Technology Improves Performance and Profitability

Throughout history, humanity has benefited from technological advances. Human flight went from 0 to 25,000 mph in the 66 short years between the Wright brothers’ first flight and Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. Aviation isn’t the only industry brimming with innovation, as agriculture plays a significant role in cutting edge technology as well. Think how far agriculture has come since the invention of the plow.

Technology continues to positively impact the cattle industry, with advancements making it easier to monitor animal health, manage breeding records, track inventory and find efficiencies throughout the supply chain, ultimately impacting producer profitability. Producers have gone from scratching handwritten notes on paper to accessing an animal’s entire health record on the phone in the palms of their hands.

During a recent Cattlemen’s Webinar Series event, Andy Dorn with Allflex Livestock Intelligence and Duane Gangwish with Darr Feedlot, Inc. near Cozad, Neb., discussed how technology is improving cattle health and performance.

With something as simple as an electronic identification (EID) ear tag, producers can track and correlate data to a single identification number. Monitoring of animals through activity, rumination, and temperature through active technology is the next step. The real time data provides the ability to make better and more timely decisions. Cattle showing a spike in temperature and decrease in activity can immediately be pulled and treated, giving that animal a better chance of recovery.

“At the feedyard level, we use software to maintain animal health and treatment records and to monitor morbidity and mortality rates in pens,” said Gangwish. “This information is shared with management, veterinarians, and yard staff so we can better manage the health of individual animals.”

While EID isn’t new technology to the livestock industry, the data that can be collected and analyzed is rapidly evolving, and how that data is used is new to the industry.

“Data can be collected throughout the animal’s life across the supply chain,” said Gangwish. “For example, carcass data collected at the packer level is shared with us at the feedyard, and we pass that back to the ranch where the animal originated so they can make genetic decisions.”

According to Dorn, the ability to integrate and cross reference data is key.

“Producers can utilize collected data to evaluate the interaction between genetics and health, health and meat quality, and genetics and eating experience,” said Dorn. “Understanding these correlations help move dollars back to the cow/calf producer as well as the rest of the value chain.”

New technology is also available to help indicate animal health when they are in the chutes. A new breath test detects changes in metabolic outputs exhaled, which can indicate a response to the first signs of infection, often hours before the onset of physical symptoms. Breath test results can be combined with EID data to add another level of information to evaluate animal health and make treatment decisions.

Beyond health management, value added programs and beef exports are also driving the demand for data collection, with most programs requiring traceability in order to enroll and some export markets requiring traceability back to the ranch. Some countries even use the information to help market the product at the retail level. In Japan, consumers can scan a code on the package with their phones, and a picture of the ranch where the animal was raised appears.

When asked why cow/calf producers should utilize EID, Gangwish suggested the technology can help with record management, such as tracking inventory and breeding records. Still, it can also help producers make culling, breeding, and marketing decisions. Gangwish and Dorn understand that the concept can be intimidating, but once producers get started, it becomes a simple process that can have big impacts on herd management.

Whether it is existing technology used in new ways or completely new advancements, both Dorn and Gangwish agree that the beef cattle industry is only going to become more data intense in the future, and technology will be critical to managing information and making meaningful correlations for all segments of the supply chain.

To view recordings from the Cattlemen’s Webinar Series and learn about upcoming webinars, click on the Producers tab at www.NCBA.org.

Terry Boyles, President - twinbfarm1@gmail.com

Contact these RAAC members to learn more about Red Angus genetics and how they can fit into your herd.

HARDROCK BEEF CATTLE Ronnie & Donna Holman 4613 Hickory Nut Ridge Road • Granite Falls, NC 828-302-8659 ronnie@hardrockbeefcattle.com

JK RED ANGUS Jeff Banfield & Madison Adams 331 Tee Jay Farm Road • Aberdeen, NC 910-315-3821 jkredangus@gmail.com

LANGDON RED ANGUS & SIMMENTAL John & Eileen Langdon 7728 Raleigh Road • Benson, NC 919-796-5010 johnlangdon5@gmail.com

ROGERS CATTLE COMPANY Johnny & Sharon Rogers 945 Woodsdale Road • Roxboro, NC 336-504-7268 rccbeef@gmail.com

PRESNELL RED ANGUS Jonathan & Jacob Presnell 368 Whitaker Road • Shelby, NC 704-473-2627 (Jonathan) • 704-616-8775 (Jacob)

BULL HILL RANCH Jim & Alvina Meeks • Raymond Prescott, Manager 1986 Trinity Church Road • Gray Court, SC 864-682-3900 • 864-682-2828 bullhill2@mindspring.com

COUNTRY BOY FARMS David Miller 316 Key Road • Edgefield, SC 706-840-3709