By: Chris Poley
Over the past year or so we have entered a new era as farmers and ranchers. For the first time in my life, producers are getting recognized and starting to get paid for their importance in feeding the world. There is a huge push within the urban population to know where their food comes from. Which I think is a good thing; it draws attention to the primary producers and awareness to the agriculture industry and its needs. This movement of knowing where your food comes from especially favors beef production, as the cow calf sector always has and always will have a strong family farm/ranch influence. It is the hardest production model for corporations to have any success at, due to the amount of land and hands on management required. There is also no way to take the environmental challenges away. Beef cow/calf production is very natural and wholesome and can be easily looked upon by those several generations removed from the land, as the best choice for protein. Many of these consumers today are less influenced by price than they are by making choices based on emotion. If they feel they can relate to those images of a family working out on a ranch together, they are buying more beef. Everywhere you look these days, you will find articles written on the concerns of future food production. In our industry, every media source in North America is talking about the size of the beef cow herd and how it has shrunk to lows not seen in half a century. Yet any government census statistic will report growths in population through the same time period. Cargill
recently closed one of its plants in Texas due to the shortage of available cattle. All the cattle on feed reports show yet another decrease this year over last. Some of you will argue that our cattle markets have not totally shown this and I would agree with you. However, they are better than a couple of years ago and will continue to get better; all the factors point to it. So what is the point of all this rambling? Be confident in your operation, things are good and will only get better and better. The bulls you purchase this spring will be the single most influential decision you make, impacting your operation two years from now. Do some research on the bulls you are looking at and select sires that will improve the things that need improving, without sacrificing the fundamentals, which are ultimately what puts money in your pocket. All of you have a great resource at your disposal, the breeders who produce the bulls. Ask them questions and tell them about your herd and what you want from your next herd sire. They spend their lives researching genetics and watching them perform against each other and know where their strengths are. After all it is a partnership; he needs you the bull buyer, the same as you need him the seedstock producer.
Today’s Angus Advantage Winter 2013  108