CALF_News_June_July_2018

just as effective. One requires a number of measurements and mathematics to accomplish; another is the use of DNA analytics to sort cattle based on their expected performance profile. Both of these approaches are being utilized in a limited number of operations currently. Connecting the cow-calf producer Meanwhile, back at the ranch, genetic selection is producing calves with higher weaning weights and heavier muscling. It makes sense doesn’t it? When the cow- calf producer is rewarded for pounds weaned, just like the cattle feeder is paid for total pounds produced, we should be weaning bigger, making bigger and selling bigger. What about the research that says the consumer wants a 13-inch ribeye instead of a 17-inch one? What about the desire for more high-quality cuts rather than just pounds? Often, it’s the introduction of heavier muscled Continental breeds that add to muscle mass in the calf while sacrificing marbling ability. The animals have to be fed longer to meet a marketable condition and carcass size is borderline – if not too – heavy. Again, the market signals are often unclear. Ultimately, it is new thinking that will find solutions to the issues we face regard- ing meeting rapidly changing customer preferences in a timely fashion.We, as an industry, do many things extremely well. We take a widely disparate product from an extremely large number of “factories” and turn it into one of the most nutri- tious foods on the planet. From the point that it enters a stocker/backgrounding operation until it lands in the retail food case, it is handled efficiently. Much of the inefficiency in the industry occurs at the commercial cow-calf level. Before we blame them for our woes, however, we need to stop and think about the reasons for that inefficiency. It’s primarily due to a different mindset related to a vastly different business model. The “factories” that produce those calves are asset management-based businesses focused on long-term appre- ciation of value and stockpiling latent income, whereas the remaining sectors of production are all margin-based businesses. We have different goals and different focuses for how we operate. A comprehensive approach to supply- chain management where all of the various sectors are rewarded for their contribution is the answer. How it is achieved will be determined by the individual players involved. In some cases, it will involve customized product development years in advance. In others, it will be a better utilization of exist- ing inventories through processes that CONNECTING THE DOTS Continued from page 13 determine highest value and multiple channels to market. In all cases, a clear feedback loop will be necessary that includes more than simply the economic signals of the mar- ketplace, but also a flow of information that has never before been seen in the industry. Fortunately, tools for doing that are also coming to the market. Proper tools can bring simplicity to the apparent overwhelming complexity of the supply chain. It is a matter of properly connecting the dots to bring clarity.  Corporate Office n Winchester, VA n 540-877-9632 n valleyproteins.com We offer high-energy fats and quality protein meals: n Bleachable Fancy Tallow n Recycled Cooking Oil n Choice White Grease n Meat and Bone Meal n Animal Vegetable Blends n Blood Meal We’ve added locations in the West to bring our services closer to you. Amarillo, TX San Angelo, TX Veribest, TX Durant, OK Oklahoma City, OK Bernalillo, NM 17 CALF News • June | July 2018 • www.calfnews.net