May 2020 Articles

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A Balancing Act

A Balancing Act J. Holmes – LSU AgCenter It is nearly impossible to open any type of media source today and not hear or read something concerning the effects of COVID-19 on the meat protein industry. This is causing many livestock producers to burn the midnight oil trying to make decisions for the family farm. So where do we start? First, we must know what our costs are. This can most efficiently be answered with sound record keeping. By keeping good records, we can make informed decisions as opposed to an educated guess. We can use these informed decisions to set priorities and adopt management techniques (i.e., reproductive efficiency, herd nutrition, herd health, grazing management, improved genetics) which can translate into survival during trying times. It is important to understand there is a fundamental difference between cutting costs and cutting corners. Cutting costs teaches us valuable lessons that may help us stay in the black in future years, while cutting corners may save you money for the next couple months but will ultimately have undesirable effects on long-term production. The University of Georgia Extension publication Managing Cattle in Tough Times – Bulletin 1373 (https://extension.uga.edu/publications), recommends evaluation of the cow-calf management system using these six management priorities: 1. Understanding and controlling basic input costs in the cow herd 2. Evaluating your herd nutritional program 3. Soil testing and fertilization 4. Improving grazing management to increase forage use efficiency 5. Maintaining a sound herd health program 6. Moving genetics forward The publication goes on to say that before any of these areas can be addressed, there must be an avenue of tracking inputs (i.e., record keeping). Records must be kept in order to make progress in management because if something is not recorded, it cannot be changed using these six management priorities: 1. Understanding and controlling basic input costs in the cow herd 2. Evaluating your herd nutritional program 3. Soil testing and fertilization 4. Improving grazing management to increase forage use efficiency 5. Maintaining a sound herd health program 6. Moving genetics forward The publication goes on to say that before any of these areas can be addressed, there must be an avenue of tracking inputs (i.e., record keeping). Records must be kept in order to make progress in management because if something is not recorded, it cannot be changed. What can you focus some immediate attention to?
The hay season is here, and those stored forages are what we depend heavily upon for winter supplementation. Documentation shows that nutrition represents the largest input cost associated with cattle production, accounting for 40-60% of annual cow cost. With forages being the basis of beef cattle nutrition in the south, the most reliable and predictable factor for assessing sustainability of cow-calf production is that of persistence and maintenance of forages. Stocking rate, grazing intensity, and soil nutrient upkeep are the primary management strategies that control the desired level of forage and cow-calf production. Do not let body condition scores (and ultimately reproductive efficiency) in your cow herd slip because you cut corners on forage management in the short-term (warm season perennials) and in the long-term (cool season annuals). Summary The profitability of beef production is as many other production systems, is the function of a balancing act between inputs and outputs. There is no cookie cutter formula, meaning what works for one producer may not necessarily work for another. Decisions should be made on good recordkeeping and a solid focus on best management practices. Markets are nearly impossible to control but making informed decisions about valuing your calf crop and where your money is spent may be the difference between profit and loss for your operation.