We are largely creatures of habit who crave consistency but rarely find joy in making changes to routine.

Technological innovations can be particularly stressful if you don’t have a forum to discuss the pros and cons of potential upgrades or changes.

Sometimes that new gadget that claims to make life easier actually makes it harder until the learning curve wears off but, if we stick to it, it is usually greatly beneficial.

Technology is responsible for improved productivity and business growth in all sectors of commerce, though some, agribusiness as an example, have been a little slower in embracing advancements.

Aside from keeping up on the latest articles, the best method for staying technologically current is to assemble a network of advisers who make it their jobs to have all the answers.

Due to mobile phone technology, this support may only have to be a call, text, email or video conference away.

Part of my job as a veterinarian entails reviewing the advantages and uses of our new technology services with cattlemen all over the U.S. on a regular basis.

While institutional knowledge collected from associates at the local bar or coffee shop is beneficial, it is not always the best source.

Check with a veterinarian, a nutritionist or company consultant. Yes, you may get a biased opinion, but once you have consulted multiple sources you can decide what would work best with your operation.

In the field of veterinary science, a recent advancement in technology involves the use of diagnostics to determine pregnancy in cattle.

Now, a small amount of blood or milk, sent to a lab for processing, is all that is needed for next-day results. You can now preg check cows any day that suits your schedule, even a weekend.

The high cost of feed makes this technology more beneficial to find open cows early. Do you save time by getting a sample from the cow at preconditioning of the calves so when you wean you just sort out the opens?

Do you run heifers through 30 days after you pull the bull? These are questions that will also change the roles of veterinarians as this technology becomes widely used.

The use of DNA to evaluate and select animals is nothing less than amazing. We can now look at the genetic code of animals and see what they may look like or how they will perform the day they are born.

In our business we are able to find small amounts of DNA from pathogens that could be causing health problems. It’s like “CSI Ranch” every day of the week. This technology will only improve as computing power grows.

My prediction is that DNA will be routinely used to match up the calves with the sires and dams in range pasture-bred herds. Wouldn’t you like to easily know who had that sorry calf and which bulls did not breed cows?

Data collection and analysis have also changed since the majority of cattlemen have mini-computers in their pockets, also known as smartphones.

It can be as simple as recording info on a spreadsheet or app on your phone instead of paper. The challenge with paper data is the effort involved to either re-enter into a computer to analyze or, in some cases, even being able to read what you wrote.

There are a variety of data recording options to consider – and not without frustrations – but in the end, the option that eliminates human error is worth it in the long run.

You may be overwhelmed from just from reading this article, but the reality is technology is not going away.

Some in our industry are pushing to go back to pre-computing age landscape, but look around and you can see that we need technology in our changing cattle industry.

The demands to monitor health, performance, quality and food safety while still trying to make a living require that we incorporate new products and services to remain viable.

There are a lot of new ideas and products available for review. Assemble a network of people you can trust that keep up with the changes and always ask questions.

It will change how we manage our herds, hopefully for the better. Don’t get stuck in the “that’s not how we have done it” mindset and lose out on some great tools. 

PHOTO

New technology and gadgets may require more usage before they are familiar enough to make ranch work efficient. Photo courtesy of Progressive Cattleman staff.