From artificial insemination and genomics to digital herd records and virtual fencing, technology is no longer just a toy for seedstock outfits or “techy” early adopters. It’s becoming a competitive line in the sand — one that separates operations guessing their way through the cycle from those managing with data, discipline and intent.
For years, technology in the beef industry meant spreadsheets, a good chute and a better pickup. Today, a growing number of ranchers are checking water from their phones, steering cattle with virtual fence collars and sorting replacements off genomic data. Yet the 2026 State of Beef survey found only one‑third of respondents using digital herd management programs, and genomic testing remains the exception, not the rule.
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” says Jamie Courter, University of Missouri beef Extension specialist. “A piece of paper and pencil chute‑side doesn’t do it anymore. Those that are able to make data‑driven decisions — managing based on what they’re measuring — have benefits for the long run.”
The gap between what’s possible and what’s practiced is now one of the biggest profit opportunities in the cow‑calf sector.
“I think we’re going to see more new technologies in the next five to 10 years than we’ve seen in the last 75 years,” says seedstock producer and industry consultant Casey Worrell. “But the question is: Are we going to use them in a way that actually makes us more profitable and more competitive, or just chase gadgets?”
The industry seems to be divided on technology and genetics — some very advanced, many still basic. Across the industry, technology is moving from “nice‑to‑have” to “must‑have,” but adoption remains uneven and labor-limited.
Survey Key Takeaways:
- Artificial insemination (AI) adoption surpasses expectations: About 43% of survey respondents use AI.
- Genomics lags on female side: Despite producers placing high value on expected progeny differences (EPDs) and genomics when buying bulls, adoption remains remarkably low for commercial replacement heifers.
- Digital herd-management gap: Just 32% of producers utilize digital herd-management software — a surprising contrast given that cost and efficiency are top-of-mind concerns. Though usage is up 8 points from last year, Worrell warns that leaving basic reproductive metrics like conception rates to guesswork is no longer viable.
“If you aren’t measuring it, you can’t improve it,” he stresses. “In today’s tight-margin world, data is no longer optional.” - Water management tools on the rise: Remote water monitoring saw an 8-percentage-point jump compared to 2025, solidifying its place as a critical labor-saver rather than a gadget.
- Virtual fencing gains ground: Trial and adoption rates continue to expand, with early adopters reporting improved grazing distribution, reduced fence-maintenance labor, and the benefit of real-time cattle tracking and behavior data.
From the Ranch Gate to the Rail: Data as a Two-Way Street
Technology is also transforming how information travels past the ranch gate. At Triangle H near Garden City, Kan., Sam Hands and his daughter, Marisa Kleysteuber, partner with cow-calf customers who retain ownership or feed cattle through their yard. Through this partnership, they send detailed feedyard performance and carcass feedback back to the ranch. This creates a valuable, data-driven two-way street.
“We’re very fortunate we get to work with cow-calf operators from across the country that pretty much have a common denominator: wanting a genetic calf crop,” Hands says. “We’ve developed an index system to follow cattle clear to the point of the rail, and try and help them continue to improve their herd.”
The flow of data doesn’t stop when cattle are sold.
“We gather all this information, and we feed that data back to them,” he explains, adding he stresses to the producers, “don’t worry about the ones that are on top and get rid of the ones that are on bottom. Keep raising the bar of excellence.”
Kleysteuber says they have seen how even small exposure to feedyard and carcass data can change behavior.
On the cow-calf side, Hands points to one customer who embraced DNA technology to push his herd forward — even without traditional on-ranch ID systems.
“He’s never had an ID system in his cows,” Hands explains. “But at weaning time he does DNA on all of his heifers. He has a benchmark that this is where I’ll pick my heifers from there and above, and it’s been amazing the changes that’s taken place in this herd.”
For both the Hands family and their customers, the feedback loop is the “technology.”
“Where we’re at in the beef industry is that things can’t stay the same. We can’t keep doing it the way that it’s always been done,” Kleysteuber stresses. “You don’t have to adopt technology, but you have to compete with those who do.”
