Pushing Forward to Feed the World

Now more than ever superior livestock will pull us through the hard times.

Today, we are facing unprecedented challenges in the livestock industry. That’s not a new or groundbreaking statement. The ripple effects of stay at home orders and a national health crisis have consumers and producers both concerned and downright nervous about their financial futures. Most producers are unsure of where they should allocate their financial resources to weather the storm and remain profitable.

As we study bull, female, club calf, and commercial auction results over these last 30 days of turmoil, it has become very apparent to me that those producers (both seedstock and commercial) who have “doubled down” and chosen to implement aggressive advanced reproductive technologies in their programs have certainly reaped the benefits. Their sale averages have certainly been higher, as well as their highest selling lots generating substantially more income and PROFIT to their respective bottom lines.

Why is this?

I believe that in today’s cattle industry, your potential customers (bull and female buyers, junior exhibitors, order buyers and cattle feeders) are all on the hunt for value and predictability and are willing to pay more for it. They want the best quality livestock they can obtain for the dollar they are spending. They want bulls that are the product of mating the very best sires and dams in a program together, not a calf out of an average cow in the herd. They want females that reach sexual maturity at a consistent time and are ready to put into a breeding program in a uniform contemporary group, and breed back. They want uniform sets of calves that weigh up, perform on grass, in the feedlot and on the rail. They want phenotype that is eye catching and gives the look of quality.

The only way to multiply these genetics and phenotypes in a meaningful and time-efficient way is to use A.I., conventional embryo transfer, or IVF. If you aren’t, there is a good chance one of your competitors is. As automotive executive Lee Iacocca famously said: “you either, lead, follow, or get out of the way”.

I encourage all of you to not be fearful of the uncertainties that lie ahead of us in this industry. You know the kind of cattle your customers will pay you the most for. Figure out how to make more of them.

How can you most effectively produce more of that kind of animal and really give your bottom line a bump?

Maybe it’s planning on producing more A.I. sired calves this breeding season. Maybe It’s flushing a couple more cows you really think a lot of to the sire you think will produce some tremendous offspring. Maybe it’s using IVF and reverse sorted semen to not only produce a superior genotype and phenotype, but also gender select the offspring to perfectly fit your market and customer base.

No matter what avenue you decide, Agtech is here to help you with the support, products and service you have come to count on from us. We are here to serve you and your program in any way we can.