Latest News From Justin Sexten Performance Livestock Analytics

Those seeking to take advantage of the emerging carbon market continue to evaluate a host of programs intended to document pasture management, crop rotations and feed additives all aimed at offsetting carbon emissions.

A recent bill passed the House Ag committee outlines the creation of a contract library to provide a public listing of terms and details in order to provide greater market transparency.

Weaning heavy, fast growing calves starts with conception. Cows conceiving every year and weaning even the most marginal calf can and still compete with a genetic giant with a zero in her average.

Most commercial bulls ultimately cull themselves due to injury or old age. The USDA Meat Animal Research Center evaluated the ability of genetic testing to inform management decisions around bull prolificacy.

Imagine if we could determine adaptive qualities of our cows before investing the development cost of replacement heifers, building an adaptive herd over time.

As I write this month’s article the range in future cattle and feed grain values has experienced historic swings in both directions. Regardless of the cause, this market offers several lessons worth considering.

Historically, the technology used to monitor pastures was the keen eye of the stockman. New technologies – such as drones - can sample large pastures quickly under a variety of conditions without damaging forage.

When was the last time you considered a subtractive approach? Not just cutting feed or input costs but an enterprise evaluation to ensure your time is optimized.

When we consider the influential variables we measure and manage to, weight tops the list as weight-based decisions are at every stage of the beef supply chain, birth to carcass.

There are few no-risk options in the cattle business, but calves with reputation, high-growth potential and a well-executed health program should provide cattle feeders with relatively fewer health challenges.

Antibiotic metaphylaxis is an effective preventative to BRD and leads to improvements in feedyard performance. Can high-risk calves to respond to respiratory vaccines when administered at arrival?

Lessons learned from the pandemic marketing year suggest a decision structure built on gathering the most relevant data while minimizing the noise of the uncontrollable.

Some of the greatest benefits to feeding a cow herd have little to do with nutrition. Even the smallest amount of feed simplifies gathering, moving, and checking cows with the sound of the feed truck.

Even for those who enjoyed timely summer rains, the marginal economics of the cattle business and rising feed costs continue to cause nearly everyone to search for ways to do more with less.

Whether you are looking to market spring-born calves, yearlings off grass or buying the next turn, everyone is looking to capture the value added by their management.

As technology advances the range of sensor applications will continue to expand as will the duration of data collection.

As technology advances, our ability to monitor behavior in a normal feeding environment will help determine if efficiency causes the behavior or the behavior makes cattle more efficient.

Cattlemen may someday use technology such as drones to digitize pasture management addressing variable pasture conditions and labor needed to develop actionable data-driven grazing management plans.

The advancements in technology and handling of data privacy we are currently witnessing provide a useful structure to look at options for a traceable beef product.

For technology to have value, it must be predictive in both the sick and healthy to minimize treating healthy calves and find those sick calves early.

As many operations look to navigate the challenges imposed by Covid-19, it seems timely to consider the value of a system built around optionality.

We often consider the saving or revenue opportunity from technology, but this data reveal where the unexpected opportunity lies in the middle, preventing unnecessary treatment or finding calves we didn’t know were ill.

The number of sensor based technologies available to livestock producers continues to advance. Today there are machines and sensors being used to replicate human observation related to sight, sound and even smell.

Which is more financially advantageous on your ranch if the average is the same, uniformity from top to bottom or bottom-end discounts offset by premiums from top-end excellence?

New research highlights the ability of behavior monitoring to predict disease while enhancing health outcomes and making the pen rider's job easier.

Imagine how valuable a technology could be in your animal health program that provides a daily list of calves not visiting the feed bunk or water tank in the last 24 hours.

Our view or definition of traceability and the process involved shapes our perspective of the premium and implementation cost.

When loading and unloading cattle, the choice of "movement assistance device" may affect the loading outcome as well as the end product.

A recent paper offers an interesting look at an alternative model for growing cattle health and performance where efficiency was achieved using less.

Can we predict respiratory disease (BRD) onset using behavior monitoring technology? A research group at Texas A&M University looked to answer this very question.

BRD is the largest drain on all segments of the industry, but we are closer to technology that enhances animal well-being and improving operation efficiency.