There has been a lot of talk lately about how good cattle records are key to maintaining profitability in current times. We have certainly all felt the pinch of rising costs the past few years, and haven’t had any relief from cattle prices.
When the inputs are on the rise, and outputs are holding steady, there are still good opportunities in marketing, improving efficiency, lowering costs, and making changes in your operation. There are also a great deal of resources available to help you find the opportunities that already exist for you, and identify or create new ones.
Purdue University Animal Sciences has some research put together called “Managing the Cow Herd During Tough Times,” where they state, “Identifying opportunities to add value and improve management and genetics is dependent on a good record keeping system.”
They suggest the first step for cattle producers in these circumstances is to find ways to improve culling decisions – making them more educated, quicker and easier. The next step is to either identify ways to promote value-added marketing in your operation, or create them if you find they don’t currently exist.
Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service has also published an article called “Cull Cow Grazing and Marketing Opportunities,” where they disuss tips for feeding and marketing the cull cows your good records will help you identify this year.
You are already a step ahead of the game by believing good records really are the answer to adding value and cutting costs in your operation. Reading these resources and looking for more like them will help you find out how to use those records to get the results you are looking for.
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