You Can't Afford to Sacrifice Function

by Katy Rucker, At Large Director

Functionality. It's a word a lot of us have heard standing ringside, back in the barn or at a sale; but what does it mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it means “the quality of being suited to serve a purpose well.” Synonyms include another word we all have heard: “practicality”. So applying these words within the cattle industry should be an understood and common practice…right?

Cattle – whether you raise feeder calves, replacement heifers or show cattle –should all have functionality and practicality for whatever type of operation you have. They need to serve a purpose, and do so well. Sam and I had the pleasure of judging an Iowa jackpot this spring and I made a statement that I hope stuck with people ring side. “You can make all the pretty show heifers you want, but if you can't turn these things out and make cows, then we have lost our functionality.”

What I meant by that is you can't sacrifice structural correctness, genuine internal dimension with skeletal width, muscle and maternal qualities just to get an ultra clean, zip-necked one. It’s nice to have, but it's not worth it when you have to give up even an inch of practicality for your cow herd.

The cattle business is just that, it’s a business. Having grown up in it with multiple breeds, you have to have functionality as a top priority to stay in it for the long haul. Functionally is the key to longevity, and I think that is something we can all get behind.

Reminder!

It's not too early to start thinking about running for the ACA Board of Directors. There are 4 positions open this fall. The Southeast Region director & 3 at-large positions. Nomination forms will be available later this summer and are due Sept. 15. For questions, contact Heather at 517-214-0927 or Dustin at 605-380-8052.