DNA to Dinner Plate Cattle Management
Jennifer Archibald for Progressive Cattleman
On a shaky foundation, volatility in the cattle market has made it difficult if not impossible for cattle producers to forecast profits or to use the trembling futures market for any sort of price protection this year. In order to squeeze margins and remain profitable requires skilled management, peak efficiency and innovation.
Innovation, distinguishes a leader from a follower and Steve Scholz, of Lincoln County Feed Yard in Stapleton, Nebraska, is taking advantage of emerging technologies with the expansion of his feed yard to protect himself and his clients against market forces with the installation of the Cattle Classification and Sorting System from Performance Cattle Company.
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If the rancher is serious about developing his health program, serious about genetics, and serious about his herd; there is no doubt in my mind he can make money retaining ownership of his cattle compared to what he would get at the sale barn,” said Scholz. “They get paid for the true value of their animals, have fewer over or under weight discounts, fewer yield grade four’s and more premiums.”
He added that the Cattle Classification and Sorting System has been extremely useful to his clients who purchase sale barn cattle where lots can be highly variable and don’t always fit a pen.
Retained ownership clients also have the added advantage of knowing up front what it will cost to feed their cattle helping them manage risk under a wide variety of economic and production conditions.
For Scholz in today’s clean-shaven cattle feeding business, it cost nearly as much operating his feed yard at 90 percent full as it does when he is 100 percent full, therefore it is critical to keep pens full to capacity and the sorting system has helped him do that by knowing exactly when to market different lots of