Sarah “Sally” Buxkemper, owner and operator of RX Simbrah

The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to preserve the history and highlight the impact of Western women living roughly from the mid-1800s to the present: the artists and writers, champions and competitive performers, entertainers, ranchers (stewards of land and livestock), trailblazers and pioneers. Today, there are over 200 extraordinary women who have been inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame since 1975.

Sally is one of nine inductees for 2011 who will be honored at the 36th Annual Induction Luncheon ceremony at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Ranching for more than 50 years, Sally has developed a business of breeding Simmental and Simbrah and Sim Angus composite seedstock. She was one of the few women to graduate with an Animal Husbandry degree from Oklahoma State University, and was the first woman to be trained by the American Breeders Service to administer artificial insemination.

Congratulations Sally on this incredible recognition!

She and her ranch have been featured in numerous articles, including the CattleMax software website.

Read the RX Simbrah story on the CattleMax website.

Read more about Sally Buxkemper and the other Cowgirl Hall of Fame Inductees.

According to the news release, under the proposed rule, livestock moving interstate would have to be officially identified unless specifically exempted. The proposed rule encourages the use of low-cost technology, and specifies approved forms of official identification for each species, such as metal ear tags for cattle. An efficient and accurate animal disease traceability system helps reduce the number of animals affected by the disease itself or movement restrictions. A traceability system also reduces the time needed to control the spread of the disease and ultimately decreases the cost to producers.

The proposed rule follows the USDA National Animal Identification proposal introduced in 2004, NAIS was a voluntary system based on registration of all premises where livestock or poultry were housed or kept. In 2009, when USDA launched a series of efforts to assess the level of acceptance for NAIS, the findings were that many viewed NAIS as a government-imposed, “one-size-fits all” approach to animal traceability. Producers raised serious concerns about the protection of proprietary information through premise registration and with the need for significantly more flexibility. Due to the level of opposition in the countryside, NAIS was never fully implemented and was discontinued in 2009.

Comments must be received on or before Wednesday, November 9.

Federal eRulemaking Portal - Submit or view comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.

The USDA website has additional information regarding the proposed animal traceability rule.

Utilizing niche markets can add profit to a cattle operation, but it also increases expenses and time requirements. To be successful in niche markets, one needs to plan for the added cost of finishing and processing cattle and have expertise in advertising, and marketing. Time is consumed in exercising these tasks in addition to that utilized in raising calves to the finishing stage.

Niche marketing is a type of direct selling where a group of consumers desire a particular product that cannot be purchased through conventional marketing channels. Examples of niche market products are lean beef, organic beef, natural beef, and pasture-finished-beef (PFB). When consumers prefer these types of meat, they are usually willing to pay a premium over conventional meat prices.

“Production of specialty beef products for niche markets offers opportunities for the small producer,” states Dr. David Anderson, an agricultural economist at Texas A&M University. “Although a niche market adds product value, there are downsides. Niche marketers must develop their own customer base, identify the desired product concept and be able to deliver the product when the customer wants it. Marketing skills are a must in these types of businesses. In addition to production costs, producers must derive enough value from their product to pay their marketing expenses.

“A year-round supply of calves is required and a packer must be identified to harvest these calves on a custom basis. Niche marketers must keep sufficient inventory to supply their customers and have the ability to market the less desired cuts of meat.”

Consumers, who have decided fat is bad, will pay a premium for lean beef. Producers, who sell into this market, select genetics that will produce lean meat and exercise low-stress handling of their cattle. They raise and finish calves on grass except for feeding grain for a short period just prior to harvesting.  No antibiotics or hormone implants are used to stimulate weight gains.

To advertise and label beef as organic, you must be a certified organic product producer and adhere to strict production guidelines. Cattle to be processed must be raised under organic management from the last trimester of gestation. The animals must be raised on feed products that are 100-percent organic. They may be fed vitamin and mineral supplements but they can not be given hormones or antibiotics for any reason. Use of vaccines is allowed and animals must have access to the outdoors.

Natural beef can be raised on feed that is not organic, but usually the cattle have been raised mostly on pasture without routine use of medication. To carry the “natural” label, the meat must contain no artificial ingredients such as color, flavor or preservatives.

“PFB is another marketing term for lean beef,” say Anne Fanatico and Lee Rinehart of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT).  “Sometimes PFB is finished solely on grass or sometimes, there is a short grain feeding period just prior to processing. To raise high quality PFB, good nutritional year-round pasture, appropriate genetics, young slaughter age and aging of the carcass are required.”

“Pastures of good-quality grasses with a 30- to 50-percent legume component should be considered,” continue Fanatico and Rinehart. “Appropriate genetics means fast-maturing animals that tend to marble on pasture with a low amount of back fat. For beef tenderness, pasture-finished cattle should be ready for processing at 16- to 22-months of age. Aging of the carcass is very important for producing tender PFB. Researchers in Missouri found that PFB aged for three weeks was equal in tenderness to feedlot-finished beef.”

