Data Collection & Beef Producers – Part 1
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” is what Dr. Clint Rusk reminds cattle producers to think about as they do or don’t collect herd data. Clint Rusk, Ray Williams and Wes Chism all work with cattlemen in different ways and help them solve the challenges they face. Rusk serves as the Executive Vice President of the Charolais Association. Chism and Williams are both team members of Gallagher North America. Williams serves as the Director of Technical Operations/Learning and Development and Chism serves as the Business Development Manager, Animal Performance & Traceability. Together the three of them provide insight on the challenges beef producers are currently facing and how technology and data collection play a role in providing solutions.
Key Challenges Faced by Beef Producers
The labor shortage was the first to come to Rusk’s mind when asked what challenges he sees cattle producers face. Rusk says, “Finding quality labor right now is very difficult and not only finding the labor but being able to retain it. Everybody is looking for folks who can make decisions and who can explain to other folks that they made a good decision. They’re out there, but it seems like they're in other areas. I particularly hear purebred folks complaining that they just lost their right-hand person that they thought would be there for a long time. I guess I've been to three different operations in just in 2023, that complained that they lost one of their star performers and it's been difficult to try to find someone to fill that gap.” The average age of cattle producers continues to increase, and the workload of an operation doesn’t lessen with it. Williams mentions that one challenge he sees working with different producers is that the younger generation is more open to using technology and wants to make things more efficient but aren’t gaining support from the senior generation who are still acting as the primary decision makers for the business. Part of this increase in labor shortages and workload simply comes from cattle producers constantly trying to keep up with the Joneses. Chism says, “Keeping up with the Joneses is a cost of business the commercial guys don’t face as often. Seedstock producers are constantly trying to keep up with advertising and promotions and that’s one example of a cost commercial cattlemen don’t face.” Being a progressive cattle producer whether you raise seedstock or commercial cattle often means collecting extra data that will improve your management decisions. This is a critical component of standing out in today’s market, but it can feel like it creates more work. Rusk reminds cattle producers who need an extra set of hands that there is a difference between managing cattle and managing people. At some point you must transition from the one doing it all to being the trainer and leader because while young people fresh out of college have great interest and intents to be ranch managers someday but simply need more experience.
Data Collection and Technology’s Roles in Solving Labor Challenges
It may appear like collecting more data is an extra step and “more work” for cattle producers. However, technology has advanced enough to make data collection a simple process that generates an ROI in short order. The data points you are collecting are all economically relevant. Collecting weaning weights allows you to sort calves into different pens, save money by ensuring you are giving proper dosage for treatments and allows you to sort off cows who never seem to raise calves that weigh up and do their job. Gathering pelvic scores or full reproduction tract scores allows you to see which heifers should be kept and bred and which should be fed out. From an EPD standpoint data collection has allowed us to buy virgin bulls and have a greater sense of accuracy for how those bulls will perform. Rusk says, “I think most of us who enjoy raising livestock want to leave our children and our grandchildren with better animals and a better operation than we had growing up and therefore need to know as much about our cattle as we can. Today with the ability to gather genomic EPDs, they say it is as though, on a bull, and I guess a female as well, it's as though they've had 23 to 28 calves depending upon the trait and the heritability of that trait.” All these data collection points are just examples of what many cattle producers are already doing. Combining these data points with a digital format to collect and analyze them is a true game changer for the beef industry.
At the end of the day, data collection can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. Look at what creates your profit and determine what data points can be collected to help you make more accurate management decisions in those areas. Be sure to listen to Part 2 next week to continue this conversation and dive into how data collection can be a smooth and simple process for seedstock and commercial cattlemen alike.
