Chuck and Peggy Johnston, who own Two J Farms in Sarasota County, Florida, were recently recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture’s stewardship program.

In the feature, Chuck mentions using the CattleMax software “on a laptop computer in his Chevy truck”. What a recognition of the impact CattleMax has in their ranch operations!

Congratulations Chuck and Peggy!

Read the full article “Manatee rancher proves to be conservation trailblazer”

As the economic recession eases, cattle prices have been on the rebound.

Purdue University ag economist Chris Hurt says “The 2010 prices may average about $93, dramatically above the $83 of 2009. Prospects for 2011 should remain strong as well, perhaps moving upward close to $95 for the year.”

Read the full article “Cattle market rebound should last through fall”

What are you finding with cattle prices? Are you selling or culling more of your animals to take advantage of the better prices? Click on the Comments link below and let us know.

Keeping complete cattle records is key to Grazing Meadows Wagyu, owned and operated by Tim and Donna Prior in Brussels, Ontario, Canada. Tracking the full history of their cattle in CattleMax helps them meet the traceability requirements for food safety, especially since their Wagyu cattle are fed naturally and are free of growth hormones.

Tim says, “My favorite feature of CattleMax is ‘everything.’ It’s an awesome program. If users will just use it, play with it, attend the free Webinars, and ask questions, you will learn better how to utilize all the features.”

Read more about Grazing Meadows Wagyu

I was sitting next to a fellow at a recent cattle sale and he leaned over and asked, “What do you do with cull cows?”

It just so happened, the week before I had hauled a couple of cull cows to a packer who buys culls. I guess we’re lucky in this part of the country because we have two packing plants in San Angelo, Texas which buy cows and bulls.

I elect to sell my culls to them for a couple of reasons. First, if I’m culling them, there are good reasons they are culls and I don’t want to possibly pass those “cull factors” on to a fellow rancher. Secondly, the packers pay the market price (most of the time, the top market price) and I don’t have to pay commissions, insurance and other fees charged by livestock auctions.

And I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the amount of money received for these animals. Although the packers pay on the hanging carcass weight, the price is usually a little better than the equivalent live price through the auction ring.

Of course, there are restrictions as far as the physical condition of the animal and any medications which may have been given, but the packers are an excellent market for the animals I cull from my herd each year.

So, the fellow’s question got me to thinking, after he told me he had no place to go except the local auction with his culls, what do other folks do with their culls?

We’d be interested in your comments. Let us know how you handle cull animals.

Whether you have a large cattle herd that is your full-time job or just a few cows as a part-time venture, it’s important to treat your farm or ranch operation as a business.

Jeri Donnell with The Noble Foundation outlines the benefits and the components of a good business plan at http://www.noble.org/Ag/Economics/BizPlan/index.html

What do you think? Do you have a business plan for your ranch?

Following the first U. S. case of Bovine Spongioform Encephalitis (BSE, i. e. Mad Cow Disease) in December, 2003, it looked as if all cattle producers in the country would have to comply with some sort of animal identification program. But, here it is, the year 2009, almost 2010,  and there is still no mandatory animal ID program across the country.  But, following the BSE case, Japan and other foreign markets for American beef cut off U.S. exports to their country.

The Japanese and other foreign markets have now been reopened to U.S. beef, but with restrictions.  To meet those restrictions, U. S. beef producers must follow some documentation and verification requirements through a recognized USDA program.  The program is commonly called Age and Source Verification.

Age and Source Verification Programs

There are really two programs instituted by USDA, one being the USDA Process Verified Program (PVP).  The PVP certification is not a program an individual producer or groups of producers are really interested in undertaking.  It applies mostly to packing plants or beef processors.

According to USDA’s website at http://www.ams.usda.gove/lsg/arc/qsap.htm, “The USDA Quality System Assessment (QSA) program provides suppliers of agricultural products and services the opportunity to assure customers of their ability to provide consistent quality products or services.  It is limited to programs or portions of programs where specified product requirements are supported by a documented quality management system.  The specified product requirements may be identified by the supplier or in a USDA Export Verification (EV) program.”

QSA certification requires lots of records, some labor and money to establish.  The program is audited on a regular basis and must also have auditing procedures as part of the certification.  Those with approved USDA QSA programs include packers and large beef feeders, and some breed associations and other groups in the beef cattle industry.

So, since the implementation of the USDA QSA program, age and source verification has taken on a new meaning.  For calves to be truly Age and Source Verified, they have to be enrolled in a QSA program, such as International Brangus Breeders Association’s OptimaxX® program.  American Angus Association also has their AngusSource®  and there are probably other Age and Source Verified programs available.  Producers just need to check in their area or with their breed association to see what’s available.

All the above information is to point out that no longer can a producer just say, “These calves are age and source verified.”  That’s now like saying, “These calves have had all their shots.”  And, a signed affidavit will not substitute for documentation provided through a USDA approved QSA.

What’s required for Age and Source Verification?

To sell calves as Age and Source Verified, cow-calf producers will be providing information to an approved QSA or PVP program.  The information provided to QSAs is specific for each QSA program.  All this is to say, the bottom line in this new time of age and source verification is records and documentation.  That’s where a computer software record keeping program such as CattleMax® comes in handy!

Basic recommendations for Age and Source Verified include:

1. Tag all cows, calves and bulls with a unique number.  Tag calves at or near birth.
2. Keep detailed calving records – including calf ID, dam ID, calving date and sex of calf.  Most ASV programs require, at the least, the date of the first calf born and the date the last calf was born.
3. Keep records of all cattle sales.
4. Record all vaccinations, dewormings, implanting and health treatments.

All these records need to be kept for three years after the birth of the animal.  Producers will be required to show the actual records to auditors for the QSA program, if requested.

These types of detailed records are certainly hard to keep in a notebook on the dash of the pickup truck, especially for three years!  You may not need to enroll in an Age and Source Verified program at present, but, down the road, it’s probably going to be a good idea to be able to provide the type of information required by the program in order to market your calves for the highest possible price.  And, with the costs involved in the cattle business today, we all need to get every penny we can when we sell our cattle.

Are you involved in an Age and Source Verification program?  How’s it working for you?

From a Drovers article, North Dakota State University beef cattle specialist Dr. Greg Lardy sees rising feed and fuel costs driving cow-calf production costs higher.

While these rising costs are beyond our control, we can control our spending and also focus on getting more for our cattle.  However, we can’t take these steps toward profitability without numbers.

From the article:

“There is no way to know which costs to cut if you aren’t measuring all of the cost categories for your ranch,” Lardy said. “History tells us that this business follows logical economic principles over the long term. That means that high-cost producers exit the business, while well-managed operations with lower production costs find creative methods to make money, even under very trying economic conditions. I would encourage each of you to work at measuring your cow production costs and then to manage those costs effectively.”

Read the full article over at Drovers: Cow costs continue upward