previous vaccination, metaphylactic antibiotics, commingling and source all can effect the outcome. Bottom line we feel is that BVD is bad for the cattle industry and the PI is the continued source/reservoir for the virus.
I continue to ask the feeding industry to help us identify PIs through what we call our surveillance program not by testing all incoming cattle. That is simply looking for PIs in the deads. This helps us identify a problem source and make a difference on the farm or ranch by testing and eliminating the PIs along with improving their vaccination and biosecurity awareness. Many feedyards are not able to determine ranch origin, but finding them still identifies problem buyers and possibly salebarns. With this info we can then educate the cowcalf operation that there is a problem and we can control it through testing, vaccination and making sure that purchased bulls and heifers are tested PI negative.
The key is proper education and awareness regarding PIs. We are testing in over 30 states primarily with cow calf operations and dairies. I believe we need the feedyard support, but not in the form of testing all incoming. As a veterinarian with feedyard experience, I like the fact that I can identify a PI and know that it was a ranch problem and we did not cause it at the feedyard. Too many times the person I was talking to that was upset with the deathloss thought that the feedyard caused the dead. This is one condition that I can say you have a problem and offer to figure out a way that we can help to solve it. One feedyard recently said that PIs were 11% of their deathloss.
There is not one way that we as an industry are going to solve the BVD problem, it will take an effort by the several sectors. As I travel around the country doing meetings, I am convinced that we are making a difference.
I am in Chattanooga, TN tonight and enjoying the hospitality. Spent time over last weekend in CA working cattle and staying warm. Doesn’t matter where I go, good people are a part of our industry.
I have had several recent discussions with veterinarians lately and want to share a few comments. I guess since I am one, I can discuss my thoughts openly. We are challenged that what we do does not add value to the cattle that our clients sell. Many times we are considered just a cost to the producer. As I pondered driving through a massive amount of trees today, I was thinking what we do provide to our clients… It used to be information, but with the ease of the Internet use has allowed most of our clients more current info than we can get from those old textbooks we have on the shelf and just can’t throw out. Many times I fax or mail information to veterinarians because they do not have Internet access. I think we need to be ahead of the curve if we expect our clients to see us as the experts. We need to help our clients find new ways to get them through the challenges they are facing. It may even mean changing what we have always done. I also think we need to practice in that what we do on any operation may have global consequences. We need to look outside our towns and areas…it truly is a global market. There are a lot of exceptions out there, but in general I see our industry as struggling not because of to few of veterinarians, but not offering and giving a changeing industry the services they need. For the ones that want the challege, I see lots of opportunity. The cattle industry is great to be a part of, I could not be happier!
Talk to you soon. Share some thoughts how we can be part of the solution!
I appreciate Ron allowing me to share his insightful thoughts. Thanks
Ron Torell, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Specialist
Those of us in the Ag Industry are generally “glass half full” type of people.Our optimism is now being tested.Expenses are gaining ground. In addition to rising fuel costs, our raw material items such as feed, fertilizer and parts have all skyrocketed to unbelievable levels.There appears to be no end in sight.On the income side, the market price for beef is declining.It looks like transportation cost of livestock has taken $10 /cwt off of our yearling cattle (negative basis to the mid-west). This has removed the eastern buyers from bidding on our western cattle, or at least lowered their bids by $10 / cwt. We are now back to selling our cattle regionally.Retail demand for our product has taken a hit due to the lagging economy and huge competing protein sources (pork and chicken).
Being a glass half full type of person, what are you to do?When you read about the most successful people in the world, the common characteristic is they don’t consider failure a possibility. That doesn’t mean the risks and downsides aren’t considered but merely that they are planned for, knowing and believing that challenges will be met and overcome.I love the old saying “He /she has a lot of heart.”What this means is the individual has a passion to succeed with a love of their life and work.An individual with a lot of heart will do whatever it takes to get the job done.When the going gets tough, individuals with heart get going.It shows in their positive attitude and actions.It is simply a pleasure to work and be around these individuals regardless of their profession, regardless if the times are good or bad.
What does this article have to do with livestock production and marketing of beef cows?Just like riding a horse without heart, if you have to peddle yourself all the time to get the bovine job done, perhaps you do not have the heart and passion to ride out these down times.Hold your head up, maintain a good attitude. Concentrate on the things you have control over, make sound management decisions.Follow the Boy Scout motto, “Be prepared.”It is times like these that good managers shine and poor managers pay the price for their lack of planning.Most of what we face in life is challenging.How we meet and handle those challenges determines our success or failure.Tough times make us appreciate the good times.Life is too short to spend it as a glass half empty type of person.
