CALF_News_February_March_2021

23 CALF News • February | March 2021 • www.calfnews.net So began the great saga of the COVID pandemic and finding out how state shut- downs trickle their respective problems far beyond the borders of any given area. Standage is well versed in the COVID/ politics entanglements that prevented many producers from obtaining our favor- ite feedstuffs early in spring 2020. California’s government-mandated shutdown disrupted the ethanol supply chain, particularly in shipyards. Product could not move from railway cars to ships and on to their next destination. Standage says Standage Trucking had six wet distiller’s co-product trailers, each worth $70,000 to 100,000 sitting empty for an extended period of time. Employees were sitting, as well, as Nebraska ethanol plants shut down one by one. In addition to ethanol plant shutdowns, transport of fat cattle came to a halt when COVID-19 hit the packing plants hard. From March through June of 2020, federal grants and the company’s payroll protection program kept the trucking firm in business, supplying 75 percent of normal pay to employees. Standage is still surprised that it turned out as well as it did. Currently, they are waiting for parts and equipment; many factories are under- going COVID-related shutdowns and trucking companies may also be hobbled. Standage says there’s potential for fur- ther disruptions in the ethanol industry. Fewer people are driving fewer miles as the pandemic has forced them to stay home. This creates a bearish trend for ethanol, potentially shuttering plants for longer periods. The railroad, being heavily invested in hauling ethanol to theWest Coast, is also caught up in the government–induced detritus. They may turn to hauling more coal during times when ethanol plants go dark. Ports on the Gulf of Mexico are open, providing some relief for trucks that can still haul ethanol to shipyards. For trucking companies themselves, EPA regulations tightening emission standards have lowered fuel efficiency. The web of government and politics has also affected long-haul loads as truck- ers are required to shut down and rest periodically. It’s causing an unnecessary inefficiency in transportation of goods. Livestock and perishable agricultural prod- ucts are still currently temporarily exempt. A Trucker’s Wish List Standage wants cattle feeders to remember that purchasing ethanol co- products for feed is best done through a broker, like himself. Brokers supply a more dependable source of feed during turbulent times like these, as opposed to buying directly from ethanol plants. In addition, dealers can lock in a reasonable price several months at a time, taking some volatility out of production costs. He wants folks to realize that truck- ers do their best to keep stress levels low when hauling cattle – they are aware of shrink and mishaps. Cattle must be handled carefully – 99 percent of liability falls on the trucker when cattle come off the trailer lame or injured. His wish list also includes added help in the fall, when corn harvest is in full swing. Late model combines cover great swaths of ground, harvesting a crop at breakneck speeds; it’s a challenge for trucks to keep up. This crunch typically lasts from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, and leaves Standage about two trucks short of ideal. That same time of year is when the majority of cattle come off grass and there is an abundance of pasture hauling to handle. Family Mark Standage is grateful for his wife, Heidi’s, dependability. “Thank God [for her]. Plant charges and invoicing move too fast to keep track of, sometimes,” he says. No worries, Heidi keeps track. Other family members include sons Brady, 24, Ethan, 19, and Gavin, 15. They are currently running 65 cows with their dad, utilizing Gelbvieh genetics. Standage says he deals with“good people.” He appreciates their business and respects the work they do raising cattle. It takes a fulltime effort to keep the wheels turning.  In eastern Oregon, Wes Killion, presi- dent and chief operating officer of Beef Northwest, has used UHF technology for several years. As he learned more about U.S. CattleTrace, he found his objectives for Beef Northwest aligned with those of the non-profit organization. He says his experience with UHF tags and the prac- tices he had implemented made joining an easy decision. “Beef Northwest was focused on UHF technology because we wanted to improve our cattle management and procure- ment,” Killion reveals. “We had used low-frequency tags and were looking for a consistent product that provided more flexibility than low-frequency tags. It was a natural fit to have cattle traceability become an additional attribute to what we were already doing. “Plus, around that time, we’d seen disease issues in the pork and poultry industries. It reiterated how vulnerable we could be if we had such an outbreak in the U.S. cattle population. The best way to mitigate that risk is by putting contact traceability into action rather than just talking about it.” Killion reports joining the organization is a simple process. The UHF tags are an affordable, crucial technology from a management position. “If people are passionate about trace- ability, this is another way for them to express their passion, by putting in tags,” Killion observes. “The technology contin- ues to improve. Preprinted tags also allow users to have visual and UHF capabili- ties, which is useful in program cattle. “COVID has made animal traceability more urgent,” Killion argues. “There are more players out there, and [there are] warning signs it would behoove us to pay attention to and protect our industry and livelihoods – not just for what we have now but for the generations to come.”  U.S. CATTLETRACE Continued from page 19 For more information, visit www.uscattletrace.org