Building rapport, 500 people at a time own immune response,” he said. One example is young animals nursing dozens of times a day are much healthier than “Passion” is overused. It’s more than a romantic lifestyle those that nurse only once or twice. or down-home values. Noffsinger’s team consults on 1.2 million feedlot cattle When communicating with those who merchandise, each month and works to reduce sickness at critical conserve and represent beef to consumers it’s hard to describe trol points.“We’ve noticed that our biggest health problems the commitment and sense of purpose that most farmers happen near a change of address,” he said. and ranchers share. A theme of the panel was collaboration and illustrating Instead of relying on second-hand accounts, many from how separate businesses all work together for the good of just about every link in the beef chain heard stories directthe consumer. ly from agriculture’s people at the Certified Angus Beef ® BMG is a network of finishing operations that finish (CAB®) brand’s annual conference in late September. More more than 600,000 head of cattle each year, Butler said. than 500 from retail and foodservice to processing and exWhy that many? port gathered at the event in San Antonio, Texas. The sto“When we look at how we can play a role in producing a ries painted pictures. consistent product on a consistent basis, we can’t do it with “One day I went down to the river to see where our 100 cows. We can’t do it with 10,000 cattle in a feedyard, discharge met the river and—I’m not kidding you—about because we have to deliver a relevant number of pounds 20 yards down the river were three little boys swimming,” of product to someone every week,” he said, noting their said Cargill’s Nicole Johnson-Hoffman. She said the beef close relationship with Tyson. “That’s very key so that we packer returns river water from its plants in better condition can produce it on a consistent basis. than when it enters those plants. we don’t have communication, we “I know my job is critically im“It’s absolutely amazing to me Ifdon’t have transparency and we can’t portant.” what happens to a feedlot, a do that.” Other panelists included BMG feedyard operators share community, a country, a world, consulting veterinarian Tom common goals, Butler said: “We try when animals and people are Noffsinger of Production Annot to mess up good genetics and imal Consultants, cattle feeder doing things because they want to we try to take those animals to their John Butler of Beef Marketand not because they have to.” optimum finishing point and proing Group (BMG), and Angus duce a high-quality product.” Dr. Tom Noffsinger breeders Kevin and Lydia Yon, But they are also trying to make of Yon Family Farms in Ridge environmental improvements and Spring, S.C. respond to consumer demands. They’re working to make They weighed in on questions ranging from water use “sustainability” improvements. and the “local” movement to animal handling and counterThe definition of that buzzword varies somewhat., but ing misguided activists. Johnson-Hoffman, who chairs the U.S. Roundtable for Sus“It’s absolutely amazing to me what happens to a feedtainable Beef, distilled it to three questions. lot, a community, a country, a world, when animals and peo“For us that just means, ‘Is it environmentally sound? Is ple are doing things because they want to and not because it socially responsible? Is it economically viable?’ If the anthey have to,” Noffsinger said, noting animal behavior is swer is ‘yes,’ then it’s probably sustainable,” she said. “Cows better understood today. “It turns the image of daily activiare a miraculous animal. They take inedible [to humans] ty around in a very positive fashion.” forage and turn it into the finest protein known to man.” He teaches animal handling that centers on building To the Yon family, sustainability also means allowing trust between cattle and caregivers. their children to come back to the farm, if they choose to “Our tools to communicate with these creatures are limdo so. Lydia Yon said when they’d come home for Christited to our posture, our position, our attitude, relationship mas break during college, the kids’ first question was preof the angle that we take, and then the speed of movedictable: “When are we going to synchronize cows?” ment,” Noffsinger explained. They joked about being the manual labor force, but all Once cattle trust, everything improves. of that had a purpose, she said. “The most important medicine we have is the animal’s
By: Miranda Reiman, Certified Angus Beef LLC
pacdvms.com 33
