  BeefTalk:
How do I get $600 for My Calves
By Kris Ringwall, Extension Beef Specialist,
NDSU Extension Service
Interacting with local producers while processing, shipping and marketing
calves is always fun and rewarding. This year, a new extension program called
"SmartCows" has given staff at the North Dakota State University
Dickinson Research Extension Center more of an opportunity to assist and
interact with producers, especially producers lacking labor or proper
facilities.
As we have traveled some of the roads less traveled (at least by the rest of
the country), the reception by producers has been positive. Implementing new
technology has been a challenge, but that challenge does not come from any lack
of desire or willingness.
In most cases, facilities of some sort can be located, but the absence of
help is ringing loud. The number of active beef operations with the "next
generation" absent from the operation is painstakingly evident alongside
the chute.
Using the SmartCows program, seven crew members work in synchronization
(working a calf about every 45 seconds) to resemble a reasonably equipped
operating room.
Processor no. 1 moves calves to the tub from the corral and guides the calves
to the alley within the tub. Processor no. 2 escorts calves into and through the
alley. Processor no. 3 controls entry into the actual scale and chute. Processor
no. 4 controls the head gate and restrains the calf.
Processor no. 5 (a beef quality assurance certified professional) administers
the desired vaccines and processor no. 6 records calf weight, sex, tag number
and all work done by the other processors. Making changes in ear tags or
administering ear implants requires processor no. 7.
When all the work is done (about 45 seconds later), the head gate swings
forward, the calf is released and the process starts all over again until the
pen is emptied. Hopefully, the calves move at a pace of less than a minute per
calf. The ideal situation would allow for an assistant for each processor and
someone of notable stature (grandpa) to supervise the entire operation.
This preconditioning program is a repeat of the process when the calves were
born—with the addition of 400 to 500 pounds on each calf, which has shifted
the labor scale considerably in favor of the calf. This growth leads to one of
the reasons producers are prohibited from entering the technological age—
available labor. We see the same phenomenon with our crop-growing neighbors as
evidenced by grain in the dough stage well past the average frost date. Time is
the ultimate balance between size and money.
The SmartCows crew has worked several hundred calves so far and logged
considerable miles while establishing a new template for beef cattle management.
The typical herd enrolled in the Cow Herd Appraisal and Performance Software
(CHAPS) program will produce 600-pound calves based on the average of all the
calves—big and little—from almost 90 percent of the cows exposed to the bull
the previous spring. These calves, when cruising in the feedlot, should have an
average daily gain of more than four pounds and potentially gross over $800 on
the rail. Given reasonable feeding charges, the potential for a $600 return
still exists.
CHAPS beef producers find the future in their own data, painstakingly
collected chute-side as processor no. 6 — rain or shine, snow or sleet —
records calf identification, weight and sex, one calf at a time. Performance,
enhanced with proper preconditioning, assures a calf with a top-quality,
predictable return.
May you find all your ear tags.
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 BT0111.
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Source: Kris Ringwall, (701) 483-2427, kringwal@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu
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Graphic --
Typical Crew for Processing Calves
Under the SmartCows Program
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Processor 1 --- Loads the tub and alley
Processor 2 --- Facilitates calf movement
Processor 3 --- Loads the chute and scale
Processor 4 --- Runs the head gate
Processor 5 --- Administers vaccines
Processor 6 --- Data recorder
Processor 7 --- Administers ear tags or implants
Processor 8 --- Supervises the whole process
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