As we near the feedlot fall run and cow-calf producers market their calves at the highest prices received to date, every additional pound of gain has greater profit potential.

Imagine this: You get a call today from your video sale rep, and they say, “We can offer you $275.93 per hundredweight (steers and heifers) for your 2025 calf crop.”

Adding value to cattle may seem like a no-brainer. However, when conversations begin about entering value-added or verification programs, the process can seem daunting, especially to producers who may be less familiar with these programs or under the impression they will need to completely revise their management protocols.

The truth is simple. Genomic prediction works. However, it is not a magic bean.

The number of straws of beef semen sold to the dairy industry has more than doubled in the last five years, although dairy cow numbers have been relatively stagnant. So what has changed?

Presented by Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY and the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA), the biennial Operations Managers Conference 2023 drew an engaged crowd of middle managers and industry leaders.

“I’ve noticed it before, not just in this cycle,” says Kenny Burdine, extension professor in livestock economics at the University of Kentucky. “There is a tendency with some producers, when prices are high, to almost become satisfied and to be less focused on adding value when they feel like they are getting a pretty good price for their calves.”