Beef is now a high-stakes gamble according to Harold Harpster, writer for Farm Progress Companies. High-value fat cattle were selling at $1.20 to $1.70 per pound on April 29 of this year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we are paying near $4.00 per gallon for gasoline and the corn price is hovering around $7.00 per bushel. To win in this high stakes game, we need to control our costs and sharpen our marketing skills

An important marketing skill for beef producers is the ability to select a marketing channel that fits the operation and provides the greatest returns on your calves. Depending upon operation size, several marketing channels exist and as herds expand, more marketing options become available.

“The average herd size in the United States is about 40 cows,” said Dr. David Anderson, Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University. “You do not have to be a large operator to have marketing options. Size of the operation may not be as important as timing the breeding/calving program to produce a uniform set of calves. Normally, uniform lots sell for a higher value than calves that vary in sizes and ages.”

“Livestock exchanges handle more than 70-percent of the calves sold in the United States,” Anderson continued. “A well-run exchange is an ideal marketing channel for small producers and can efficiently handle large lots as well.”

“Cattle prices vary greatly between markets – so producers should visit several exchanges and discuss their marketing strategies,” stated Steven Lastovica who co-owns Milano Livestock Exchange with his brother, Ronald Lastovica. “Learn whether an exchange manager is aggressive, innovative and professional. Find out if they have seasoned buyers. Ask the manager how long he has been in the business and if he understands it. Another fair question is: Why should I do business with you instead of one of your competitors?”

“Relatively new marketing channels are video and internet auctions,” explained Anderson. “A few auctions are conducted by showing videos, of animals in their ranch environments, through closed circuit television to a group of buyers sitting in a hotel meeting room. These auctions have an auctioneer and bidding is conducted the same way as a live animal auction. Prior to 1987, all video auctions were done in this manner”

In January, 1987, a new type of video auction was introduced by conducting a cattle sale through satellite television at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado. Although buyers were in the room, over 87-percent of the cattle were sold through the satellite system with bids being entered by telephone or CB radio. Today television livestock auctions are a common occurrence.

The conventional beef-marketing chain begins with producers selling their calf crops through an exchange to a pre-conditioner. A feedlot buys from pre-conditioners and later sells the animals to a packer. The packer’s customers are grocers and restaurants who deliver beef in various forms to consumers.

“In direct marketing, the producer by-passes one or more links in the beef- processing chain,” explained Anderson. “A rancher may sell directly to a pre-conditioner, feedlot, meat packer or to an order buyer who is buying for one of these entities. Direct marketing works best for producers who can deliver uniform lots varying in size from 50 to 250 head.”

“Advantages of direct marketing can be savings on commissions and handling costs and capturing some of the profits made by one or more of the links in the beef-processing chain,” continued Anderson. “However when a producer does his own back-grounding and retains ownership in the feed yard, additional labor and input costs are going to be required. Enough additional value must be obtained to offset the increased expenses. Another risk is that cattle prices may go down during pre-conditioning or finishing and the producer has to suffer the loss.”

Consultants are available in about every field of knowledge. Examples are animal nutritionists, wildlife biologists, range managers, geneticists and business managers. Veterinarians, certified public accountants (CPAs) and attorneys are consultants when they provide advice and information. Managers normally don’t hesitate to hire a veterinarian, CPA, or an attorney when one is needed. Yet they hesitate to hire a range management consultant to measure their grazing capacity and determine proper stocking rates or an animal nutritionist to design an economical feeding program that will improve herd performance.

One of the first consultants to consider is a facilitator to lead the family and other stakeholders in designing a ranch management plan. Often a facilitator is the needed spark to get people together to draft the plan. A good facilitator is trained to ask the right operational questions and to stimulate discussion which results in formulating a mission, vision, objectives and goals.

It is beneficial to place your veterinarian in a consultant role. Agree with the veterinarian on an annual retainer for performing a predetermined list of services. The first item on the task list is usually the drafting of a herd health plan. Responsibilities of the veterinarian are to monitor plan execution and help where needed. He is expected to give you first priority when you have sick animals.

The primary reason that consultants are hired is because they are experts. The ranch manager or other people in the organization might be able to take on a necessary task, but no one can do the job as quickly and efficiently as an expert who every day lives and breathes the problem to be addressed. Consultants bring a fresh approach to problem-solving and work as independent contractors. Contractors do not require fringe benefits such as Workman’s Compensation insurance, Social Security and medical insurance. Consultants do not require the direct supervision usually necessary for employees. The end result of hiring an expert consultant is an overall savings in time and money.