AI and Genomics: Adoption Is Real — but Not Even
Courter says the survey reminds her labor and time, not necessarily cost, remain the biggest brakes on adoption of tools like AI and genomic testing.
The use of genomic tools is not yet where she believes they need to be — especially on the female side.
“Where we’re at in the industry with the cost of the testing and the amount of information that you could get back, I would have liked to have seen genomic testing be a little bit higher,” Courter says. “I was so encouraged and excited to see that the No. 1 priority for when you’re buying a bull is genomics or EPDs or index values. That means that we’re getting commercial producers educated; they understand the value of the technology. But if we know and we trust that that technology works on the bulls, then why are we not requesting that information on the replacement heifers?”
She expects that gap to close.
“We know that there’s genomically verified feeder cattle programs, and I anticipate in the not so distant future we’re going to have the same for replacement heifers,” she adds. “Buying a replacement heifer is also a large investment in today’s economy. I really think we should be asking just as difficult questions about those heifers and applying just as much scrutiny to them as we do on the bulls.”
Technology as a Tool, Not a Mandate
For all her enthusiasm, Courter is careful not to preach a one‑size‑fits‑all technology recipe.
“I’m not preaching ‘do all the things’,” she says. “I’m saying it’s a tool. If it helps you be better, if you can find a way to help it increase profitability, then it deserves your consideration. All of them have to be on the table until you take them off. You can’t just refuse to put them on the table.”
Test technology against a simple standard: does it save labor, improve grazing, cut wrecks or increase pounds of high‑value beef sold per acre?
Hands agrees that technology can’t replace fundamentals. But, he adds, today’s tools offer producers opportunities that simply didn’t exist 40 years ago.
“Previous generations maybe got by with very little change, but if you don’t utilize all this technology that’s there to your best advantage you can easily spend a lifetime and go nowhere,” he stresses.
Courter says she often leans on a favorite line from longtime industry leader Donnell Brown: “You don’t have to change, but you will have to compete with those who do.”
In other words, technology is no longer about being fancy — it’s about staying in the game.
“We have to find a way to be better, to be more efficient, and be different,” Courter summarizes. “The decisions that you make today, what you adopt while you’re profitable, are going to set you up for success five years from now.”
In a business where drought, markets and policy will always be beyond a producer’s control, she believes technology is one of the few levers cow-calf producers can still pull for themselves.
“We have to use technology and manage around the things that we can’t control,” Courter says. “We’re moving that fast. If we don’t, I don’t think we’ll have the operations to hand down to our children.”
Quiet Revolution, Real Stakes
Viewed through the lens of the State of the Beef Indutry survey, it might be tempting to think technology is still on the fringes of the beef business. Worrell, Hands and Kleysteuber summarize what they see is something different: a quiet revolution.
Digital records, DNA and feedyard data are already shifting which cattle get rewarded, which operations stay profitable through the cycle and which young people see a future in the beef industry.
The tools are here. The question — especially for producers still working mostly out of a notebook — is whether they’ll use these tools to build a proactive business, or wait until packers, grids and buyers force their hand.
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At Drovers, we share your passion for agriculture and the beef industry. Our State of the Beef Industry report sought to gauge producer attitudes, commitment and management practices. The report is designed to provide a benchmark of information to help you make successful decisions. Join us the week of Sept. 14 on Drovers.com, FarmJournalTV.com, AgDay, AgriTalk and our Drovers daily e-newsletter as we analyze the survey results and discuss what they mean for your herd.At Drovers, we share your passion for agriculture and the beef industry. Our State of the Beef Industry report sought to gauge producer attitudes, commitment and management practices. The report is designed to provide a benchmark of information to help you make successful decisions. Join us the week of Sept. 14 on Drovers.com, FarmJournalTV.com, AgDay, AgriTalk and our Drovers daily e-newsletter as we analyze the survey results and discuss what they mean for your herd.
