It was an early Thursday afternoon. I’d made the 26-mile run into Burley to a sale with a little load of leppy and oddball calves that, after a few weeks of TLC and too much money spent on grain, finally appeared respectable enough that I dared take such a ragged lot wearing my brand to town.

As the agricultural industry continues to provide higher yields using fewer resources, innovation and improvements made on family operations drive the changes necessary to feeding an ever-growing population. For one of these operations, located in Elkader, Iowa, innovation began with a camcorder in a hog barn.

Many beef producers use a bull to make sure calves are hitting the ground. However, artificial insemination is a viable option for farmers and ranchers.

The ripple effects of inflation have been felt by all in agriculture, and the Idaho Brand Department is no different.

“I’ve noticed it before, not just in this cycle,” says Kenny Burdine, extension professor in livestock economics at the University of Kentucky. “There is a tendency with some producers, when prices are high, to almost become satisfied and to be less focused on adding value when they feel like they are getting a pretty good price for their calves.”

Among other options, some producers may choose to put on a production sale. While this option can work for some, the overhead and labor involved with this type of marketing can be a turnoff for others.

“Shrink, the unpaid loss of weight, is essentially an important cost of marketing,” says Chris Bastian, a professor in the department of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wyoming.

A business’s goal – of any kind – is to make a profit. This is no different for beef producers. An online option for bull sales may be the way to do this for some producers.

In a webinar hosted by NCBA, Elliott Dennis, assistant professor of livestock marketing and risk management at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, discussed how to top the cattle market by effectively marketing and managing price risk.