Don’t get me wrong, I am more tech-savvy than my parents, and definitely my grandparents, but I am also not technologically obsessed. Despite your probable intuition, I am not on Facebook, I don’t understand Snapchat, I just recently purchased my first smartphone and most importantly … (I have to throw this in here) I do like beef.
So, with that stereotype cleared, let’s talk technology.
What is it about new technology that takes some of us years to integrate? Sure, there is some scientific explanation as to why it takes so long, and cost certainly is a factor, but I believe it can also be boiled down to one other probable answer: pride.
At the last NCBA convention and trade show, a speaker, also a rancher, brought up an interesting point. He said the majority of hydraulic chutes are purchased in a rancher’s later years. He then posed the question, “Why are we waiting so long?”
His argument was that by our later years, we have already torn our rotator cuffs and a gamut of other body parts, so why not prevent those injuries at a younger age?
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that not every operation can afford a hydraulic chute – nor should they for the sake of conversation – but he brings up a good point. (Plus, I hear those rotator cuffs are a pretty pricey fix.)
Fast-forwarding a few months, I sat and listened to my dad and uncle bicker about a certain technology my uncle swore he did not need. Although we all knew it would help him get the job done quicker, and certainly it would be easier, he continued to rebut, saying, “I didn’t need it then, and I definitely don’t need it now.”
Sound familiar to anyone?
Now, there’s a stark difference between being ignorant and prideful. Some of us may not know what we’re missing out on in terms of EPDs and other technological advances. Maybe you’re not familiar with RADG or RFI, or the fact that there is a negative consequence when selecting for ADG. But the key here is in the ignorance.
Technology is inevitable. We live in an era shaped by it: some good and some not so good. You can choose to join the technological bandwagon or choose to get left in the dust.
And let me remind you that none of us are entitled to be a beef producer, so if a certain technology will be the betterment of your operation – don’t let a little pride hold you back.
By the way, I am happy to report my uncle is now happily using the technology … but of course, I didn’t hear it from him. 
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Cassidy Woolsey
- Editor
- Progressive Cattleman
- Email Cassidy Woolsey