We live in a different world today than we did 20 to 50 years ago.Much of the current state of our industry has to do with factors beyond our control, be it political, environmental or a sign of the times.Historically, agriculture has had ups and downs. The next high will be even higher and the next low will be even lower. This we can count on.Bottom line, those with heart and with a strong will to survive do.All the stress and setbacks can lead us to take our eyes off the ball, to lose our focus, to make poor management decisions and lose our positive attitude.Remember: The glass is halfFULL!
Just like the cattle industry. Plenty of things to be down about if you want to be down. I think we need to focus on the sun shining. We have challenges, but like the weather most of them are beyond our control. Learning to survive and adapt is the key.
I had a good conversation over the weekend about the role of veterinarians in cattle production. The challenge is that the cattle industry is changing faster than most vets want to change. What services can we offer to the farmer or rancher to keep them in business. The main concern of the vet I was talking to was that what he did had little or nothing to do with profitability or perceived profit by the rancher. He sees the vet as an expense. So how can we change that? I agree that the cattle transaction or trade is key. Unfortunately profitability comes to cattle that are often the cheapest. Buying “good” cattle direct from the ranch may be better, but the trade does not allow for the profit that a buyer expects. The problem is the price and the fill. The reality is buyers are purchasing pounds of fill that is difficult to overcome. That is why salebarn or shrunk cattle can be a better deal. The spread between the “cheap” cattle and the “good” cattle needs to widen.
I think that we need to help our clients market what we are providing. How do our programs keep our clients cattle at the top of the market. In a commodity market it is always a challenge, but we need to start. Does the local salebarn offer the best market for the calves that are preconditioned and BVD PI negative? As veterinarians, we know that there is a benefit to preventative health, but we need to help the rancher sell it. If the rancher does not get more for his cattle his perception was that there was no value. Perception is reality. Assist clients in looking at the big picture. If you do not feel competent then find a network that will help.
Driving across South Dakota was beautiful as the grass was really coming on. Rapid City got pelted in snow last weekend. Hard to believe it’s May!!
Yes surprises still happen with weather and I am always amazed how we think we can predict future changes when we can’t even get it right three days from now! We weren’t able to predict population growth and now we are trying to predict weather?
In the cattle industry we are busy. Let’s focus on what we can actually control and manage. Yesterday I heard a talk on implanting cattle and it is still the biggest bang for our buck and is technology that allows us to produce more beef for less $$. We talked about reproductive efficiency and costs associated with open cows. BVD control and finding PIs was also discussed. The veterinarians present Had the usual questions and most were not really interested in making changes to what that have been doing….Interesting
Have a great day and remember…It doesn’t get any better than this!
Good to see the west from a vehicle, not looking out a plane window. Calves look good across MT, WY and NE. Green grass is coming and farmers were busy in western NE planting. The wind was drying things out pretty quickly.
As I saw gas prices rise from town to town, I am reminded that we need to always keep planning to stay profitable even in tough times. I don’t think the challenges of today are going away quickly, but we have had tough times before.
We need to look closely at our operations and ask questions as to where we can improve. Are we having health problems? Now is not the time to lose production on sickness. I often ask the question…Can we afford not to know? At some meetings I have given on BVD control, producers have said that they thought they might have a problem, but they really did not want to know. I think we need to get past that kind of attitude. As it relates to BVD, if you have it, it is costing you money and you can not afford to lose dollars on a disease that has many cost-effective tools to eliminate it from herds. Vaccination is important, but it is not 100%. PI testing is a great way to see if you have a BVD problem. The PI animal is the reservoir for the disease and usually he does not look any different than his herd mates. That is why it is critical to look for him. If we test and don’t find one…that is good news!! Now tell others that you are negative. That is called marketing.
Time to turn in from a day on the western road. Good country, good people (had a rancher ask if I needed help when I was changing a tire) and a lot of cows with calves at side.
I want to welcome you. My career as a veterinarian has been primarily in working with cowcalf and feedlot operations across the U.S. I have a passion for helping the cattle industry make improvements in a constantly changing environment. As an industry we need to continue to look for new ways to reduce sickness in cattle. I believe we have several tools to assist producers in keeping cattle healthy and making them more profitable.
As I travel the country doing producer and vet meetings I plan to visit about what I see and my thoughts for ways to make progress. We have an amazing industry with producers who are willing to change and make progress. There will always be people that want to hang on to what they have always done, but I think we are seeing times where that may make it difficult to stay competitive.
We have a challenge in that most people do not come from an agricultural background any more. I was fortunate in being raised on a cattle and row crop farm in Indiana. The people I visit with on airplanes get most if not all their info from media sources that really don’t know anything about what we actually do. I think the attached video shows just that…
