Feedlots face a myriad of input challenges in their day-to-day operations, including recording data they anticipate will carry enough influence to sway their profit-bearing and decision-making processes.

Herd management programs and data collection solutions are being advanced by various sectors of the beef industry today. And, while more of a good thing might be better than less, it can also lead to confusion and uncertainty when attempting to navigate its extreme boundaries.

“Shrink, the unpaid loss of weight, is essentially an important cost of marketing,” says Chris Bastian, a professor in the department of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wyoming.

La plupart des producteurs laitiers travaillent selon une routine stricte avec laquelle ils se sentent confortables. Ce confort va bien au-delà des tâches quotidiennes de la salle de traite et affecte les programmes d’élevage, impactant probablement certaines variations de la détection des chaleurs, de la synchronisation des chaleurs, de l’insémination artificielle (IA) et potentiellement de la fécondation in vitro (FIV) suivie du transfert d’embryon (TE).

“Elk and other big game can be a positive or a negative for a ranch, depending largely on how they impact the bottom line. If a ranch is able to derive sufficient income through hunting, ecotourism or from government programs – such as the USDA Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program – then wildlife can be a benefit.”

For cow-calf producers, it’s impossible to determine which of their heifers will become their most profitable long-term females simply by eyeballing them over the fence.

Currently, the use of pain mitigation in beef cattle is sporadic at best. With limited approved and labeled drug product options available to alleviate the effects of procedures such as castration and dehorning, it’s difficult to navigate the various pressure points and establish a realistic path forward.

Calving season is a critical time for commercial and seedstock beef cow-calf producers alike. To help them prepare, a variety of short- and long-term strategies and plans are devised, which may include specific management decisions plus the acquisition of tools, equipment and information-based resources.