  BeefTalk:
In the World of Agriculture, Almost is Not Good Enough
By Kris Ringwall, Extension Beef Specialist,
NDSU Extension Service
Like the seasonal change of summer giving way to fall, the prospects of
change within production agriculture gradually will have a big impact on the
future.
Right now, we are occupied with the fact that summer is coming to an end.
Some would ask, "What summer?" but for those out and about at night,
the change is noticeable. The chill of fall is here.
The summer season was somewhat erratic and grossly unfair with the
distribution of moisture. This summer also will stand out, however, because of
various incidents, all which complicate life. The common thread to all the
incidents was "Almost is not good enough." The season was hardly
underway when circumstances caused the summer to buck just a little bit harder
than normal.
At the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center, it
all started while reviewing the planting intentions versus actual planting. A
check reviewed a different variety of corn was seeded on several acres. The corn
was a well-intended gift from the local corn dealer. However, the corn happened
to be a GMO (genetically modified) corn, requiring additional paperwork and a
production contract. There was nothing wrong with the corn; however, the
frustration of contract details can cause more than mild indigestion, especially
when received after the corn was planted.
The complexity of life, and specifically agricultural food production, is
challenging. Maintaining GMO corn required additional production practices, and
all needed to be taken seriously. Soon after the clarification of planted acres,
sorting through labels to apply the appropriate herbicide with no grazing
restrictions was the next hurdle. Everything needs to be done right. In years
past, precision was a pitchfork or two, or a coffee can with a line scratching
the paint to mark the appropriate fill line. Today, the coffee can has been
replaced by sophisticated bottles, containers and lab equipment. Parts per
million are routinely tracked, and if you drop a red blood cell somewhere, once
the DNA is recorded, you are "it."
Detectable levels of most biological compounds are so small, bright minds
have difficulty providing understandable examples. Signing a contract to assist
in the management and production of not the corn, but the very DNA within each
corn cell seems challenging at the very least. Herbicides used on forage crops
can be detected in the subsequent forage sample and traced through the
production chain. In years like this, crop residues from acres intended to be
used only for grain production and managed for grain production may not be
suitable for livestock feed.
Cattle cannot be grazed on corn if the corn was treated with a herbicide with
grazing restrictions. Unfortunately, many of these potential combinations and
interactions between crop production and livestock production have not been
studied, and the answers are not known. The bottom line: almost is not good
enough. The challenges of providing the absolute perfect product for the
customer are mounting, not because the cow is changing, but because the
scientific eye is now magnified. As a producer, all the i’s need to be dotted
and t’s crossed.
As we prepared to send cattle to Future Beef, a Kansas beef processor,
similar issues appeared. Were the cattle ever exposed to feed containing animal
protein? Was the right supplement loaded at the feed store, or did a last-minute
bargain result in a different product being loaded? Why the bargain? Read the
tag, and look for small print with big letter impact. Well, Future Beef’s
doors were shut before the paperwork was even finished, but the question is not
going away. At what level is the livestock producer held accountable?
I don’t pretend to know the answer, but I can assure you, "Almost is
not good enough."
Your comments are always welcome at www.BeefTalk.com.
For more information, contact the North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement
Association, 1133 State Avenue, Dickinson, ND 58601 or go to www.CHAPS2000.COM
on the Internet. In correspondence about this column, refer to BT0107.
###
Source: Kris Ringwall, (701) 483-2427, kringwal@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu
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