In order to hire the right consultant for the right job, it is important to validate the extent of their expertise. This is done by requesting and reviewing their resume. Ask for a list of references that can verify their expertise, and then contact these references. Interview potential consultants either by telephone or in person depending upon the size and value of the project for which he or she will be hired.

Once a consultant is chosen, meet with him or her for the purpose of getting to know each other and developing a basis for a strong business relationship. Rapport needs to be developed with the consultant, and a partnership needs to be built. Clearly identify the problem or problems that you want solved by the consultant and define the deliverables. To ensure that possible confusion due to overlapping or omission of responsibilities doesn’t occur during the project, take time during the initial meetings to confirm the duties of each party. The project schedule of completion needs to be agreed upon by both parties, and it is important to work with the consultant to ensure success as working against him will guarantee failure.

The Food Certification program helps consumers identify healthy foods, and the cuts recognized as extra-lean are the Boneless Top Sirloin Petite Roast, Top Sirloin Filet and the Top Sirloin Kabob.

Beef cuts being included in this program helps consumers recognize the health benefits of beef in their diets and lifestyles.

Read the complete article of Heart Association Puts Its Heart-Healthy Mark On Beef

Robert Fears, writer

We are pleased to introduce Robert Fears, who will be writing several articles each month for the Cattle Management blog.

Drawing on his experience, he will be discussing topics ranging from nutrition to business planning to weaning and reproductive factors of cattle production.  Many of you may be familiar with Robert’s articles, which have been printed in The Cattleman Magazine, Gulf Coast Cattleman, Beef Producer, and numerous other cattle industry publications.

Robert was born in Uvalde and graduated from high school in Angleton, Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Science degree in Range Science from Utah State University. Between degrees, Robert collected and transported a menagerie of livestock and wildlife from Houston to Guam. He stayed on Guam for two years simultaneously performing three jobs – livestock manager and chief brand inspector for the Guam Department of Agriculture and animal husbandry professor at the College of Guam.

After graduate school, Robert worked for Dow AgriSciences in global product and market development. His research group developed present-day herbicides such as Remedy®, Grazon® P+D and Reclaim®. Upon retirement from his 33-year career with Dow, he formed RJ Consultant Services which specializes in ranch management plans, wildlife management plans for 1-d-1 appraisals, herbicide application technology and free lance writing. Robert’s hobbies include wood working, reading, and activities with the grandkids. He and his wife Janelle reside in Georgetown, Texas.

Welcome Robert, and we look forward to your great writing to help the cattle industry!

Are there topics you would like to see written? Let us know by sharing your ideas below in the “Speak Your Mind” area.

Twin calves – boon or bane?
Nathan wrote this article about his experience with twin calves back in February, and it has been the most viewed post of this year. It’s also received the most comments of any posts we’ve made. Take a look at the article – what’s your experience or questions about twin calves?

Have a Business Plan for your Cattle Operation
This Noble Foundation article discusses the elements of a ranch business plan. Though the idea of business plans certainly isn’t new, it seems recently that more producers, and especially those just starting in the industry, are more interested in business plans and other ways to be educated and aware of the uncertainties of the ranching way of life.

Temple Grandin HBO movie
We finally watched Temple Grandin’s movie on DVD, and it is absolutely a must-see! What a tremendous benefit and honor of having Temple Grandin work in the cattle industry. She is still active in the industry, and her cattle chute designs have certainly made their mark on the improved handling of cattle.

Have you tried blood pregnancy testing?
Though this article was written back in the spring of 2009, it’s also one of the most viewed articles. Describing one ranch’s experience with blood pregnancy testing for cattle, check out what they found as advantages and disadvantages. What’s been your experience?

Hilliard Ranches, which Jim manages, needed a simple way to keep track of their cattle. In 1999, we worked together to develop a software program to meet their needs, and he was using it everyday! I remember him telling us that recording sales was so much easier now with just a few clicks, where previously they would spend hours several evenings before selling a group of calves going through notebooks to mark them as sold.

Jim continues to use CattleMax, and has been one of the first ranches to upgrade to each new CattleMax version over the years.

When Jim’s encouragement and feedback, along with many others as well, we began selling CattleMax commercially. It’s now continued over 11 years later and is used by over 6,000 producers in 50+ countries.

Thanks so much Jim for all of your years of support!

Read the interview with Jim of Hilliard Ranches to learn more about how he uses CattleMax for their commercial herd.

During the State Fair of Texas a few months ago, our son enjoyed the baby yak at the Petting Zoo! The picture to the right is of him and the yak.

Now that Lane has seen the video and petting a yak, he thinks yaks should be everywhere, even on the iPhone and iPad.

Several Yak breeders use CattleMax to track their records and have been great supporters of the software.

Does your breed have promotional materials to help people learn more about the qualities of the cattle? Let us know – we would be glad to share with our readers.