Dec. '08

It’s true! Knowledge really is powerful and by collecting and managing herd data, you are not only empowering your operation, you are opening doors to great opportunities.  In a typical beef cow operation, simple data may be collected, but not properly managed.  For example, a lot of producers record individual calf birth dates and tie those dates back to the mama cow, but not that many compare birth dates for each cow from year to year.  Calving interval examines how fast your cows breed back and produce another calf.  Is your herd gaining or losing ground?  What percent of cows are sliding? Which cows and why? 

Some producers collect weaning weights but very few combine that with the calf’s age, sex and the dam’s age and convert that into a 205-day weight. A 205-day weight is a tremendous tool that measures the pounds each cow produces on a per day of age basis; allowing you to compare the cows within your herd, compare your herd from year to year and compare your herd versus other herds from across the state and nation.   

What good is information you never use again?  By looking at herd records such as calving intervals, birth weights, 205 day weights, and weaning weights, one can really start to evaluate herd performance.  By importing this data into a spreadsheet, where it can be manipulated to generate reports, producers can really start to apply this information to make good management decisions. 

Sure, any cowboy worth his boots can tell a good critter from a poor one.  However, accuracy is sometimes lacking in visual evaluations.  Numbers, on the other hand, don’t lie.  By collecting true data and creating useful reports, data can be re-arranged to accommodate several situations.  Using such a scientific, matter-of-fact method cuts back on mistakes when it is time to cull and replace animals.  Whether it is just dam information, or it is dam information paired with a sire, knowing good performance from bad will be advantageous.   

Knowing your production history is not only valuable to your herd decisions, but can assist you in backing up marketing claims.  Using reports that indicate a couple years’ worth of “good-doing” animals will certainly peak buyers interests.  Having carcass data to support a consistent, uniform group of animals will certainly increase value in today’s marketplace. 

“In our operation, we use the information we collect for herd management and age verification.  From that information, we can cull cows and select replacement heifers to produce better carcass traits for higher quality retail products for consumers.” says Chris Schluntz a producer/feeder and newly appointed member to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board from Republican City, NE. 

By continuing to use benchmark data to cull poor performers and increase value in the herd, a better genetic line is being made.  This truly creates a herd you can bank on for the future and our BVS program can help you. The Beef Verification Solution is a member driven, confidential livestock information management program developed by Agriculture Solutions in conjunction with AgInfoLink, USA, a leading animal identification service provider in the United States.  It is a comprehensive program; utilizing ISO compliant, USDA approved radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and a privately managed database, providing practical animal identification solutions for livestock data collection, management and communication. 

A key attribute of the program is its flexible data collection system ranging from simple and easy to use CattleCards^TM, allowing members to participate without owning a RFID reader or even a computer, to BeefLink Software that not only collects data electronically but has several chute-side applications to record, calculate and sort livestock.  The program offers several applications to Farm Bureau members including but not limited to; National Animal Identification System (NAIS) compliance, to source and age verification, to being a “safe harbor” for COOL compliance, to providing the ability to manage and analyze animal data for better decisions and increased income opportunities.

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