Increasing the Value of this Year's Calf Crop  Mark Nelson, Kansas Farm Bureau

August 29, 2007

 

"And the beat goes on," I believe the song goes and so too, does the Beef Verification Solution.  This past July, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau joined our program, providing a nice bookend along with Nebraska, who joined the Beef Verification Solution in February of this year.  Together, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska  and Mississippi (2005), represent nearly 24% of the beef cows in the U.S., providing a solid base of farms and ranches for us to continue to grow the BVS Program.

 

To date, RFID tag sales are running 18% ahead of the year ago pace, largely driven by the beef industry's desire for source and age verification.  Things are going well but we need to continue to reach beef cattle owning Farm Bureau members.  We need to continue to demonstrate how they can make animal identification pay on their operations.  And, we need continued support from our County Farm Bureau Boards and county organizations.

 

MAKING BVS PAY ON YOUR OPERATION

Once you join the Beef Verification Solution Program and enroll in the AgInfoLink USDA-Approved, Process Verified Program, there are several ways to make animal identification pay through the BVS Program.

 

1. Retain ownership of your cattle, either feed them at home or work with a feedyard, retaining ownership and control of your cattle.  Through the AgInfoLink PVP, the Beef Verification Solution Program has directly enrolled several feedyards that can work with producers in feeding and marketing their source and age verified cattle through the various value-added programs such as US Premium Beef and Power Genetics, and the processors that offer premiums for age and source verified animals such as National, Cargill, Swift and Tyson. Other benefits of working with BVS enrolled feedyards include enhanced data transfer within the BVS-PDSN and opportunities for:

1. competitive, value-based grid pricing

2. partnering with feedyards in retaining full or partial ownership of cattle

3. receiving carcass information and feedlot performance data

 

For help in contacting a BVS Feedyard, email us at bvsinfo@agsolusa.com or to see a complete listing of AgInfoLink PVP approved feedyards go to: http://www.aginfolink.com/pvpfeedlots/AgInfoLink PVP Approved Feedlot Suppliers.pdf

 

Better management decisions come with better information.  By gaining access to carcass information and feedlot performance data, you'll be in a position to see what practices are working at your operation and which cattle are performing.  Through better, more informed decisions, you'll be able to truly make animal ID and the BVS Program pay.

 

2. Get your cattle on the BVS Cattle Listing, if you don't want to retain ownership, this is a great way to let people know you've got age and source verified cattle to sell.  To list your BVS enrolled cattle, go to: http://www.agsolusa.com/bvs/CattleListing.ht

 

3. Commingle your cattle and create load-sized lots of "like cattle."  Premiums are often available when you can sell in a 50,000 pound, load-lot.  Especially when the cattle are uniform in size, color, type and have been managed similarly, for example, they've all been weaned and vaccinated.  It's often difficult for even fairly large operations to put together a truck load of the same sized animals.  So work with a neighbor or two, or Call Phil Clubine who runs the Rocky Top Beef, Commingled Marketing Program.  Phil and Anita's goal is to provide ranchers with individual receiving weights, feedlot performance, carcass grade, and quality data.  Once you deliver you cattle, individual weights are taken and they're sorted by weight, frame size, sex and color if necessary, creating load-sized lots. In less than two weeks, your cattle are sold and on feed.  Enrollment/sale periods for spring born calves are November, January and March, and enrollment/sale periods for fall born calves are July and September. If interested, you've got to let them know by the 7th of each enrollment month.    Right now, they're looking for calves that were born in the fall of 2006, are weaned and vaccinated, and that are either source and age verified or can be.  For more information or to participate, contact Phil Clubine at nedaknee@yahoo.com.