WELCOME

Welcome to the fall edition of Protein Producers ! As one of the newer members, I am appreciative of this opportunity to welcome you on behalf of PAC. This fall, hopefully we are seeing a shift back to normal after the pandemic, albeit a “new” normal.

Fall in our area of the world can find livestock producers overwhelmed by a tremendous workload which can be confounded by weather. Producers are weaning spring calves while also welcoming the newborn fall calves. The spring cows are being pregnancy checked and the fall cows and calves are being prebreeding/branding processed. Harvesting corn and beans as well as chopping silage is being done when conditions are right, with livestock work scheduled around the harvest. Producers need to be intentional and stay on task to achieve their production goals. This is not unique to our area; livestock producers all over the world face these challenges. The list may be different, but the workload is the same. I have the utmost respect for the people in our industry, and I believe our lifestyle as well as faith and family have helped us in coping with the pandemic.

While writing this, I recall a verse from the Bible which was read in church this morning:

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Our faith and knowing God will carry us through.

In knowing the day-to-day workings and fast pace of the livestock industry, we at PAC feel a responsibility to the people to provide help through education, guidance, and training. We strive to keep our clients current and informed in livestock production as well as personnel management. This fall 2021 issue is a newly expanded version, offering more great, informative articles. This collection of articles should pique the interest of our reading audience while providing tools to succeed in the industry.

To mention a few of the articles included in this issue:

Dr. Randall Spare informs us about body condition scoring at pregnancy check and how we utilize this information. In today’s cow-calf world, we find ourselves pregnancy checking earlier in gestation which provides us with several management opportunities.

Dr. Nels Lindberg writes about retention of great employees. I am certain this topic will hit home with many in the industry, especially in today’s world.

As always, this issue includes a parable from Dr. Doug Ford and Dr. Greg Quakenbush, which you do not want to pass up.

As a side note, if you have the opportunity to attend a presentation by any of these talented veterinarians, I would highly recommend it.

In closing, we see the words “sustainable” and “stewardship” used frequently in articles within our industry. Being a PAC member involved in livestock production, I can say we do not take these words lightly. We strive to make sure our production practices are sustainable, at the same time ensuring we are good stewards to the land. The protein produced through sustainable livestock production while being good stewards to the land provides for our future generations.

Dr. Raymond Stegeman Osage Veterinary Clinic Production Animal Consultation St. Thomas, Missouri

Thank You

We want to thank the industry partners, publications and associations who have pro vided content to Protein Producers . Also, a big thank you to our readers for supporting us, offering content and helping us improve each issue. We could not do any of this without all of you!

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and information expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect Production Animal Consultation's policy or position.