CALF_News_April_May_2018

43 CALF News • April | May 2018 • www.calfnews.net Headed to their new home, these two Bradley 3 Ranch- bred bulls look like mirror images. Photo courtesy Chris McClure  Bull buyers gathered on a sunny day near Taylor, Neb., to inspect and purchase Hereford bulls at Upstream Ranch. The Feb. 3 event drew people from many states. Brent Meeks’ family is one of the premier Hereford breeders in the U.S. Photo courtesy Patti Wilson  Cargill Feed and Nutrition was well represented at NCBA with Mollie Dreibodt, Marketing Communications Lead and Bryan McMurry, Business Development Manager. Photo courtesy Patti Wilson   CALF COMMUNITY Gatherings Upstream Ranch Bull Sale Cattle Industry Convention Bradley 3 Ranch We have the tools in vaccines and antibi- otics, but still don’t always get 100-per- cent efficacy.” Early research helped develop what is now Micro Beef Technologies’ elec- tronic cattle management system and chute-side health programs. Micro Beef founder Bill Pratt spent a lot of time at the research feedyard. Bechtol has also developed many educational materials designed to help cattle feeding be more efficient. “That began in the late ‘80s,” he says. “We had a large notebook and revised it several times. We also developed pam- phlets to help feedyard cowboys. Those materials were also put on CDs and a thumb drive. I think we’ve helped train a lot of feedyard cowboys.” A system that uses GrowSafe feed- ers and data collection helps the facility identify exact feed intake and gain. Agri Research Center also does small custom feeding programs for regional ranchers and seedstock operators. AGRI RESEARCH CENTER Continued from page 31 “For our normal research, we receive cattle from across the Southeast and Southwest,” Bechtol says.“But we also have pens devoted to custom feed- ing. We have different size pen spacing to handle from 10 head to 250. That enables seedstock operators to evaluate small or large numbers of cattle produced from their genetics.” Bechtol doesn’t mind admit- ting that he’s been associated with the regional feeding industry for a long time.“I was at the XIT in Dalhart when they dug the first post hole,” he quips. “And as far as feedyard compa- nies go, I’ve been hired and fired by several of them. We still do a lot of research on new products that companies are trying to bring on the market. You just hope you are doing something to help the industry. “But everyone has to realize there is no ‘miracle-mycin’ out there.”  Area producers often feed-out a set of cattle to get a reading on quality or straight retained ownership.